Can you imagine learning by playing games. To be sure, only children experienced some things differently from those with sisters and brothers. Many feel more pressure to succeed. They also tend to look only to their parents as role models in the absence of brothers and sisters.
In India, 10-year-old Saviraj Sankpal founded a support group for the tiny minority of only children. Among other things, the group does volunteer work to counter (or be against) the myth that they are not responsible. "People think we're treated too kindly and ruined," says Sankpal, a computer engineering student. "But I'd like to remind them how lonely it can get."
Most only children, however, say they wish for sisters or brothers only when it comes to caring for aging, unhealthy parents. Britain's David Emerson, coauthor of the book The Only Child, says that such a person bears terrible burden in having to make all the decisions alone. Emerson knows from experience: After his father died, he chose to move his elderly mother from their family home, where she was vulnerable to (or easy to be attacked by) house breakers, to a new one with more security." The move was quite hard on her, and she might feel that I pushed her into it," he says,". After all, I am left with that responsibility."
In the future, more and more only children will likely face similar choices. With working mothers increasing, many families are finding they simply don't have the time, money or energy to have more than one child. As only children become common, perhaps the world will realize that the Charge made against them is unjust.
1.It can be inferred from the passage that the author's attitude towards only children is _______.
A. ironic B. objective C. unfriendly D. unjust
2.It can be inferred from the passage that only children's parents should ___________.
A. found a support group for their only children
B. do volunteer work to help their only children
C. let their only children make all the decisions alone
D. set good examples for their only children
3.Emerson decided to move his elderly mother to a new house because he ___________.
A. is the only one who cares about her
B. doesn't want to leave her alone
C. wants to share the responsibility with her
D. is worried about her safety
4.It is quite usual now for a working mother to ____________.
A. spend all her time and money on her only child
B. be responsible for bringing up her only child
C. have and bring up only one child
D. devote all her energy to her job
5.The main idea of the passage is that ________.
A. only children are ruined and irresponsible
B. only children have to face many challenges
C. most only children want to have brothers and sisters
D. most only children share their responsibility with their parents
It is nice to know what the weather will be like when we plan a trip. Do you know anything about the history of weather? Don’t look at the sky. Don’t look for old weather reports. Looking at the tree rings is more important. Correct weather reports date back only one century, but some trees can provide an exact record of weather even further back.
It is natural that a tree would grow best in a climate with plenty of sunlight and rainfall. It is also expected that little sunlight or rainfall would reduce the growth of a tree. The change from a favorable to an unfavorable climate can be found out by the reading pattern of rings in a tree trunk. To find out the weather of ten years ago, you can count the rings of a tree trunk from the outside to the inside. If the tenth ring is far from the other rings, then it is certain that plenty of sunny and rainy weather occurred. If the rings are close together, then the climate was bad for the tree.
Studying trees is important not only for the history of weather, but also for the history of man. In an area of New Mexico you can find only sand — no trees or people. However, many centuries ago a large population lived there. They left suddenly. Why?
A scientist studied the pattern of the rings of dead trees that had grown there. He made up his mind that the people had to leave because they had cut down all the trees. Trees were necessary to make fires and buildings. So, after the people destroyed the trees, they had to move.
In this example studying tree rings uncovered an exciting fact about the history of man.
1.We can find out the weather of five years ago by counting the rings of a tree trunk ____.
A. from the left to the right
B. from the right to the left
C. from the inside to the outside
D. from the outside to the inside
2.If the ring was far from the others, we can conclude that the weather of that year was ______.
A. bad B. sunny C. favorable D. rainy
3.By studying the rings of dead trees in an area of New Mexico, the scientist found _______.
A. why the people had to leave
B. where the people had to go
C. what the people had to eat
D. how the people left
4.The ancient people usually lived where there were plenty of trees mainly because ______.
A. trees provided an exact record of weather for research
B. trees could supply them with fruit and food to live on
C. trees could supply them with shades
D. trees were materials for fires and buildings
5.By giving the example of an area of New Mexico, the author tries to prove .
A. trees can’t live in the area without population
B. that studying trees is important for the history of man and weather.
C. what the real relation is between tree rings and the history of man and weather
D. the history of man is important for the history of trees
Do you read newspapers in modern times while we have TV and other media? The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was Daily Current, which came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American Colonies. By 1760, the colonies had had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It sells more than eleven million copies every year.
1.The first regularly printed European newspaper was started ______.
A. in Rome in 59 BC B. in Germany in 1609
C. in Amsterdam in 1620 D. in England in 1621
2.The first daily English newspaper was started in _______.
A. 1702 B. 1760 C. 1620 D. 1621
3.What can we learn from the passage_______?
A. The earliest daily printed newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC.
B. The first regularly published English newspaper was printed in Boston.
C. The first daily English newspaper was printed in the American Colonies.
D. The first American newspaper was stopped before 1704.
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage_______?
A. Newspapers have the longest history in the United States.
B. One English language newspaper has the largest circulation in the world.
C. The first English newspaper was printed in Rome in 59 BC.
D. There are all kinds of newspapers all over the world today.
5.What is the best title of the passage_______?
A. History of newspapers.
B. History of daily newspapers.
C. The beginning of daily newspapers.
D. The beginning of newspapers.
Have you ever gone hungry? I did after a day of hard work. When I woke next morning, I was dying of ___. I seemed to have a hole instead of a ___. I dressed quickly and hurried down to the dinning-room. It was a big room with six tall windows and the ugliest wallpaper I had ever seen! __, I had been told the hotel was not beautiful but that you were better ____ there than in any other hotel; and that was ___ I wanted just then.
The waiter came hurrying up. Before I came downstairs I had prepared carefully for what I must . I had looked three times in my dictionary to make sure ____the English for “breakfast”. I had tried to get the right and I had stood in the front of a mirror and twisted my mouth until it ached.
The waiter asked me I could not understand, but I spoke only my one prepared word “breakfast”. He looked at me in a way. So I repeated it. Still he did not understand. It was that English people didn’t understand their language. The waiter his head and went away, but he came back in a minute and brought a tray with tea, bread and butter--- enough to feed a small army--- and went away. But I was hungry, and I left . When the waiter came back I thought his face showed a little , but you can never what a waiter’s face really shows. In another minute he brought___ tray with some bacon and some eggs. He__ have misunderstood me, but I thought it was no use explaining to people who don’t understand their own language , so I just set to work on the bacon and eggs, wondering whether I could possibly clear that plate.
Well, I finished the bacon and eggs. I got up and made my way back slowly - at least five pounds . I never believed until then that any meal could me, but on that day I met my Waterloo(滑铁卢).
1.A. hunger B. cold C. anger D. illness
2.A. stone B. head C. breast D. stomach
3.A. Therefore B. Otherwise C. So D. However
4.A. received B. fed C. cared D. eating
5.A. what B. just C. that D. why
6.A. English B. meal C. questions D. myself
7.A. say B. answer C. speak D. explain
8.A. that B. about C. of D. to
9.A. pronunciation B. meaning C. form D. spelling
10.A. something B. whether C. when D. what
11.A. surprised B. friendly C. puzzled D. touched
12.A. unbelievable B. true C. thought D. a pity
13.A. waved B. shook C. bowed D. patted
14.A. much B. a little C. nothing D. empty
15.A. pleasure B. surprise C. pride D. satisfaction
16.A. read B. look C. see D. think
17.A. other B. another C. more D. me
18.A. should B. might C. would D. must
19.A. lighter B. heavier C. weightier D. more
20.A. hurt B. fat C. defeat D. please
________ many times, he still couldn’t understand it.
A. Told B. Being told C. Having been told D. Having told
Always read the ______ on the bottle carefully and take the right amount of medicine.
A. explanations B. instructions C. descriptions D. introductions
