TOKYO (Reuters) – “Who played the father in the movie ‘Kramer versus Kramer’?” That’s one of the 50 questions Japanese men could face in a “daddy exam”, meant to raise awareness about fatherhood in a country where men tend to work long hours and leave their wives in charge of childcare and household work.

Even men who remember Dustin Hoffman struggling as a father in the movie may have a hard time answering questions ranging from baby food to politics.

Tetsuya Ando, director of Fathering Japan, a Tokyo non-profit organization that came up with the test and will offer it to eager dads from next March, said the exam was an attracting way to get fathers into parenting. “There just isn't enough information about parenting for fathers. Through the exam, we want men to realize that they don't know anything about bringing up kids,” he said.

For the price of 3,900 yen ($34), fathers can find out whether they qualify as a “Super Dad,” or are in need of more effort as a “Challenge Dad.”

“We have received inquiries(咨询) from fathers, single men, to-be-dads, grandfathers ... even an aunt who was concerned that her nephew is too busy with work to notice the fun of parenting,” Ando said. The image of fathers is gradually changing in Japan as younger men eschew their own dads’ hands-off way in favor of closer involvement, and a wave of new parenting magazines for male readers has been hitting newsstands. But it is still hard for Japanese fathers to cut down on their work hours and spend more time with their families. Only 0.5 percent of employed men in Japan took parental leave in 2011, compared with 14 percent in the United States and 12 percent in Britain in 2000.

1.The “daddy exam” is intended to          .

A．test to – be – dads’ fatherhood knowledge

B．test Challenge Dad’s parenting knowledge

C．attract the whole society’s attention to parenting

D．have fathers realize their responsibility for their families

2.In the exam, the Japanese fathers may find that         .

A．they almost know nothing about the questions

B．the questions only make sense to to – be – dads

C．there is ample information about parenting

D．it’s not a good way to get them into parenting

3.The underlined word “eschew” in the last paragraph can be replaced by the word “       ”.

A．avoid             B．adopt             C．improve          D．admire

4.The magazines for male readers are popular most probably because many men        .

A．long to know how to do household chores

B．become more concerned about parenting

C．want to get high scores in the 50 – question test

D．like to know whether they are Challenge Dads

5.From the whole report, it can be inferred that        .

A．Japanese fathers show no interest in parenting

B．young Japanese men tend to set about parenting

C．young fathers value parenting less than their fathers

D．Japanese fathers value parenting more than British fathers

 

Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.

But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.

For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some, this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.

The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in sofeguaiding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed.

While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.

In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down lo four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.

We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care.

1.The passage is probably written by      .

A. an experienced teacher        B. a city council member

C. an inspired student        D. a working parent

2.The underlined word "they" in the second paragraph refers to "       ’.

A. environments        B. wages   C. holidays         D. benefits

3.It is suggested in the passage that the summer break be reduced to       .

A. 2 weeks         B. 6 weeks         C. 5 weeks         D. 4.5 weeks

4.The plans for a shorter summer holiday will help students_____    .

A.      obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs

B.      get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school

C.      have more school days to receive free school meals

D.      benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment

5.It can be inferred from the passage that          _______.

A.      some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday

B.      the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out

C.      the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time"

D.      working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children

 

Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is on e extra heading which you do not need.

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unabridged dictionaries contain as many as 500,000 entries and provide detailed definitions and extensive word histories （etymologies）. These dictionaries, possibly in several volumes and mostly found in libraries, are excellent sources for scholarly inquiries. Unabridged dictionaries include the Oxford English Dictionary and the Random House Dictionary of the English Language.

A dictionary entry has many elements: multiple definitions, syllabication, preferred spelling and pronunciation （some word have more than one acceptable spelling and pronunciation）, and part-of-speech labels. Some entries also include plurals and capitalized forms. Synonyms, antonyms, and derivatives. Americanisms and etymologies may be provide along with usage notes, cross-references, and idioms.

If you prefer using the dictionary on a computer, you can obtain CD-ROM versions of many major dictionaries. In addition, you can access numerous dictionaries, such as WWWebster’s Dictionary, on the Internet. Online dictionaries allow you to enter a search word （you even get help with spelling ） to see a definition, and sometimes even an illustration. Online dictionaries also offer additional features, such as word games. Language tips, and amusing facts about words. Some online dictionary services allow you to access numerous dictionaries, both general and specialized, in on search.

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I recall my mother’s voice which called me to order, and often ended with some strong proverb to express the gravity of the wrong done. It was common practice for my mother to send me off soul-searching with a proverb.

Of the many interactions I had with my mother those many years ago, one stands out with clarity. I remember the occasion when Mother sent me to the main road, about twenty yards away from the farmhouse, to invite a passing group of seasonal work-seekers home for a meal. She instructed me to take a container along and collect dry cow dung (牛粪) for making a fire. I was then to prepare the meal for the group of work-seekers.       

The thought of making an open fire outside at midday, cooking in a large three-legged pot in that high heat, was enough to upset even an angel. I did not manage to hide my feelings from my mother, and after serving the group, she called me to the balcony, where she usually sat to attend to her sewing (缝纫).

Looking straight into my eyes, she said, “Tsholofelo, why were you so unhappy when I requested you to prepare a meal for those poor people?” Despite my attempt to deny her allegation (断言), and using the heat of the fire and the sun as an excuse for my alleged behavior, Mother, giving me a firm look, said, “A foot has no nose.” It means, “You can’t detect what trouble may lie ahead of you.” Had I denied the group of people a meal, it may have happened that, in my travels some time in the future, I found myself at the mercy of those very individuals. As if that was not enough to shame me, Mother continued, “A person is a person because of another person.”   

1.We learn from the passage that Tsholofelo’s mother often _____.   

A. quoted proverbs when she was talking with others

B. asked Tsholofelo to read more proverbs

C. collected proverbs in her spare time                

D. used proverbs to teach Tsholofelo

2.What was Tsholofelo’s attitude towards the meal?

A. Unwilling.           B. Interested.      C. Critical.  D.Unconcerned.    

3.The atmosphere on the balcony was probably _____.

A. very strange         B. a bit tense           C. quite lively   D. pretty relaxed 

4.According to the passage, Tsholofelo’s mother seemed to hope Tsholofelo could be _____.    

A. flexible and creative    B. sincere and honest  

C. active and confident     D. sympathetic and helpful

 

阅读理解

　　These days, experiences, like many other things, are becoming increasingly expensive. One has to pay a lot for them, even an ordinary one.

　　Not long ago, I wanted to invite my friend to lunch. What we really reed was a good and quiet place so that we could talk, not a big meal. So I selected one club. I belong to that club, too. What could be nicer? “Let's go to the club. ” I told my friend.

　　When I ordered a day in advance, I was asked whether I would have a 20 yuan or 30 yuan lunch. I said, “30 yuan . ”I didn't realize until I was asked to pay after lunch, that 30 yuan was for each person.

　　There were five people that day, and all of us were surprised by the quality of the 30 yuan meal (for all, we thought). The bill came at last. It was 216.40 yuan (150 for the five of us plus the money for drinks, fruits and air-conditioning), I paid the bill without a word.

　　What could I say? It was not the club's fault. It was my own ignorance(无知)that made me pay the largest bill in my life. On the whole, it was not so bad, we had a good lunch at a quiet place. Besides, this experience will help in other years.

　　To support my idea, I have developed my own calculation 30 yuan for the lunch and 186.40 for the experience. The experience has made me ten times wiser.

1．Now many things are becoming ________ .

[　　]

A．less experiential

B．are not so experiential

C．as expensive as before

D．more expensive

2．What we really wanted to have was ________.

[　　]

A．a good meal

B．a good and quiet place to talk

C．a club

D．an experience

3．I thought that I had ordered a meld that cast ________.

[　　]

A．me 20 yuan

B．me 30 yuan

C．us 20 yuan each

D．us 30 yuan each

4．What do you think makes me pay the largest bill in my life?

[　　]

A．My fault.

B．My mistake.

C．The club's trick.

D．The club's mistake.

5．“The experience has made me ten times wiser. ”expresses ________.

[　　]

A．my thanks to the club

B．my pleasure to be ten times wiser

C．my honesty

D．my anger