话题 2家庭、朋友与周围的人

朗声英语话题2 家庭、朋友与周围的人 Family, friends and people around 第一篇Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”At fourteen, I was hit by a car and doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school walking on my own!When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mothers words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you. (NMET 2007 江苏)71. What Kemmons mom often told him during his childhood was _. A. caringB. movingC. encouragingD. interesting72. According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again? A. Doctors.B. Nurses.C. Friends.D. Mom.73. What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself? A. His terrible experience in the hotel. B. His previous business success of various levels. C. His moms support. D. His wifes suggestion.74. Which of the following best describes Kemmons mother? A. Modest, helpful, and hard-working. B. Loving, supportive and strong-willed. C. Careful, helpful and beautiful. D. Strict, sensitive and supportive.75. Which of the following led to Kemmons success according to the passage? A. Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family. B. Moms encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work. C. Clear goals, moms encouragement, a poor family and higher education. D. Moms encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities. 第二篇When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate（照亮）me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share. When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Lets start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped. When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other. For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the others dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell.”We have never met.It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist（心理学家），who will only fill up the healing（愈合的）silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend. (NMET 2008北京)66. In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to _.A. become serious about her studyB. go to her friends house regularlyC. learn from her classmates at schoolD. share poems and stories with her friend67. In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means _.A. our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of usB. we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from LondonC. our unpleasant feeling about London disappearedD. we parted with each other in London68. According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend _.A. call each other regularlyB. have similar personalitiesC. enjoy writing to each otherD. dream of meeting each other69. In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to _.A. seek professional helpB. be left aloneC. stay with her best friend D. break the silence70. What is the best title for the passage?A. Unforgettable ExperiencesB. Remarkable ImaginationC. Lifelong FriendshipD. Noble Companions 第三篇 Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. “Its a well-known pattern,” said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigans Institute for Social Research. “Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework.” He points out that differences among households（家庭）exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. “And the situation gets worse for women when they have children,” Stafford said. Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005. Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most - about 21 hours a week. Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men. Having children increases housework even further. With more than three children, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands 10 hours. （NMET 2009全国II B篇）45. According to the “well-known pattern” in Paragraph 1, a married man _. A. takes on heavier work B. does more housework C. is the main breadwinner D. is the master of the house 46. How many hours of housework did men do every week in the 1970s? A. About 23. B. About 26. C. About 13. D. About 6. 47. What kind of man is doing most housework according to the text? A. An unmarried man. B. An older married man. C. A younger married man. D. A married man with children. 48. What can we conclude from Staffords research? A. Marriage gives men more freedom. B. Marriage has effects on job choices. C. Housework sharing changes over time. D. Having children means doubled housework. 第四篇In the kitchen of my mothers houses there has always been a wooden stand（木架）with a small notepad（记事本）and a hole for a pencil.Im looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it cant be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.“Im just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years.” I say to her, walking back into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Cant you afford a pen?”My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. Ive always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days.”Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”This storywhich happened before I was bornreminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some pencilled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible（看不到的）exhibits at every meal. (NMET 2010 天津)46. Why has the authors mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen? A. To leave messages. B. To list her everyday tasks. C. To note down maths problems. D. To write down a flash of inspiration.47. What is the authors original opinion about the wooden stand?A. It has great value for the family.B. It needs to be replaced by a better one.C. It brings her back to her lonely childhood.D. It should be passed on to the next generation.48. The author feels embarrassed for . A. blaming her mother wronglyB. giving her mother a lot of troubleC. not making good use of time as her mother didD. not making any breakthrough in her field49. What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A .The mother is successful in her career.B. The family members like traveling.C. The author had little time to play when young.D. The marks on the breadboard have disappeared.50. In the authors mind, her mother is .A. strange in behaviorB. keen on her researchC. fond of collecting old thingsD. careless about her appearance 第五篇My father was 44 and knew he wasnt going to make it to 45. He wrote me a letter and hoped that something in it would help me for the rest of my life. Since the day I was 12 and first read his letter, some of his words have lived in my heart. One part always stands out. “Right now, you are pretending to be a time killer. But I know that one day, you will do something great that will set you among the very best.” Knowing that my dad believed in me gave me permission to believe in myself. “You will do something great.” He didnt know what would be, and neither did I, but at times in my life when Ive felt proud of myself, I remember his words and wish he were here so I could ask, “Is this what you were talking about, Dad? Should I keep going?” A long way from 12 now, I realize he would have been proud when I made any progress. Lately, though, Ive come to believe hed want me to move on to what comes next: to be proud of, and believe in, somebody else. Its time to start writing my own letters to my children. Our children look to us with the same unanswered question we had. Our kids dont hold back because theyre afraid to fail. Theyre only afraid of failing us. They dont worry about being disappointed. Their fearas mine was until my fathers letteris of being a disappointment. Give your children permission to succeed. Theyre waiting for you to believe in them. I always knew my parents loved me. But trust me: That belief will be more complete, that love will be more real, and their belief in themselves will be greater if you write the words on their hearts: “Dont worry; youll do something great.” Not having that blessing from their parents may be the only thing holding them back. (NMET 2010 安徽)68. We learn from the text that the author _.A. lost his father when he was young B. worked hard before he read his fathers letter C. asked his fathers permission to believe in himselfD. knew exactly what great thing his father wanted him to do69. What does the author tell us in the 3rd paragraph?A. Children need their parents letters. B. Children are afraid to be disappointed.C. His childrens fear of failure held them back.D. His fathers letter removed his fear of failing his parents.70. Which of the following is true of the author?A. He got no access to success.B. He wrote back to his father at 12.C. He was sure his parents loved him.D. He once asked his father about the letter.71. The main purpose of the text is to _.A. describe childrens thinkingB. answer some questions children haveC. stress the importance of communicationD. advise parents to encourage their children 第六篇When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mothers Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan.”And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he dont send me check already two week late.”And then, in perfect English I said: “Im getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasnt arrived.”Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I cant tolerate any more excuse. If I dont receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.When I was a teenager, my mothers broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mothers English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world. (NMET 2010 广东)41. Why was the authors mother poorly served? A. She was unable to speak good English.B. She was often misunderstood.C. She was not clearly heard.D. She was not very polite. 42. From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was .A. good at pretendingB. rude to the stockbrokerC. ready to help her motherD. unwilling to phone for her mother43. After the author made the phone call, .A. they forgave the stockbrokerB. they failed to get the checkC. they went to New York immediatelyD. they spoke to their boss at once44. What does the author think of her mothers English now? A. It confuses her.B. It embarrasses her.C. It helps her understand the world.D. It helps her tolerate rude people.45. We can infer from the passage that Chinese English .A. is clear and natural to non-native speakersB. is vivid and direct to non-native speakersC. has a very bad reputation in AmericaD. may bring inconvenience in America 第七篇Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had promised him. He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him.He rode along until a strange around drew him to the present. He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens. What he saw shocked him. A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like clack cloud and the buzzing mass towards him.With no time to waste, Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding furiously without knowing how to escape the swarm. With a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously, he sped down the rough road. As the bees came closer, his panic increased. Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇). The last sting had landed him in hospitaland that was only one bee sting! He had been forced to stay in bead for two whole days. Suddenly, his fathers words came to him. “When you are in a tight situation, dont panic. Use your brain and think your ways out of it. ”On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards form the chimney of the Nelson family home. “Bees dont like smoke,” he thought. “They couldnt get into the house.” Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground. Andy knew be could not reach the house in time. He estimated that the bees would catch up with him soon.Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr. Nelson to irrigate his vegetable garden. Off his bike and into the cool water he dived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects. After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees have gone. Dragging himself out of the date, he struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell. Mr. Nelson took his inside and rang his mother.“Youll really need that fishing break to help you recover,” laughed his mother with relief. “Thank goodness you didnt panic! But Andy did not hear her. He was dreaming once again of the fish he would catch tomorrow. ” (NMET 2010 江西)56. Why did Andy fail to notice the swarm of bees earlier?A. He was riding to school.B. He was listening to a strange sound.C. He was going fishing with his father.D. He was lost in the thought of the fishing trip.57. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the swarm of bees in the passage?A. They crowded like a black cloud.B. They shocked and terrified Andy.C. They tried to attack