Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge(剧增)of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse(反面)of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to putting off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises.
The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible(似是而非的). Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.
Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.

1. 1.

   The word “portend” (Line 2, Para.1) is closest in meaning to“_____”.

   1. A.
      defy
   2. B.
      signal
   3. C.
      suffer from
   4. D.
      result from
2. 2.

   It is said in the passage that when the economy slides_____.

   1. A.
      men would choose working women as their marriage partners
   2. B.
      more women would get married to seek financial security
   3. C.
      even working women would worry about their marriages
   4. D.
      more people would prefer to remain single for the time being
3. 3.

   If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.

   1. A.
      they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners
   2. B.
      their husbands are expected to do more housework
   3. C.
      their marriage ties can be strengthened
   4. D.
      they tend to put their career before marriage
4. 4.

   One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.

   1. A.
      they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom
   2. B.
      they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands
   3. C.
      they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations
   4. D.
      they tend to suspect their husbands? loyalty to their marriage
5. 5.

   Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?

   1. A.
      The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.
   2. B.
      Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.
   3. C.
      In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent
   4. D.
      The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.

 Many different tribes live in the Ituri rain forest of Africa, but the Pygmies are the most unusual. Most of the men are not much more than four feet tall. They weigh only about eighty pounds. The women are even smaller and thinner. But in spite of the fact that they are small, these people are perfectly formed men and women.

      It is an exciting experience to visit a Pygmy encampment for the first time. Before you go, you must send word ahead that you are coming. Some friendly native or trader must take the message to the Tiki-Tikis. Otherwise the whole tribe will disappear into the depths of the jungle long before you have come close enough to be welcomed.

      The great Ituri rain forest seems cut off from the rest of the earth. There are living, dead, and dying trees on every side. Except where a clearing has been burned and chopped out, a man may live his whole life in the Ituri and never see farther than twenty yards.

      It takes sharp eyes to discover the almost hidden path to the Pygmy camp. The path is no wider than a small man’s foot. No sound breaks the silence in this part of the forest. There are no signs of people.

      The stranger must walk carefully. What appears to be a bent branch may prove to be a deadly snake. A spotted gold patch of sunlight may be a crouching leopard(豹).

Even the Pygmy camp comes as a surprise. The leafy shelters in which the little people live are hardly three feet high. They look so much like the surrounding undergrowth that they might easily be passed by. These houses contain no furniture of any sort. The beds are merely plantain leaves spread out on the earth floor. There are no cooking pots: food is eaten raw or smoked over a fire. Spears, bows and arrows are the only possessions of these people. When the tribe moves to a new camp there is nothing to carry except these weapons and babies too small to walk.

According to the passage, we can conclude _____.

    A. the Pygmies are the shortest tribe worldwide

    B. the Pygmies are short but normal in mentality

    C. most of the Pygmy men are more than four feet

    D. the Pygmies live in the forest of America

Paragraph 2 mainly suggests that the Pygmies ______.

    A. are unwilling to communicate with people outside

    B. are very cruel and they will kill you with the spears

    C. are friendly to the tourists visiting them for the first time

    D. move so fast and often that can’t be caught up with easily

Which of the following word can describe the life of Pygmy?

    A. Quiet.        B. Active.     C. Hard.        D. Busy.

Which of the following is TRUE of the Pygmy?

    A. Their houses can’t be easily found in the hurt rain forest.

    B. Their houses, which are three feet high, are made of wood.

    C. Weapons and cooking pots are their most valuable possessions.

D. They are living in harmony with dangerous animals around.

Some time people call each other “scared-cat”,but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened,its heart starts beating faster,its muscles get tense,and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this,its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues,the animal will do one of two things:It will defend itself,or it will run away as fast as it can.

Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited,angry,scared,or aroused by other emotions (feelings),our bodied go through many physical changes.Out hearts beat faster,and our muscled get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We,too get ready to defend ourselves or run.

Human beings,however,have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over,we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger—or hit somebody—and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher,told somebody you were lonely,or said you were in love,and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always wise to express your feelings freely.

Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger,sadness,and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside,your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop,and you can feel churned up inside.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either;all feelings need to be expressed.)

Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them,but before long you'd smell them.And if you opened the cupboard,chances are you'd see little fruit flies hovering all over them.They'd be rotten.

You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist,but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them,just like those bananas.

The best title for this article is _________.

A.Emotions Affect Our Bodies                          B.What Happens to a Frightened Cat

C.What Happens to An Excited Person               D.Feelings that People Have

The underlined words “churned up” in the fourth paragraph mean _________.

A.gradually they'll disappear                              B.they won't exist any more

C.they will hover all over                                  D.your body stays tense

The author wrote this article in order to _________.

A.tell us that it isn't good to keep feelings inside

B.give us some advice on how to express our feelings

C.make us face the problem that we have to deal with feelings

D.make us know that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely

Many of the most damaging types of weather begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched. Such event as a tornado(龙卷风) struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987. Total damages from the tornado went beyond $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm.

Traditional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the slight atmospheric changes that come before these storms. In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at places separated by hundreds of miles. With such limited data, traditional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than they do forecasting specific local events.

Until recently, the observation intensive (十分细致) method needed for exact, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcasts,” was not possible. The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties concerned in rapidly collecting and processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome.

Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems. Radar(雷达) systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas at a lower cost. Communications satellites can send out data around the world cheaply and immediately, and modern computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather information.

Meteorologists(气象学者) and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment able to change weather data into words and graphic displays(图解) that forecasters can understand easily and quickly. As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, nowcasting is becoming a reality.

Why can’t traditional computer models predict short-lived local storms?

   A.The weather data people collect are often wrong.

   B.Detailed weather data in some small areas are not available.

   C.The computers are not advanced enough to predict them.

   D.The computers are not used to forecast specific local events.

The word “Nowcast” in Paragraph 3 means       .

   A.a network to collect storm data                 

B.a way of collecting weather data

   C.a more advanced system of weather observation

   D.a forecast which can predict weather in the small area

What can make “Nowcasts” a reality according to the passage?

   A.Scientific and technological advances.     B. Advanced computer programs.

   C.Computer scientists.                                 D.Meteorologists.

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.The advantages of “Nowcatsts”.              

B.A tornado in Edmonton, A1bertA.

C.The difficulty in predicting tornado.

D.A great development in weather forecast.

Some weird, wild and wonderful stories coloured the news in 2010:

★A Copenhagen bus company has put "love seats" on 103 of its vehicles for people looking for a partner. "Even love at first sight is possible on the bus," said a spokesman for the British owned Arriva company to explain the two seats on each bus that are covered in red cloth and a "love seat" sign.

★Shoppers at an international luxury fair in Verona, Italy, found a cell-phone-equipped golden coffin among the items on display. The phones will help "the dead" contact relatives if they have been buried alive by mistake.

★A man in New York came up with a disarming way to set off his latest bank heist , approaching the clerk’s window with a large bunch of flowers and handing over a hold-up note saying“give me the money!”

★ An Englishman who lost all his legs and arms in an electrical accident successfully swam across the Channel, a challenge he had been preparing for two years. The whole cost is 400 dollars.

★A set of artificial teeth made for Britain's war-time prime minister Winston Churchill known as "the teeth that saved the world" sold for nearly 18,000 pounds (21,500 euros, 24,000 dollars) at auction.

★A British woman caused an Internet hate campaign after she was caught on camera dumping a cat in a rubbish bin. She was fined 250 pounds (400 dollars, 280 euros) after pleading guilty.

★The BBC apologized completely and without any doubts after a radio presenter jokingly announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

★Two Australian men needed surgery after shooting each other in the bottoms during a drinking session to see if it would hurt were charged 400 dollars separately.

★ A Kuwaiti MP(议员) proposed state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in a bid to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich state.

What is special about the coffin in the second news?

       A. It is golden                      B. It has a cell phone.

       C. It is a luxury                    D. It has many items

What is the probable meaning of the underlined word heist in the third news?

       A. robbery      B. proposal   C. begging     D. raising money

Who has to spend 400 dollars to do the surgery?

       A. A British woman who dumped a cat in a rubbish bin.

       B. One who bought Winston Churchill’s artificial teeth.

       C. An Australian man who shot in bottom to test the hurt.

       D. An Englishman crossing the Channel without legs and arms.

From the last news we can infer that _________.

       A. In Kuwait many men are eager to get married

B. A lot of rich single men lived in Kuwait

C. There are quantities of oil in Kuwait

D. There are many single women in Kuwait