The easiest way for the English to deal with their social discomfort is to avoid social interaction altogether, by choosing either leisure (闲暇) activities that can be performed in the privacy of one’s own house, or outdoor activities that follow their interest without direct contact with anyone other than one’s own family members, such as going for a walk, or to the cinema, or shopping．
In recent survey, over half of all the leisure activities were of this private domestic type, and of the top ten pastimes, only two—having friends round for a meal or drink, and going to the pub—could be described as ‘sociable’．The most domestic activities are the most popular: watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, DIY （Do It Yourself） and gardening．Even when the English are being sociable, the survey findings show that most of them would much rather entertain a few close friends or relatives in the safety of their own homes than venture out  among strangers．
In the latest national census survey （人口普查）, over half of the entire adult male population had been DIYing in the four weeks before the census date．Nearly a third of the female population had also been busily improving their homes, and their work with their gardens was equally obvious: 52 percent of all English males and 45 percent of females had been out there, cutting branches and weeding grass．
Even among people claiming to belong to a particular religion, only two percent attend services every week．The rest of the population can be found every Sunday at their local garden center or DIY superstore．And when they want a break from caring about their own homes and gardens, they go on trips to visit bigger and better houses and gardens, such as the stately homes and gardens opened to the public by the National Trust and the Royal Horticulture Society．Visiting grand country houses always ranks as one of the most popular national pastimes．
45．The result of the survey shows that ________.
A．about half English people enjoy working in their gardens
B．8 out of 10 pastimes can be described as social activities
C．2 percent of the religious people enjoy visits to public houses
D．visiting stately homes is the most popular national pastime
46．According to the passage, the English enjoy all of the following EXCEPT________.
A．the social activities, such as gathering with friends
B．working at home and in their gardens
C．dining out in a public place among strangers
D．visits to stately homes and gardens
47．The underlined word “domestic” probably means________.
A．public      B．household     C．outdoor           D．collective
48．The passage mainly tells us about________.
A．why the English don’t like social activities
B．how the English spend their leisure time
C．what the result of a recent census survey is
D．where the English hold their private activities

The easiest way for the English to deal with their social discomfort is to avoid social interaction altogether, by choosing either leisure (闲暇) activities that can be performed in the privacy of one’s own house, or outdoor activities that follow their interest without direct contact with anyone other than one’s own family members, such as going for a walk, or to the cinema, or shopping.

In recent survey, over half of all the leisure activities were of this private domestic type, and of the top ten pastimes, only two—having friends round for a meal or drink, and going to the pub—could be described as ‘sociable’. The most domestic activities are the most popular: watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, DIY （Do It Yourself） and gardening. Even when the English are being sociable, the survey findings show that most of them would much rather entertain a few close friends or relatives in the safety of their own homes than venture out  among strangers.

In the latest national census survey （人口普查）, over half of the entire adult male population had been DIYing in the four weeks before the census date. Nearly a third of the female population had also been busily improving their homes, and their work with their gardens was equally obvious: 52 percent of all English males and 45 percent of females had been out there, cutting branches and weeding grass.

Even among people claiming to belong to a particular religion, only two percent attend services every week. The rest of the population can be found every Sunday at their local garden center or DIY superstore. And when they want a break from caring about their own homes and gardens, they go on trips to visit bigger and better houses and gardens, such as the stately homes and gardens opened to the public by the National Trust and the Royal Horticulture Society. Visiting grand country houses always ranks as one of the most popular national pastimes.

The result of the survey shows that ________.

A. about half English people enjoy working in their gardens

B. 8 out of 10 pastimes can be described as social activities

C. 2 percent of the religious people enjoy visits to public houses

D. visiting stately homes is the most popular national pastime

According to the passage, the English enjoy all of the following EXCEPT________.

A. the social activities, such as gathering with friends

B. working at home and in their gardens

C. dining out in a public place among strangers

D. visits to stately homes and gardens

The underlined word “domestic” probably means________.

A. public      B. household          C. outdoor            D. collective

The passage mainly tells us about________.

A. why the English don’t like social activities

B. how the English spend their leisure time

C. what the result of a recent census survey is

D. where the English hold their private activities

Plastic is one of the most important technological discoveries of the 20th century. However, it may soon be replaced. The new development- liquid wood- can replace plastics in all branches of modern-day industries.

Plastic as a material enjoys the biggest demand in the modern world, but it does have a number of drawbacks. First and foremost, plastic isn’t recyclable. Secondly, it contains toxins (毒物) helping develop cancerous diseases. Finally, it’s made of oil and oil reserves aren’t endless.

The liquid wood technology is likely to replace plastic and providing mankind with new materials for many years ahead. Norbert Eisenfreich, a senior researcher at the Faunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology in Germany (ICT), said that arboform, the new material, is made of lignin(木素质）, which can be obtained from soft tissues of wood. Once mixed with several other matenals, it turns into solid and non-toxic alternative for plastics.

ICT team leader Emilia Regina Inone-Kauffmann said the wood-working industry separates wood into three basic components, including lignin. Lignin isn’t used for the production of paper. Specialists of ICT mixed lignin with several natural materials and thus invented the material which could be melted and molded (铸型）.

When solid, arboform looks like plastic and possesses tho qualitie of polished wood. It can be used for the production of any items. Arboform is already used for the production of car parts which require extra strength. In addition, liquid wood can be recycled repeatedly. The material preserved all of its qualities even if it’s reprocessed ten times.

However, the new invention doesn’t enjoy an extensive use due to the high content of sulfur(硫) in it. German researchers are sure to reduce the amount of sulfur by 90% very soon to make arboform usable for home needs.

71. According to the passage, plastic        .

A. helps us to reduce the use of petrol

B. helps to protect our environment in some way

C. does harm to our society in some way

D. has been replaced by the newly discovered material

72. What’s the advantage of arboform over plastic?

A. It is easier made from natural oil.

B. It is more widely used in household

C. It is recyclable and friendly to environment.

D. It contains no poisonous materials.

73. The underlined word “altemative” in Paragraph 3 means        .

A. lignin or arboform                                B.soft tissues of wood

C. plastics or wood                                    D. mixture of several materials

74. It can be concluded that German researchers will focus their future work firstly on     .

A. the material’s extensive use                    B. the content of sulfur in arboform

C. the production cost of arboform                     D. the qualities of liquid wood

75. The main purpose of the text is to     .

A.introduce liquid wood which will replace plastic

B.show readers how to produce arboform

C.advertise the new material-arboform

D.advertise new products made of arboform

Plastic is one of the most important technological discoveries of the 20th century.However，it may soon be replaced.The new development—liquid wood—can replace plastics in all branches of modern industries.

Plastic as a material enjoys the biggest demand in the modern world，but it does have a number of drawbacks.First and foremost，plastic isn’t recyclable.Secondly，it contains toxins (毒物) helping develop cancerous diseases.Finally，it’s made of oil and oil reserves aren’t endless.

The? liquid wood technology is likely to replace plastic and provide mankind with new materials for many years ahead.Norbert Eisenfreich，a senior researcher at? the Faunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Germany，said that arboform，the new material，is made of lignin (木质素)，which can be obtained from soft tissues of wood.Once mixed with several other materials，it turns into solid and non?toxic alternative for plastics.

ICT team leader Emilia Regina Inone?Kauffmann said the wood?working industry separates wood into three basic components，including lignin.Lignin isn’t used for the production of paper.Specialists of ICT mixed lignin with several natural materials and thus invented the material which could be melted and molded (铸型)．

When solid，arboform looks like plastic and possesses the qualities of polished wood.It can be used for the production of any items.Arboform is already used for the production of car parts which require extra strength.In addition，liquid wood can be recycled repeatedly.The material preserved all of its qualities even if it’s reprocessed ten times.

However，the new invention doesn’t enjoy an extensive use due to the high content of sulphur (硫) in it.German researchers are sure to reduce the amount of sulphur by 90 percent very soon to make arboform usable for home needs.

1.According to the passage，plastic________.

A．plays a big role in the modern world

B．helps to protect our environment in some way

C．has been replaced by the newly discovered material

D．helps us to reduce the use of petrol

2.What’s the advantage of arboform over plastics?

A．It is easily made from natural oil.

B．It is more widely used in household.

C．It is recyclable and friendly to the environment.

D．It contains no poisonous materials.

3.It can be concluded that German researchers will focus their future work firstly on________.

A．the material’s extensive use

B．the content of sulphur in arboform

C．the production cost of arboform

D．the qualities of liquid wood

4.The main purpose of the passage is to________.

A．advertise the new material—arboform

B．introduce liquid wood which will replace plastic

C．advertise new products made of arboform

D．show readers how to produce arboform

Grandparents might be known for spoiling grandchildren, but a new study says they might also be helping the kids improve their social skills and behavior.

Spending time with grandma and grandpa especially appears to help children from single-parent, divorced/separated or stepfamily households, according to the report, published in the February Journal of Family Psychology.

"Grandparents are a positive force for all families but play a significant role in families undergoing difficulties," the study's lead author, Shalhevet Attar-Schwartz, of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said in an American Psychological Association news release. "They can reduce the negative influence of parents separating and be a resource for children who are going through these family changes."

In interviewing 11- to 16-year olds from England and Wales, Attar-Schwartz and her team found that the more conversations the youths had with a grandparent, including asking for advice or even money, the better they got along with their peers and the fewer problems they had, such as hyperactivity and disruptive behavior.

"This was found across all three family structures," she said. "But adolescents in single-parent households and stepfamilies benefited the most. The effect of their grandparents' involvement was stronger compared to children from two biological parent families."

The study did not look at children who lived solely with their grandparents, though.

The findings have great implications for people in the United States, the authors said, because American grandparents are increasingly sharing living space with their grandchildren. A 2004 U.S. Census Bureau survey found that more than 5 million households include a grandparent and a grandchild under 18, up 30 percent since 1990, according to background information in the news release.

1. It is generally believed that a grandmother __________ .

A. can help a child through hard times

B. can help kids develop social skills

C. can spoil a child

D. is a positive force for all families

2.  According to the passage, grandparents will be of least benefit to a child __________ .

A. from two biological parent families

B. from a single—parent household

C. from a divorced household

D. from a stepfamily household

3. A child who asks his grandmother for money will __________ .

A. have difficulty in getting along with his peers

B. still get along well with his peers

C. be easier to be spoiled than his peers

D. not be popular with peers

4.  We can learn from the last paragraph that ___________ .

A. there are more families in America undergoing difficulties

B. American parents are much busier than those from other countries

C. American grandparents are much better at bringing up their grandchildren

D. American kids like to share more living space with their grandparents

5.  The passage implies that __________ .

A. children who live solely with their grandparents may benefit the most

B. grandparents are a source of comfort to children from families undergoing difficulties

C. grandparents play a more positive role than parents in children’s growth

D. all families should leave their children to be brought up by grandparents