I had the meanest mother in the world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast．I had to have cereal, eggs and toast．Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids'．But at least I was not alone in my suffering．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing．We had to wear clean clothes every day．Other kids always wore their clothes for days． We reached the height of disgrace （耻辱） because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．
The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning．So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law．She made us work I
believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us．Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks．None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout （辍学者）．
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults．Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children．I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world．
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that the writer's mother was____．

I had the meanest mother in the world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast．I had to have cereal, eggs and toast．Others had cakes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids'．But at least I was not alone in my suffering．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing．We had to wear clean clothes every day．Other kids always wore their clothes for days． We reached the height of disgrace （耻辱） because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．
The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning．So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law．She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us．Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, however, would only be satisfied with black marks．None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout （辍学者）．
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults．Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children．I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world．
【小题1】From the passage we can learn that the writer's mother was____．

People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18^th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact.
【小题1】The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes       .

People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18^th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous (有毒的). They called tomatoes “poison apples.”
President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President’s party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples.
Jefferson never spoke to his honored (忠实的) guests about the fact

1. 1.

   The passage tells us that Jefferson was a President who learned to love the taste of tomatoes       

   1. A.
      while he was in Paris
   2. B.
      when he was a little boy
   3. C.
      because his parents told him so
   4. D.
      from books
2. 2.

   According to the text, _______ made the beautiful pink soup served at the President’s party?

   1. A.
      the President himself
   2. B.
      a French cook
   3. C.
      the President’s cook
   4. D.
      the President’s wife
3. 3.

   From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were       

   1. A.
      people from other countries
   2. B.
      from France
   3. C.
      people of his own country
   4. D.
      men only
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

   1. A.
      All of the guests knew the soup that was served at the President’s party was made of tomatoes
   2. B.
      All of the guests thought the soup which was prepared by the President’s cook was nice
   3. C.
      All of the guests thought the taste of the beautiful pink soup was nice
   4. D.
      None of the guests knew that their president would serve his honored guests poison apples

The population conference in Brasilia has now ended. One of the aims of the conference was for countries from each continent to look back at past experiences and to learn from them for the future.

In Europe

Population problems are different in different parts of the world.  For example, in many European countries the population is getting older. The birth rate is very low because many young people have only one child or none at all. People are living longer, too. On average, men tire to 76 and women to 78. By 2050 around 25 % of the population of some European countries will be over 60 years old.

This change has happened very fast within two generations. If governments had expected this change, they would have encouraged people to prepare more for old age. At the moment many old people are very lonely and often very poor. If people had expected to live so long, they would probably have saved more money for their retirement.

In Africa

In Africa, the problems of the future will be very different. There, the population is doubling every 24 years. Many families continue to have large numbers of children to look after older people and to help on the land. However, better medical services have increased life expectancy and more children survive to become adults. Research shows that the size of the family is connected with the standard of women’s education. If more girls had gone to school in the last 20 years, family size in Africa would probably not have continued to be so big.

In Asia

In contrast, the problem in Asia is not just population growth but also overcrowding in many cities. Traditionally, most people have lived in the countryside, but within the next 25 years more than 65% will live in cities. If Asian countries had expected this kind of change 20 years ago, they would have tried to provide more work and better education in the countryside. This is starting to happen now, but it may be too late.

56. What is the cause of African population problem?

A. Low birth rate and increased life expectancy. B. More older people, more children.

C. People’s moving from the countryside to the cities.

D. Better medical services and increased life expectancy.

57. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. In Europe it is normal to live to be 76 or more.

B. Medicine has changed population patterns.

C. Population problems are the same everywhere.

D. Many old people in Europe experience poverty.

58. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Cities everywhere are becoming larger and larger.

B. Asian countries have tried to provide more work for people.

C. A lot of girls couldn’t go to school in Africa.

D. The older people in Europe are, the lonelier they will be.