Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they’ll change America. Rightly so. But selfishly, I’m more fascinated by Michelle
Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world’s attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African-American woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The prevailing theory seems to be that we’re all hot-tempered single mothers who can’t keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can’t escape the stereotype of being neck-swirling, eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.
These images have helped define the way all black women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundations as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simply to be herself.
It won’t be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will become a stand-in for us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will also have millions of adoring fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. African-American blogs have all written about what they’d like to see Michelle bring to the White House---mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone---an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise, confidence and intellect will go a long way in changing an image that’s been around for far too long.
69.  Why does Michelle Obama hold a strong fascination for the author?
A. She serves as a role model for African-American women.
B. She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.
C. She will present to the world a new image of African-American women.
D. She will pay closer attention to the interests of African-American women
70. What is the common stereotype of African-American women according to the author?
A. They are victims of family violence. 
B. They are of an inferior social group.
C. They use quite a lot of body language.
D. They live on charity and social welfare.
71. What does the author say about Michelle Obama as a First Lady?
A. However many fans she has, she should remain modest.
B. She shouldn’t disappoint the African-American community.
C. However hard she tries, she can’t expect to please everybody.
D. She will give priority to African-American women’s concern.

Young women are more adventurous than young men when travelling abroad in gap years．One in three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according to new research．

By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts（地位相当者） visit only one country and tend to travel in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students considering taking a year out．

More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and experience different cultures．Men are more likely to rank “having fun” higher on their list of priorities．Women are more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning a language and meeting new people．

The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit; more than three quarters of those surveyed have reported increased confidence, self-reliance（自立） and independence, whereas only half of the men had that experience．

The research also shows that women are more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects．One of the reasons given for this is a wish to see the country in an authentic light．

A greater proportion of women than men face objections or criticism from their families over their gap­year plans．Among the men surveyed, lack of money is the main barrier to travel．

Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London,is a typically confident female traveller．Starting in Cape Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs．

“I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan，” she recalled．“It was OK but one day I did get chased by one．”

She said that she had travelled alone because “you meet more people”．

1.By referring to “gap year” the writer means ________．  

A．a gap you come across after leaving high school

B．a time when you are caught in a dilemma between work and study

C．a period after you find a job upon your graduation from college

D．a year off between high school and college for certain purposes

2.In the third paragraph, the underlined word “priorities” most probably means ________

A．selections         B．attractions         C．preferences       D．projects

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Men students will travel less during the gap year because of their part-­time jobs．

B．Women students will travel more but face more objections．

C．The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences．

D．Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad．

4.Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Girls Get the Best out of Gap Years

B．Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years

C．For Fun or for Adventure?

D．Young Women Are More Adventurous

         What did you dream about last night? Did your teeth fall out or did you fly? Maybe you died or someone you know did．Or maybe you were back in high school．These are among the most common dreams people have and they all mean something．Here are some of the most common dreams and their interpretations or symbolism．

         Dreams of flying．Dreams of flying represent feelings of freedom that may result from an instance when you overcome a limitation or obstacle．Usually, children have more flying dreams than adults, because children are more open to their possibilities, and adults have often accepted limitations imposed by society．

         Teeth falling out．Food in a dream is symbolic of knowledge because food nourishes the physical body and knowledge nourishes the soul．Teeth are a means to break down food or knowledge．When your teeth fall out in a dream, it could signify that you feel ill - equipped to break down the knowledge that you have available, that the way you break things down has changed．That change can be either positive or negative．

         High school dreams．High school is a place of learning from the past, and dreaming of being unprepared for a high school test can indicate a struggle to access information you need to handle in your life．

         Recurring dreams and nightmares．Recurring dreams are your subconscious （潜意识）mind's way of trying to get your attention．A recurring dream is a step down from a nightmare that is a louder, more insistent way your subconscious mind communicates．If you have a recurring dream, try to stop in the dream and identify what the dream is trying to tell you．That could mean asking someone who is chasing you what he or she wants．A woman dreamed for years that an old, haggard woman was chasing her around her home．When she finally stopped in the dream and asked the old woman what she represented, the old,woman suddenly turned into a beautiful young woman and replied, "I represent your question of ' what if?’ "

71．The text is mainly about ____．

         A．high school dreams   B．dreams' symbolism

         C．dreams of flying                D．nightmares

72．After you' ve got out of some difficulties, you might have a ____．

         A．high school dream             B．dream of flying

         C．dream of teeth falling out           D．a nightmare

73．If you dream of being unprepared for a "high school test, it meams      ．

         A．you' re trying to leam something

         B．you will certainly fail in the test

         C．you will be scolded by your teacher

         D．you' re not well prepared for the test

74．The underlined word "identify" in the last paragraph most probably means     ．

         A．break out        B．recall      C．make out D．explain

75．The woman' s dream is mentioned mainly to ____．

         A．tell us nothing but an interesting story

         B．show us what a nightmare is like

         C．tell us that women are always changable

         D．show us the way to deal with a recurring dream

Once in a television interview, I was chatting with the host about stay – at – home athers. I made the point that one reason why we’re seeing more stay – at – homw dads may be hat it’s no longer definite that a man makes more money than his wife. Many families now ake earning power into account when deciding which parent will stay home.

At that point, one of the male crew members pointed out, almost to himself but loud nough for my benefit, “It should be the better parent who stays home.” A lot of guys say hings like that. Usually it’s a code for “My wife, or any woman is the better parent.”

I was a stay – at – home father for 8 years, so his words made me excited. It implied that our family’s choice could only have been correct if I was a “better” parent than my wife.

I suppose an argument could have been made that when I began staying home my wife was the “better” parent if she spent more time with Jack. She would be able to read him wetter and calm him more quickly. But as the more employable one, my wife went out to work and I looked after our son.

Because of the increased time I spent with Jack. I soon knew him well, understood that he needed and could look after him more or less as well as my wife could. Actually, he experience helped me unlock one of the world’s great secrets; Women are good at booking after children because they do it. It is not because of any innate (先天的) female talent. It is because they put in the time and attention required to become good at the job.

Woman obviously get a biological head starting from giving birth and nursing, but ever the long term experience is more important. When I got the experience myself. I was people are able to look after them as well besides their moms.

The first paragraph implies          .

       A．more and more men like staying at home

       B．the author works at a TV station as a host

       C．more women are earning money than before

       D．dad is the better parent in a family 

The author stayed at home to look after their son for 8 years because         .

       A．he thought he was the better parent

       B．he was afraid of working outside now

       C．their son liked him better than his Mom

       D．he was less likely to find a job than his wife

Women are good at taking care of children because         .

       A．they devote their time and attention to children

       B．they would rather stay at home than work outside

       C．they are born with the ability to look after children

       D．they’ve learn to take care of children from their parents

What does the author conclude?

       A．A man can take better care of children than his wife.   

       B．A man with experience can take good care of children.

       C．A child prefers to stay with his or her mother.

       D．A child prefers to stay with his or her father.

During my review for the medical boards, I gained 101 pounds in four months and promised to exercise when all of this was over. I successfully passed the medical boards and now I have to face the music.

One morning, I woke up and decided to go to a park to start working out. I got out of bed, washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on my sports shoes. Then I headed for the park. While going there, I decided to set a goal for myself, that, I had to finish 10 rounds before I went home.

Upon reaching the park, I joined the people in walking around the park. I was enjoying every step, breathing in fresh air, appreciating the green grass and looking at the dried leaves falling from the trees while listening to my iPod.

On my 5th round, I felt tired, hungry and thirsty. I thought of giving it up, going home and sleeping again. As the idea battled in my mind, I was reminded about the goal I had set just a while ago. I kept on walking and as I looked around, I saw myself in the midst of men and women much older than me who continued to move on. Some even suffered from a stroke(中风) that had difficulty walking, some took on small steps with a cane on hand and some took on pauses before they continued their walk but still they kept on walking.

Suddenly I realized that each of us has set our own goals in our lives, such as reaching a dream, building up a career, correcting a past mistake or starting a business. The process won’t be easy. We may encounter(遇到) a lot of difficulties and obstacles that may push us to just give up.

Amazed by the men and women whom I walked with that morning, I finished my goal in the end.

Let us be inspired with the people around us who experience the same or even a greater amount of difficulty but still don’t give up and continue until they reach their goals and now are savoring(享受) their success.

1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Now I don’t feel like listening to my iPod.

B．Now I have to care more about my health.

C．Now I have to take physical exercise.

D．Now it is time for me to listen to music.

2.What did the author do on his way to the park?

A．He worked out a plan for his future.

B．He reflected on the causes of his overweight.

C．He decided to finish 10 rounds that morning.

D．He planned to take exercises every day.

3.When the author was walking the 5th round _____.

A．he didn’t want to continue walking

B．he found it easy to keep his promise

C．he was enjoying walking in the park

D．he was too tired to keep up with others

4.What inspired the author to finish 10 rounds that morning?

A．The goal he kept in mind.                 B．His strong will to keep fit.

C．The good figure he wanted.                D．The people exercising in the park.