More than 20 million kids in the United States live with one parent. Separation and divorce are the most common reasons for this. In other cases, the mom and dad may never have lived together, or one of them may have died.
Living with one parent instead of two can bring about a lot of emotions. These feelings can be pretty strong, and they can be confusing, too. You might feel terribly sad and angry because your parents divorced.
Single parents are often working parents because someone needs to earn money to buy food, clothing, and a place to live in. Having a job means your mom or dad is able to provide these things and more for you. People work for other reasons, too. A job can let a person use his or her special talents and skills. A job can be important because it helps people in the community.
But even though you might understand why your mom or dad has to work, sometimes it can be hard to accept. This can be especially true during the summer or school vacations. You’re home, they’re gone, and the days can seem really long.
It can be tough when you don’t have enough time with your dad or mom. When you live with one parent, that person really has to do the work of two people. Besides a job, your mom or dad is responsible for caring for the kids, the house, the yard, the car and the pets. So what can you do ?
One of the best ways is to hold a family meeting. Talk about everyone’s schedule for work, school, and activities. You can also talk about what jobs around the house need to be done every day. You might want to help your parent cook dinner sometimes. That can be both fun and helpful to your parent. Maybe you can also schedule a weekly game or a movie at night.
【小题1】What are the main reasons for kids’ living with one parent?

More than 20 million kids in the United States live with one parent. Separation and divorce are the most common reasons for this. In other cases, the mom and dad may never have lived together, or one of them may have died.
Living with one parent instead of two can bring about a lot of emotions. These feelings can be pretty strong, and they can be confusing, too. You might feel terribly sad and angry because your parents divorced.
Single parents are often working parents because someone needs to earn money to buy food, clothing, and a place to live in. Having a job means your mom or dad is able to provide these things and more for you. People work for other reasons, too. A job can let a person use his or her special talents and skills. A job can be important because it helps people in the community.
But even though you might understand why your mom or dad has to work, sometimes it can be hard to accept. This can be especially true during the summer or school vacations. You’re home, they’re gone, and the days can seem really long.
It can be tough when you don’t have enough time with your dad or mom. When you live with one parent, that person really has to do the work of two people. Besides a job, your mom or dad is responsible for caring for the kids, the house, the yard, the car and the pets. So what can you do ?
One of the best ways is to hold a family meeting. Talk about everyone’s schedule for work, school, and activities. You can also talk about what jobs around the house need to be done every day. You might want to help your parent cook dinner sometimes. That can be both fun and helpful to your parent. Maybe you can also schedule a weekly game or a movie at night

1. 1.

   What are the main reasons for kids’ living with one parent?

   1. A.
      Separation and divorce
   2. B.
      A lot of emotions
   3. C.
      Working and caring for the kids
   4. D.
      Working parents
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Some kids live with one parent for the other’s death
   2. B.
      Living with one parent can cause a lot of emotions
   3. C.
      Working means a mom or dad is able to provide things for their kids
   4. D.
      Kids can also talk about what jobs in their school can be done at a family meeting
3. 3.

   It can be inferred from the underlined sentence (in Paragraph 4 ) that ______

   1. A.
      the kid in the company of friends does want help
   2. B.
      the kid who plays with both parents does need their love
   3. C.
      the kid lacks both parents’ love does feel lonely
   4. D.
      the kid who understands parents’ work does be helpful
4. 4.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Living with a single parent
   2. B.
      Single parents and work
   3. C.
      How to work with a single parent
   4. D.
      Schedules for work

Happiness is U-shaped, for we are happier at the start and end of our lives but hit a slump when we are middle-aged, British and US researchers say.

Economists from the University of Warwick, central England, and from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, looked at data on the mental health of two million people from 80 countries.

In Britain, the probability of depression for men and women peaks at around 44 years of age, Warwick University said in a press release.  

In the United States, though, ________________________between men and women. Among women, unhappiness peaked at around the age of 40, whereas among men, it was about 50.

But the U-shape of happiness is constant around the world, and mid-life depression occurs regardless of marital status(婚姻状况), changes in job or income.

The study appears in Social Science & Medicine, published by the Dutch publishing house Elsevier.  

"It happens to men and women, to single and married people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children." said co-author Andrew Oswald.

One possibility may be that people realize they won't achieve many of their ambitions at middle age. The researchers said.

Another reason could be that after seeing their fellow middle-aged peers begin to die, people begin to value their own remaining years and embrace life once more.

But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average as happy and mentally healthy as a 20-year old.

"For the average persons in the modern world, the dip in mental health and happiness comes on slowly, not suddenly in a single year," Oswald said. "Only in their fifties do people emerge from this low period.  

1.Which sentence in the passage is the closest in meaning to the following one?

 There are chances that the middle-aged people will realize their ideal is likely to be unattainable. 

_________________________________________________________________________

2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with a proper sentence．(within 10 words)

3.How do you understand the sentence that “Happiness is U-shaped”? (within 20 words)

_________________________________________________________________________

4.Is mid-life depression a common Phenomenon in the world ? How do you know?(within 15 words) 

_________________________________________________________________________

5.Translate the underlined sentence in the last paragraph into Chinese

_________________________________________________________________________

PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or un­finished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked with A、B、C and D, Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.

For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their dark red passport, becoming “Europeans” is a bit like marrying a large and strange family.

Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologies and market researchers, and are more interesting

   35% of Germans live alone, but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink.

  The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can’t just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain.

  The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky.

  The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports.

  The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it’s colder.

  Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards.

  The French are the champion public transport commuters(经常往返者)of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else.

  The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedes. So, sharing a lift is a torture for both the British and the Swedish.

There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. “If you don’t understand each other’s language, just laugh a lot and eat and point at things.”

1.We can know from this passage that______________.

A.sociologist are most interested in the idea of European Union

B.most European countries are not willing to join the European Union

C.Europeans have more differences than similarities

D.trade opportunities exit in the cultural differences in the European Union

2.If you work and live in Belgium, you will______________.

A. have to change your living places often B. not get used to its cold weather

C. seldom sees people playing sports     D. be invited to go for a drink frequently

3. The underlined sentence means that the British and Swedish _________________.

A. care about their safety most                  B. like to appear gentle and smart

C. hate to look at each other face to face          D. enjoy a richer life than others

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE about Spain?

A.Spaniards hate direct eye-contact between strangers.

B.Spaniards like to go for a drink after dark.

C.Spaniards spend twice as much on heating as the Germans.

D.In Spain, husbands do more household shopping than those in Italy.

5.In the last paragraph, the author wants to express his idea that ______________.

A.his daughter knows well how to understand foreigners in unfamiliar situations

B.Europeans actually share the same culture even if they have different languages

C.being a European, you will have no living trouble at all in the European Union

D.there are differences between European countries, but don’t take them too seriously