More than one million children in the United States do not go to school. Instead, they learn at home. Most often, their parents are their teachers. Educational companies, libraries and the Internet provide many families with teaching materials.

    Parents choose home schooling for several reasons. Some choose it because of their religious beliefs. Others say it provides more time for the family to be together. They say the home offers a better place for learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids learning. Some parents believe home schooling avoids problems of national schools. Critics, however, say children need to attend school with other children.

    All fifty American states and the District of Columbia permit home schooling. Some states do not require much preparation by parents or testing of children. Other states have more requirements for home schooling. Home schooling in the United States began when the country was established. In farm areas, people often lived far from a school. Widespread home schooling took place until about the middle of the nineteenth century. Then, in 1852, the state of Massachusetts passed the first law requiring children to attend school.

    Over the years, the American public education system strengthened and grew. By the 1960s and 1970s, however, some Americans believed that traditional education was not helping their children. So a number of parents began home schooling.

    Home schooling expert Linda Dobson says many people have helped the movement grow. She says many kinds of people have joined the movement. These include rich people and poor people. They represent many races, religions and political beliefs. Ms. Dobson says the number of home-schooled children has increased an estimated fifteen to twenty percent each year during the last fifteen years.

Teaching materials for home schooling do NOT come from _______.

   A. parents                                  B. libraries       

C. the Internet                            D. educational companies

Which of the following is one of the reasons why parents choose home schooling?

A. it makes parents and their children have less time together.

  B. Some people have different religious beliefs from the others.

   C. It can’t provide a comfortable place for children to be in.

   D. There are too many students in a home classroom.

Home schooling was started in ________.

   A. the 1960s                 B. the 1970s       C. the 1850s          D. the 1776

Home schooling in the United States now is __________.

   A. facing many difficulties             B. struggling

   C. growing fast                      D. decreasing in large numbers 

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple. The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

       The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

       In nutrition(营养) it was all good news too. This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

       Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market.

60. We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ______.

   A. green outside and sweet inside

   B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside

   D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

61. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.

   B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.

   D. It was used as medicine.

62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something ______.

   A. that people enjoy eating             B. that is always present

   CV. that is difficult to get               D. that people use as a gift

63. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte ______.

   A. allowed other companies to develop pineapples

   B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

    More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple (菠萝). The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

    The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

    In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

    Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out the market.

    介绍一种产于夏威夷的可口的、营养丰富的菠萝。

60. We learn from the text that the new type at pineapple is __________.

   A. green outside and sweet inside

   B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside

   D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

61. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.

   B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.

   D. It was used as medicine.

62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.

   A. that people enjoy eating         B. that is always present

   C. that is difficult to get            D. that people use as a gift

63. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.

   A. slowed other companies to develop pineapples

   B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies

More than three years after moving from Australia to this remote part of England, we are still learning how things are done here.

　　Not too long after we arrived and unpacked, we were invited for “a drink on Sunday morning” by a retired couple nearby. We got there about noon, to find the living-room crowded — lots of chat and discussions, and in all a very jolly occasion.

　　Trouble was, there was no food — no self-respecting Australian would regard a tray of crisps as food. In Sydney, when you are invited for a drink any time after midday on a Sunday, you know you will be fed as well as watered and you plan accordingly. Meaning the hardworked little woman makes no plans to cook lunch because you are eating out.

　　By one-fifteen my stomach was sending up “please explain” to me. Even the crisps had gone. There was nothing we could do except wait, and wonder if the hostess was going to perform some magic and feed us fashionably late. Then, as quickly as if word had spread that there was free beer at the local pub, the room emptied. By one-forty-five there were only a few guests left, so we decided to go home. Tinned soup for lunch that day because the little woman was not really interested in real cooking for us.

　　A few weeks ago we were invited out for “supper” and the hostess suggested 8:15. Ah, we thought greedily, “this is going to be the real thing.”

　　We dressed with some care — I putting on a dark suit — and arrived on time. My wife looked pretty good, I thought, a little black dress and so on. But when we walked in I had a terrible feeling we had got the night wrong because the hostess was dressed in a daytime kind of way and the husband was in jeans and an open-neck shirt. But no, we were greeted and shown into the sitting-room.

　　After a drink I looked around and saw that this was indeed a superior cottage because it had a (more or less) separate dining-room. But there were no signs of a table-setting. Not again! I thought. Were we meant to eat before we came? I decided that in future my wife and I would always carry a chocolate bar. About 9:28 our hostess went out of the room, saying something about food. Ten minutes later she returned and asked us to follow. We were led out to the kitchen. There on the table were country style plates and a huge bowl of soup, rough bread and all the makings of a simple meal. And that is what it was. In other words we had not read the signals right when we were invited for “supper”. If they want you to come to dinner, they say so, and you know that means dark suits and so on. If they mean supper, they say it, and you get fed in the kitchen.

When the author and his wife were invited out for “a drink on Sunday morning”, they thought _______.

       A. they would be the only people there

       B. they would be given lunch as well

       C. they would be taken to a restaurant for lunch

       D. they would be asked to take some food with them

The “party” had been going on for about an hour and three quarters when _________.

       A. the hostess decided to feed her guests      B. everyone had tinned soup for lunch

       C. most of the guests went to lunch at the pub     D. the author realized he would go home hungry

When invited out for “supper” a few weeks later, the writer _________.

       A. expected to be served a proper dinner

       B. arrived on the wrong evening

       C. interpreted the invitation correctly this time

       D. realized there was no dining-room in the cottage

As the evening went on, the writer became aware that _________.

       A. no one used their dining-rooms in the countryside

       B. he should have had a meal before going out

       C. “supper” meant a simple, informal meal

　    D. he should, in future, eat only chocolate in the evening

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple (菠萝). The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within. Then in 1966, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves.

    The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green. It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside. But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known. In no time, the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety, and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth, up until then only found in tinned pineapple.

    In nutrition (营养) it was all good news too. This nice tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(维生素C) than the old green variety. Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins, but also good against some diseases. People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit. The new type of pineapple was selling fast, and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater.

    Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep market to itself. But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help, but failed. Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out the market.

60. We learn from the text that the new type at pineapple is __________.

   A. green outside and sweet inside                     B. good-looking outside and soft inside

   C. yellowy-gold outside and hard inside            D. a little soft outside and sweet inside

61. Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

   A. It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice.         B. It was less sweet and good for health.

   C. It was developed by Del Monte.                  D. It was used as medicine.

62. The underlined word “fixture” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something _________.

   A. that people enjoy eating                              B. that is always present

   C. that is difficult to get                                 D. that people use as a gift

63. We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte _________.

   A. slowed other companies to develop pineapples

   B. succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

   C. tried hard to control the pineapple market

   D. planned to help the other companies