It was shortly before midnight, and Dr Patricia was getting ready for bed. The phone rang on the end of the line was a woman about to break a promise.

The woman was her mother’s neighbor. Flora Harris had made the neighbor swear she wouldn’t tell her daughter she’d had a heart attack and was in the hospital, for fear her daughter would worry. The neighbor wisely decided to disobey orders.

Harris desperately wanted to get to the hospital immediately, but she couldn’t. She lives in Washington, D. C, and her mother lives in California.

For the past year a half, Harris has gone to Los Angeles every other month to take care of her mother. Flora Harris takes care of her husband, James, who’s 91 and has Alzheimer’s disease. They live in their own home, and a caregiver comes to help them a few hours a day.

Harris is one of many Americans facing the heartache of how to take care of aging parents from afar. She’s often worried, not to mention exrtemely busy with a demanding job, two teenage daughters and the frequent trips to California.

In some ways, Harris is lucky. She has the resources to make the trips to Los Angeles. Plus, Harris is a doctor who treats the elderly.

“But it’s still tough,” she says. “I can foresee what the next few years are going to look like, and it’s not a pretty picture. My father’s going to need diapers (尿布). There will come a time when he won’t recognize me and he’s easily excited. I worry he’s going to be violent and hurt my mother.”

So what do you do when you live a continent away from your aging, sick parents? There are no magic answers. You can hire someone to help, but you can’t oursource it completely.

1.Why was the woman thought to have broken a promise?

A．She failed to take care of Flora.

B．She was not supposed to call Harris at midnight.

C．She couldn’t go to hospital on time.

D．She told Harris about her mother’s illness.

2.What can we learn about Patricia Harris from the passage?

A．She thinks it harder to look after her parents the next few years.

B．Her parents cannot take of themselves at all.

C．She cannot do a demanding job.

D．She cannot afford to go to California often.

3.What does the underlined word “outsource” in the last paragragh mean?

A．Arrange somebody outside to do a job.

B．Work something out by oneself.

C．Speak something out for help.

D．Understand something.

4.What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Aging people in the USA are increasing.

B．The rate of heart disease is high in America.

C．It is difficult to tend aging parents from afar.

D．Harris advises on tending aging parents from afar.

 

The Luck of the Irish

    Look at a map of Britain, and the island on the left is Ireland. It’s a small but beautiful country with a long tradition of folk music. Up until 10 years ago just about the only thing that Ireland was famous for was its specialty black beer.

   Now Ireland is famous around the world for its music with names like "Kenya","U2" ,"Van Morrison"and more recently "the Corers". "Boyzone",one of the world's top boy bands ,is from Ireland too.What's more,Boyzone member shane has twin sisters,Adele and Heavy,who are members of "B Witched"

   The "Boyzone"story is interesting because they were created in 1993 by Dublin nightclub owner John Reynolds.They advertised in newspapers to find members for the group and 300wannabe pop stars applied!

    Ronan,who was just 17 when he dropped out of school to make his bid for stardom,and shane,who had been working as trained mechanic in his father's garage when he left to join Boyzone,were both lucky enough to be chosen. The other members are shoe-shop attendant stephen lately,former mechanic Mike Graham and one-time clothes store assistant Keith Dully.

   Many people expect bands that have been created by the music industry to produce boring music which doesn't become popular. Even the boys themselves knew they the would not easily achieve international pop music success.

    Boyzone quickly proved that they were more than just pretty faces and have sold millions of records around the world.At the moment ,they are not big stars in America,but they say that will change,when they begin a tour of the United States.

    Ronan will shortly also start recording as a solo artist. That does not mean the band will spilt yet,but we can expect Boyzone to split sometime in the next 18 months or so.Ronan has also recently become involved as one of the managers of new Irish boy band "West Life" whose song "Swear It Again"has recently been Number 1 in the British charts.

1.Ireland is famous for         now.

    A．its black beer                       B．its long tradition

    C．popular music                        D．its scenery

2.The words “wannabe pop stars” in the third paragraph mean       .

    A．the pops who want to join the band

    B．the persons who want to become pop stars

    C．the pop stars who want to become more popular

    D．the persons who want to be as famous as they are

3.Boy zone was formed by       members in 1993.

    A．3                B．4                C．5                D．6

4.Acording to the passage, we know that         .

    A．Boy zone will split some day

    B．Boy zone was successful because it was created by music industry

    C．The boys in Boy zone were certain that they would be famous one day

    D．Boy zone are going to perform in the States for Americans love them very much

 

My son. The phrase felt difficult and strange the first time I said it, and I had to practice it a thousand times． I started saying the words to myself the day when the ultrasound told me we were having a baby．
Finally, my son was born.
The nurse came out of the delivery room, holding a tiny, howling human being wrapped in a white sheet, his small hands and delicate fingers shaking nervously. “Baby Sanchez?” she asked, looking at the room full of expectant fathers.
I stood up, holding my breath． She showed me my baby． “My son,” I whispered. The little guy screamed, “waaaaaaaaaah.”
But in my heart I heard him cry out, “Daaaaaaad!” I don’t care if everyone in the room will swear they didn’t hear my baby say that. I called him, “My son,” and he called me “Dad,” and that’s that.
People ask me, “What did you feel at that moment?” I can’t even begin to answer. I’m a writer yet I try hard to find the right words. Joyful isn’t powerful enough. Bliss(狂喜) is not sweet enough. Peaceful isn’t calm enough. Happy isn’t tense enough.
After my son was taken away to the nursery, I sat down and shut my eyes. But tears escaped them away. Then out of the blue, my 80-year-old father entered, and we embraced.
“Dad,” I whispered.
“My son,” my heart heard him saying.
Suddenly the past 33 years folded into the present and I was now the baby bundled in white, with my father standing over me.
“My son,” I imagined him saying.
“Daaaaaaaaaad!” I cried my little lungs out.
At that point, I knew I was going to be a great father. The old man in front of me seemed to agree. He smiled and we walked out of the room in search of the tiny human being that would change our lives for ever.
【小题1】Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．His son called him “Dad” when the writer called him “My son”．

B．All the people didn’t hear the baby say except the writer．

C．Sanchez is the writer’s family name．

D．The baby was taken away because the nurse found there was a mistake．

【小题2】The author couldn’t tell how he felt at the moment because ________．

A．he was a writer

B．he was too excited

C．he was too nervous

D．it’s a feeling too complex to express

【小题3】We can learn the following from the passage EXCEPT that ________．

A．the author got his first baby

B．he probably had a lung disease

C．the author didn’t really hear “Daaaaad” from his baby

D．the baby would change the author’s life

【小题4】Why was the writer sure he was going to be a great father?

A．Because his son is so gifted．

B．Because he had much experience in bringing up children．

C．Because his father promised to help him．

D．Because his father had already set him a good example．

It was shortly before midnight, and Dr Patricia was getting ready for bed. The phone rang on the end of the line was a woman about to break a promise.

The woman was her mother’s neighbor. Flora Harris had made the neighbor swear she wouldn’t tell her daughter she’d had a heart attack and was in the hospital, for fear her daughter would worry. The neighbor wisely decided to disobey orders.

Harris desperately wanted to get to the hospital immediately, but she couldn’t. She lives in Washington, D. C, and her mother lives in California.

For the past year a half, Harris has gone to Los Angeles every other month to take care of her mother. Flora Harris takes care of her husband, James, who’s 91 and has Alzheimer’s disease. They live in their own home, and a caregiver comes to help them a few hours a day.

Harris is one of many Americans facing the heartache of how to take care of aging parents from afar. She’s often worried, not to mention exrtemely busy with a demanding job, two teenage daughters and the frequent trips to California.

In some ways, Harris is lucky. She has the resources to make the trips to Los Angeles. Plus, Harris is a doctor who treats the elderly.

“But it’s still tough,” she says. “I can foresee what the next few years are going to look like, and it’s not a pretty picture. My father’s going to need diapers (尿布). There will come a time when he won’t recognize me and he’s easily excited. I worry he’s going to be violent and hurt my mother.”

So what do you do when you live a continent away from your aging, sick parents? There are no magic answers. You can hire someone to help, but you can’t oursource it completely.

Why was the woman thought to have broken a promise?

A.She failed to take care of Flora.

B.She was not supposed to call Harris at midnight.

C.She couldn’t go to hospital on time.

D.She told Harris about her mother’s illness.

What can we learn about Patricia Harris from the passage?

A.She thinks it harder to look after her parents the next few years.

B.Her parents cannot take of themselves at all.

C.She cannot do a demanding job.

D.She cannot afford to go to California often.

What does the underlined word “outsource” in the last paragragh mean?

A.Arrange somebody outside to do a job.

B.Work something out by oneself.

C.Speak something out for help.

D.Understand something.

What’s the main idea of this passage?

A.Aging people in the USA are increasing.

B.The rate of heart disease is high in America.

C.It is difficult to tend aging parents from afar.

D.Harris advises on tending aging parents from afar.

Filled with anger, he didn’t shout or swear, but just ________ silently at me.

  A. looked           B. stared          C. glared             D. glanced