Five people are at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes.

First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He’s told us a great deal about the city to which they are going.

Then there is “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.

Then there is a man I don’t care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.

The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children’s various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India.

1.What can we know about Mr. Stone?

A． He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit.

B．He is going to give up his work.

C．He has been retired for many years.

D．He is a doctor in the army now

2.Who lives in India?

A．Mrs. Hunt         B．Grandmother       C．The doctor        D．Mr. Hunt

3.The writer calls the second person “Grandmother”because _____.

A. She looks old.           B. he can’t think of her name

C. She has three daughters  D he respects her

4.The underlined phrase“on leave”in Paragragh 4 probably means _____.

A．leaving           B．at home           C．about to leave      D．on vacation

 

For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?
Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.
To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause ( our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.
This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them. 
“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards.
【小题1】According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______.

A．they may lose interest in their work

B．they may appear to be well-behaved

C．they may change to another person

D．the results will be worse than usual

【小题2】What can we know from Paragraph 3?

A．Parents should promote certain ideas to help children develop.

B．Children should be responsible for their discipline.

C．Children should help build a good family atmosphere.

D．No children will adapt to society without their parents’ help

【小题3】 The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.

A．rewards

B．aims

C．apologies

D．doubts

【小题4】According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.

A．never pay attention to the way their children do things

B．show their children how to behave by example

C．never punish their children

D．help their children establish good values

【小题5】What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Do you often reward your children?

B．Should parents reward their children?

C．When should parents reward their children?

D．What can parents reward their children with?

This recently-released documentary(纪录片)had some fantastic footage(镜头) in it, and a very personal look at many of the astronauts who went to the moon. Overall, that is a very exclusive(独特的) club; only about a dozen men ever did it in the history of the world and just eight or nine ever stepped foot on it. Most of them are still alive and they discuss their adventures, insights and personal feelings here.

One gets the feeling that the rest of us will never know exactly how beautiful the moon is except to take the astronauts’s words about it, because even the pictures on this DVD can’t convey that.

Since this documentary is about 100 minutes long, you get a lot of information. You also get reminded how close two of the three men who went up on that historic first walk on the moon almost didn’t get home alive.

An absence in this documentary is the most famous astronaut of them all: Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon! Apparently, he did not want to be part of this film. One of the astronauts mentions something briefly about Armstrong being somewhat of a “recluse(隐居者)” now and it “being understandable with what he’s gone through”. From what I’ve read, a lot of people have tried to make money off him in shady ways and so now he’s withdrawn(退出) from the public spotlight.

This film, a legacy to the Apollo program and the brave men who ran it, should be in every schoolroom. It would make history more interesting to students.

1.What can we know from the passage?

A．One of the astronauts talks about how beautiful the moon is.

B．Two of the three men who went to the moon lost their lives.

C．The documentary would make more students interested in history.

D．The astronauts talk about their adventures, insights and excitement.

2.How many astronauts first flew to the moon?

A．1                B．2                C．3.               D．4

3.Why was Armstrong absent from the film?

A．Because he didn’t like to show in public.

B．Because he has been tired of astronaut’s life.

C．Because someone wanted to make money off him.

D．Because he thought what he did was nothing to mention.

4.What made Armstrong famous around the world?

A．That he came back safely to the earth alive.

B．That he became an astronaut.

C．That he first stepped on the moon.

D．That he walked on the moon for 100 minutes.

 

In the computer age, most of us take a broadband（宽带）Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.

There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.

Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.

But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.

Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.

Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.

1.The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.

A．a rare challenge    B．a desirable plan     C．an efficient device   D．a hidden problem

2.What can we know from the third paragraph?

A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.

B．Internet service providers care about rural（农村的）customers.

C．Computer is popular in developing countries.

D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.

3.Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.

A．make TV and telephone available everywhere

B．bring great change to people’s everyday life

C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet

D．bring faster Internet connections to users

4.What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?

A．The broadband connection’s getting faster.

B．More and more Internet users.

C．more and more Internet connections.

D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology.

 

Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.

The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.

She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”

Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.

In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.

The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.

1.What is the text mainly about?

A. Parents who are a child’s first teachers.

B. A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered.

C. A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life.

D. A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers.

2.Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.

A. help homeless young mothers become good parents

B. provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter

C. help mothers in New York be good parents

D. teach some parents how to love their children

3.What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?

A. She has a mother of five and a grandmother.

B. She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged.

C. She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers.

D. She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House.

4.According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?

  A. Canada    

B. the United States of America   

C. Mexico    

D. Britain