Today's parents miss 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 juggle 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 percent 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 network and parenting website were important in proving help and support among female communities
Kate Fox, 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 industrialized nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a "primary activity".
Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their children in the hands of nurseries or child minders, 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 is the main idea of the passage?  

第II卷非选择题（共45分）

V. Task-based reading 任务型阅读 1’ * 10 = 10’

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后图表中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。注意：每空不超过1个单词。

Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days!

The fast day would be a busy one. I should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces, imprinting (刻上) upon my mind the outward (外表的, 表面的) evidences of the beauty that is within them, I should let my eyes rest, too, on the face of a baby, so that I could catch a vision of the eager, innocent (天真无邪的) beauty which precedes (在…之前, 先于) the individual's consciousness (意识) of the conflicts which life develops.

And I should like to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs--the serious, clever little Scottie, Darkie, and the strong, understanding Great Dane, Helga, whose warm, tender, and playful friendships are so comforting to me.

On that busy first day I should also view the small simple things of my home. I want to see the warm colors in the carpets under my feet, the pictures on the walls, the lovely small furniture that transforms a house into home. My eyes would rest respectfully on the books in dot-raised type which I have read, but they would be more eagerly interested in the printed books which seeing people can read, for during the long night of my life the books I have read and those which have been read to me have built themselves into a great shining lighthouse, showing me the deepest channels of human life and the human spirit.

In the afternoon of that first seeing day, I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate (使陶醉) my eyes on the beauties of the world of Nature trying desperately (拼命地) to absorb in a few hours the vast brilliance (才华, 才智) which is presenting itself to those who can see. On the way home from my woodland trip, my path would lie close to a farm so that I might see the patient horses ploughing (耕地) in the field and the peaceful content of men living close to the soil. And I should pray for the glory of a colorful sunset.

When darkness had fallen, I should experience the double delight of being able to see by man-made light which the genius of man has created to extend the power of his sight when Nature brings darkness.

In the night of that first day of sight, I should not be able to sleep, so full would be my mind of the memories of the day!

(by Helen Keller)

One night recently , I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour . A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed . As we passed each other , I caught the other driver’s eye for only a second . I wondered whether he might be thinking , as I was , how dependent we were on each other at that moment . I was relying on him not to fall asleep , not to be put off by a phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end . Though we had never spoken a word to each other , he relied on me in just the same way .

Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works . At some level , we all depend upon one another . Sometimes that dependence requires us simply not to do something like crossing over the double yellow line . And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively , with friends or even with strangers .

As technology shrinks our world , the need increases for cooperative action among nations . In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly organized to identify the SARS virus , which saved thousands of lives . The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem, one requiring coordinated action by police and intelligence forces across the world . We must recognize that our fates (命运) are not ours alone to control .

In my own life , I’ve put great stock in personal responsibility . But , as the years have passed, I’ve also come to believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the good faith and judgment of others . so , while each of us faces the case of driving alone down a dark road , what we must learn is that the approaching light may not be a threat , but a shared moment of trust .

1.The author considers         very important .

A．driving alone on a dark road                B．independence of people

C．cooperation to identify SARS virus      D．shared trust and cooperation

2.The author said that they depended on each other in the same way because         .

A．the approaching car was very dangerous

B．they both drove their car at a terrific speed

C．he might be killed out of the other’s careless driving

D．it was dark and the road was not wide enough

3.From the second paragraph ,we know the author drew the important lesson from         .

A．only one experience           B．many similar experiences

C．a driver on a dark road       D．many friends and strangers

4.The need for cooperation increases because         .

 A．peoples’ fates can’t be controlled by themselves

B．the SARS virus spread quickly

C．terrorism can happen everywhere

D．the world has become smaller

5.We can infer from the last paragraph that the author has         .

A．believed in one’s own personal responsibility

B．counted upon himself alone in everything

C．had no trust in others’ good faith and judgment

D．had a change on his viewpoint of life

Think of London and you’re likely to think of the city’s famous bright red double-decker(双层) buses．Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok，and  the noisy tuk-tuk(三轮摩托车) may  come to mind．Picture the American city of San Francisco   and   you  might see  the city’s cable cars(电车)． 

Imagining what these cities would look like without their red  buses，tuk-tuks  or cable cars is  difficult．They  are   symbols  of these cities  that make them different from  anywhere else in  the world．However,these city  symbols，which are so 1oved by tourists，are not  always so well  loved by their  city  1eaders． City  1eaders  want  what  is  best for their  city, which often means the most modern transport．

    In Thailand，Bangkok city authorities have forbidden new tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting．However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful，as it has not changed Thai people’s preference for the inexpensive tuk-tuks over taxis．

  In London，the city’s first ever mayor got rid of the red double-decker buses． which he thought were old—fashioned, by selling them to other countries．His plan worked．but Londoners were upset to lose the charming old buses that they believed represented the best of their city. They made their upset felt，  when the mayor came up for re-election 1ast year．Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back．Now, an improved version(版本)of the double-decker  bus will hit London’s streets in 2012． 

  AS for San Francisco,   several cable  cars remain in  use but mainly  as tourist attractions．They   are too slow to be  used  for anything other than  scenic trips．

 City transport symbols may have palace in their city people’s hearts，but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world．As Londoners have proved，their continued 1ife depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival．

5．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?

A．To show the cultural significance of several cities’unique transport systems．   

B．To introduce some old-fashioned means of transport, which are symbols of three tourist cities．

C．To use the old transport symbols to attract more tourists to visit the cities．     

D．To explain why those cities are popular with tourists around the world．

6．Bangkok’s ban on tuk-tuks is unsuccessful due to ________.

A．people’s unawareness of environmental protection

B．tourists’preference for tuk-tuks over taxis

C. the lack of severe punishment for violation

D．1ocals’willingness to take the tuk-tuks   

7．The London double Decker bus is returning mainly because______.

A．it is an improved version     B．The new mayor also loves it

C. it is popular with tourists     D．Londoners fought for it

8．Which example can prove old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?

A．Bangkok city authorities tried to get rid of the cheap tuk-tuks．

B．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election．

C．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker  buses．

D．Only a few cable cars remain in use by tourists in San  Francisco．

9．We can conclude from reading the passage that_______.

A．Tourist cities will lose their charm if their old transport symbols disappear

B．A modern city should get rid of inefficient old transport

C．Old city transport symbols now face the problem of survival

D．The writer is in favor of keeping the old city transport symbols

Once upon a time there was a precious sword. Now, this sword belonged to a great King, and for as long as anyone could remember, the King spent all his time in his place, enjoying its shows and competitions with other swords. One day a great dispute（争端）arouse between this King and the King of a neighbouring country. It ended with both declaring war.
The sword was greatly excited at the prospect of taking part in its first real battle. It would show everyone how truly brave and special it was, and would become well-known throughout the kingdom. On the way to the front line, the sword imagined itself the winner of many battles. However, when it arrived, the first battle had already broken out, and the sword got to see the results of the war. What it saw had nothing in common with what the sword had imagined. No elegant shining knights, successful, with their weapons shining in the sunlight. Instead, all the sword saw was broken weapons, and a large crowd of hungry and thirsty men. There was hardly any food left. Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting smell. Many were half dead and scattered on the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds.
Seeing this, the sword realized it liked neither wars nor battles. It decided it preferred to live in peace and spend its time taking part in tournaments and competitions. So, on the night before what was going to be the big final battle, the sword tried to find a way to prevent it from taking place. After a while, the sword started to vibrate（颤抖）. First it gave out a low buzz, and then this gradually got louder, until it became an annoying metallic noise. The swords and armour（盔甲）of the soldiers asked the King’s sword what it was doing. It told them, “I don’t want there to be a battle tomorrow. I don’t like war.”
One answered, “No one likes it, but what can we do?”
“Make yourself vibrate, just like what I’m doing,” said the King’s sword. “If we make enough noise, no one will sleep.”
So the weapons started vibrating, and the noise became deafening. It was so loud that it reached the enemy camp, and the weapons there, which were equally sick of war, joined the protest.
The next morning, when the battle should have begun, not a single soldier was ready to fight. No one had managed to get even a wink of sleep, not even the King or the Generals. So they spent the whole day catching up on sleep. During the evening they started to wake up, and decided to put off the battle until the next day.
However, the weapons, led by the King’s sword, spent the night repeating their peace song, and again no soldier could rest. The battle had to be postponed yet again, and this carried on for the next seven days. On the evening of the seventh day, the Kings of the two armies met to see what they could do about the situation. Both were very angry at their previous disputes, but after being together for a while they started to discuss their sleepless nights, the surprise on their soldiers’ faces, the confusion between day and night, and the amusing situations all this had created. It wasn’t long before both were laughing, like friends, at these little stories. Fortunately, they forgot their old disputes and they put an end to the war, each returning to their own land with the double joy.
【小题1】 From the first paragraph, we can infer that _________.