As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general, the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is. ”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”
1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______.
A．report on the findings of a study
B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C．show the relationship between parents and children
D．give information about family problems
2.Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ______.
A．they are busy serving food to their children
B．they have to pay more attention to younger children
C．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3.By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.
A．have to help their parents to serve dinner
B．find it hard to keep up with other children
C．are often kept away from the dinner table
D．get the least attention from the family
4.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C．It is important to have the right food for children.
D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing (施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回) my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June. But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.
1.What are the requirements for the healthy growth of rose?
A．Frequent pruning and fertilizing. B．A lot of care and the right soil.
C．Tomato plants grown alongside. D．Cages placed around the roots.
2.The writer planted the tomato because _________.
A．there was room for it in the garden
B．the soil was just right for it
C．it cost only $1.25
D．the roses’ branches needed to be covered
3.This year the writer’s roses were __________.
A．removed from the rose bed
B．largely hidden under the tomato plant
C．mostly damaged by too much sunlight
D．picked along with the tomatoes
4.By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ________.
A．express her liking for the roses
B．show the hardship of growing the roses
C．show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes
D．express her care for the tomatoes
5.In the situation described in the text, one good thing is that ________.
A．the writer has a daily harvest of tomatoes
B．the roses cost the writer little money
C．someone will help the writer make the decision
D．the writer can now enjoy both the roses and tomatoes
In Japan, people will often go out to restaurants to treat guests. The reason for this is that Japanese homes are small. If you go out to eat with your workmates, it is a custom to share the bill equally, no matter how much you eat or drink yourself.
Japanese people use chopsticks to eat. But if you eat out, you can ask for a fork or a knife. These words have been adopted(采用) from the English language into Japanese. So if you say “fork” or “knife” to a waiter, he will probably understand you. If you eat in an expensive restaurant, waiters will usually place a hot towel on your table at the end of your meal. You can wipe your face and hands with this towel.
In Japan, you can see some people slurp (出声地吃) their noodles. It is considered rude in Western restaurants, but is acceptable in Japan. Western people usually blow on hot noodles first and then eat them, while Japanese do the cooling down gesture (姿势) when they actually eat. Many feel noodles do not taste good if they are cooled with the air. It is also normal to lift the noodle or soup bowl to mouth so that food doesn’t spill.
Eating with chopsticks requires proper manners. Never leave your chopsticks standing upright, especially not on rice. It is a symbol of death, and people will find this impolite if you are not at a funeral (葬礼). Never wave your chopsticks around, nor use them to move dishes around. If you are eating from a common bowl, use the back end of the chopsticks that you have not put in your mouth to dish the food out.
1.Japanese people often treat their guests in restaurants because_____.
A．they need to share the bill equally
B．it is a traditional custom in Japan
C．dishes in restaurants are delicious
D．their homes can’t hold many people
2.Which of the following can we learn from the text?
A．A hot towel is not offered in most ordinary restaurants in Japan.
B．You are asked to wipe your hands after a meal in a Japanese restaurant.
C．The Japanese always wait until the noodles become cool.
D．It is impolite to lift your bowl to your mouth in Japan.
3.Which of the following is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A．How to use chopsticks in Japan.
B．When to use chopsticks in Japan.
C．The Japanese like using chopsticks.
D．Chopsticks are the symbol of Japan.
4.Which would be the best title for the text?
A．Treating guests in Japan.
B．Table manners in Japan.
C．Eating tools in Japan.
D．Eating customs in Japan.
We all know that if we want to keep our body in good shape we have to do physical exercise regularly as well as be careful with what we eat. What we tend to forget is that this goes for our eyes as well. Medical science confirms that a diet rich in carotenoids (类胡萝卜素) can help maintain good vision(维持好视力) and prevent against a number of eye diseases. Here's some advice about how to choose the right diet to keep your eyes healthy.
— Eat orange food. Fruits and vegetables with orange flesh are rich in carotenoids. In addition to carrots，oranges，pumpkins and sweet potatoes are also available. All of these contain high levels of carotenoids，which help to maintain good vision.
— Include dark green vegetables，such as spinach (菠菜) and broccoli (西兰花) in your diet, to act as natural sunglasses. Recent scientific studies have shown that these vegetables can help block (阻挡) the damaging UV radiation(紫外线辐射)from the sun's rays.
— Prevent some eye diseases with orange juice, yellow corn, whole milk, nuts and leafy vegetables. These foods are good sources of vitamins A, C, D and E. All of these are necessary to good eye health.
— Increase your intake of omega3 with some sea fish, and some other seafood. Omega3 helps build cell walls and is especially beneficial to keeping eyes healthy .It also helps regulate the eye's internal pressure and helps the eye dry up excess fluid.
1.We can learn from the first paragraph that healthy food .
A．keeps eyes healthy
B．means you don't need exercise
C．can help cure eye diseases efficiently(有效地)
D．means people don't have to wear glasses
2.Why should people eat orange food according to the text？
A．It is beneficial to building cell walls in eyes.
B．It is more delicious than other food.
C．It is good for eyesight.
D．It is rich in various vitamins.
3.Which of the following can help block the damaging UV radiation from the sun's rays？
A．Pumpkins. B．Juice. C．Nuts. D．Broccoli.
4.The purpose of the text is to tell people how to .
A．keep their body in good shape
B．choose a healthy diet for their eyes
C．prevent serious eye diseases
D．get natural sunglasses from food
Many people say pennies are not worth saving. After all, a penny is only worth a cent. But one unusual penny turned out to be worth a lot more when a coin collector paid $1.7 million for it earlier this month.
The coin is one of a kind. It is the only penny that the Denver mint(铸币厂) made out of copper, instead of steel, in 1943. Because it is unique, it is also very valuable. No penny has ever sold for so much money.
The Changing Penny
The Lincoln penny first appeared in 1909. For 34 years, the one-cent coin was made out of copper. Then, in 1943, the penny changed. World War II was going on, and copper was needed for equipment. So for one year, pennies were made out of steel instead. At least most of them were.
Only a few coins were made out of unused copper. There are three main mints, or places where coins are made, in the United States. Of the known copper pennies from 1943, twelve were made in the Philadephia mint, and five were made in the San Francisco mint. Only one was made in the Denver mint.
Nobody knows for sure why a copper penny was made at the Denver mint in 1943, coin dealers Andy Skrabalak told Time for Kids. “There is a rumor that a mint employee made the coin in the middle of the night.”
A Special Set
The coin collector who bought the $1.7 million penny wants to remain unknown. But the reason for the trade is known. He already had two copper pennies from 1943 – one from the San Francisco mint and one from the Philadephia mint. To complete the set, he needed the Denver penny. The three coins will go on display at a coin exhibition in Tampa, Florida.
The collector who sold the penny is also keeping his name a secret. It took four years to convince him to give up the rare coin. Now that he has finally donating all of the money to charity.
1.Why is the Lincoln penny worth over one million dollars?
A．Because it has a history of thirty-four years.
B．Because it was made out of a rare material.
C．Because it was made on one night of 1943 by the Denver mint.
D．Because it was the only coin Denver mint made out of copper in 1943.
2.Before the Lincoln penny was sold, people thought one-cent coins __________.
A．were worth collecting for selling later
B．were surely valuable if not made out of steel
C．wouldn’t be sold for large amounts of money
D．were only useful for some coin museums
3.At least how many copper coins were made in 1943?
A．Five B．Twelve C．Seventeen D．Eighteen
4.What can we learn about the collector who sold the penny?
A．He already had two copper pennies from 1943.
B．He wanted to complete the set of copper pennies.
C．He didn’t want to sell his penny in the beginning.
D．He was a well-known coin dealer in Tampa, Horida.
Having returned from her round trip, the angry woman stood outside the ticket office of the station. “The railway owes me ￡12,” She said to Harry Jenks, the young man working at the office. “You sold me a ticket for May 22nd, but there was no ship from Jersey that night. So my daughter and I had to stay in a hotel. It cost me ￡12. ”
Harry was worried. He remembered selling the woman a return ticket. “Come into the office, Madam,” he said politely. “I’ll just check the Jersey timetable for May 22nd.”
The woman and her little girl followed him inside. She was quite right, as Harry soon discovered. There was no sailing on May 22nd. How could he have made such a careless mistake? He shouldn’t have sold her a ticket for that day. Wondering what to do, he smiled at the child. “You look sunburnt,” he said to her. “Did you have a nice holiday in Jersey?”
“Yes,” she answered shyly, “The beach was lovely. And I can swim, too!”
“That’s fine,” said Harry.
“My little girl can’t swim a bit yet. Of course, she’s only three…”
“I’m four,” the child said proudly, “I’ll be four and a half.”
Harry turned to the mother, “I remember your ticket, Madam,” he said. “But you didn’t get one for your daughter, did you?”
“Er, well---” the woman looked at the child, “I mean…she hasn’t started school yet. She’s only four.”
“A four-year-old child must have a ticket, Madam. A child’s return ticket to Jersey costs…let me see…￡13.50. So if the railway pays your hotel, you will owe ￡1.50. The law is the law, but since the fault was mine… ”
The woman stood up, took the child’s hand and left the office.
1.Harry was worried because ________.
A．the woman was angry with him
B．he had not done his work properly
C．the Jersey timetable was wrong
D．the little girl didn’t have a return ticket
2.Harry started talking to the little girl ________.
A．because he was in difficulty and did not know what to do
B．because he had a little girl about the same age as this girl
C．because he wanted to be friendly to the little girl who looked so nice
D．when he suddenly realized that he could find a way out from the little girl
3.When Harry said, “The law is the law, but since the fault was mine…” he means that ________.
A．they must follow it without other choice, even though the fault was his
B．he had to be strict with the woman because of the law, although he didn’t want to
C．the woman had to pay him ￡1.50 and the railway would pay her for the hotel
D．she should pay ￡1.50, but he had made a mistake, she could go without paying
4.How did the woman feel when she left the office?
A．angry B．peaceful C．embarrassed D．nervous
