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.
小題1:What is the main idea of the passage?  

A．More and more modern mothers go out to work to support the families.

B．Today's parents would rather leave their children in the hands of nurseries.

C．Today's parents have less time to take care of their children.

D．To keep the balance of work and family is not an easy thing.

小題2:What does the underlined word "juggle" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?  

A．keep objects in the air

B．do many things at once

C．change things

D．organize spending

小題3:According to Kate Fox,         .   

A．people should learn to relax by using the network

B．network plays an important role in society

C．mothers should make use of the network to gain support

D．it is impossible for woman to become the "double shift"

小題4:Today's mothers lack the time to company their children mainly because         .   

A．they have no choice but go to work

B．they are under constant pressure

C．they want to be "the perfect mother"

D．they have less time to themselves

小題5: Which of the following statements is True?    

A．Mothers usually spend three hours looking after their children a day.

B．Since more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare falls on fathers.

C．Child minders are good to the health of the children.

D．Mothers spend more time with their children than fathers.

Dear son,
The day that you see me old and I am already not in good health, have patience and try to understand me.
If I get dirty when eating, if I can not dress, have patience and remember the hours I   36  teaching it to you. If, when I speak to you, I   37  the same things thousand and one times, do not   38   me, listen to me. When you were small, I had to read to you thousand and one times the same story   39   you got to sleep. When I do not want to have a   40 , neither shame me nor scold me. Remember when I had to chase you with thousand excuses I   41 , in order that you wanted to bathe. When you see my   42  little about new technologies, give me the necessary time and do not look at me with your mocking(嘲弄) smile. I taught you   43  to do so many things: to eat good, to dress well, to confront life…. When at some moment I lose the memory or the   44   of our conversation, let me have the necessary time to remember, and if I cannot do it, do not become nervous, as the most important thing is not our conversation but surely to be with you and to have you   45   to me.
If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well   46   I need to and when not. When my   47  legs do not allow me to walk, give me your   48  , the same way I did when you gave your first   49 . And when someday I say to you that I do not want to   50  any more ---- that I want to rest forever, do not get angry. Someday you will understand.
Try to understand that my age is not lived but survived. Some day you will discover that,  51  my mistakes, I always wanted the   52  thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you. You must not feel sad, angry or impotent(無可奈何) for seeing me   53  you. You must be next to me, try to understand me and to help me as I did it when you   54  living. Help me to walk, help me to end my way with love and   55 . I will pay you by a smile and by the immense love I have had always for you.
I love you, Son.
Your father

小題1:	A．paid B．spent C．cost D．took

小題2:	A．praise B．think C．repeat D．criticize

小題3:	A．interrupt B．disturb C．look D．a(chǎn)void

小題4:	A．when B．a(chǎn)fter C．since D．until

小題5:	A．rest B．word C．shower D．sleep

小題6:	A．discovered B．invented C．noticed D．a(chǎn)ssumed

小題7:	A．knowing B．fearing C．enjoying D．consulting

小題8:	A．what B．when C．how D．why

小題9:	A．news B．a(chǎn)ttitude C．material D．thread

小題10:

A．talking B．listening C．responding D．a(chǎn)ppealing

小題11:

A．where B．how C．that D．when

小題12:

A．tired B．short C．long D．strong

小題13:

A．leg B．ear C．hand D．mind

小題14:

A．step B．pace C．laugh D．cry

小題15:

A．talk B．live C．write D．sleep

小題16:

A．though B．since C．while D．despite

小題17:

A．last B．first C．best D．most

小題18:

A．near B．behind C．below D．a(chǎn)gainst

小題19:

A．made B．started C．earned D．found

小題20:

A．mercy B．care C．excuse D．patience

Last August, Joe and Mary Mahoney began looking at colleges for their 17-year-old daughter, Maureen. With a checklist of criteria (衡量標(biāo)準(zhǔn))in hand, the Dallas family looked around the country visiting half a dozen schools. They sought a university that offered the teenager’s intended major, one located near a large city, and a campus where their daughter would be safe.
“The safety issue is a big one,” says Joe Mahoney, who quickly discovered he wasn’t alone in his worries. On campus tours other parents voiced similar concerns, and the same question was always asked: what about crime? But when college officials always gave the same answer -----“That’s not a problem here,”-----Mahoney began to feel uneasy.
“No crime whatever?” comments Mahoney today. “I just don’t buy it.” Nor should he: in 1999 the U.S. Department of education had reports of nearly 400,000 serious crimes on or around our campuses. “Parents need to understand that times have changed since they went to college,” says David Nichols, author of Creating a Safe Campus. “Campus crime mirrors the rest of the nation.”
But getting accurate information isn’t easy. Colleges must report crime statistics(統(tǒng)計數(shù)字) by law, but some hold back for fear of bad publicity（關(guān)注）, leaving the honest ones looking dangerous. “The truth may not always be serious,” warns S. Daniel Carter of Security on Campus, Inc., the nation’s leading campus safety watchdog group.
To help concerned parents, Carter promised to visit campuses and talk to experts around the country to find out major crime issues and effective solutions.
小題1:It is often difficult to get correct information on campus crime because some colleges ____.

A．receive too many visitors	B．mirror the rest of the nation
C．hide the truth of campus crime	D．have too many watchdog groups

小題2:The underlined word “buy” in the third paragraph means _____.

A．mind

B．a(chǎn)dmit

C．believe

D．expect

小題3: We learn from the text that “the honest ones” in the fourth paragraph most probably refers to colleges _____.

A．that are protected by campus security	B．that report campus crimes by law
C．that are free from campus crime	D．that enjoy very good publicity

小題4:What is the text mainly about?

A．Exact campus crime statistics.	B．Crimes on or around campuses.
C．Effective solutions to campus crime.	D．Concerns about kids’ campus safety.

We should show respect to everybody, especially our elders because they are ahead of us — in age, in wisdom and maturity, in experience and education. Our   36  have done a lot for us, directly or indirectly and most of us   37  everything to their kindness and love.
When we   38  them respect, whether it is by bowing to them, or   39   them with a smile, or offering them any help they need, it is one way of   40  our own love and gratitude to them.   41 , elders have also been through all the years you are   42  and know a little more about the world than you do.
It is   43  that you do not agree with the belief of your elders, but this is nothing new. All younger generations have always   44  with their elders and it is these differences that bring changes in human   45 . However much you disagree with them, give them credit for their   46 .
With changing times and   47  influences, youngsters no longer know what is interpreted as disrespect to elders. Youngsters should   48  express their views and if there are arguments, they should not   49  their voices.
If there is no space on sofas or chairs, children will immediately   50  their places, and sit on the carpet. In buses and trains, youngsters are   51  to give up their places to older people. This is not a   52  of who has more rights. It is simply that those who are younger have the strength to bear   53 , or tolerate unpleasantness, so it is natural to show consideration to those who are older and perhaps at a   54  disadvantage.
When you do simple things as a mark of respect, elders become   55  that youngsters care for them, and they respond with affection and kindness.

小題1:	A．youngsters B．elders C．parents D．juniors

小題2:	A．devote B．owe C．pay D．contribute

小題3:	A．show B．explain C．exhibit D．point

小題4:	A．greeting B．receiving C．declaring D．showing

小題5:	A．expressing B．describing C．sending D．suggesting

小題6:	A．However B．Therefore C．Besides D．Though

小題7:	A．experiencing with B．going through C．suffering from D．worrying out

小題8:	A．maybe B．likely C．possible D．probably

小題9:	A．quarreled B．dealt C．lived D．disagreed

小題10:

A．community B．organization C．society D．public

小題11:

A．experience B．reality C．emotion D． information

小題12:

A．cultural B．special C．environmental D．position

小題13:

A．quietly B．slightly C．silently D．coldly

小題14:

A．rise B．raise C．support D．force

小題15:

A．give away B．get rid of C．give up D．send out

小題16:

A．expected B．forced C．needed D．reminded

小題17:

A．doubt B．question C．wonder D．challenge

小題18:

A．suffering B．upset C．trouble D．discomfort

小題19:

A．serious B．light C．heavy D．slight

小題20:

A．a(chǎn)ware B．a(chǎn)live C．knowing D．sensible

The fiddler crab (蟹) is a living clock. It shows the time of day by the colour of its skin, which is dark by day and pale by night. The crab’s changing colour follows a regular twenty—four hour plan that exactly matches the daily rhythm of the sun.
Does the crab actually keep time, or does its skin simply answer to the sun’s rays, changing colour according to the amount of light strikes it? To find out, biologists kept crabs in a dark room for two months. Even without daylight, the crab’s skin colour continued to change exactly on time.
This characteristic probably developed gradually in answer to the daily rising and setting of the sun, to help protect the crab from sunlight and enemies. After millions of years it has become completely regulated (受控制) inside the living body of the crab.
The biologists noticed that once each day the colour of the fiddler crab is especially dark, and that each day this happens fifty minutes later than on the day before. From this they discovered that each crab follows not only the rhythm of the sun but also that of the tides (潮水). The crab’s period of greatest darkening is exactly the time of low tide on the beach where it was caught!
小題1:The fiddler crab is like a clock because it changes colour ______.
A in a regular 24—hour rhythm              B. in answer to the sun’s rays
C. at low tide                            D. every fifty minutes
小題2:The crab’s changing colour ______.

A．tells the crab what time it is	B．protects the crab from the sunlight and enemies
C．keeps the crab warm	D．is of no real use

小題3: When the fiddler crabs were kept in the dark , they ______.

A．did not change colour	B．changed colour more quickly
C．changed colour more slowly	D．changed colour on the same timetable

小題4:The crab’s colour—changing ability was probably developed ______.

A．in the process of evolution (進(jìn)化)	B．over millions of years
C．by the work of biologists	D．both A and B

小題5:The best title for this selection would be ______.

A．The Sun and the Tides	B．Discoveries in Biology
C．A scientific Study	D．A Living Clock

You speak, write a letter, make a telephone. Your words carry a message. People communicate with words. Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad.
When you put up your hands in class, the teacher knows you want to say something or ask questions. You shake your head, and people know you are saying "No". You nod and people know you are saying "Yes". Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the door helps you where to go in or out. Have you ever thought that there are a lot of signs around you and that you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many other ways. An artist can use his drawing to tell beautiful mountains, about the blue sea and many other things. Books are written to tell about all the wonderful things in the world and also about people and their ideas. Books, magazines, TV, radio and films all help us communicate with others. They can help us to know what is going on in the world and what other people are thinking about.
小題1:People communicate ________.

A．with words only	B．in many different ways
C．in letters and drawings	D．with smiles, tears and hands

小題2:Signs can carry as many _________ as words.

A．questions

B．examples

C．tears and smiles

D．messages

小題3:Which of the following is not talked in the passage as which can help us communicate?

A．books and magazines

B．TV and films

C．newspapers

D．radio

小題4:Communication is important because it can help people to ______.

A．understand the world and other people better around us.

B．teach each other to speak, write, read and draw.

C．know what other people are thinking about

D．learn about mountains,blue sea and other things.

小題5:The best title（題目）for this short passage is _________.

A．Signs Carry Messages	B．The important Communication
C．Words, Signs and Drawing	D．Ways of Communication.

What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red?  小題1:Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be pessimist. At least, this is what psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.  小題2: If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly
 小題3: A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.  小題4: A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides(自殺) than any other bridge in the area-until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply. Perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
小題5: It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or gray.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tell us, among other facts, that we do not choose our favorite color as grow up—we are born with our preference.

C．The rooms are pained in different colors as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement.

E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods-there is no doubt about it.

Learning to save money when you're young is an important lesson. All good lessons and habits begin early, and saving is a skill that everyone __36__. Many people—adults included—do not have a good __37__ of saving for the long run.
I have been _38__ to learn this lesson early because I have had a grass cutting business since I was 10 years old. 39__ the money I make I spend about 10 percent and save the other 90.
Making sure you save and don't spend too much is a good way to __40__ wealth. I have put my earnings in a bank. Many teens I know spend all the money they earn so it never has a chance to _41__. Young people should __42_ that their teenage years are a great time to begin saving.
If you have a job at high school, you _43__ have fun with some of the money. But you should also save some __44__ it will grow. Then you can begin planning for your future. When you spend money, you not only lose that money, __45__ lose the interest you could have earned by saving it.
After high school, college is __46__， with expenses such as food and rent. If you can  __47__ a good percentage of the money you earn as a teen, going to college and buying a house will be much easier. If you are in your thirties without any savings, you will always have to __48__.
Later in life it can be hard to start saving _49__ general  cost of living is more expensive and you may only have enough to pay your _50__. If you want to buy a house and have a family, you need money to start with, which __51__ saving.
Many say money cannot make you happy, and this is true. But money can help you to lead a __52__ life.
Saving early will mean you will have to work for fewer years when you are older. It will also __53___ you to spend time doing the things that you want to do.__54__， it will mean you can live the way you want to without  55__.

小題1:	A．needs B．likes C．a(chǎn)rranges D．expects

小題2:	A．knowledge B．experience C．form D．sense

小題3:	A．foolish B．fundamental C．lucky D．grateful

小題4:	A．With B．Of C．In D．From

小題5:	A．divide up B．build up C．keep up D．make up

小題6:	A．break B．run C．make D．grow

小題7:	A．recognize B．realize C．research D．doubt

小題8:	A．must B．dare C．should D．may

小題9:	A．so that B．in case C．in that D．but for

小題10:

A．but B．a(chǎn)nd C．a(chǎn)lso D．or

小題11:

A．expensive B．cheap C．boring D．bitter

小題12:

A．hold out B．hold up C．hold onto D．hold back

小題13:

A．survive B．struggle C．tolerate D．die

小題14:

A．if B．a(chǎn)s long as C．while D．since

小題15:

A．bills B．taxes C．a(chǎn)ttention D．consequences

小題16:

A．results from B．gets from C．comes from D．escapes from

小題17:

A．happy B．simple C．miserable D．secure

小題18:

A．forbid B．a(chǎn)llow C．Advise D．request

小題19:

A．In addition B．Above all C．On the contrary D．Believe it or not

小題20:

A．consulting B．worrying C．resting D．thinking

Several years ago, I had a huge falling out with one of my best friends. So huge, in fact, that now I can’t even remember what happened.
In the past nine years, I’ve seen her twice, and each time we’ve been polite but distant. And that troubles me because we were once that close to each other. I’d like nothing more than to go back nine years, and continue our friendship. But how? How do you reconnect with friends you’ve lost throughout the years?
Linking to your past
The desire to reconnect with lost friend isn’t unusual. Why? Because friends link us to the past. “Friends from years ago are custodians(監(jiān)護(hù)人) of our past,” says Sandy Sheehy, author of Connecting” The Enduring Power of Female Friendship.
Although you can’t share information about your past with friends you’ve met recently, you don’t have a shared history with them. So you wind up only telling them about your past, rather than sharing it with them.
But many people never try to reconnect. Women especially have trouble taking the first step. Shyness or fear that the other person doesn’t want to reconnect often stops many women. And that shouldn’t be. Your friends probably want to be in touch with you as much as you want to be in touch with them.
Searching for friends
Fortunately, finding lost friends isn’t as difficult as it once was, thanks to tools like the Internet. Our experts offer these suggestions for locating contact information:
Search Internet sites designed to locate people like classmates.com and switchboard.com.
Contact your high school or college alumni（校友）office to request current address information.
Surf online yellow pages. Check current phone records from your friend’s hometown.
Network with other friends who might have known your friend.
Get in touch with any of her relatives(親戚), if you know where they live. If you know where she works, find the company’s web site and search the directory of personnel.
小題1:What ‘s the subject discussed in the passage?

A．How to make new friends.	B．How to rediscover friendships.
C．How to develop healthy friendships	D．How to keep in touch with friends.

小題2:The underlined sentence “Friends from years ago are custodians of our past” means _____.

A．many years ago old friends kept something for us

B．in the past old friends took care of us

C．old friends are part of our life history

D．old friends know what wrong things we did in the past

小題3:What makes us unwilling to reconnect old friends?

A．Lack of money	B．Shortage of time
C．Regret and shame	D．Fear and shyness

小題4:How can we make contact with the lost friends?

A．By asking other friends of the information on your lost friends.

B．By searching your friends’ telephone number in the net.

C．By asking the local post office about your friends’ new address.

D．By putting an ad in your friends’ local town.

For a while, my neighborhood was taken over by an army of joggers．(慢跑者). They were there all the time—early morning, noon, and evening. There were little old ladies in gray sweats, young couples in Adidas shoes, middle-aged men with red faces. “Come on!” My friend Alex encouraged me to join him as he jogged by my house every evening. “You'll feel great.”
Well, I had nothing against feeling great and if Alex could jog every day, anyone could. So I took up jogging seriously and gave it a good two months of my life, and not a day more. Based on my experience, jogging is the most overvalued form of exercise around, and judging from the number of the people who left our neighborhood jogging army. I'm not alone in my opinion.
First of all, jogging is very hard on the body. Your legs and feet a real pounding (沉重的腳步) running down a road for two or three miles. I developed foot, leg, and back problems. Then I read about a nationally famous jogger who died of a heart attack while jogging, and I had something else to worry about. Jogging doesn't kill hundreds of people, but if you have any physical weaknesses, jogging will surely bring them out, as they did with me.
Secondly, I got no enjoyment out of jogging. Putting one foot in front of the other for forty-five minutes isn't my idea of fun. Jogging is also a lonely pastime. Some joggers say, “I love being out there with just my thoughts.” Well, my thoughts began to bore me, and most of them were on how much my legs hurt.
And how could I enjoy something that brought me pain? And that wasn't just the first week: it was practically every day for two months. I never got past the pain level, and pain isn't fun. What a cruel way to do it! So many other exercises, including walking, lead to almost the same results painlessly, so why jog?
I don't jog any more, and I don't think I ever will. I'm walking two miles three times a week at a fast pace, and that feels good. I bicycle to work when the weather is good. I'm getting exercise, and I'm enjoying it at the same time. I could never say the same for jogging, and I've found a lot of better ways to stay in shape.
小題1:From the first paragraph, we learn that in the writer's neighborhood ________.

A．jogging became very popular

B．many people were encouraged to jog

C．Alex organized an army of joggers

D．jogging provided a chance to get together

小題2: The underlined word “them”(Paragraph 3) most probably refers to ________.

A．heart attacks	B．Back problems
C．hundreds of people	D．physical weaknesses

小題3: From the author's experience, we can conclude that ________.

A．jogging can help people keep fit

B．many physical problems result from jogging

C．not everyone enjoys jogging

D．jogging makes people feel great