The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special.

However, the idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father’s Day while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon① in 1909. Having been raised by her father, Henry Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices② and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a selfless and loving man. Sonora’s father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father’s Day celebration in Spikane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge declared the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Roses are the Father’s Day flowers: red to be worn for a living father and white if the father has died.

When children can’t visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental③. Most greeting cards are too special so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.

Notes:

① sermon  v.  布道

② sacrifices  n.  犧牲

③ sentimental  adj.  感傷的

1. The United States is special in Father’s Day because ______.

  A. many people celebrate the day                B. only America celebrates the day

  C. America makes it an official day              D. all men are honored in America

2. At first, Father’s Day was fixed on June 19th because ______.

  A. Sonora honored her father on her father’s birthday

  B. Sonora’s birthday was June 19

  C. it was decided by the president at that time

  D. her mother died on June 19

3. How many years has passed before Father’s Day became an official day since the father’s day was celebrated?

  A. 4     B. 10      C. 14     D. 24

4. According to the passage, on Father’s Day,  ______.

  A. people will wear the same flowers to honor their fathers

  B. only daughters wear red flowers to honor their fathers

  C. children must go home to honor their fathers

  D. fathers are often honored in different ways

5. According to the passage, we can infer that Henry Jackson Smart ______.

  A. was very kind to anyone

  B. did a lot for his daughter

  C. was the first father honored in 1924

  D. always help others by giving money

Not until ________ her dark glasses ___________ she was a famous film star.

A. did she take off, I realized   B. she took off, did I realize

C. did she take off, did I realize        D. she took off, I realized

At the foot of the mountain________.

A. a village lie    B. lies a village   C. does a village lie    D. lying a village

Our airplane was just beside the airport building. It did not look too strong to me, but I decided not to think about such things. We saw the baggage going out ___1___ it on trolleys and being loaded from ___2___ the aircraft. Next, three men and three girls, all in uniform, went over to the plane and ___3___ it. Over the loudspeakers we were ___4___ the plane was ready to leave and were asked to walk ___5___ to it. Everybody moved quickly in order to ___6___ the seats they wanted. I was ___7___ to get a seat near the tail, but the plane looked ___8___ inside than it had from outside. I fastened my seat belt ___9___ we took off and tried to ___10___ my nervousness.  

After an hour’s flying I ___11___ black clouds ahead through my window. An electric sign flashed ___12___: “Fasten your seat belts, please,” one of the hostesses made a ___13___ request over the loudspeakers. She told us we were about to fly into a storm but ___14___ cheerfully there was nothing to worry ___15___. Suddenly, the plane ___16___ all over, dropped about twenty feet and seemed to hang on one ___17___. Then it rose twenty feet and there was a great flash of lightning. The three girls did their best to ___3___ pills for airsickness and ___19___ the passengers. Soon the sky became light again. The pilot had ___20___ to get above the storm.

1. A. at            B. over             C. to               D. above

2. A. inside         B. beside          C. behind            D. under

3. A. arrived       B. entered            C. climbed          D. flew

4. A. asked         B. noticed            C. announced             D. told

5. A. out          B. inside           C. in               D. by

6. A. fetch          B. hold             C. keep            D. get

7. A. impossible     B. possible           C. unable         D. unsuitable

8. A. prettier       B. stronger          C. smaller           D. heavier

9. A. before        B. after            C. until            D. when

10. A. smooth     B. forget          C. correct           D. drive

11. A. noticed     B. looked                C. watched          D. realized

12. A. on         B. up               C. out              D. in

13. A. general       B. similar                C. common         D. sharp

14. A. smiled      B. spoke           C. added             D. acted

15. A. at          B. about           C. on               D. with

16. A. shake        B. shaken                C. shook             D. shocked

17. A. edge         B. line              C. side             D. wing

18. A. give out    B. give off          C. give up           D. give back

19. A. save         B. cool             C. persuade         D. comfort

20. A. succeeded     B. flown                C. planned          D. managed

A young man who lived in London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée(未婚妻). The man was very poor while the girl was ___1__. The young man wanted to give her a ___2___ on her birthday. He wanted to buy something ___3___ for her, but he had no ___4___ how to do it, as he had very little __5___ The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there; rings, gold watches, diamonds but all these things were __6___ There was one thing he could not take his eyes ___7___. ___8___ was a beautiful vase. That would be a wonderful present for __9___. He had been looking at the vase for half an hour ___10___ the manager asked what had happened to him.

The young man told him everything. The manager felt __11___ for him and decided to help him. A brilliant idea __12__ to him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great ___13___, the young man saw a vase __14__ into many pieces. The manager said, “I can help you. I shall order my servant to ___15___ it and take it to your fiancée. When he enters the room, he will ___16___ it.”

On the birthday of his fiancée the young man was very ___17___ Everything happened as he had ___18___. The servant brought in the vase, and as he entered the room, he dropped it. There was __19___ on everybody’s face. When the vase was unwrapped, the guests saw that ___20__ was packed separately.

1. A. happy     B. rich    C. poor   D. angry

2. A. vase       B. coat    C. ring    D. present

3. A. important      B. necessary    C. separate      D. beautiful

4. A. way       B. thought      C. idea    D. path

5. A. time       B. thought      C. money       D. change

6. A. too expensive B. so cheap     C. too big       D. very beautiful

7. A. on   B. out     C. off      D. over

8. A. It    B. Which C. This    D. One

9. A. a man     B. him    C. a girl  D. his fiancée

10. A. when    B. while  C. since   D. after

11. A. sorry    B. sorrowful   C. worried      D. uneasy

12. A. stuck    B. came   C. helped D. struck

13. A. surprise       B. excitement  C. joy     D. horror

14. A. burst    B. broken       C. got     D. turned

15. A. wrap    B. send    C. buy     D. pick

16. A. watch   B. fall     C. drop   D. unwrap

17. A. exited   B. surprised    C. clam   D. busy

18. A. planned       B. told    C. realized      D. expected

19. A. expression    B. anger  C. horror D. fun

20. A. the vase       B. the present  C. all that       D. each piece

I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-lime and the nature of black holes.

  At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it didn’t bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement-jobs, research papers, awards-was viewed through the lens of gender(性別) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture(培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.

  Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.

1. Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

A. She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.

B. She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination

C. She is not good at telling stories of the kind

D. She finds space research more important

2. Form Para 3, we can infer that people would attribute (歸結(jié)于) the author’s failures to___

A. the very fact that she is a woman

B. her involvement in gender politics

C. her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist

D. the burden she bears in a male-dominated society

3. How does the author feel when talking about her class?

A. worried  B. satisfied   C. excited  D. concerned

4. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

A. Women students needn’t have the concerns of the generation

B. women have more barriers on their way to academic success

C. Women can balance a career in science and having a family

D. Women now have fewer problems in pursuing a science career

—It’s cloudy outside. Please take an umbrella.

         —______.  

         A. Yes, take it easy        B. Well, it just depends

         C. OK, just in case         D. All right, you’re welcome 

Across the globe, single parent homes are on the rise. In the US, the 2000 census (人口普查) showed 24.8 million, or nearly 24 percent of the nation’s 105.5 million households, were traditional two-parent homes. By comparison, 9.8 million households, or 9 percent of all US households were headed by an adult raising a child alone. The 1990 census showed 26 percent of homes were led by a married mother and father, and 8 percent of homes were led by a single parent.

Similar increases occurred in other countries. In the UK, lone-parent homes increased from 3.3 percent in 1990 to 5.5 percent in 1999. Single parent households in Australia rose from 5.8 percent in 1990 to 7.6 percent in 1999. Belgium saw the increase from 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent during the same period of time. These countries tend to have greater acceptance of the single parent because there are fewer nearby family members to disapprove, Riche, a Census Bureau director, said.

Just as in the US, those changes raised new questions about how involved govenment should be in helping single parent families. Some research suggests children raised in two-parent families are better off than those who depend on one.

    “The position of one-parent families in any country is very much a gender (性別) issue-women’s opportunities, especially working-class women on low income,” said Sue Cohen, coordinator (協(xié)調(diào)員) of the Single Action Parents Network in England.

Not considering the exact number of the single-parent families, which country saw the fastest rise rate in 1999, compared with 1990?

A.UK.          B.Australia.               C.America.               D.Belgium.

What is the cause of the rise of single parent families across the globe?

A. The nearby family members have a favourable opinion.

B.A lone parent is well off enough to support his /her children.

C.A lot of problems have arisen in two-parent families.

D. We cannot get enough proving information from the text.

Which of the following is TRUE about the increase of single parent families according to the passage?

A. It will somewhat limit the growing population of younger generation.

B. Governments should take actions about the social problems brought about by it.

C. Single parent families are not looked down upon in any country mentioned here.

D. Generally speaking, the single parents needn’t worry since they are highly paid.

Which of the following diagrams correctly shows the rise of single parent families in the US from 1990 to 2000?

--The room is so dirty.____ we clean it?

        ---Of course.

        A. Will       B.Shall       C.Would        D.Do

  Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?

   Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks (平裝本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.

   Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全書), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.

It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

   A. TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge

   B. cinemas are the best choice in getting information

   C. reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun

    D. newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself

What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?

   A. People only need reading, though.         B. Reading is still necessary today.

   C. Reading is more fun than television.        D. Watching television doesn’t help reading.

What can we learn from the passage?

   A. Fewer and fewer people will buy books.

   B. A good dictionary should be kept in every home.

   C. Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks.

   D. More people like TV programs about famous men.