More to dinner than just food

You are not the first one in your class to hear the complaints that teenagers nowadays are unruly (难管的) and uncommunicative.

And it is not just your parents’remarks.Teachers in the UK also find it difficult to communicate with their students.And now they are asking：why?

According to a recent survey in Britain，the erosion (消磨) of family life leaves parents less time to teach key social skills such as listening to others，saying “please” and “thank you” and taking turns.“One of the most important factors has been the loss of the family meal，which has reduced family conversation，” said John Dunford，general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

Dunford believes family meals are a good chance to stay connected.It’s an emotional and mutual bond based on warmth and trust.“Family meals are a time for sharing thoughts and ideas and problem­solving together，”he says.“Having meals together means parents and teenagers can find the delicate (微妙的) balance between staying connected and letting go.”

Dunford also criticized celebrity worshipping (明星崇拜)，which makes teaching “more difficult than it has ever been”．

Schools are based on the connection between hard work，passing exams and getting a good job.However，worshipping celebrities makes teenagers believe social advancement can be gained through the purchase of a lottery ticket rather than hard work.

“Young people forget that high­earning footballers have to train incredibly hard，that successful pop singers have to practice for hours and I think it makes the job of the school more difficult，” says Nick Seaton of the Campaign for Real Education.

68．All of the following contributed to the fact that teenagers nowadays are difficult to communicate with EXCEPT________.

A．parents’less involvement in teaching their children key social skills

B．an addiction to online games

C．the loss of family meals

D．celebrity worshipping

69．Which of the following is NOT the reason for the importance of family meals according to the text?

A．They are good time for teenagers to learn social skills.

B．They provide a good opportunity to share thoughts and ideas.

C．Family members can take the time to enjoy TV programs together

D．Family members can solve problems together during this period of time.

70．What can we infer from Paragraph 6?

A．Celebrity worshipping makes teenagers believe they can achieve success through good luck.

B．Celebrity worshipping makes teenagers take an interest in buying lottery tickets.

C．Celebrities can inspire teenagers to fulfill their dreams through hard work.

D．Celebrities who buy a lottery ticket set a bad example to teenagers.

For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers (剩饭) in the microwave. What most passengers don’t realize is that their minute is already there.
Every commuter train that departs from New York City — about 900 a day — leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15. In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that train — well, relax. You have two.
The courtesy (礼貌) minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period（宽限期）for those who need the extra time to get off the platform and onto the train.
“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to waste time doing unimportant things,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.
Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy. The railroad industry helped invent the concept of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law. And most commuters know their train by the precise minute it departs. The trains quickly make up the minute: at all other stops, the public timetable prevails. The phantom minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco. But in New York, the secret minute dates back decades.
“That’s been done forever, from my knowledge,” said Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North. “I was the trainmaster starting in 1970 and I’m sure it’s been the case since 1870 for all I know.”
【小题1】The courtesy minute was hidden from the public to _____.

For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers (剩饭) in the microwave. What most passengers don’t realize is that their minute is already there.

Every commuter train that departs from New York City — about 900 a day — leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15. In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that train — well, relax. You have two.

The courtesy (礼貌) minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period（宽限期）for those who need the extra time to get off the platform and onto the train.

“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to waste time doing unimportant things,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.

Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy. The railroad industry helped invent the concept of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law. And most commuters know their train by the precise minute it departs. The trains quickly make up the minute: at all other stops, the public timetable prevails. The phantom minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco. But in New York, the secret minute dates back decades.

“That’s been done forever, from my knowledge,” said Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North. “I was the trainmaster starting in 1970 and I’m sure it’s been the case since 1870 for all I know.”

1.The courtesy minute was hidden from the public to _____.

A. prevent the passengers’ idleness              B. help invent the concept of standard time

C. show the railroad company’s consideration     D. follow the ancient tradition of New York City

2. The underlined part “Don’t blow our cover” in Para. 4 probably means “_____”.

A. Don’t publish the timetable                 B. Don’t blame commuter trains

C. Don’t make it known by the public           D. Don’t forget our chances of catching trains

3.What can we conclude from the passage?

A. The courtesy minute exists in many cities in the US.

B. One minute means a lot for most of the commuters.

C. The courtesy minute has been in place for about ten years.

D. Most railroad staff in New York have no idea of the courtesy minute.

4. The passage mainly talks about _____.

A. the railroads in the US                      B. the secret New York minute

C. the mistake of the railroad industry         D. the history of New York commuter trains

For a commuter rushing to catch a train, a minute can mean the difference between dinner with the family and leftovers (剩饭) in the microwave. What most passengers don’t realize is that their minute is already there.
Every commuter train that departs from New York City — about 900 a day — leaves a minute later than scheduled. If the timetable says 8:14, the train will actually leave at 8:15. In other words, if you think you have only a minute to get that train — well, relax. You have two.
The courtesy (礼貌) minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period（宽限期）for those who need the extra time to get off the platform and onto the train.
“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to waste time doing unimportant things,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.
Entirely hidden from the riding public, the secret minute is an odd departure from the railroad culture of down-to-the-second accuracy. The railroad industry helped invent the concept of standard time, and time zones were established in the United States in the 1880s, 35 years before they were written into law. And most commuters know their train by the precise minute it departs. The trains quickly make up the minute: at all other stops, the public timetable prevails. The phantom minute does not exist at commuter railroads in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, or San Francisco. But in New York, the secret minute dates back decades.
“That’s been done forever, from my knowledge,” said Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North. “I was the trainmaster starting in 1970 and I’m sure it’s been the case since 1870 for all I know.”

1. 1.

   The courtesy minute was hidden from the public to _____.

   1. A.
      prevent the passengers’ idleness
   2. B.
      help invent the concept of standard time
   3. C.
      show the railroad company’s consideration
   4. D.
      follow the ancient tradition of New York City
2. 2.

   The underlined part “Don’t blow our cover” in Para. 4 probably means “_____”.

   1. A.
      Don’t publish the timetable
   2. B.
      Don’t blame commuter trains
   3. C.
      Don’t make it known by the public
   4. D.
      Don’t forget our chances of catching trains
3. 3.

   What can we conclude from the passage?

   1. A.
      The courtesy minute exists in many cities in the US.
   2. B.
      One minute means a lot for most of the commuters.
   3. C.
      The courtesy minute has been in place for about ten years.
   4. D.
      Most railroad staff in New York have no idea of the courtesy minute.
4. 4.

   The passage mainly talks about _____.

   1. A.
      the railroads in the US
   2. B.
      the secret New York minute
   3. C.
      the mistake of the railroad industry
   4. D.
      the history of New York commuter trains

听力理解

　　第一节　听下面5段对话，每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C、三个选项中选出最佳选项．听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题．每段对话仅读一遍．

1．What is the matter with Jane?

[　　]

A．Her old bike has been repaired.

B．She has sold her new bike.

C．Her new bike has been stolen.

2．What does the doctor ask Kate to do?

[　　]

A．To watch TV．

B．To do her homework.

C．To have a rest.

3．What season is it?

[　　]

A．Winter.

B．Spring.

C．Summer.

4．When will Mary finish her homework?

[　　]

A．At 4: 00 P. m.

B．At 6: 00 P. m.

C．At 5: 00 P. m.

5．What happened to the girl?

[　　]

A．She fell down from a house.

B．She caught a bad cold.

C．She got her left leg hurt.

　　第二节　听下面5段对话或独白．每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项．听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间．每段对话或独白读两遍．

听第6段材料，回答第6～8题．

6．When will they meet to do some shopping?

[　　]

A．At 9: 00 o'clock next Wednesday.

B．At 2: 00 o'clock next Thursday.

C．At 2: 00 o'clock next Wednesday.

7．Where do you think they are living?

[　　]

A．Neither of them is living in the city.

B．Both of them are living in the city.

C．One of them is living in the city. the other in the country.

8．How are they going into the city?

[　　]

A．They will go by bus.

B．They will go by train.

C．They will go in one speaker's car.

听第7段材料，回答第9～10题．

9．What program does the man like?

[　　]

A．Information About Flights.

B．Weather Reports.

C．Introduction To Interesting Places.

10．What will the weather be like in the next three days?

[　　]

A．Rainy.

B．Sunny.

C．Snowy.

听第8段材料，回答第11～13题．

11．Why can’t Tom and Lily meet tonight?

[　　]

A．Because Lily is not at home.

B．Because Tom will not be in Cairo.

C．Because Tom will not be free.

12．What time does the plane take off?

[　　]

A．2: 15.

B．2: 30.

C．2: 00.

13．What do we know about Tom and Lily?

[　　]

A．Teacher and student.

B．Customer and waiter.

C．Boyfriend and girlfriend.

听第9段材料，回答第14～17题．

14．What's the woman?

[　　]

A．A foreigner.

B．A reporter.

C．An ordinary.

15．How many great events in China this year did they mention in their conversation?

[　　]

A．Five.

B．Four.

C．Three.

16．When will the economic APEC summit in Shanghai be held?

[　　]

A．In August.

B．In September.

C．In October.

17．Which word can best describe the feeling of the Chinese people when they talk about their country?

[　　]

A．Interested.

B．Proud.

C．Courageous.

听第10段材料，回答第18～20题．

18．Where is the first Hard Rock Cafe founded?

[　　]

A．In New York. the U. S. A.

B．In Sydney. Australia.

C．In London, Britain.

19．Who founded the first Hard Rock Cafe?

[　　]

A．Two Frenchmen in 1917.

B．Two Americans in 1971.

C．Two Londoners in 1915.

20．What is mainly talked about in this passage?

[　　]

A．Music stars are fond of Hard Rock Care.

B．Sports and film stars are regular visitors to Hard Rock Cafe.

C．The history of Hard Rock Cafe.

　　第三节　听下面一段独白，每段独白读三遍，第一遍听短文大意，第二遍边听边写下所缺的词或者短语，第三遍检查．

　　Different countries and different people have different manners. We must (1) ________, so that they will not think us (2) ________. Here are some examples of the things that a well-mannered person does or does not do.

　　If you visit a Chinese family, you (3) ________. When the door opens, you will not (4) ________ before the host says. “Come in, please”After you enter the room, you wouldn't sit down until the host (5) ________. Then a cup of tea is put on a tea-table before you or sent to your hand, you’ll say, “Thank you! ”and receive it (6) ________, or they’ll think you are ill-mannered. Before (7) ________ a house in Japan, it is good-mannered to take off your shoes. (8) ________, even though shoes sometimes become very dirty, this is not done. In a Malay house, a (9) ________ never finishes the food on the table. He leaves a little to show that he has had enough. In England, a guest always finishes a drink or the food to show that he has enjoyed it. This will make the host, especially the hostess. (10) ________ .