It is not only experts in China who are arguing over whether women should work after marriage or not. Worldwide this question is being discussed as an interestingly large number of married women enter the workplace. Take the United States for example. Since 1960, the percentage of married women in the work force has jumped from 31.9 per cent to 59.4 per cent.

American women first moved into the paid labour force during the World War II, when men left their jobs to fight. In the last fifty years, more and more women have worked outside the home. And over these years of developing, Americans have changed their social values as a result. In 1975, women aged 35 and above made up half of all working women. And by 1980, 60 per cent were women at the age of 45 and above.

Now in Japan, women’s work group is M-shaped with middle-aged women and those aged 20-25 at the two peaks. According to statistics(统计)， 37.7 per cent of Japanese women at childbearing age(25-29) still engaged themselves in work in 1980. and the number reached 50 per cent the next year.

Being a housewife has always been regarded as a “graceful occupation” in Japan. Some young Japanese women believe it is good to be a “ professional housewife”. However, old attitudes have been changing everywhere, and sometimes just out of economic necessary. In recent years, a great number of city housewives have poured out of homes to take part time jobs. Even the UN has given its support.. The 34^th Congress of the United Nations in 1979 put forward the decision for formal agreement on the getting rid of discrimination(歧视) against women.

So far, most UN members have agreed on it, but some still haven’t,  including the United States.

72. From the first passage, we can learn that ________________.

A. experts encourage women to take paying jobs .

 B. men encourage women to take paying jobs

C. government encourage women to take paying jobs.

D. more and more people begin to care about women’s life

73.  In the United States _________________.

1. married women are lazier than their husbands. 
2. husbands are lazier than their wives

C. few married women used to work outside  

D. more married women used to work outside

74．              Married women in Japan________________.

A, all work outside their homes

B. seldom work outside their homes

C. have different opinions on their working outside 

D. all do housework at their homes

75. More and more women have taken jobs outside for the reason that ________.

 A. they have no children to take care of   B. they have no housework to do

 C. they want to make more friends. D. they want to improve their living conditions

My father never wanted his children to know what he did for a living. Dad worked in Plant C. Lying beside Lake Erie, it saw him in at sunrise and out at nightfall. Sometimes my mother would take my siblings (兄弟姐妹) and me to the public beach in our hometown of Ashtabula. She’d gather us round and point to the smokestacks, coughing clouds into the sky.
“Wave to daddy!” she’d shout. Four little hands would shoot into the air. I never knew what Dad did in Plant C, but during 34 years of hard work, he had surgery (手术) on his shoulder and hand. At 48, he had his first heart attack. He retired in 1993, right after the last kid graduated from college. But the damage was done. A few years later, the next heart attack killed him.
I saw my dad in plant C only once, when I took dinner to him. That night, I looked at my father, covered in sweat and coal, and for the first time I knew why he was so often angry for no reason.
Recently my father’s friend, Toby Workman, walked me there. I knew my father never wanted me to see it. At every station, he described the job and the danger. It was like listening to a foreign language. I walked past many DANGER signs. Toby put his hand on my shoulder. “Look”, he said, “you need to understand something. Your dad was a maintenance mechanic. He worked the most dangerous job. If something broke, he fixed it. ”
A few days later, my daughter graduated from college. I gave her the hard hat Toby handed to me as I left, and this note: “Whenever you feel something difficult, put this on, look in the mirror, and remember your roots.”
【小题1】What is the purpose of the passage?

A．In memory of the author’s mother	B．to know about what the father did.
C．In memory of the author’s father.	D．to remind the family to live well.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE of the facts about the author’s father?

A．He didn’t suffer a heart attack until he retired.

B．He always faced danger while working.

C．He was satisfied with his job.

D．He worked in Plant C for 48 years in all.

【小题3】When the author saw her father in Plant C,       ___.

A．her father was fixing a broken machine.

B．she didn’t recognize her father.

C．she understood him about his bad temper.

D．her father was angry about her coming.

【小题4】When Toby Workman described the author’s father’s job, the author   ____  .

A．felt familiar with the job	B．decided to do the same work.
C．wanted to learn a foreign language	D．felt much puzzled

【小题5】The author gave her daughter the hat to hope that her daughter could    _______ .

A．get encouraged by her grandfather	B．overcome all difficulties by wearing it
C．remember her grandfather	D．follow her grandfather’s work

Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers．They use robotic systems to milk their cows．Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations．Only one cow at a time can enter a station．
Once inside，the cow is rewarded with food．As the cow eats，a  robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine．A few minutes later，milking is complete．The gate is opened，the cow is released and the next cow enters．
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day．The cows get to decide when they want to be milked．Cows are milked an average of about three times a day．Some are milked four to six times a day．
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system．A computer keeps records on their eating and milking．A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked．
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk．Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests．
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal（吸引） especially to the next generation of farmers．She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm．Still，she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use．
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm．Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system．A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost 175 000 dollars．The second cost 150 000．
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot．He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day．
【小题1】From the first paragraph，we can infer________．

A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor

B．cows can be raised by robots in the future

C．robots direct cows into milking stations

D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms

【小题2】Besides milking cows，the robotic system also can______．

A．adjust the temperature of milking stations

B．judge the quality of fresh milk

C．improve the appetite of cows

D．keep fresh milk for two weeks

【小题3】Why is the robotic system not popular now?

A．Because young people have no interest in it．

B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it．

C．Because people can’t afford to buy it．

D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk．

【小题4】According to Doug，what is the wage of an employee?

A．150 000～170 000．	B．750 000．
C．150 000～30 000．	D．30 000—32 000

【小题5】The best title for the passage may be_________．

A．Letting robot milk your cow	B．Milking cows by hand
C．Improving the quality of milk	D．Drinking fresh milk every day

Red Roses

Red roses, as we think of them today, are the traditional symbol for love and romance and a time-honored way to say “I love you.” The red rose has long symbolized beauty and perfection, so a bouquet of red roses is the perfect way to express your deep feelings for someone special. For the budding relationship, a red rose bouquet can also signal the beginning of romantic intentions. They can send a message of commitment and an invitation to take the next step.

A.  Carnations

The meanings of carnations include fascination, distinction, and love. Like many other flowers, different messages can also be expressed with the flower’s different color varieties. Light red carnations, for example, are often used to convey admiration, whereas pink carnations are often given as a sign of gratitude. Today carnations are worn and gifted worldwide on Mothers Day and have become symbolic of purity, strength and endurance of motherhood. As a custom pink carnations are worn to honor living mothers and white carnations for the deceased mothers.

B.  Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums were cultivated in China as a flowering herb as far back as the 15th century BC. It was named from the Greek prefix chrys-, which means golden (the color of the original flowers), and –anthemion, meaning flower. Chrysanthemums can be yellow, white or even bright red. Many flower forms are available, spoon-shaped, threadlike or spiderlike. With its special meaning “Rest” associated with them, chrysanthemums are one of the traditional funeral flowers which you can even convey your sincere feelings for the deceased.

C.  Sunflowers

Sunflowers turn their heads towards the sun and this is how they got their common name. They originated in Central and South America. Sunflowers are not only pretty to look at but sunflower seeds are power-packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, minerals, and vitamin E – all important to the nutritional quality of your diet.

D.  Purple hyacinth

The language of flowers can be found as far back as the 14th century. Every flower has a special. Purple hyacinths are a meaningful gift, perfect for expressing feelings for a friend to convey the feelings like “You are a wonderful friend and I wish you peace, prosperity and happiness” or “I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

E.  Forget – me – not

The little blue Forget Me Not flower, though quite small in size, expresses sweet memories of true and faithful love, a soft cry – “Do not forget” the sunny and cloudy days of a deep relationship. Medicinally, this plant has a strong affinity for the respiratory organs, especially the let lower lung. In some countries, it is sometimes made into syrup and given for lung affections.

再阅读以下顾客信息，然后匹配顾客与适合他们的鲜花。

56.David has just heard that one of his friends he knows has lost a favorite relative and he knows that his friend really needs to be concerned at this moment. So he calls the flower shop for flower delivery as a way to show his friendship and support during this difficult time.

57．Mary has not met her mother since she moved to Paris after the graduation from Cambridge University. When Mothers’ Day is coming this year, she wants to send something special to help her express respect and thankfulness for the virtues of motherhood.

58.True love’s difficult to find, but Catherine is fortunate enough to have found it, so she intends to give her beloved a gift on the Anniversary Day, which his regarded as an emblem of loving remembrance, faithful love, constancy and undying hope.

59.Tony met Gloria at his friend’s graduation party last weekend, and fell into love with her at the first sight. He is planning to ask her for the first official date, expecting Gloria to receive them with a sparkle in her eyes.

60.Hebe has really got a reason to send flowers to her friend Carrie who was deeply hurt by her careless mistake. What she needs to do is make an apology, showing how regretful she is. For this special occasion, she is wondering what flowers will be appropriate to send.

After years of hearing drivers complain about scratches (划痕) on their cars, Japan’s Nissan Motor Company has officially announced the next big thing－a paint that not only resists scratches and scrapes, but actually repairs itself within a few days.

The new material, developed by Nippon Paint Company, contains an elastic rubbery-like resin (弹性树脂) that is able to heal minor (较小的) marks caused by car wash equipment, parking lot encounters, road debris (石头碎片) or even on-purpose destruction.

The automaker admits its results vary depending on the temperature and the depth of the damage, but adds this is the only paint like it in the world, and tests prove it works.

Minor scratches, the most common type, are said to slowly fade over about a week. And once they’re gone, there is no trace (痕迹) that they were ever there.

The special paint is said to last for at least three years after it is first applied, but there is no word yet on whether more can be added after that period.

Nissan claims car washes are the worst offenders for this type of damage, accounting for at least 80 percent of all incidents.

But the complete auto-healing won’t come without scratching your wallet. The vehicle maker notes the special paint adds about $100 US to the price of a car.

It plans to use its new chemical mixture only on its X-Trail SUVs in Japan for now, as it looks for a more widespread presentation. And while plans to offer the feature overseas haven’t been made yet, if it’s a hit there, you can be almost sure market forces will drive it to these shores, as well.

73．From the article, we can find that _________.

A. the paint has already been used on cars by now

B. it beats other products of its kind in its lengthy effect

C. car damage is mainly caused by scratches and scrapes

D. marketing this paint in Europe is not under way

74．The paint used on cars can _________.

A .last 3 years before it is re-applied again          

B .fade only in a few days

C. help to protect cars from minor paint damage 

D. reduce car scrape incidents to 20 percent

75．What does the underlined part refer to?

A. certain models of Nissan          B. name for one kind of paint

C. somewhere in Japan              D. a word standing for a car-dealer store