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 passage mainly talk about?

词汇基础：根据首字母，中文意思提示和所给单词适当形式填空，并把【答案】填写在答题卷相应的位置上。（共10个小题，每小题1.5分, 满分15分）
【小题1】The coming typhoon will have a strong e　　　   on coastal areas.?
【小题2】Qi Baishi is known as a great a　　　   .?
【小题3】He e　　　     the importance of careful driving.?
【小题4】They drew a c　　　    after a discussion.?
【小题5】The plane crashed into the sea, and there were no s__________.
【小题6】Every child is ___________    (独特的,唯一的) to their parents?.?
【小题7】Professor Li was very ____________ (失望的) with his son.?
【小题8】Her rapid progress in English was___________ (令人惊讶的?).
【小题9】When you write a composition, you had better use your__________(想像力).?
【小题10】The boy is more ___________ (聪明) than he looks.

第二部分 阅读（共两节，满分80分）
第一节：阅读理解（共35小题；每小题2分，满分70分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
　　August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.
　　You might think that I don’t want to spend my summer reading, but that’s not the problem: I love reading. On the first day of my summer holidays this year, I went to the library and got “A Gathering of Old Men” by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to and spend about 30 minutes every day with the morning paper. So why do I hate summer reading for school? Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting. Teachers and librarians don’t understand that summer reading can be entertaining as well as educational. They choose books that a friend of my mother’s calls “spinach books”: good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.
　　This bitterness started three years ago when I was about to begin high school. As preparation, my English teacher told me to read “The Age of Innocence” by American author Edith Wharton. I’m sure there are many people who enjoyed “The Age of Innocence” — some might even say it’s their favorite book.
　　But I don’t think any of these people read it as a 14-year-old boy on his summer vacation.
　　“The Age of Innocence” is the story of a forbidden romance in New York 100 years ago. At 14, my only experience with romance was my love for baseball. I couldn’t imagine being in love, much less being in love in 1900. “The Age of Innocence” was totally different to my life.
　　Most of my required summer reading has been like that — books written in a style that plays up the adjectives and plays down the verbs. I guess teachers don’t think exciting plots make for “good literature”. To me, though, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.
　　If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” by George V. Higgins, “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe, and “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value but, just as important, can also entertain kids on vacation. If the teachers could stand a little fun in the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable.
1. The author thinks he will have a difficult August because ____________.
A. he doesn’t like reading in summer vacation
B. he is to read the books boring and not right for kids
C. he hates the English teacher assigning homework
D. he hates August
2. What can make students interested in August reading ought to be ___________.
A. romantic                                                      B. out of date
C. entertaining and educational                            D. pure
3. The author listed such books as “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” because he thinks __________.
A. they can change his opinion                            B. he can learn a lot more from them
C. they are of literary value, and enjoyable    D. he has to do as teachers tell him to
4. In the opinion of the author of this passage, a good writer should be ___________.
A. one who describes events and characters in different ways
B. one who is full of imagination         
C. one who is learned
D. one who uses a way of describing that makes the reader wish to know what to happen next
5. Which of the following could be the best title of this passage?
A. Why Can’t Teachers Set Us Fun Books?
B. I Don’t Like Reading on the Vacation
C. Teachers, Don’t Set Us Any Reading Assignments
D. Teachers, Set Us Free

       Could you imagine your parents choosing your husband or wife for you? And can you imagine not setting eyes on him or her until your wedding day? This situation is common in India, the Middle East and many parts of Africa．Marriage customs around the world often differ from our own．We don’t realize that people in other places often get married in very different ways and with different motives．

       In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．A marriage provides a safe and stable home for the husband and wife．It also joins two families, which benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．Marriage also brings children, making sure the couple will be taken care of in old age．Because a marriage is important for the whole family, some cultures don’t let young people choose whom to marry．

       Just as there are many different reasons for marriage, there are also many different wedding rituals．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the happy couple．In a typical Western wedding, the bride seeks good luck by wearing “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”．Something old represents the past．Something new represents success in the future．Something borrowed reminds the bride she can get help from her friends and family．And something blue reminds her to be true to her husband．

       In Poland, one wedding tradition is not only lucky, but also very practical．The wedding guests pin money to the bride’s dress while she is dancing．The money is meant to bring luck and to help the young couple build their new life．In Bermuda, the young couple plants a tree in the yard of their new home．Once they move in, they take good care of the tree and make it grow．The planting of the tree is a good metaphor（比喻） for marriage．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．

Which of the following statements does NOT support the idea that marriage is a practical matter?

       A．The couple may have a safe home through their marriage．

       B．The parents had better help their children choose whom to marry．

       C．A marriage benefits the couple’s parents and makes them happy．

       D．A marriage brings children who will take care of the couple when they are old．

The underlined word “rituals” （Para．3） means 　　　．

       A．forms　   B．customs   C．traditions　      D．ceremonies

Although cultures differ in different countries, one thing in common when a young couple gets married is that 　　　．

       A．people wish them to take care of each other

       B．people wish them to get practical benefits from the marriage

       C．people wish them to have good luck in their new life

       D．people wish them to make money at the wedding ceremony

Which of the following statements best summarizes（总结） the subject of this passage?

       A．People across the world get married in different ways and for different reasons．

       B．Every culture has its own ways of bringing good luck to the young couple．

       C．A truly good marriage is something that grows with care．

       D．In many countries, marriage is a practical matter．

What an exciting day it was for Jennifer and Valerie! They　26　　friends since Grade Three and had  27　many of their high school experiences. Now they were driving together to their final high school event. Today was　28　day at Laman High School.　 29　they were close friends, they were different in many ways. Jennifer was a fairly　30　　student while Valerie did just enough to get by and was mainly　31　　in a good social life.

"Isn't it　32　　that we're all finished?" said Valerie. "I'm really looking forward to having a　33　　time this summer."

"　 34　　be nice,"　Jennifer replied. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to work most of the summer to help pay for my college expenses. "

Jennifer's parents had only a small　35　　and she had made up her mind to have a career in which he could　36　　all the things her　37　　could not.

Valerie,　 38　　, came firm a fairly wealthy family. She had little desire to work hard for　　39　　she had always taken for granted.

"I really don't want to go to college for a while," she　40　 . "My uncle　41 a restaurant in the Bahamas and he has　42　　me to spend a year there　43　　a waitress. That should give me plenty of　44　　for the beach. "

"It seems　45　　will really be going different ways now," thought Jennifer.

1.A.has been　　     B. were　C. had been　　　         D. would be

2.A.learned　　　    B. obtained　 C. remembered　　    D. shared

3.A.exam　　　　    B. sports　　   C. graduatioD. working

4.A.If　　　　　    B. Because　　   C. Although　　　 D. When

5.A.diligent　　        B. polite　　 C. active　　　　    D. favorite

6.A.specialized　       B. relievedC. envied　  D. interested

7.A.certain　　　       B. great　　　  C. unfortunate  　　    D. annoying

8.A.nice　　　　    B. high         C. bad　　　　　　  D. happy

9.A.Can　　　　　   B. Shall　　　  C. Must　　　　　   D. Need

10.A.income　　　   B. problem  　  C. family　　　　   D. difference

11.A .afford　　　      B. give　　　   C. support　　  　　    D. send

12.A .teachers　    B. parents　　  C. friends　　　 　 D. relatives

13.A.in fact　　　B. in a way  C. as a result　       D.on the contrary

14.A.what　　　         B. whom　　　   C. that　　　　　   D. these

15.A.admitted　B. complain　    C. proposed　　　   D. screamed

16.A.opens　　  B. runs　　　   C. works　　　　        D. makes

17.A.helped　　B. assured　　   C. invited　　　　      D. promised

18.A.on　　　　　   B. do　　　　   C. like　　　　         D. as

19.A.peace　　　　  B. work　　　   C. energy　　　         D. time

20.A.I　　　　　　  B. we　　　　   C. she　　　　　        D. they