“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl.”

　　Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different response from every man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly of unwillingly.

　　Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the shift from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this resocialization process. Although numerous books have been written about American mothers, only recently has literature （文学）focused on the role of a father.

　　It is argued by some writers that the transition（转化）to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation in daily routine and highly innovative（革新性的）adaptation（适应）, on the other hand , the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.

　　1．According to the author, being a father ________.

　　A．brings a feeling of excitement to some men

　　B．makes some men feel proud and others uneasy

　　C．has a different meaning for those who have daughters

　　D．means nothing but more responsibilities

　　2．It is stated in the passage that ________.

　　A．young couples do not like children at all

　　B．some parents are not prepared to have a child

　　C．working couples do not have much time to take care of their children

　　D．many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child

　　3．In the third paragraph, the author ________.

　　A．criticizes fathers for not taking enough responsibilities in bringing up their children

　　B．excuses the American writers for ignoring（忽视）the difficulties of being a father

　　C．supports the idea that the chief role of a father is to earn money for the family

　　D．complains（抱怨）about the lack or social program to help husbands get used to the role of a father

　　4．The transition to the mother’s role requires that the wife ________.

　　A．change her life style in a highly innovative way

　　B．stay at home to take care of the baby

　　C．make a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation

　　D．help her husband in his resocialization process

　　5．Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared with mothers, ________.

　　A．have an easier job to do

　　B．have to make more difficult adaptations

　　C．have to shoulder more burdens

　　D．can usually do a better job

　　Venus is known as the Earth’s “twin” because the planets are so like each other in size. The diameter（直径）of Venus is about 7, 520 miles （12, 100 km）, about 400 miles （644 km）smaller than that of the earth. No other planet comes closer to the earth than Venus. At its nearest approach（接近）it is about 25, 000, 000 miles （40, 2000, 000 km）away.

　　As seen from the earth, Venus is the first planet or star that can be seen in the western sky in the evening. At other times, it is the last planet or star that can be seen in the eastern sky in the morning. When Venus is near its brightest point, it can be seen in daylight. Early astronomers called the object that appeared in the evening Hesperus and Phosphorus in the morning. Later, they realized these two objects were the same planet. They named it Venus in honor of the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

　　1．Traveling around Venus in a straight way, you would have a long trip of about ________ miles.

　　A．24, 896

　　B．23, 613

　　C．37, 994

　　D．25, 000, 000

　　2．Which of the following is NOT a fact about Venus?

　　A．It’s the nearest neighboring planet of the earth.

　　B．It used to be called Phosphorus and Hesperus.

　　C．It’s usually 25, 000, 000 miles away from the earth.

　　D．It can sometimes be seen together with the sun in the sky.

　　3．Venus is called the earth’s “twin” because ________.

　　A．it’s almost as big as the earth

　　B．it’s the nearest to the earth

　　C．they are both planets

　　D．they are of the same shape

　　4．The passage shows that ________.

　　A．Venus is always the last to appear in the sky in the evening

　　B．Venus is sometimes the last to appear in the sky in the morning

　　C．The diameter of the earth is nearly eight thousand miles

　　D．Venus is sometimes the last to disappear in the western sky in the morning

　　5．The best title for the passage might be ________.

　　A．The Size of Venus

　　B．Venus and the Earth

　　C．Venus—the Earth’s “Twin”

　　D．The Nearest Neighbor

　　Snake dishes have become popular in recent years. Snake meat in various flavors（风味）is often seen in restaurant ads. It seems that eating snake is now in vogue（盛行）, and if you haven’t eaten snake yet, you are considered “out of date”. But I wonder whether all of the trends are worth following.

　　Some people may defend themselves by saying that snake meat is nutritious（有营养的）. But these people don’t realize that mice and worms often comprise a snake’s diet, therefore, there are many parasites（寄生虫）found inside snakes. Thus, they may do harm to our health. Apart from this, I’m sorry to see that more and more snakes are being killed by man’s cruel knife.

　　According to the English newspaper Shanghai Star, about 1, 000 tons of snakes are eaten every year in China. In Shenzhen of Guangdong Province, sometimes as many as 10 tons of snakes are served on dinner tables in a single day.

　　These figures alert us that if we still turn blind eyes to this continuous movement against snakes, a vicious cycle will be created. If more snakes are eaten by people, the number of snakes will drop, which will make an increase in mice and worms population, which will result in a decrease of crop output. This will make more people hungry.

　　Who will see such tragedy happen?

　　So let’s start not to eat snakes any more because “to protect the snake is to protect ourselves”.

　　1．This passage tries to advice people ________.

　　A．to keep ourselves healthy

　　B．to protect snakes and not to eat them

　　C．to protect mice and worms

　　D．not to eat mice and worms

　　2．The parasites in the snake come from ________.

　　A．its diet

　　B．mice

　　C．worms

　　D．snake meat

　　3．What will happen if we continue eating snakes?

　　A．More snakes will be eaten.

　　B．A vicious cycle will be created.

　　C．More people will turn blind eyes to it.

　　D．Mice will damage the crops.

　　4．The vicious cycle may be like this: ________.

　　A．more snakes→more mice and worms→less crop output

　　B．less snakes→more mice and worms→more crop output

　　C．less snakes→more mice and worms→less crop output

　　D．more snakes→less mice and worms→more crop output

　　5．The best title of this passage is ________.

　　A．Snake Meat in Various Flavors

　　B．Protect the Snake Is to Protect Ourselves

　　C．Eating Snakes in Vogue

　　D．Let’s Not Eat Snakes Any More

　　Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong（1900 ～ 1971）, an African-American musician, is one of the most important figures in the history of jazz. In the 1920s, this trumpeter, singer and bandleader began exploring the boundaries （分界）of jazz technique and style. Masters of jazz today admit their debt to this pioneer.

　　Armstrong’s gift was obvious from the start of his career. His earliest recordings—first with a band led by his former teacher, Joe “King” Oliver, and then with his own band-earned Armstrong international fame for technical originality （独创性）. He freed his playing from the ordinary rhythms of early jazz by creating musical phrases that seemed to oppose the pulse of a song, only to combine them in the place later. His deep and rough voice became as special as his cornet（短号）playing, especially in his scat performances. Scat is a singing style in which meaningless syllables（音节）are repeated without preparation. Armstrong’s scat was among the earliest ever recorded.

　　By 1930, Armstrong had turned to more commercial, less experimental jazz. Some musicians criticized（批评）him for this. But others insisted that the real power of Armstrong’s art lay in its grace and sensitivity, fine qualities of the heart which remained in his music.

　　In the following years, Armstrong traveled around the world as the leading “goodwill ambassador（大使）”of American jazz music. The gentleness and great attraction of “Satchmo” filled his music and made him one of the world’s most beloved performers for over forty years.

　　1．Which of the following best tells what this passage is about?

　　A．Armstrong’s personal attraction.

　　B．Armstrong’s best work.

　　C．A praise for Armstrong’s contribution to jazz.

　　D．A comparison of Armstrong’s music with that of earlier musicians.

　　2．Why was “Satchmo” criticized by some of his workmates in the 1930s?

　　A．For making fewer recordings.

　　B．For losing interest in music.

　　C．For giving up his scat performances.

　　D．For turning his attention away from making changes

　　3．Which of the following is not mentioned as one of the reasons for Armstrong’s success?

　　A．His technical originality.

　　B．His personality.

　　C．His early experiences in “King” Oliver’s band.

　　D．His recordings were the first ever made.

　　4．According to the author, what made Armstrong the “goodwill ambassador” of American jazz music?

　　A．His world travels.

　　B．His attraction and sensitivity.

　　C．His scat singing.

　　D．His preference for commercial, less experimental jazz.

　　Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.

　　Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health（亚健康）.

　　Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline state between health and disease.

　　According to the investigation by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.

　　Symptoms （征兆）include a lack of energy, depression, slow reactions, insomnia（失眠）, agitation, and poor memory. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating and aching in the waist and legs.

　　The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health, according to some medical experts, is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly, and take part in open air activities.

　　As for meals, people are advised to eat less salt and sugar. They should also eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish because they are rich in nutritional elements—vitamins and trace elements—that are important to the body.

　　Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract （消化道）. They also say that a balanced diet is very help full in avoiding sub-health.

　　1．When you are in a state of sub-health, you should ________.

　　A．stay home and keep silent

　　B．go to a doctor and buy some medicine

　　C．not consider it very serious

　　D．find out the reasons and relax yourself

　　2．Middle-aged people may be easy to get sub-healthy because ________.

　　A．they have used up their energy

　　B．they have lost their living hopes

　　C．they have more pressure in life and work

　　D．they have changed their way of life

　　3．The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is to ________.

　　A．keep on working regularly

　　B．go to sleep a bit earlier

　　C．form good living habits

　　D．take medicine if necessary

　　4．As for food, experts suggested that ________.

　　A．we should never eat meat

　　B．we should have variety of food

　　C．we should eat less than usual

　　D．we should have meals without sugar

　　5．The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to ________.

　　A．arrange by turns

　　B．cause to take place

　　C．make up for

　　D．keep away from

　　“Mummy, I don’t know what to play with.” Steve interrupts his mother, who is talking to a friend, for the fourth time. “You’ve got a room full of toys!” his mother says, impatiently. In fact it is the jumble of toys which is to blame for four-year-old Steve’s lack of interest in his dolls, cars and stuffed（packed）animals. Each morning he tips out three washing baskets of toys all over his floor, listlessly pulls out something and shortly after is standing at his mother’s desk or following her into the kitchen saying: “Mummy, I am bored.”

　　A family therapist（心理医生 ）explains why children lose interest when they have a whole “toy shop” at home: “According to their brain development, little children are not in a position to judge the quality of a variety of things at once. There is always just one favorite toy for the moment. All the rest is left lying about. ”What can parents do to stop their children from being oversupplied with toys? Under no conditions simply make something disappear without the child’s knowledge. If he/she takes no more notice of a toy, a parent can ask if it can be stored or given away. Be warned though the child will always say he/she wants it then! A talk with relatives and friends may also help. Lyn is the mother of four-year-old Jessie, and we like her way. A small set of shelves in her child’s room holds the toys and books that are the current（at present）favorites. When it seems to her that her daughter is tired of these toys, they put them away in a box together and select some other toys from a cupboard in another room. The box of “old” toys goes into the cupboard. When her child says she is “bored”, she also get something from her cupboard—it may be something she has had for some time but because she hasn’t seen it for a while it is almost like a new toy.

　　Some favorite toys stay out all the time, and there is collection of dolls which sits in the corner, but in this way Lyn has found that she has fewer toys to put away at the end of the day and her daughter always has something “fresh” to play with.

　　1．Steve interrupted his mother several times because ________.

　　A．he felt uninterested in his toys

　　B．he disliked his mother’s guest

　　C．he didn’t have enough toys to play with

　　D．he hoped his mother would play with him

　　2．According to the therapist, children often complain that they have nothing to play with because ________.

　　A．they can’t play alone for a long time

　　B．they are too young to play with so many toys

　　C．they are too lazy to pick out their favorites

　　D．they lack the ability to value too many things at a time

　　3．Which of the following can be used in place of “jumble”?

　　A．simple choice

　　B．mixture in disorder

　　C．ordinary appearance

　　D．same shape

　　4．Which is the advice given to parents in the text?

　　A．Buy fewer toys for their children.

　　B．Form good habits for their children.

　　C．Spare some time to play with their children.

　　D．Put some toys away without telling their children.

　　A 57-year-old woman was hurt yesterday by “a huge black cat”, as she was walking her two dogs near Bodmin Moor in the West Country. Local police are investigating（调查 ）her story, which follows a lot of similar reports in the area in recent months. Residents and visitors to the West Country have been warned to avoid the Bodmin area.

　　Mrs. Williams, the wife of a local farmer, described the cat as “just like something out of the jungle. It was jet-black all over with a white-tipped tail. It had short legs but was very strong.” More details were not available, as the creature moved too fast and Mrs. Williams only managed to take a short look at it. The incident happened when Mrs. Williams was taking her really hard on the back of the head, causing her to fall to the ground, stunned.

　　“When I came to, there it was—a huge black cat staring down at me with its glittering, green eyes. I got the fright of my life, I can tell you,” said Mrs. Williams. “It was a horrifying experience,” she told reporters, as she sipped a cup of tea to calm her down, still visibly shaken. “If it hadn’t been for my Labrador, it would have savaged me to death. It was about six foot long, the size of a large Alsatian.” Mrs. Williams’ description matches that of other eye witnesses（目 击者）in incidents involving strange creatures in various parts of the country.

　　Exmoor police have been trying to track the “Beast of Bodmin”, as it’s called, since it was first spotted some years ago, but they have so far come up with nothing except for a few very large animal tracks and a trail of dead sheep. Claims that the creature was sighted in a school playground recently are being investigated. “Our policy is to look into all reports of this sort, however ridiculous,” said Chief Constable（警察局长）John Witmoor.

　　Investigations are still going on and local police have brought in zoologists to assist them in the hunt for the Beast of Bodmin. Meanwhile, local people and visitors to the area have been warned not to walk alone on the moor. Parents have been advised to keep their children at a safe distance from the area. Motorists have also been asked to keep an eye out for anything unusual and to report sightings to the police immediately.

　　1．How did the police react to what Mrs. Williams said?

　　A．They accepted her story.

　　B．They did not believe her.

　　C．They are taking it seriously.

　　D．They say they have heard it all before.

　　2．According to the text, we know that Labrador is the name of the writer’s ________.

　　A．dog

　　B．cat

　　C．friend

　　D．neighbor

　　3．What is the police view of the situation?

　　A．The animal must be a wolf.

　　B．It is nothing new.

　　C．The reports are not very serious.

　　D．The animal could be dangerous.

　　4．In order to find the creature, the police ________.

　　A．have warned parents to keep the children safe

　　B．have asked experts for help

　　C．are looking for more tracks

　　D．are interviewing visitors to the area

　　5．From the text we know that the creature was first seen ________.

　　A．sometime last year

　　B．a few days ago

　　C．in recent months

　　D．a few years ago

　　Albert Einstein once attributed（把……归因于）the creativity of a famous scientist to the fact that he “never went to school, and therefore kept the rare gift of thinking freely.” There is undoubtedly a truth in Einstein’s observation; many artists and geniuses seem to view their schooling as a disadvantage. But such a truth is not a criticism of schools. It is the function of schools to civilize, not to train explorers. The explorer is always lonely person whether his or her pioneering be in art, music, science, or technology. The creative explorer of unmapped lands shares with the genius what William James described as the gift for thinking in an unusual way. As schools teach set patterns, they tend to destroy creativity and genius. But if schools could somewhat exist only to cultivate genius, then society would break down. For the social order demands unity and widespread agreement, which are destructive to creativity. There will always be conflict（冲突）between the demands of society and the impulses（冲击）of creativity and genius.

　　1．Albert Einstein once thought that schools ________.

　　A．helped develop the creativity of a scientist

　　B．kept a rare gift for a scientist

　　C．prevented a scientist form thinking freely

　　D．contributed a lot to science and technology

　　2．Einstein’s observation is in agreement with ________.

　　A．school masters’

　　B．the author’s

　　C．many students’

　　D．that of the author and many students

　　3．Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?

　　A．Einstein and artists have said schools limit creativity and genius.

　　B．Schools should be designed to encourage creativity and social order.

　　C．Explorers and geniuses look at the world differently from the way most people do.

　　D．Schools can never satisfy the needs of both genius and society as a whole.

　　The opera house in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is one of the most beautiful in the United States. It is small and open, with one roof over the stage where singers perform and another roof over part of the audience. This opera house in the mountain is one of the best in the country, which may seem surprising because performances are only given during seven weeks in the summer, and because Santa Fe is a very small city.

　　One reason why the Santa Fe Opera is so good is that it attracts many excellent young singers. They all hope to sing in famous opera houses like Metropolitan in New York someday, and they work hard to become well-known during the summer. The musicians and directors are experts who come from the best orchestras（管弦乐队）and operas in the country during their vacations. They enjoy working there because they like to live in Santa Fe, which is near both the mountains and the desert. It is very beautiful there in the summer.

　　The state government of New Mexico advertises the Santa Fe Opera in newspapers all over the country, and a great many tourists come to New Mexico because of the opera. Still, most of the audience does come from Santa Fe and other nearby cities, and all the seats in the theater are sold for every show.

　　There is only one thing that some people do not like about the Santa Fe Opera, and that is the cold weather. Because the theater is open, performances cannot start before it gets dark at nine o’clock in the evening, and then the mountain air becomes very cool. Sometimes people complain about the cold air, but because the operas are good, these people come back again—wearing warm coats.

　　1．This passage mainly introduces ________.

　　A．a mountain city

　　B．young musicians

　　C．an opera house

　　D．the tourism in Santa Fe

　　2．Young singers come to perform in Santa Fe Opera because ________.

　　A．the music quality is high

　　B．they enjoy the climate there

　　C．they want to be famous

　　D．they like the scenery there

　　3．It seems surprising that Santa Fe becomes famous because ________.

　　A．it is only a very small place

　　B．it is between the mountain and desert

　　C．all the seats are sold for every show

　　D．musicians there are from the best orchestras

　　4．From the passage, we can learn that ________.

　　A．the opera house is open without any roofs

　　B．musicians always spend vacations in Santa Fe

　　C．the government advertises to attract more musicians

　　D．performances are held in Santa Fe only after sunset

　　As prices and building costs keep rising. The “do-it -yourself（DIY）”trend（趋势）in the U. S. continues to grow.

　　“We needed furniture for out living room.” says John Ross. “And we just didn’t have enough money to buy it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs. ”John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.

　　Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife has died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $ 420. “I was deeply upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car by myself. ”

　　John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourselfer”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do thing yourself.

　　1．We can learn from the text that many newly married people ________.

　　A．find it hard to pay for what they need

　　B．have to learn to make their own furniture

　　C．save time and money

　　D．seldom go to a department store to buy things

　　2．John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to ________.

　　A．run a DIY shop

　　B．make or repair things

　　C．save time and money

　　D．improve the quality of life

　　3．When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ________.

　　A．makes shoes in his home

　　B．does extra work at night

　　C．does his own car and home repairs

　　D．keeps house and looks after his children

　　4．Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourselfer when ________.

　　A．his car repairs cost too much

　　B．the car repair class was helpful

　　C．he could not possibly do two jobs

　　D．he had to raise the children all by himself