For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They’re called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work and their bad condition has become a subject of concern（关心）。

    Lynette Long was once the principal（校长）of an elementary school. Said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of the kids had chains around their necks with keys attached（附带）。 I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys that it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.

    She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents had on their children Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared（害怕）.Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.

    The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed, in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it high volume.

     It’s hard to get statistics（统计数字）on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.

1. The main idea about “latchkey” children is that they ______.

are growing in numbers

are also found in middle-class neighborhoods  

watch too much TV during the day

suffer problems from being left alone

2. Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?

We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.

A lot of kids had chains around their necks.

I was often telling them to put them inside their shirts.

She learned they were house keys.

3. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is ______.

   A. tiredness     B. freedom     C. loneliness     D. fear

4. The word “nightmare” in the third paragraph probably means______.

   A. night suit                                            B. night habit

   C. terrible dream at night            D. staying up at night

5. We may draw a conclusion that_______.

latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone

latchkey children try to hide their feeling

latchkey children often watch TV with their parents

it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are

Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l, 200 Miles off the Somali coast, the farthest-off-shore attack to date, an officer said Tuesday.

Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻)by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force, said a spokesman.

The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”.

“Once they start attacking that far out, you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer, Roger Middleton. “Once you’re that far out, it's just the Indian Ocean, and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia, from Asia to South Africa. ”

“This is the farthest robbing to date. They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer.

The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and l 4—had 77 members on board in total. All of them are Thai, the spokesman said. Before the Sunday robbing, pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.

Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes. of catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships, the success rate(率)has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.

1.The pirate attack reported in the text happened __________.

2.According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?

3.Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?

4.How many sailors were held by the pirates up to the time of the report?

The old man was telling a funny story, surrounded by many kids, _________ with fascination.

A. all of whom listened                     B. all of whom listening  

C. all of them listened                         D. all of them were listening

There are lots of attractions in St.Petersburg.If you’re short of time to visit all of them,or if you just want to make sure to hit the highlights(最精彩的部分),the following are the top must- see sights in St.Petersburg.

1.The Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St.Petersburg.There you can see lots of different paintings painted by the old masters.Prepare to come face to face with many of the western classical artists.

2.Kizhi Island

Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails(钉子).Can you imagine how the wood fits together? Come and see for yourself!

3.Peterhof

Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun.You’ll be charged for admission(门票),but if you go to Peterhof when the fountains(喷泉) are working—during the day in summer—the admison will be worth it.

4.Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

Love it or hate it,Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St.Petersburg is a real must-see sight.This beautiful building will truly surprise you,and the paintings inside the church will make you say“Wow!”

5.The Bronze Horseman Statue

The so-called Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian culture and is a symbol of St. Petersburg.Made famous by Alexander Pushkin,this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse truly shows Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.

1.If you are interested in paintings,you’d better go to _________.

  A.The Hermitage Museum and Kizhi Island

  B.The Bronze Horseman Statue and Kizhi Island

  C.Kizhi Island and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

  D.The Hermitage Museum and Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood

2.What can we learn about Kizhi Island?

  A.Kizhi Island is an indoor museum.

  B.Visitors can find nails in the structures there.

  C.The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood.

  D.The wooden buildings are connected with wires.

3.We can learn from the text that        .

  A.visitors can visit Peterhof free of charge

  B.The Hermitage Museum has lots of modern western arts

  C.the fountains in Peterhof can be seen by visitors all year round

  D.The Bronze Horseman Statue is a symbol of St.Petersburg

4.The author wrote the text to_________.

  A.attract tourists to visit St.Petersburg

  B.show the wonderful history of Russia

  C.persuade artists to go to St.Petersburg

  D.introduce the famous buildings of Russia

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\） 划掉。

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注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;

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Once upon a time there was a rich man. He had a lot of money, but he felt unhappy all the times. Finally, the rich man left for home to look for  happiness. He visited many places and met many rich men. All of them said they were not happy, too. On his way home, the rich man saw a farmer work in the field. He went up to the farmer and asked, “Could you tell me if you felt happy?” “Yes, I’m quite happier. I always feel satisfying about everything in my life,” the farmer answered. “Please tell me how you find happiness,” asked the rich man. The farmer answered with smile on his face. “It’s very easy of me to answer the question. If you work hardly, have three meals a day and go to bed early without worries, you’ll be the happiest man in the world.”