Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days.
　　Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found. Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to handle work and family life than the previous generation. As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children.
The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did – just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day. And 64 per cent said this was because they felt they ‘had’ to go out to work, while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they were under constant pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’, the report found.
Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities. Kate Fox, a member of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: ‘With increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift”— to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner — support networks are more important than ever.
It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialised nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a ‘primary activity’. Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time – more than two and a half hours – looking after their offspring, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
　　Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or childminders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk.
　　The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them - even if their husband is not in work. A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child - 18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work. Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children.
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “yearn for” probably means ___________.

A．hate

B．forget

C．miss

D．control

【小题2】Which of the following problems is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Today’s mothers have less time left for their children and themselves.

B．The working mothers can hardly strike the balance between work and family.

C．Most of the mothers can not control their husbands nowadays.

D．Modern fathers do not spend enough time with their children.

【小题3】From Para. 4, we can infer that ___________.

A．Skype is a very famous expert in studying social issues

B．working mothers can seek help on line

C．working mothers’ double shift is to be a wife and a mother

D．Kate Fox has opened a website offering help to working mothers

【小题4】 What critics say means that _____________.

A．it is wise for working mothers to put their kids in nurseries or childminders

B．children do not like nurseries or childminders at all

C．nurseries or childminders are dangerous places for children

D．too much time in nurseries or childminders is bad for kids’ mental and physical health

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker's Corner. Now always–on–the-go. New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me." they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion. So what's the point?
"To see what happens, said Liz. " We simply enjoy life with open communication."
Shortly after the September 11,2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea, "Liz said." We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind," Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
【小题1】What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A．Chatting with people.	B．Setting up street signs
C．Telling stories to strangers	D．Organizing a speaker's corner

【小题2】What they have been doing can be described as_________.  .

A．pointless

B．normal

C．crazy

D．successful

【小题3】Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A．They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B．They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C．They organized the get-together in the city park.

D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

【小题4】What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A．Go in for publishing.	B．Do more television programs.
C．Continue what they are doing.	D．Spend more time reading books.

【小题5】How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A．They have decided to wait a year or two

B．They will think about it carefully

C．They agreed immediately

D．They find it hard to do that

Annie had just begun school. Her parents were tired of the methods they were using to correct her behavior, including scolding (训斥), and taking away privileges (特权). Annie still needed to be scolded for her bad behavior, but her parents felt the good things she did needed to be recognized. So, they began to spend more time recognizing the improvements (改进) in Annie’s behavior and the good things she did every day rather than like before when they only noticed her bad behavior. Within a few weeks Annie began to change her attitude and her behavior improved.
Praise is one of the most powerful tools parents can use to teach their children good skills and help them grow. Praise works well when it is given and when you remember to use it frequently. It is important to praise all good behavior. Look for the good things your child does. Praise will have a lot of effects on your child. Use the 4 to 1 rule. For every bad behavior you notice, find four good behaviors or reasons to praise. It is a good way to remember to look for good behavior.
Remember to praise the things your child has already done well, or improvements in his behavior and new skills. Show your agreement by smiling and touching his shoulder or back. Be sure to say what your child did well in detail. Tell your child how good behavior helps and that it is liked by others.
【小题1】What was the result of recognizing Annie’s good behavior?

A．She started to correct her bad behavior.

B．She was tired of her parents’ scolding.

C．She was not scolded for her bad behavior.

D．She spent more time praising her good behavior.

【小题2】When praising children’s good behavior, parents should do the following EXCEPT __________.

A．praising their children for what they did in detail

B．encouraging their children to go on doing good things

C．telling their children more about their bad behavior

D．praising their children in a good way with smiles

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Praising is a better way than scolding.

B．Annie was a middle school student.

C．Annie’s parents are education experts.

D．Parents should not often show agreement.

【小题4】The best title for this passage would be ____________.

A．How to Praise a Good Child

B．A Good Method of Praising Children

C．Praise More and Scold Less

D．The Importance of Good Behavior

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker’s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 20s, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk. 
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion (宗教). So what's the point?
“To see what happens ,”said Liz. “We simply enjoy life with open communication(交流).”
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
“It started as a crazy idea,” Liz said. “We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything.”
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. “That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. “To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good,” she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
【小题1】What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?

A．Chatting with people.	B．Setting up street signs.
C．Telling stories to strangers.	D．Organizing a speaker's corner.

【小题2】What they have been doing can be described as______.

A．pointless

B．normal

C．crazy

D．successful

【小题3】Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?

A．They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B．They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C．They organized the get-together in the city park.

D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

【小题4】What will Liz and Bill do in the future?

A．Go in for publishing.	B．Do more television programs.
C．Continue what they are doing.	D．Spend more time reading books.

【小题5】 How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A．They have decided to wait a year or two.

B．They will think about it carefully.

C．They agreed immediately.

D．They find it hard to do that.

Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker' s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.    
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 2Os, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.     
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.     
They don't collect money. They don't push religion (宗教). So what's the point?
"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication(交流)."
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.
【小题1】What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?      

A．Chatting with people.

B．Setting up street signs.

C．Telling stories to strangers.

D．Organizing a speaker's corner.

【小题2】What they have been doing can be described as______. 

A．pointless	B．normal
C．crazy	D．successful

【小题3】Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?        

A．They knew Liz and Bill very well.

B．They happened to meet the writer of the text.

C．They organized the get-together in the city park.

D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill.

【小题4】What will Liz and Bill do in the future?     

A．Go in for publishing.	B．Do more television programs.
C．Continue what they am doing.	D．Spend more time reading books.

【小题5】How do they like the idea of writing a book?

A．They have decided to wait a year or two.

B．They will think about it carefully.

C．They agreed immediately.

D．They find it hard to do that.