Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she was really a witch.

They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take a flight. Suddenly, the old lady’s work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen—a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on the top of the haystack.

The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled (蹣跚) off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof—the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.

There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.

“We have to go and help her,”whispered Amy.

“What if it is a trick?”replied Ben.

“Don’t be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already,”reasoned Meg.“Come on, Amy! Let’s go.”The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.

Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady’s face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken.“Go and get Dad,”Amy yelled at her brother.“Tell him about the accident.”

The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.

1.Why were the children hiding in the tree?

A. Because they wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely.

B. Because they were playing a hide-and-seek game.

C. Because they wanted to find out if the rumors about Mrs. Tailor were true.

D. Because they were pretending to be spies.

2.Mrs. Tailor stopped sweeping when __________.

A. her front steps were clean

B. she noticed the children in the tree

C. she was ready to take a flight

D. she heard the hen cackling

3.Ben did not rush into helping Mrs. Tailor because _________.

A. he thought that she could be tricking them

B. he knew that they could not have been in the tree

C. he did not see the old lady fall down

D. he was afraid of the three-legged cat

Generational differences and the economy are shifting more responsibilities for children from their parents to grandparents, according to a new survey.

More than one-third of grandparents aged 50 and older contribute financially to their grandchildren’s upbringing, and 11 percent have a grandchild living with them, the poll by AARP showed.

40 percent of people who responded to the telephone survey, whose average age was 69, reported spending more than ＄500 on grandchildren over the past year beyond traditional gifts. Education costs accounted for about 50 percent, daily expenses for about 32 percent and medical and dental costs for about 18 percent.16 percent provided daycare for grandchildren.

“They are the safety nets for American families, helping to pay for practical expenses and necessities,”said Amy Goyer, AARP’s multigenerational and family issues (問(wèn)題) expert.

“We see many providing daycare services, while growing numbers even have grandchildren living with them,”she said, referring to the 16 percent who watch their grandchildren while the parents are at work or at school.

Overall, nearly 90 percent of the 1,904 grandparents questioned said they play a very or somewhat important role in their grandchildren’s lives, and about 70 percent live within 50 miles of the closest one.

The poll conducted by Woelfel Research Inc. also showed that grandparents increasingly adapted to the younger generation’s life issues and preferred ways of communicating.

More than one-third connect with their grandchildren via email, Skype or text messaging, while half said they routinely discuss topics ranging from values to drug and alcohol use.

Nearly 40 percent said they had discussed dating or sex with at least one grandchild. About 60 percent said they spoke with their grandchildren at least once a week.

Most of the grandparents said they had five or more grandchildren, while one-fourth said they have grandchildren of a different race, mixed race or different ethnicity.

1.According to Paragraph 3, what did the spending of over ＄500 last year NOT involve?

A. Traditional gifts.

B. Education cost.

C. Daily expenses.

D. Medical and dental costs.

2.When do the 16% of the grandparents polled take care of their grandchildren?

A. When the parents are retired.

B. When the parents are working or buying gifts.

C. When the parents are at work or at school.

D. When there are three generations in the family.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

A. One-third of grandparents aged 50 and older assist in bringing up their grandchildren.

B. The grandparents surveyed offered nets to their grandchildren.

C. Many grandparents polled said they play an important role in their grandchildren’s lives.

D. A majority of the grandparents surveyed said they had five or more grandchildren.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. American grandparents are more responsible for grandchildren

B. Woelfel Research Inc. and AARP

C. Generational differences and the present economy

D. Grandparents and their grandchildren

Some people believe that greed and selfishness has become the basis of modern society, and we should return to the old traditions of family and community then we will have a better life. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above opinion?

In this fast-paced world, many values are undergoing major changes. While people

traditionally prioritize caring, sharing and generosity in life and work, modern people seem to be more self-absorbed and self-concerned.

Modern people act selfishly to survive the harsh competition of life. They say that it is a jungle out there. To survive, you have to fight with whatever means that come handy. Obviously greedy and selfishness go perfectly well with such ideas. In a company, employees do everything they can to get better pay and higher position, even at the cost of colleagues. We are in any way advocating any selfish conduct. It is just that people are pressured to act in a certain way due to outside influences.

In spite of common practice, it is hard to conclude that modern society is built on greed and selfishness, both of which are not newly invented vocabulary. In ancient times people also did greedy and selfish things though such behaviors were more condemned then. But we can not ignore the fact that people in the past lived a relatively more isolated life and faced less pressure compared with their modern counterparts.

Are we happier to share with others and be generous to them? There is no fixed answer either. Some people take great pleasure helping and giving to others while others feel happy doing the opposite. But I personally think that people should not be too selfish. Caring for others can actually encourage the development of a mutually beneficial relationship.

In conclusion, modern people appear to be more self-centered than those in the past due to strong outside pressure. However, we should encourage people to know the importance of being caring and generous and build a mutually beneficial relationship with others.

Are Modern People Becoming More Selfish?

1.A lazy man would never ________(完成)anything.

2.Anyone breaking the law will be________(嚴(yán)厲地)punished.

3.John’s always __________ (取笑) me about my accent.

4.If you __________ (行為) like that, you’ll get yourself disliked.

5.A____________ a good knowledge of English is a must for the students who want to go abroad.

6.During the national holiday, most of the tourist spots are c____________.

7.Even if you complete your training, you aren't g ____________ a job.

8.It is high time that we ____________(主張，提倡) solving international conflicts by negotiation, instead of appealing to arms.

9.The girl who was g__________ at singing was admitted into a music school.

10.Trees a_______ the carbon dioxide in the air to produce oxygen.

1.他沒(méi)能使自己適應(yīng)新的環(huán)境。

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2.他把自己的一生都投入到了教育事業(yè)之中。

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3.父母應(yīng)該設(shè)法勸阻子女抽煙。(discourage)

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4.我要做的事就是上學(xué)，以及回家后再學(xué)習(xí)幾個(gè)小時(shí)。

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5.我不想領(lǐng)養(yǎng)別人的孩子，如果我有這個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，我會(huì)立即要一個(gè)克隆嬰兒。

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一年一度的校園文化節(jié)又拉開(kāi)了序幕，但今年學(xué)生卻沒(méi)有表現(xiàn)出像往年的興趣和熱情面對(duì)這一現(xiàn)象，有人提出校園文化節(jié)還要不要舉辦的問(wèn)題，這引起了同學(xué)們的討論。上周末你班也進(jìn)行了一場(chǎng)討論。請(qǐng)你根據(jù)下面表格所提供的內(nèi)容將討論結(jié)果做一總結(jié)并發(fā)表自己的觀點(diǎn)，字?jǐn)?shù)150左右。

注意：1. 行文連貫，內(nèi)容完整；2. 題目和開(kāi)頭語(yǔ)已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)3. 總詞數(shù)150左右。

To be continued or not?

The annual campus cultural festival has drawn back its curtain again, but this year students did not show their great interest and passion for it as before. Therefore a discussion has been put forward whether it is necessary to hold the campus cultural festival again.

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He will be in charge of the company, for he has rich experience in business.

A. the ; 不填 B. 不填；不填

C. the ; a D. 不填 ; a

The little child didn’t understand the question so there was a expression on his face.

A. puzzling; puzzled B. puzzled; puzzled

C. puzzling; puzzling D. puzzled; puzzling

He was educated at the local high school, ________he went on to Beijing University.

A. after which B. after that

C. in which D. in that

She didn’t have the ________ to walk any further, because she had walked for a long distance.

A. energy B. power C. strength D. support