Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days.
　　Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found. Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to handle work and family life than the previous generation. As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children.
The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did – just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day. And 64 per cent said this was because they felt they ‘had’ to go out to work, while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they were under constant pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’, the report found.
Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities. Kate Fox, a member of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: ‘With increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift” — to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever.
It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialised nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a ‘primary activity’. Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time – more than two and a half hours – looking after their offspring, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
　　Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or childminders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk.
　　The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them - even if their husband is not in work. A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child - 18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work. Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children.
【小题1】. What does the passage mainly talk about?

The Fourth “21st Century Cup” National English Speaking Competition is to be held in Shanghai.
　　Organizers: China Daily and Shanghai Broadcasting Network.
　　Co-ordinater: China University English Speaking Association （CUESA）.
　　Co-sponsors（联办单位）: English Speaking Union （ESU）, Lotus Software （China）Co. Ltd., Times Publishing Group of Singapore, Hilton Shanghai, Pearson Education, Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press.
　　Date: March 26（Friday）, 1999.
　　Place: Hilton Shanghai.
　　Competition Format （形式）: Each student will present a prepared speech on the given topic, followed by a three -minute off - hand speech and a three - minute question and answer period with the judges.
　　Prepared speech period: six minutes.
　　Q & A period: three minutes.
　　Speech topic: People and Nature: In search of harmony （和谐）in a new age ＋ your personal opinion. （Topics for the off-hand speech will be given on the day of competition）.
　　Prizes: Besides books and certificates （证书）, the top two winners will be offered scholarships（奖学金） to travel to the annual international English -speaking competition which will be held by the English Speaking Union in London in May, 1999. The third and fourth place winners will be offered a study trip to Singapore, sponsored by the Times Publishing Group. The fifth through 10th place winners will be offered cash prizes. All the competitors will receive certificates from the English Speaking Union and book prizes provided by Pearson Education and Foreign Language Teaching & Research Press. The teachers of the top winners will also receive a one - year membership to the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language（IATEFL）
【小题1】The main purpose of this passage is ________.

I used to be ashamed of my grandma. I know that’s a terrible thing to say, but it was true until today, so I have to    16    it.

The    17    started when my friend Katy found Grandma’s false teeth floating in a glass on the bathroom sink. I was so used to seeing them that I    18    took notice of them. But Katy shouted, laughing and    19    to talk to them. I had to get down on my knees and    20    her to shut up so my grandma wouldn’t hear and get hurt.

After that happened, I    21    there were a million things about Grandma that were embarrassing.

Once she took my brother Jill and me out to Burger King.   22    ordering our hamburgers well-done, she told the person behind the counter, “They’ll have two Whoppers (巨无霸) well-to-do. ” Jill burst out laughing, but I almost    23    .

After a while, I started wishing I could    24    Grandma in a closet. I even complained to my parents. Both my parents said I had to be careful not to make Grandma feel    25    in our home.

Then last Wednesday, something happened that    26   everything completely. My teacher told us to help find interesting old people and _   27    them about their lives for a big Oral History project. I was trying to think of someone when Angie pushed me gently.

“Volunteer（举荐）your grandmother,” she whispered. “She’s    28    and rich in experience.”

That was the last thing I ever thought Angie would say about my grandma.

This is how I ended up on    29    today interviewing my own grandmother before the whole school assembly. All my friends and teachers were listening to her as if she was a great heroine. I was proud of my grandma and hoped she would                         30   _ know that I had been ashamed of her.

A. admit　　　　 B. receive　　　   C. refuse　　　 D. show

A. quarrel　　　  B. accident　　　  C. trouble　　 　D. adventure

A. already　　　  B. always　　　　 C. simply           D. hardly

A. enjoying　　　 B. pretending　 　 C. imagining　 　D. continuing

A. warn　　　　　B. demand　　　　C. advise　　　  D. beg

A. expected　　 　B. declared　　　 C. realized　　 　 D. doubted

A. Because of　　 B. Except for 　   C. Such as 　　 　D. Instead of

A. died 　　　　 B. cheered 　　　  C. disappeared　　 D. suffered

A. meet 　　　　 B. avoid　　　　   C. arrange 　　 　D. hide

A. independent　  B. inconvenient　  C. unwelcome　　 D. unfamiliar

A. changed 　　　B. finished　　　  C. stopped　　　　D. prepared

A. interview 　　 B. report 　　　   C. tell                    D. write

A. free                 B. popular            C. interesting　　 D. embarrassing

A. show 　　　　 B. stage　　　　   C. duty　　　　 D. time

A. never　　　　  B. even　　　　　 C. still                  D. once

The aims of the Illustrators’(插图画家的)Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23to 26 December 2011,are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.

　　QUALIFICATIONS

?Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1992, whose artwork is intended for use in children’s books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.

?Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Nonfiction Category．Illustrators may only enter one category.

　　?Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.

?The confirmation(确认)form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 15 October 2011.

　　SHIPMENT

Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand．From abroad, please use the following forms: Form “A” for registered mail or post by air; Form “B” if using an international forwarding agent or airline．To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post．Material should be sent “carriage paid”, including any customs and delivery costs.

BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork．all published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher’s name and address.

　　REQUIREMENTS

　　The illustrations(i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed(超过) the following dimensions:

　　Fiction: 32×42 cm (or 42 × 32 cm)

　　Non-fiction: 50 ×70 cm (70 × 50cm)

Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere．The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm ( for scanner separation purposes).

SELECTION PROCESS

All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group (whose decision is final), including five members (from publishing house and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.

　　EXHIBITIONS ABROAD

After the Bologna event, the Illustrators Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY. The Illustrators Exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues(场馆) in other countries. The exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the Illustrators Exhibition, and the provisions (条款) of the regulations are extended to the organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.

　　RETURN OF ARTWORK

All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere or directly by the organizers of the exhibitions and held abroad by the end of July 2013.

1.Which of the following of the Illustrators’ Exhibition is true?

A. It will last five days in all in July every other year.

B. It is intended for college students who are good at painting.

C. It is held by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in BolognaFiere.

D. It can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers.

2.The illustrators of the Illustrators Exhibition __________．

A. should be at least 16 and no more than 25

B. may re-enter their artwork after it is returned

C. should state the category of their artwork clearly

D. may choose to attach a photo to the application form

3.Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?

A. Normal post????????????? B. Airline post????????????? C. Registered mail????????????? D. Express delivery

4.What is BolognaFiere responsible for?

A. Paying for the delivery costs ????????????? B. Late arrival of artwork

C. Confirmation of ISBN number ????????????? D. Returning the illustrators’ works

5.The illustrators’ works will not be considered if they ????? .

A. are received after the day of 15 October 2011

B. are smaller than the required size

C. have already been published abroad before

D. don’t meet the demands of the international experts

He lost his arms in an accident that took his father’s life. Since then，he has had to depend on the __26__ of his younger brother.__27__ writing with his toes，he was completely unable to do anything in his life. But when the two brothers grew up，his younger brother __28__ to separate from him，living his own life，as many normal people do. So he was __29__ and didn’t know what to do.

A __30__ disaster befell (降临) a girl，too. One night her mother，who  __31__ from mental illness disappeared. So her father went out looking for her mother，__32__ her alone at home. She tried to prepare meals for her parents，__33__ to overturn the kerosene light (煤油灯) on the stove，__34__ in a fire which took her hands away.

Though her elder sister showed her __35__ to take care of her，she was determined to be completely __36__.At school，she always studied hard. Once she wrote the following in her composition: “I am __37__.Though I lost my arms，I still have legs; I am lucky.__38__ my wings are broken，my heart can still fly.”

One day，the boy and the girl were both invited to __39__ on a television interview program. The boy told the TV host about his uncertain __40__ at being left on his own.__41__，the girl was full of hope for her life. They both were __42__ to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. The boy wrote: My younger brother’s arms are my arms while the girl wrote: Broken wings，__43__ heart.       

It is true that __44__ can strike at any time. But if you decide to be strong，the hardship will __45__ to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.

1.                A．eyes　　　     B．arms           C．feet D．ears

2.                A．Because of      B．But for         C．Instead of     D．Except for

3.                A．wanted         B．promised       C．refused   D．failed

4.                A．self-confident    B．open-minded    C．heart-broken  D．cold-hearted

5.                A．painful         B．similar          C．familiar   D．sudden

6.                A．came          B．suffered        C．learned   D．benefited

7.                A．keeping        B．getting         C．causing   D．leaving

8.                A．even           B．only           C．never    D．ever

9.                A．breaking        B．turning         C．resulting  D．taking

10.               A．willingness      B．promise        C．contribution    D．choice

11.               A．dependent      B．convenient      C．free D．independent

12.               A．amazing        B．lucky          C．friendly   D．popular

13.               A．As             B．Until           C．Though    D．Since

14.               A．appear         B．perform        C．speak D．compete

15.               A．future         B．past           C．experience D．condition

16.               A．Otherwise      B．Besides         C．Therefore D．However

17.               A．expected       B．reminded       C．asked D．suggested

18.               A．tearing         B．worrying        C．understanding  D．flying

19.               A．disasters        B．diseases        C．wars  D．interviews

20.               A．bring out       B．hold out        C．turn out   D．set out