Margaret, married with two small children, has been working for the last seven years as a night cleaner, cleaning offices in a big building.

She trained as a nurse, but had to give it up when her elder child became seriously ill. “I would have liked to go back to it, but the shifts（工作班次） are all wrong for me, as I have to be home to get the children up and off to school.”

So she works as a cleaner instead, from 9 p.m. till 6 a.m. five nights a week for just ￡90, before tax and insurance. “It’s better than it was last year, but I still think that people who work ‘unsocial hours’ should get a bit extra.”

The hours she’s chosen to work meant that she sees plenty of the children, but very little of her husband. However, she doesn’t think that puts any pressure on their relationship.

Her work isn’t physically very hard, but it’s not exactly pleasant, either. “I do get angry with people who leave their offices like a place for raising pigs. If they realized people like me have to do it, perhaps they’d be a bit more careful.”

The fact that she’s working all night doesn’t worry Margaret at all. Unlike some dark buildings at night, the building where she works is fully lit, and the women work in groups of three. “Since I’ve got to be here, I try to enjoy myself——and I usually do, because of the other girls. We all have a good laugh, so the time never drags.”

Another challenge Margaret has to face is the reaction of other people when she tells them what she does for a living. “They think you’re a cleaner because you don’t know how to read and write,” said Margaret. “I used to think what my parents would say if they knew what I’d been doing, but I don’t think that way any more. I don’t dislike the work though I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

1. Margaret quit her job as a nurse because _______.

A. she wanted to earn more money to support her family

B. she had suffered a lot of mental pressure

C. she needed the right time to look after her children

D. she felt tired of taking care of patients

2. Margaret gets angry with people who work in the office because _______.

A. they never clean their offices            B. they look down upon cleaners

C. they never do their work carefully        D. they always make a mess in their offices

3. When at work, Margaret feels _______.

A. light-hearted because of her fellow workers   B. happy because the building is fully lit

C. tired because of the heavy workload         D. bored because time passed slowly

4. The underlined part in the last paragraph implies that Margaret’s parents would _______．

A. help care for her children             B. regret what they had said

C. show sympathy for her               D. feel disappointed in her

YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodle for you on birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday.

Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting. It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to celebrate their child’s birthday.

But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity.

Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering with American culture. The cupcakes is seen as American as apple pie only prettier.

According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York university, the cupcakes is the most democratic of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don’t have go share your cupcake with anyone –it’s all yours. They are also all the same size, so there can’t be any cries of “she got the bigger piece!”

Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, other have it all in just one bite.

In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as trendy as having a cup of Starbucks coffee.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, a he would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday.

Ruth Reichl, editor---in----chief of gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going buck to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. “People want to about when they and their country were innocent,” she said.

1. According to the passage, it has been an American tradition that_______.

A. a party for children is held on their birthday

B. A mom cooks a bowl of noodles for her children on their birthday

C. A mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday and brings it to the classroom

D. parents go traveling with their children on their birthday

2. Why do doctors ask people to ban cupcake on children’s birthday?

A. Because they themselves don’t like cupcake

B. Because they think cupcakes are not so delicious

C. Because they believe cupcakes will cause cries of “she got the bigger piece”.

D. Because they believe cupcakes are one of the causes to make children become fat.

3. The following are true according to Marion Nestle expect that ______

A. the cupcake is more democratic than any other deserts in the US

B. the cupcake is too small to share with others

C. the sizes of cupcakes are the same so it is equal to everyone

D. cupcakes will lead to child obesity so they should be banned

4. Why did the writer mention Hillary Clinton and Ruth Reichl?

A. To arouse the readers’ attention  

B. To show that cupcakes are becoming a popular to show kindness and comfort.

C. To make a comparison between them

D. To give readers a general idea of cupcakes

 ---I wonder if you can drop by tomorrow evening. The Smiths are coming over for dinner. I’d like you to meet them.

   ---____________. I’ve heard they’re very interesting people.

   A. Sure. I’d love to                   B. Sorry. I can’t  

C. I’m afraid I won’t be free            D. Yes. I will                         

. Experts have warned ______ of the health risks caused by passive smoking.

A. at a time           B. at one time       C. for some time   D. for the time

．It was a long time before she_________ to what he had said.

A. caught on       B. went on             C. went up          D. caught up

. The question came up at the meeting ______ we had enough money to do it.

   A. whether              B. that                   C. if        D. what

四．阅读理解（每题2分，共40分）

An old woman went suddenly blind. She promised a doctor a lot of money if he could make her see again. “If you fail”, she said , “ you will get nothing,” The doctor agreed with her.

The doctor soon discovered what was wrong with her, but he decided not to cure her right away. Instead, each time he visited, he secretly took some of her things. When he had taken everything that he wanted, he cured her blindness and sent her a large bill. Now when the old woman could see again she noticed that all her things had gone and she refused to pay the bill. So the doctor took her before a judge.

“What the doctor says is true.” she said to the judge. “But I say I’m not cured, because I still can’t see any of the things in my house.”

The old woman won her case and the doctor went away unhappily without getting his pay.

1. The doctor didn’t cure the old woman right away because __________.

A. He didn’t know how to cure her              B. He wanted to get a lot of money

C. He wanted to take the woman’s things       D The woman refused to pay him

2. The woman was _______ .

A. clever       B. greedy        C. cruel       D. dishonest

3. The doctor was ________.

A. honest       B. a cheat       C. a kind man      D. ready to help others

4. Which sentence is right according to the passage?

A. The judge didn’t believe the old woman    

B. The doctor cured the woman’s blindness in a short time.

C. The woman got back all her things taken by the doctor.

D. The doctor failed to get his pay.

. I got nervous when the woman _____ opposite kept staring at me.

   A. seat   B. to seat   C. seating   D. seated

 In the UK, what impressed exchange students most was the Student Activity, ______ they could get lots of information outside.  

A. where                 B. that                       C. which                 D. when

Children are being indirectly affected by the impact of the recession (经济衰退) on their parents, the Children’s society warns.

   The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Bob Reitemeier, said that children were “on the front of recession”. He said the recession made it even more important to try to end child poverty.

   The answers suggest children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to be affected, but over a third of children across all backgrounds said they were aware that the recession was worrying their parents.

   Fifteen-year-old Patricia said her family felt the impact of the recession on their everyday budget. “We have to save up our money and do not spend it so much on unnecessary things,” she said.

   Those questioned appeared to have great awareness of the economic crisis, which, unsurprisingly, was higher among the older children. But around 15% said they hadn’t been affected by it.

   Recent figures showed that in 2007 there were 850,000 young people with no particular occupation. An official from the government said it was so “disappointing” that some young people were concerned about the economy.

   Parents are clearly best placed to talk to their children about their worries, but schools also play an important role in teaching young people the skills they need to become healthy, happy and confident individuals.

1.Which of the following is true?

   A. It is more important to try to end child poverty in the recession.

   B. Children from poorer areas are less likely to be affected.

   C. All the children questioned are worried about the economy.

   D. That some young people are worrying about the economy is “good news”.

2.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 5?

   A. The poorer background.    B. The impact of the recession. 

C. Everyday budget.          D. The government.

3. What’s the main idea of the passage?

   A. Many children are concerned about the recession.

   B. Children are being directly affected by the recession.

   C. The recession influenced children indirectly.

   D. Schools play an important role in teaching young people how to become healthy, happy and confident individuals. 

4. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage ?

A. The writer is very disappointed that so many people are out of job.

B. families and teachers should teach children the value of budgeting

C. Children are not supposed to know too much about the impact of the recession

D. Children with good personalities deal with the impact of recession better.