Night after night，she came to tuck me in，even long after my childhood years．Following her longstanding custom，she'd lean down and push my long．hair out of the way，then kiss my fore—head．

I don't remember when it first started annoying me—her hands pushing my hair that way． But it did annoy me，for they felt work—worn and mush against my young skin．Finally，one night，I shouted out at her，"Don't do that any more--your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply．But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love．

Time after time，with the passing years，my thoughts returned to that night．By then I missed my mother's hands．missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead．Sometimes the incident seemed very close，sometimes far away．But always it lurked，in the back of my mind．

Well，the years have passed，and I'm not a little girl anymore．Mom is in her mid—seventies．and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family．She's been our doctor，reaching into a medicine cabinet(医药箱)for the remedy(药物)to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe(安慰)the boy's scraped knee．She cooks the best fried chicken in the world…gets stains out of blue cans, like I never could…

Now, my own children are grown and gone．Mom no longer has Dad，and on special occasions．I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her．So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly run across, my face to brush the hair from my forehead．Then a kiss，ever so gently，touched my brow(额头)．

In my memory，for the thousandth time，I recalled the night my young voice complained，"Don't do that any more--your hands are too rough!" Catching Mom's hand in hand，I blurted (冲口说出)out how sorry I was for that night．I thought she'd remember ，as I did．But Mom didn't know what I Was talking about．She had forgotten--and forgiven—long ago．

That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her carrying hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found．

What would be the best title for the text?

A．Mother's Hands          B．Appreciation for Mother．

C．My Childhood Years．    D．My Unselfish Mother．

The author began to get annoyed because      .

A．her mother's hands were really old and tough

B．she thought she didn't need her mother's care

C．she didn't like her mother any more

D．her mother stayed in her room too long

What do we know about the author?

A．With time passing, she began to understand her mother．

B．She was an only child in the family．

C．She never forgave herself．

D．Her mother was a doctor．

By saying "Then a kiss，ever so gently，touched my brow．"，the author means that________

A．children need Mother's kissing        B．mothers kiss their children gently

C．mothers love their children forever    D．children depend on their mothers

It can be inferred from the text that _____________

A．the author began to spend nights with her mother

B．her mother  never kissed  author again

C．her mother forgave her at last

D．the author felt guilty of what she did to her mother

Nine out of 10 people have run up unsecured debt and many fear they will never be able to pay back what they owe, a survey has claimed.

       Around 89% of people aged between l|8 and 35 said they owed money on a credit card, loan or overdraft, the research showed．

         A third of people admitted they did not think- they would ever be debt-free, 54% of whom said they would always need to borrow money in order to fund the lifestyle they wanted．

         One in five of these people also claimed they were not worried about the possibility of their debts being passed on to their next of kin if they died before they were repaid．

         Just over half who owed money said they did not feel in control of their debt, with 8% admitting they had needed to ask for help with repayments from a friend or family member．Eight out of 10 people also told the research for discount website MyVoucherCodes．co．uk that they thought it was too easy to borrow money through their bank or on credit cards．

         Farhad Farhadi, MyVoucherCodes．co．uk’s personal finance expert, said: "The majority of British adults owe money m some way, shape or form, but to see that almost a third think they'll never be free c ^ from debt is quite alarming．

         "When borrowing money from any source, how you are going to repay it should always be in the back of your mind．

         "A lot of people don't-really think about 'die consequences of borrowing money and it can be easy to get complacent, but keeping it all under control should be a priority from the off．Only borrow what you really think you can afford to pay back．"

1.The best title for this passage is_________．

         A．I'll die in debt, say one in three       B．Desperate British

         C．The beginning of the end             D．Borrowing money from any source

2.Which of the following is NOT true?    

         A．Most British adults are in debt in some v/ay．

         B．It is hard for the British to borrow money through their bank．

         C．Lots of people do not take repaying money seriously．

         D．This passage is a warning for the British．

3.What does the underlined phrase mean?  

         A．end with                   B．from the start  

       C．ever since               D．fore ever

4.What does Farhad mean by saying "the majority of British adults owe money in some way, shape or form"? 

         A．It is natural to owe money m Britain so there in no need to worry．

         B．It is natural to owe money in Britain as long as you are in control．

     C．It does not matter to owe money in Britain if you are rich enough．

         D．It seems that the British enjoy owing money in some way．

 

Nine out of 10 people have run up unsecured debt and many fear they will never be able to pay back what they owe, a survey has claimed.
Around 89% of people aged between l|8 and 35 said they owed money on a credit card, loan or overdraft, the research showed．
A third of people admitted they did not think- they would ever be debt-free, 54% of whom said they would always need to borrow money in order to fund the lifestyle they wanted．
One in five of these people also claimed they were not worried about the possibility of their debts being passed on to their next of kin if they died before they were repaid．
Just over half who owed money said they did not feel in control of their debt, with 8% admitting they had needed to ask for help with repayments from a friend or family member．Eight out of 10 people also told the research for discount website MyVoucherCodes．co．uk that they thought it was too easy to borrow money through their bank or on credit cards．
Farhad Farhadi, MyVoucherCodes．co．uk’s personal finance expert, said: "The majority of British adults owe money m some way, shape or form, but to see that almost a third think they’ll never be free c ^ from debt is quite alarming．
"When borrowing money from any source, how you are going to repay it should always be in the back of your mind．
"A lot of people don’t-really think about ’die consequences of borrowing money and it can be easy to get complacent, but keeping it all under control should be a priority from the off．Only borrow what you really think you can afford to pay back．"
【小题1】The best title for this passage is_________．

A．I’ll die in debt, say one in three	B．Desperate British
C．The beginning of the end	D．Borrowing money from any source

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT true?    

A．Most British adults are in debt in some v/ay．

B．It is hard for the British to borrow money through their bank．

C．Lots of people do not take repaying money seriously．

D．This passage is a warning for the British．

【小题3】What does the underlined phrase mean?  

A．end with	B．from the start
C．ever since	D．fore ever

【小题4】What does Farhad mean by saying "the majority of British adults owe money in some way, shape or form"? 

A．It is natural to owe money m Britain so there in no need to worry．

B．It is natural to owe money in Britain as long as you are in control．

C．It does not matter to owe money in Britain if you are rich enough．

D．It seems that the British enjoy owing money in some way．

Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

There’s worrying news for any parent who’s struggled with a headstrong young child. Some scientists recently claim that children who have low levels of self-control, which is the earliest demands that society places on children, at the age of three are more likely to have health and money problems and a criminal record by the age of 32, regardless of background and IQ. That is to say, willpower as a child really does influence your chances of a healthy and wealthy adulthood.

They found that children with low self-control were more likely to have health problems in later life including high blood pressure, being overweight, breathing problems and sexually transmitted infections. They were also more addicted to substances such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs, more likely to be single parents, have difficulty managing money and have criminal records.

Researchers from Britain, the US and New Zealand analyzed data from two large studies in which children completed a range of physical tests and interviews to assess genetic and environmental factors that can shape their lives.

The participants’ self-control was assessed by teachers, parents, observers and the children themselves and included things like having low frustration tolerance, lacking persistence in reaching goals, being over-active and acting before thinking.

Researchers then found that when the participants reached their early 30s, this impulsivity and relative inability to think about the long-term gave them more problems with finances, including savings, owning a home and credit card debt.

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

 

(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TWELVE WORDS.)

 

1. What are the findings of a recent research according to the passage?

____________________________________________________

2. The phrase “more addicted to” (Line 3, Para. 2) probably means “_____________________”.

3. Besides poor anti-frustration ability, over-activeness and fore-acting, children with low self-control may also suffer __________________________.

4. What may primarily cause the financial problems of the children with low self-control in their later years?

____________________________________________________

 

Whether I’m looking for a good chat with some old Mends or a quiet place to meet a colleague, the pub will be the place I always choose.
I could, of course, go to a bar. But a pub, I always find, is far more comfortable and has a more relaxed atmosphere.
Many people in the UK also have a favorite pub at the end of the road where they live or nearby to where they work. I can almost always guarantee that I’ll bump into someone I know at my “local”, as we British call our nearest pub.
In fact, many people from the UK say that the pub is a cornerstone (基础) of British life. Coming together over a drink, usually of beer, is generally con­sidered the best way to catch up with friends. For those who are a little reserved (内向的), as the British sometimes are, it’s the best way to open up and get chatting.
However, this habit is slowly changing among some British people. According to a survey completed in August by UK trade magazine The Publican, eating, rather than drinking, has become the main source of income for our 52,000 pubs.
The gastropub (美食酒吧), with its greater emphasis on food, is primarily responsible. All over the country, this more expensive type of pub has been springing up, providing a place for more formal meetings with business partners. Wine is often drunk instead of the traditional beer.
But not everyone’s happy. Many people hate the fact that some local pubs are closing because new gastropubs are proving more profitable. “Beer sales are sinking and many pubs are struggling to survive,” Rob Haward, of the British Beer and Pub Association, told UK newspaper The Daily Mail.
For my part, I’m going to do all I can to keep the local British pub alive. It will be the first place I visit when I go back home.
【小题1】.  The article is mainly about         .

A．the British pub losing popularity	B．the author’s love of pubs
C．how the British socialize	D．the local British pub

【小题2】. Many British people say that the pub is a cornerstone of British life because         .

A．it is nearby and convenient

B．it is a great place for meeting friends

C．it is far more comfortable than a bar to have a drink

D．it is easy to bump into people they know in a pub ,

【小题3】. From the text, we can conclude that gastropubs         .

A．will replace the local pubs

B．attach more importance to drinks

C．are somewhere between a restaurant and a bar

D．attract beer lovers as well as wine lovers

【小题4】.  Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A．The author is in favor of gastropubs.

B．Wine is thought to show one’s class and taste.

C．British people do not go to pubs as often as be­fore.

D．Local pubs are being seriously affected by gastropubs.