2,4,6

In Britain, in a population of 60 million, there are 13 million grandparents, many of whom live alone, a long way from their grandchildren. The loneliness of these older people has become an issue that schools are trying to teach children about.

On a popular teachers’ website, there is a classroom activity to help make children aware of the implications of the different generations of the same family living far from each other. It’s a story about Mrs. Eiderdown, an elderly lady whose grandchildren have moved to Australia with their parents. She lives alone and rarely sees her family.

First of all, the children speculate about Mrs. Eiderdown’s life. What does she have for breakfast? What does she do all day? How does she feel about her life?

One day, Mrs. Eiderdown decides that she wants a pet to keep her company and puts an advertisement in a local shop window. Then she waits at home to see if anyone will answer her advertisement.

A tall thin man rings her doorbell. He is holding a cardboard box. Mrs, Eiderdown chats with the man for ten minutes before she realizes that she hasn’t looked inside the box to see what the pet is. She can hear a hissing sound. The children guess what is in the box (a snake). Mrs. Eiderdown thanks the man but says she doesn’t think the snake is a good idea.

The next time the doorbell rings, there’s lady on the doorstep, also carrying a cardboard box. In the bottom of the box, Mrs. Eiderdown sees something black and hairy with eight legs. Again, the children say what they think it is(a spider). Mrs. Eiderdown thanks the lady for her kindness but says that a spider is not the sort of pet she has in mind.

At last, the little girl next door brings her a dog. Mrs. Eiderdown’s life improves a lot because of the dog. More importantly, of course, the little girl, whose own granny lives a long way away, starts to visit Mrs. Eiderdown more often. This interactive classroom idea has led to a greater awareness among children about the possible loneliness of older people who live quite near them.

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

       A．Children get to know about the trouble of the elderly.

       B．Neighbours help select pets for Mrs Eiderdown.

       C．Society helps the lonely people in the UK.

       D．Schools send pets to the lonely elderly.

2．When Mrs Eiderdown advertised for a pet,           .

       A．she was offered a frightening, hissing dog

       B．her neighbour’s daughter gave her a lovely dog

       C．a thin woman wanted to give her a large spider

       D．a man brought her a snake and a spider in a box

3．What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?

       A．They talk about how she feels about being old.

       B．They try to experience her loneliness.

       C．They try to imagine how she lives.

       D．They write about her life story.

4．What can we infer from the passage?

       A．The little girl often visits her own granny.

       B．The people who offer pets are the lady’s neighbours.

       C．The farther the elderly live, the more lonely they feel.

       D．The little girl begins to care more about Mrs Eiderdown.

Checking the list of hotels _________ very important when you make plans for the holiday.

A．is      B．are    C．has been   D．have been

As soon as the band started playing, the crowd ________ silent.          

A．changed    B．went  C．turned      D．listened

If everything goes according to plan, the first stage _________ by December.

A．would complete                                          B．will complete

C．would be completed                       D．will be completed

－Hurry up! You will be late!

－I hope they haven’t gone without __________.

A．I      B．me    C．myself      D．mine

The vase had been put on top of the cupboard _________ it wouldn’t get broken.

A．in case of     B．as if      C．so    D．when

The treatment will continue until the patient reaches the point _________ he can walk correctly and safely.

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

Many teachers believe that students ___________ to experiment with new ideas.

A．should encourage                                        B．should be encouraged

C．might encourage                             D．might have encouraged

___________ a plane flew by, but mostly the sky remained clear.

A．In time                                                      B．On time              

C．From time to time                           D．At the same time

－Have you called 119?

－As soon as I saw the smoke, I called the firemen, but they _________ yet.

A．didn’t arrive     B．hadn’t arrived   C．haven’t arrived D．wouldn’t arrive