C
After watching my mother deal with our family of five, I can’t understand why answer to the
question, “What do you do?” is always, “Oh, I’m just a housewife.” JUST a housewife?” Anyone who spends most of her time in meal preparation and cleanup, keeping the house clean, attending PTA meetings, leading a scout troop, playing taxi driver to us kids when it’s time for school, musical lessons or the dentist, doing volunteer work for her community is not just a housewife. She’s the real Wonder Woman.
Why is it that so many mothers like mine think of themselves as second．class or something similar? Where has this notion come from? Have we males made them feel this way? Has our society  made“going to work” outside the home seem more important than what a housewife must face each day?  I would be every curious to see what would happen if a housewife went on strike．Dishes would  pie up．Food in the house would run out．There would be no learn clothes when needed．Walking and bus riding would increase．
I doubt if the man of the house would be able to take over．Oh，he would probably start out with the attitude that he can do just as good a job，but how long would that last? Not 1ong, once he had to come home each night after work to more housework. There would be no coming home to a prepared meal; The kids would all be screaming for something to eat, clean clothes and more bus fare money. Once he quieted the kids, he’d have to clean the house, go shopping, make sure that kids got a bath, after clearing out all the dog hairs from the bathtub. Once the kids were down for the night, he might be able to craw（爬）into an unmade bed and try to read the morning newspaper.
64．What does the writer’s mother NOT do according to the first paragraph?
A．Cooking.            B．Tidying the house.  
C．Driving a taxi.         D．Some unpaid work.
65．The underlined word “notion” in the second paragraph can be replaced by the word        .
A．mother     B．citizen      C．similarity  D．thought
66．We can learn from the second paragraph        .
A．mothers are actually great women  B．our society looks down upon housewives
C．housewives should go on a strike    D．doing housework is not important at all
67．The possible main idea of the third paragraph is        .
A．men should share housework with their wives
B．attitude is not the only thing needed to do a job well
C．kids are the most challenging part of the housework
D．men are unlikely to handle the work of a housewife

B

       At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible site for a house. I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live. In imagination I have bought all the farms, one after another, and I knew their prices.

       The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place. But before the owner completed the sale with me, his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it, and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him. However, I let him keep the dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

       The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position, being about two miles from the village, half a mile from the nearest neighbor, bounded (相邻) on one side by the river, and separated from the highway by a wide field. The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time. I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area, and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees, and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields. I wanted to buy it before he made any more of his improvements. But it turned out as I have said.

       I was not really troubled by the loss. I had always had a garden, but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm. I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted (无牵挂的). It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

46.   What do we know about the author?

       A. He wanted to buy the oldest farm near where he live.

       B. He made a study of many farms before buying.

       C. He made money by buying and selling farms.

       D. He had the money to buy the best farm in the country.

47.   Why did the author decide to buy the Hollowell place?

       A. It was of good market value.                  B. It was next to the highway.

       C. It was is a good position.                       D. It was behind a nice garden.

48.   Why did the author want to buy the farm in a hurry?

       A. He was afraid the owner might change his mind.

       B. He hoped to enlarge the forest on the farm.

       C. He wanted to keep the farm as it was.      D. He was eager to become a farm owner.

49.   The underlined words “the loss” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

       A. the money the author lost in buying the farm

       B. the sale of the garden in the Hollowell place

       C. the removal of the trees around the house

       D. the failure to possess the Hollowell place

50.   What does the author believe as important in life?

       A. To own a farm.                                           B. To satisfy his needs.

       C. To be free from worries.                        D. To live in the countryside.

C

    After watching my mother deal with our family of five, I can’t understand why answer to the

question, “What do you do?” is always, “Oh, I’m just a housewife.” JUST a housewife?” Anyone who spends most of her time in meal preparation and cleanup, keeping the house clean, attending PTA meetings, leading a scout troop, playing taxi driver to us kids when it’s time for school, musical lessons or the dentist, doing volunteer work for her community is not just a housewife. She’s the real Wonder Woman.

Why is it that so many mothers like mine think of themselves as second．class or something similar? Where has this notion come from? Have we males made them feel this way? Has our society  made“going to work” outside the home seem more important than what a housewife must face each day?  I would be every curious to see what would happen if a housewife went on strike．Dishes would  pie up．Food in the house would run out．There would be no learn clothes when needed．Walking and bus riding would increase．

I doubt if the man of the house would be able to take over．Oh，he would probably start out with the attitude that he can do just as good a job，but how long would that last? Not 1ong, once he had to come home each night after work to more housework. There would be no coming home to a prepared meal; The kids would all be screaming for something to eat, clean clothes and more bus fare money. Once he quieted the kids, he’d have to clean the house, go shopping, make sure that kids got a bath, after clearing out all the dog hairs from the bathtub. Once the kids were down for the night, he might be able to craw（爬）into an unmade bed and try to read the morning newspaper.

64．What does the writer’s mother NOT do according to the first paragraph?

       A．Cooking.             B．Tidying the house.  

       C．Driving a taxi.         D．Some unpaid work.

65．The underlined word “notion” in the second paragraph can be replaced by the word        .

       A．mother     B．citizen      C．similarity  D．thought

66．We can learn from the second paragraph        .

       A．mothers are actually great women  B．our society looks down upon housewives

       C．housewives should go on a strike    D．doing housework is not important at all

67．The possible main idea of the third paragraph is        .

       A．men should share housework with their wives

       B．attitude is not the only thing needed to do a job well

       C．kids are the most challenging part of the housework

       D．men are unlikely to handle the work of a housewife

                               A  

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.

As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.

However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.

That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.

This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.

In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.

56. The passage mainly tells us something about ______.

A. the past and present of British pubs           

B. the decline of British pubs

C. the long history of British pubs        

D. the importance of British pubs

57. Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A. The credit crunch.                           B. The present closing time.

C. The ban of smoking.                              D. Having no spare money.

58. We can infer from the passage that ______.      

A. British people used to like drinking slowly

B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C. binge drinking means drinking less beer

D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

59. We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.

  A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

  B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

  C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

  D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need

A

For most pregnant women, exercise is the last thing on their minds. After all, keeping slim while you’re expecting isn’t exactly the top priority— rather, it’s making sure your baby gets enough nutrients to grow. But in a small new study, researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand report that a mother’s regular aerobic exercise may be good for a growing fetus’ health — and may even help a baby get a healthier start in life.

The finding is a bit surprising, because exercise is known to lower the risk of insulin resistance（胰岛素抵抗），a condition eventually leading to diabetes（糖尿病）. Although insulin resistance is a detriment in healthy adults, it turns out to be helpful for proper fetal（胎儿）development. In pregnant women, this condition means nutrients get shunted to the growing baby.

The question is: could a mother’s exercise put her developing baby’s food supply at risk? Past studies looking at the effect of exercise on birth weight have been inconclusive, and none have really investigated the influence of exercise on the mother’s sensitivity to insulin. So the University of Auckland’s Dr. Paul Hoffman and his team decided to study 84 first-time mothers, who were of normal weight on average, and track any effects aerobic exercise(有氧运动) might have on their insulin sensitivity and, ultimately, on their babies’ birth weight. Researchers asked some women to exercise on a stationary bicycle for at least 40 minutes per session, up to five times each week, starting in the 20th week of pregnancy; the other women were not specifically asked to exercise. When the two groups and their babies were compared, the team found that women who bicycled regularly gave birth to babies who were on average 150g lighter than those born to the non-exercising mothers. In both groups, however, the babies were of healthy weight, and there was no difference in the mothers’ weights.

Generally speaking, babies on the lower end of the normal weight range are considered healthier and less prone to developing diabetes and obesity than heavier ones, so this was an encouraging result. Even more reassuring was that regular exercise did not seem to affect the flow of nutrients to the growing babies in the womb.

41. According to the new study, a pregnant woman’s regular exercise may _______.

  A. bring benefits to a baby’s growth

  B. lower the risk of insulin resistance

  C. put her baby’s food supply at risk

  D. help her keep slim and healthy

42. What does the underlined word “detriment” mean in the second paragraph?

  A. Something that brings good.

  B. Something that brings damage.

  C. Something that brings obstacles.

  D. Something that brings development.

43. What is the purpose of the experiment carried out by Dr. Paul Hoffman?

  A. To investigate the influence of exercise on pregnant women.

  B. To find out what aerobic exercise can benefit a baby’s growth.

  C. To make sure of the effects exercise may have on babies’ birth weight

  D. To compare the differences between mothers who exercise and who don’t

44. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

  A. Lighter babies are generally believed to be healthier than heavier ones.

  B. Non­－exercising mothers will definitely give birth to heavier babies.

  C. No studies have looked at the effect of exercise on birth weight before.

  D. Some women studied were asked to exercise regularly while some don’t.

45. Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?

  A. All mothers should take aerobic exercise.

  B. Moms who exercise give birth to lighter babies。

  C. Exercise reduces the risk of insulin resistance.

  D. Heavier babies are more likely to develop diabetes.