One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion,the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later,I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.

I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful,grateful voice on the other end of the line,all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.

It was,I should point out,after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed.and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson.”I said.I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea,but it was the only explanation I could come up with.

Finally,in desperation,I called his girlfriend’s house.After what seemed like countless rings,his girlfriend answered.“Yes,”she said brightly,“He’s right here.”

He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm,rational(理智的)self.After all,one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modem teenagers.“Where are the children?”I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed.Well,it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.

The following Saturday evening we were at my parents home,celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children,dressed in their best clothes,and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime,all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.

The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children

 because        .

A.she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter

B.she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones

C.she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help

D.she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night

When the author called home that evening,she found that        .

A.two younger children had already been in bed

B.the children were preparing a birthday gift for her

C.her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend

D.there was no one answering the telephone

What can you learn from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?

A.The author didn’t believe what her son had told her.

B.The author had complete confidence in her son.

C.The author believed her son was telling the truth.

D.The author was moved by what her children had done.

What might the children do that evening?

A.They had a birthday party.

B.They framed some photographs.

C.They had their pictures taken.

D.They made some beautiful clothes.

What does the author intend to teIl us by the story?

A.Modem teenagers are not worth trusting.

B.It is no easy job to look after young children.

C.It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age.

D.Her children have a caring and tender heart.

The “Bystander Apathy Effect” was first studied by researchers in New York after neighbors ignored—and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs—the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that:

(1) women are helped more than men;

(2) men help more than women;

(3) attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.

    Other factors relate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.

    According to Adrian Furnham, Professor of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:

(1) “Shifting of responsibility”-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more “other people’ there are, the greater the total shifting of responsibility.

(2) “'Fear of making a mistake'’-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to themselves.

(3) “Fear of the consequences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent.”

    Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: “In the experiments I’ve seen on intervention (介入), much depends on the neighborhood or setting. There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow. ”

    Psychotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: “The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety: These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals.”

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

A. Pretty women are more likely to be helped.  

B. People on a bus are more likely to stop a crime.

C. Religious people are more likely to look on.  

D. Criminals are more likely to harm women.

2.Which factor is NOT related with intervention according to the passage?

A. Sex.              B. Nationality.                  C. Profession.                  D. Setting.

3.Which phenomenon can be described as the “Bystander Apathy Effect”?

A. When one is in trouble, people think it’s his own fault.

B. In a football match, people get involved in a fight.

C. Seeing a murder, people feel sorry that it should have happened.

D. On hearing a cry for help, people keep themselves to themselves.

4.The author wrote this article ______.

A. to explain why bystanders behave as they do  

B. to urge people to stand out when in need

C. to criticize the selfishness of bystanders  

D. to analyze the weakness of human nature

 

Unemployment will certainly be in double-digits next year--and may remain there for some time. And for every person who __1_ as unemployed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ household survey, you can bet there’s another either too __2__ to look for work or working part time who’d rather have a full-time job or else taking home less pay than before. And there’s yet another person who’s more fearful that he or she will be the __3__ to lose a job.

__4__, 10 percent unemployment really means 20 percent underemployment or anxious employment, all of which translates __5__ into late payments on mortgages, credit cards, auto and student loans, and loss of health insurance. It also means sleeplessness for tens of millions of Americans, and, of course, __6__ purchases.

Unemployment of this magnitude and duration also translates into ugly __7__, because fear and anxiety are __8__ grounds for the political resentment against immigrants, blacks, the poor, government leaders, business leaders, Jews and other easy _9__. It’s already started. Next year is a mid-term election. Be prepared for worse.

So why is unemployment and underemployment so high? And why is it _10__ to remain high for some time? Because, as noted, people who are worried about their jobs or have no jobs, and who are also trying to _11__ from under a pile of debt, are not going to do a lot of shopping. And businesses that don’t have customers aren’t going to do a lot of new _12__. And foreign nations also suffering high __13__ aren’t going to buy a lot of our goods and services. And without customers, companies won’t __14__. They’ll cut payrolls instead.

This brings us to the obvious question: Who’s going to buy the stuff we make or the services we provide, and therefore bring jobs back? There’s only one __15__ left: The government.

1. A.  keeps to     B. sticks   to          C. shows up     D. attaches

2. A. discouraged       B. timid                C. sure         D. upset

3. A. first         B. next             C. last         D. only

4. A. On the other hand B. By contrast          C. As a whole       D. In other words

5. A. enormously        B. definitely           C. exactly      D. directly

6. A. fewer         B. more             C. better           D. worse

7. A. economics     B. trades               C. politics     D. industries

8. A. necessary     B. fertile              C. scarce           D. heated

9. A. opponents     B. targets              C. victims      D. potentials[来源:]

10. A. due          B. able             C. equal            D. likely

11. A. get out          B. get around           C. get into     D. get off

12. A. programming  B. planning         C. investing        D. advertising

13. A. signature        B. unemployment     C. crisis           D. inefficiency

14. A. rent         B. run              C. sell         D. hire

15. A. manufacturer B. applicant            C. buyer            D. employer

 

My wife and I spent two weeks in London last year. We went there in the autumn. We think it is the best season to visit England. The weather is usually good and there aren’t too many tourists in October.

We stayed in a small hotel in the West End. It was convenient as we did most of our sightseeing on foot. Taxis were too expensive, we couldn’t understand the bus routes, and my wife didn’t like traveling under the ground. She said it made her feel sick.

We went to look at the places which all tourists visit. We saw Buckingham Palace. We went shopping in Oxford Street and spent too much money. What we liked most, though, was going to the theatre. We didn’t have the chance to see such wonderful plays at home. A lot of people say English food is bad. We didn’t think so. It is true that most of the restaurants are French or Italian or Chinese, but we had some very good meals.

In fact, we enjoyed our holiday so much that we have already booked again for this year. We are going to take our umbrellas, though. I’m sure we’ll need them sometimes.

1.The couple chose a small hotel in the West End to stay in because _________.

A.taxis were too expensive

B.they could go sightseeing on foot

C.the underground made the wife feel sick

D.all the above

2.The couple had some difficulty in ________.

A.booking in the hotel

B.finding the bus routes

C.going sightseeing on foot

D.having meals

3.Generally speaking, the couple _________the trip to London.

A.were satisfied with

B.disliked

C.were a bit unhappy about

D.regretted

4.What did the couple think of English food?

A.terrible

B.not bad

C.great

D.comfort

5.Which of the following is NOT true about the couple?

A.They thought English food was bad.

B.They will visit London again.

C.They visited London last October.

D.They didn’t take their umbrella last year.

 

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