“It was all his own idea, ” says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto, California high school . Bob had just drawn up a “motherhood contract” ----- a document (文件) stating that for 70 days this summer he would take over the care and feeding of the couple’s four children, plus all household chores (杂务). Although he didn’t even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident.(He thought the experience would make a nice book.) After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. “I was beaten down, completely humbled, ” admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press (also part of the bargain), stating, “Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for any normal human being.” Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as a secretary to help put him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling coach at Palo Alto’s Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids. Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. “I had been around children so much,” she sighs (叹气), “I couldn’t talk to a grown-up.” She continued to run the household, however----- until Bob signed the contract, whereupon she decided to relax and enjoy it. Although Peters had consulted (咨询) with his school’s home economics teachers and the head of the cafeteria (食堂), his meals were sometimes a disaster.

“I tried to slip the butter I’d forgotten under the eggs after they were frying, ” he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot—sometimes having Macdonald’s hamburgers for lunch and dinner. As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean if the bed is made. “I found an easier way-----I shut the doors, ” he says. Soon the kids were wearing the same clothes for a week. “I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean.”

Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely(日常地) sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat. The tentative (暂定的) title of his book about the summer is taken from something he shouted at the kids one day.

1.The couple signed the contract because _______.

A．Pat complained a lot about her doing the housework all by herself

B．Bob loved taking care of children and wanted his wife to have a good rest

C．they agreed that husband and wife should share household tasks

D．Bob thought it easy to take care of the family and wanted the experience for a book

2.It was agreed that if Bob failed to keep to the contract, he would have to _______.

A．pay a certain amount of money

B．do all the housework for years

C．say sorry to his wife

D．admit publicly he was wrong about motherhood

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Bob managed to keep the kids’ clothes clean.

B．Bob tried to cook good meals for his children.

C．Bob frequently took the kids out to eat because he was too busy at work.

D．Bob taught the kids to make their beds every day.

4.Which of the following can best end the news story?

A．“My experience of being a mother.”

B．“I’m proud of you all, my dear!”

C．“Wait till your mother gets home!”

D．“Motherhood: an impossible job for anyone.”

Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago，I've used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I've found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity.

I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3，so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me，and，to a certain extent，distracted me from the game，allowing my subconscious(潜意识的)talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine，moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions.

Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I'm in a bad mood at work，I'll listen to some of Bob Marley's and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I'm doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer，I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background，I would have hated life.

Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you'll finally discover your best choice.

I'm always looking for new concentration aids，so I'd love to know what type of music works best for me.

1. We can infer that the passage was written in ________.

A. 2005　  　B. 2006　　  C. 2007　 　D. 2008

2. The author first discovered the effects of music ________.

A. from his parents  B. by chance

C. at work         D. when he was a child

3. Which of the following statements is NOT an effect of music for the author?

A. It helps him block out the outside world.

B. It arouses his subconscious talent.

C. It helps his mind relax.

D. It makes him work without any thought.

4. The author mentions the experience of collecting bottle openers in Paragraph 3 to ________.

A. tell us that life is dull

B. drove that music affects mood

C. tell us how to seek happiness

D. tell us bad mood can affect work

5. In order to get the greatest effect of music，you are advised to ________.

A. listen to some of Bob Marley's

B. only choose relaxing music

C. test all kinds of music

D. listen to classic rock

Across countryside, non-food crops are growing alongside wheat．Some are used in new alternatives to plastics and other materials, but others will simply be burned．

Burning crops is becoming more popular because it is good for the planet．Doing so is also cheaper than burning fossil fuels．As more land is devoted to non-food crop production, the economics of crops for fuel are likely to become even more favorable．

Humans have been burning such biomass—organic materials from plants or animals— since they discovered fire．But that burning fossil fuels could have catastrophic consequences has brought biomass back into fashion．

Even allowing for emissions (排放) of carbon dioxide from fuel used in planting, harvesting, processing and transporting biomass fuel, replacing fossil fuel with biomass can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90 percent．

Power stations around the world are experimenting with forms of biomass to add to their coal or oil, with encouraging results．Indeed, power companies could profit by turning to biomass, especially when the subsidies (补助) many governments offer for using renewable energy are taken into account．

Farmers can benefit from growing biomass．In Europe, the reduction of subsidies for certain crops is exposing farmers to market forces．Instead of being paid for whatever they produce, farmers must seek a clear demand for their product．Many believe that the demand for alternatives to fossil fuels could be just such a driver．

But while biomass offers a variety of potential alternatives, the world's infrastructure (基础设施） has developed around burning fossil fuels to such a stage that switching to biomass involves a change in conception that many companies have not accepted．

Also, there are problems with using biomass．Although most coal-fired power stations could take a small amount of their fuel from biomass without significant adjustment, few are built to run on biomass alone．Burning some forms of biomass also causes environmental problems．Oils and waste can be smelly, while wood produces smoke unless burned properly．

The supply chains for fossil fuels are set up well, but those for biomass are just the beginning. Sources of supply for biomass rely on farm production and can therefore be less reliable. They are necessarily limited and it wouldn't make sense to turn a very large amount of valuable agricultural land away from food crops．But as the world adjusts to the need to control greenhouse gas emissions, these problems may receive more attention．

1.What do we know about biomass?

A．It is a useful way of burning crops．

B．It is plant and animal matter used to provide power．

C．It is a new alternative to be used widely．

D．It is a popular approach to fighting against pollution．

2.What are the advantages of using biomass?

a．It gives off less greenhouse gases．

b．It helps farmers receive subsidies for what they produce．

c．It has met the clear demand for energy．

d．It has brought subsidies for some power companies．

e．It is cheaper than burning fossil fuels．

A．a, b, c            B．b, c, d            C．c, d, e            D．a, d, e

3.For coal-fired power stations, ______．

A．more effective ways to use biomass have been tried

B．using renewable energy has become their daily task

C．burning biomass alone would require considerable changes

D．setting up dependable supply channels needs governments' support

4.What is the author's attitude towards biomass fuels?

A．Defensive．       B．Doubtful．        C．Negative．        D．Objective

“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl.”

Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different answer from every man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy(怀孕) was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly or unwillingly.

Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the change from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this re-socialization process. Although many good books have been written about American mothers, only recently have some books discussed the role of a father.

It is argued by some writers that the transition to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation of daily routine and adaptation to a new life, on the other hand, the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we have mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.

1. According to the author, being a father _______.

A. brings a feeling of excitement to some men

B. has a different meaning for those who have daughters

C. makes some men feel proud and others uneasy

D. means nothing but more responsibilities.

2. It is stated in the passage that ________.

A. some parents are not prepared to have a child

B. young couples do not like children at all

C. working couples do not have much time to take care of their children

D. many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child

3. The transition to the mother’s role requires that the wife _______.

A. changes her life style in a quite different way

B. makes a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation

C. stays at home to take care of the baby

D. helps her husband in his re-socialization process

4. Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared with mothers, _______.

A. have to do more in the household  

B. have to make more difficult adaptations

C. have an easier job to do          

D. can usually do a better job

Water, which covers about 74 percent of the earth’s surface, is man’s most precious resource. Without it we cannot live. Clean water keeps us alive; polluted water means disease and death. Keeping our water pure is by no means an easy task but it is something that must be done.

Hong Kong once prided herself on being the “Fragrant Harbour”. However, these days, it is not certain if Hong Kong’s harbour could still be called “fragrant”. For, like many other places, Hong Kong has not been spared water pollution. A visit to Tolo and Victoria Harbour, or any of the beaches in Hong Kong is enough to make one aware of the ugly truth that Hong Kong waters are indeed polluted.

The great threat to our water is bacteria pollution. Another great source of water pollution is poisonous chemicals. These substances, which are found in industrial waste and agricultural pesticides, make up unseen dangers that enter biological food chains.

Pollution control is a continuing problem for the government. It is believed that the most effective form of control is legislation（立法）. Most importantly, the present laws on pollution should be given more force. On the other hand, no amount of legislation can effectively control pollution unless those concerned are properly educated about the danger posed by pollution.

While a great majority of Hong Kong citizens and residents seem to be greatly concerned about ways to control water pollution, it is discouraging to note that there are, in our midst, some people who remain apathetic（无动于衷）about the problem. In a recent radio programme conducted on what people in the streets thought about the water pollution problem, one apparently unconcerned person said, “What do I care about water pollution? I don’t drink polluted water. As long as the water I drink is not polluted, I’m not bothered. Water pollution is too big a problem and let’s leave it to the government.”

If all residents in Hong Kong will take such an indifferent attitude, all the government’s attempts to control pollution, let alone the anti-pollution legislation, will prove useless. The best form of pollution control each citizen can employ is to be aware of his surroundings. We hope that someday, the problem of water pollution in Hong Kong will cease to alarm us.

1.By the underlined sentences, the writer wants to show that ______.

A. we should not use polluted water

B. it is our responsibility to keep our water clean and safe

C. clean water is vitally important to the survival of human beings

D. water is abundant but very expensive    

2.What can you infer from the second paragraph?

A. Hong Kong indeed deserves the name. 

B. Hong Kong never deserves such a name.

C. Hong Kong can’t avoid the damage of pollution. 

D. Hong Kong has failed to live up to such reputation.

3.The writer quotes the words in the programme to show us that a block to the solution of the problem is _________.

A. people’s lack of education         

B. people’s I-don’t-care attitude

C. people’s wait-and-see attitude     

D. people’s over-dependence on the government

4.In the final analysis, the best approach to the problem of water pollution is ________.

A. legislation                     

B. rapid development of modern science 

C. mass education                  

D.everybody taking care of his own surroundings