American has long been considered the land of opportunity by those from other countries. Americans, too, believe that the United States provides almost limifiess opportunity for those who want to open

第1题

It has been a widespread belief that the American family is dying. But a new study rev

eals that the American family is stronger than ever. This study affords surprising evidence of the persistence of American commitments to family life.

The American family is changing, not dying. It is becoming smaller, men and women are becoming more equal, and the divorce rate is higher. But despite the high divorce rate, marriage has never been more popular. The majority of divorced people remarry, but only 2% marry more than twice. Most marriages last a long time, and a large proportion of divorces are from teenage marriages. Depending on the specific situation, there’s often good reason for teenage marriages to break up.

There is no evidence that children receive less attention from mothers who work outside the home than from mothers working inside the home. So far the amount of educational or development time hasn’t varied very much, whether or not the mother works outside the home. In fact, working mothers try to make up for it by setting aside time only for their children.

The study shows that television is by far the most significant new childcare arrangement of this century. The most important activity for children up to age 14 is watching television.

School is the second most time-consuming activity for children. They spend an average of about 19 hours a week in school. A larger proportion of children go to school now than ever before, and they stay in school longer. Another big change is that the proportion of very young children in daycare centers (日托站) has almost doubled in recent years. Compared with these two dramatic changes in child activity, the changes caused by mothers working outside the home appear very small.

1.The main idea of this article is that _______.

A.he American family is dying

B.the American family is changing, but it is stronger than ever

C.young people today don’t want to get married

D.education has resulted in dramatic changes in the American family

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true？()

A.The majority of marriages last long

B.Working mothers devote less time to their children

C.Marriage is more popular than before

D.Many divorced people remarry

3.The author of this article believes that ________.

A.teenage marriages should be encouraged

B.the American family is here to stay

C.mothers should not work when their children are small

D.children should not watch so much television

4.What is the most significant new childcare arrangement of this century？()

A.The daycare center

B.Television

C.The school

D.Development time.

5.According to the writer, which two major factors have led to the belief that the American family is dying？()

A.Divorces are increasing and many teenage marriages break up

B.Children stay in school longer and mothers have little time to take care of them

C.The divorce rate is high and children care more about television than anything else

D.The divorce rate is high and working mothers neglect their children

点击查看答案

第2题

People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle （摇篮) rules the world. "And【56】every

People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle (摇篮) rules the world. "And【56】every successful man there's a woman. "

【57】these sayings mean the same thing. Men【58】the world, but their wives rule them. Most of the American women like【59】their husbands and【60】successful,【61】some of them want【62】for themselves. They want【63】jobs. When they work they want to be【64】paid. They want to be as successful as【65】

The American women's liberation (解放) movement was started by women who don't want to【66】successful men. They want to stand【67】men, with the same chance for success. They don't want to be told that certain jobs or offices are【68】to them. They refuse to work side by side with men who do the same work for【69】pay.

A【70】woman must be【71】of being a woman and have confidence (自信)in【72】. If somebody says to her, "You've come a long way, baby. " She' ll smile and answer, "Not nearly as【73】as I' m going to go, baby!"

This movement is quite new, and【74】American women do not agree. But it has already made some important changes in women's【75】and in men's lives, too.

(56)

A．Behind

B．Beside

C．Before

D．Under

点击查看答案

第3题

根据以下内容回答题：People used to say，“The hand that rocks the cradle（摇篮）rules the world

根据以下内容回答题：

People used to say，“The hand that rocks the cradle（摇篮）rules the world．” And“（1）every successful man there’s a woman．”Both these sayings mean the same thin9．Men（2）the world-but their wives rule them． Most of the American women like to take their husbands and（3）successful，but some of them want（4）for themselves．They want good jobs．When they work，they want to be（5）paid．They want to be as successful as men． The American women’s liberation movement was started by women who don’t want to （6）successful men．They want to stand beside men，with the same chance for success．They don’t want to be told that certain jobs or offices are（7）to them．They refuse to work side by side with men who do the same work for different pay． A（8）womari must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in（9）．If somebody says to her：“You’ve come a long way，baby．”She’ll smile and answer，“Not nearly as far as Fm going to go，baby!”This movement is quite new，and（10）American women do not agree．But it has already made some important changes in women’s lives and in men’s lives，too．

1.

A.Behind

B.Beside

C.Before

D.Under

点击查看答案

第4题

Things are finally being made in the U.S.A. again! Better yet, a whole new crop of newer b

usinesses are growing based on the fact that every product they sell is manufactured right here in the United States. Most newer businesses are for products made and marketed locally, such as a dog biscuit brand out of San Luis Obispo, but old standards like Unionwear are still going strong. In fact, Unionwear owner has had a whole host of new customers calling him. The fact that more consumers are seeking out American-made products in greater numbers is a good thing for business owners. That means that they will be willing to pay a little bit more for your products and services—as long as you capitalize on the fact that your products were made here. The shift back to treasuring American-made goods follows several horrific disasters in factories overseas. Coupled with the publics strong desire to see the American economy rise again, many consumers are looking for products made in the U.S.A., even if they cost a bit more. Even Walmart is making an effort to carry more domestically made goods in stores. Ultimately, your customers want to buy things without having to wonder if a small child made it for just pennies a day. This renewed passion for domestic products is great for businesses. Forecasters predict that labor costs in China are going to rise, which means that the country will no longer be the center of cheap manufacturing. If the cost of Chinese labor surges, it will no longer be cost-efficient for companies to ship their manufacturing jobs overseas. If your business is not already manufacturing domestically, maybe now is the time you should start. If your business already makes its products in the United States, now is a great time for marketing. When you are reminding potential customers that your products are America-made, be sure to be clear. False patriotism will turn your customers off, even if you have a great product. The fact that consumers are seeking American products with renewed intensity encourages all business owners to take advantage of this passion by cleverly marketing the fact that you are a domestic or local business. With patriotic summer holidays upon us, why not have a sale to capitalize on your companys patriotic support of the American economy？ Your customers will love it and so will you.

It can be inferred from the first paragraph that Unionwear is______.

A．a set of quality standards for various commodities

B．a shop that has never sold any locally-made products

C．a shop that has been selling mostly home-made goods

D．is a stock that has been rising in value in America

点击查看答案

第5题

To begin with, moral values in America are like those in any culture. But the stories

and traditions that teach them are unique to each culture. Not only that, but culture has an effect on how people show these virtues.

One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The wall-known legend about George Washington and a cherry tree teaches this value clearly.

Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop’s fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a sleep. But the turtle finally won because he did not give up.

Compassion(同情心)may be the queen of American virtues. In 1992, people in Iowa sent truckloads of water to help Floridians hit by a hurricane. The next summer, during the mid-west of flooding, Florida returned the favor.

There are more moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. But no matter how long or short the list is, moral values are invaluable. They are the foundation of American cultures--and any culture.

1.The morality that Americans honor most is () .

A.honesty

B. perseverance

C. compassion

D. gratitude

2.What conclusion may you come to from the paragraph？

A.Moral values for Americans are like those of other people

C B.Virtues of people are connected with certain culture

C. Morality of a nation has an effect on its culture

D. Stories and tradition can teach the people virtues

3.What is not described in detail in the text？

A.The story, Washington and a cherry tree, is often used to teach children to be honest

B. The story, the turtle and the rabbit, makes us determined

C.Compassion, sometimes recycles (循环) well among people

D.Moral values are the base of any culture

4.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word "invaluable"()

A.useless

B.valueless

C.priceless

D.unvalued

5.Which of the following might be the best title for the passage？

A.Moral virtues are worth nothing

B. Moral values are important

C.Nothing can take the place of moral virtues

D.Moral values for Americans

点击查看答案

第6题

A history of long and effortless success can be a dreadful handicap, but, if properly hand

led, it may become a driving force. When the United States entered just such a glowing period after the end of the Second World War, it had a market eight times larger than any competitor, giving its industries unparalleled economies of scale. Its scientists were the world's best, its workers the most skilled. America and Americans were prosperous beyond the dreams of the Europeans and Asians whose economies the war had destroyed.

It was inevitable that this primacy should have narrowed as other countries grew richer. Just as inevitably, the retreat from predominance proved painful. By the mid-1980s Americans had found themselves at a loss over their fading industrial competitiveness. Some huge American industries, such as consumer electronics, had shrunk or vanished in the face of foreign competition. By 1987 there was only one American television maker left, Zenith. (Now there is none: Zenith was bought by South Korea's LG Electronics. ) Foreign-made cars and textiles were sweeping into the domestic market. America's machine-tool industry was on the ropes. For a while it looked as though the making of semiconductors, which America had sat at the heart of the new computer age, was going to be the next casualty.

All of this caused a crisis of confidence. Americans stopped taking prosperity for granted. They began to believe that their way of doing business was failing, and that their incomes would therefore shortly begin to fail as well. The mid-1980s brought one inquiry after another into the causes of America's industrial decline. Their sometimes sensational findings were filled with warnings about the growing competition from overseas.

How things have changed! In 1995 the United States can look back on five years of solid growth while Japan has been straggling. Few Americans attribute this solely to such obvious causes as a devalued dollar or the turning of the business cycle. Self-doubt has yielded to blind pride. "American industry has changed its structure, has gone on a diet, has learnt to be more quick-witted," according to Richard Cavanagh, executive dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "It makes me proud to be an American just to see how our businesses are improving their productivity," says Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute, a think-tank in Washington, D. C. And William Sahlman of the Harvard Business School believes, that people will look back on this period as "a golden age of business management in the United States".

Which of the following statements is TRUE about US economic predominance after World War Ⅱ？

A．The unparalleled size of its workforce had given an impetus to its economy.

B．The war had destroyed the economies of most potential competitors.

C．Its domestic market was eight times larger than before.

D．It had made painstaking efforts towards this goal.

点击查看答案

第7题

Americans are getting ready for the biggest soccer event in the world. For the first t

ime the world cup soccer competition will be held in the United States. While millions play the game around the world, soccer or football has only recently become popular here. It is only in the last 30 years that large numbers of young Americans became interested in soccer. Now it is the fastest growing sport in the country. A recent study found that almost 18 million young boys and girls play soccer in the United States.

The study also found that soccer is beginning to replace more traditional games like American football as the most popular sport among students. And so, when the world cup begins next week, more than one million Americans are expected to go and see the teams play. Organizers say this year’s world cup will be the biggest ever. All the seats at most of the 52 games have already been sold.

Soccer has been played in the United States for a little more than one hundred years. But how did the sport come to this country？ And how long has it existed in other parts of the world？ No one knows exactly where the idea for soccer came from, or when people began playing the game. Some scientists say there is evidence that ball games using the feet were played thousands of years ago. There is evidence that ancient Greeks and Romans and native American Indians all played games similar to soccer.

Most experts agree that Britain is the birthplace of modem soccer. They also agree that the British spread the game around the world. Unlike the game today, which uses balls of man-made material or leather, early soccer balls were often made of animal stomachs. The rules of early soccer games also differed from those we have today.

1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text？()

A.Americans were preparing for the world cup when the author wrote this article

B.More younger Americans became interested in soccer in the last 30 years

C.Soccer is the fastest developing sport in the world

D.The article was written before the world cup held in the United States

2.Which was the most popular sport as a traditional game among students？()

A.Basketball

B.American football

C.Soccer

D.Tennis

3.For how long has soccer been played in the United States？()

A.About a hundred years

B.About fifty years

C.Only recently

D.About thirty years

4.What is the author going to state in the next paragraph？()

A.There have been attempts to start a professional soccer organization in the U.S

B.In the 12th century soccer games in Britain often involved whole towns

C.Professional soccer grew quickly in Europe

D.Experts believed that the United States would win

点击查看答案

第8题

Part BDirections: In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions

Part BDirections:

In the following text, some sentences have been removed. For Questions 41-45, choose the most suitable one from the list A-G to fit into the numbered blank when there are tow extra choices, which do not fit in any of the gaps. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. (10 points)

After its misadventures in 1993, when American marines were driven out of Somalia by skinny gunmen, America has used a long spoon in supping with Somalia's warlords. This, like so much else, changed on September 11th. (41) .

Clandestine, up to a point: within hours of the arrival in Baidoa of nine closely cropped Americans sporting matching satellite phones and shades, their activities were broadcast. After meeting various warlords, the group inspected a compound that had apparently been offered to them as their future base. They also saw an old military depot. Neither can have been encouraging: the compound has been taken over by war-displaced families, and the depot by thorn-scrub.

America was already convinced of al-Qaeda's presence in Somalia. Its had listed a Somali Islamic group, al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (Islamic Unity), as a terrorist organisation. (42) . It fears that lawless Somalia could become a haven for escapes from Afghanistan. The American navy is currently patrolling the country's long coastline, while spy planes are said to be criss-crossing the heavens.

(43) . With a little bit of help, he told his American visitors, he would be ready "to liberate the country from these evil forces". America had already heard as much through its embassies in Nairobi and Addis Ababa, which maintain contact with warlords, and from Ethiopia.

The warlords are supported by Ethiopia, which has a historical fear of strong Somalia, in a bid to oppose the government. But their differing views on where to strike at the "terrorists" reveal that their individual ambitions are even sharper than their dislike of the government.

Mr. Ismail says that Merca, which is claimed by his Rahanwein clan, is the capital of terror. (44) . The UN says there is only an orphanage there now. But the island is close to Mr. Morgan's home town of Kismaayo, which he failed to capture from a pro-government militia in July, and he is determined not to fail again.

None of this looks good for Somalia's official president, Abdiquassim Salad Hassan, Whose government is in control of about half the capital, Mogadishu. He has formed his own anti-terrorism unit, and invited America to send investigators, or even troops. America, armed with stories about the presence of al-Itihaad members held back, but on December 18th sent an envoy to Mogadishu.

Both Mr. Hassan and the UN say that al-Itihaad is not a terrorist organisation. It emerged as an armed force in 1991, battling for power in the aftermath of Siad Barre's fall. It had some early successes, briefly taking Kismaayo. But it was always dependent on the blessing of its members' clan elders. When the elders eventually called their fighters back, a hard core of Islamists fled to the Gedo border region where, in 1997, they were crushed by Ethiopian troops (45) .

The Baidoa alliance plainly hopes to be supported as proxies in a fight against "terrorism" and the Mogadishu regime. But the latest intelligence leaks suggest that the first reports may have overestimated al-Qaeda's presence in Somalia. Nor would Mr. bin Laden and his henchmen find it easy to lie low in an oral culture that considers rumour-mongering to be a form. of manners. Even so, the warlords seem to believe that they have won some promise of help. Soon after the arrival of the American group, they pulled out of the peace talks they had been holding with their government in Nairobi.

[A] Al-Itihaad subsequently infiltrated Somalia's business class, and now runs Islamic schools, courts and clinics with the money it has accumulated.

[B] According to Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail, the acting chairman of the loose alliance of warlords who control most of Somalia and are based in Baidoa, there are "approximately 20,480 armed extremists" in Somalia and "85% of the government is al-Itihaad".

[C] Muhammad Hersi Morgan, known as the "butcher of Hargeisa" because he once razed that town to the ground, says an al-Itihaad camp on Ras Kamboni island, is still active.

[D] But since September 11th 2001, western governments anxious to prevent al-Qaeda from using Somalia as a base, have pressed the warlords to make peace.

[E] American intelligence officers are working with two warlords to gather information about suspected al-Qaeda people in Somalia.

[F] On December 9th America sent a clandestine mission to talk to a collection of Somali warlords, who like to claim that their country, in particular their UN-sponsored government, is overrun with terrorists.

[G] It had also forced the closure of Barakaat, Somalia's biggest banking and telecoms company, which handles most of the remittances that somalis working abroad send back to their families.

第41题：

(41) .

点击查看答案

第9题

Jim Thorpe was a Native American. He was born in 1888 in an Indian Territory（印第安人保

Jim Thorpe was a Native American. He was born in 1888 in an Indian Territory(印第安人保护区)that is now Oklahoma. Like most Native American children then, he liked to fish, hunt, swim, and play games outdoors. (76) He was healthy and strong, but he had very little formal education. In 1950, Jim Thorpe was named the greatest American football player. He was also an Olympic gold medal winner. But Thorpe had many tragedies in his life. Jim had a twin brother who died when he was nine years old. By the time he was 16, his mother and father were also dead, Jim then went to a special school in Pennsylvania for Native American children. There, he learned to read and write and also began to play sports. Jim was poor, so he left school for two years to earn some money. During this time, he played on a baseball team. (77)The team paid him only $ 15 a week. Soon he returned to school to complete his education. Jim was a star athlete (运动员) in several sports, including baseball, running, and football. He won many awards for his athletic ability, mainly for football. In many games, he scored all or most of the points for his team. In 1912, when Jim Thorpe was 24 years old, he became part of the U.S Olympic team. He competed in two very difficult events: the pentathlon and the decathlon. Both require great ability and strength. The pentathlon has five track and filed events, including the long jump and the 1500-meter race. The decathlon has ten track and field events, with running, jumping and throwing contests. People thought it was impossible for an athlete to compete in both the pentathlon and the decathlon. So everyone was surprised when Thorpe won gold medals in both events. When the King of Sweden presented Thorpe with his two gold medals , he said, “Sir, you are the greatest athlete in the world. ” Thorpe was a simple and honest man. He just answered, “Thanks, King. ” From the passage we learn that Jim Thorpe was born in _______.

A.India

B.Pennsylvania

C.Oklahoma

D.Sweden

点击查看答案

第10题

Sylvester and I are watching television advertisements because we need information for

a class research project. We have to discuss realism and fantasy (幻想) in television advertising, and so we are looking for examples of distortions (歪曲) and falsehoods in television commercials. The question we are asking is, "Is the commercial true to life, or does it offer an unreal picture of the product？ "

Sylvester is keeping track of the distortions, and he already has quite a long list. He says that all housewives seem to live in lovely homes, dress beautifully, and love their household chores. They smile and boast about floor waxes and proudly display their dirty laundry, dusty tabletops, and filthy ovens. In addition, he has never seen men doing housework. Sylvester thinks that this view of family life is filled with distortions.I am keeping track of the people who appear in the advertisements. I have found handsome men courting the All-American Girl, and they are always recommending brand X toothpaste or brand Y cologne. I see teenagers and children surrounded by their friends, having wonderful times at parties and at school, and they are usually enjoying large harmonious family gatherings. I think that these advertisements are also filled with fantasy.Sylvester and I have concluded that much of American life is pictured unrealistically in commercials. Teenagers do not always have fun at parties, and very few people love doing chores. People do have problems, but few of these are ever shown in commercials. Instead, we watch Cinderella (灰姑娘) discover a miracle floor wax, finish the kitchen chores, and waltz off to the ball. Our heads are filled with these fantasies, and they also suggest that, for any problem, brand Z will provide the instant cure. Sylvester and I will have very few facts and a lot of fantasy to write about in our research reports.

1.Judging from the context, Sylvester and the author are most probably ____.

A、classmates

B、teacher and student

C、father and son

D、research workers

2.Sylvester has found that in advertisements housewives ____.

A、are sad and tired

B、enjoy doing their housework

C、have their husbands help them

D、never touch dirty things

3.The author thinks that life of teenagers shown in commercials is ____.

A、interesting

B、wonderful

C、unrealistic

D、true to life

4.Sylvester and the author have come to the conclusion that commercials ____.

A、truly reflect American life

B、lack in fantasy

C、seldom give expression to people's real problems

D、give great fun to children

5.The most suitable title for the passage would be ____.

A、A Class Research Project

B、American Life As Shown by TV

C、Beautiful Commercials

D、Distortions in TV Advertisements

点击查看答案

第11题

The word "Okay" is known and used by millions of people all over the world. Still, languag

e experts do not agree on where it came from.

Some say it came from the Indian peoples. When Europeans first came to America they heard hundreds of different Indian languages. Many were will developed.

One tribe especially had a well developed language. This was the Chocktaw tribe. They were farmers and fishermen whole lived in the rich Mississippi valley in what is now the state of Alabama. When problems arose, Chocktaw leaders discussed them with the tribal chief. They sat in a circle and listened to the wisdom of the chief.

He heard the different proposals, often raising and lowering his head in agreement, and saying, "Okeh," meaning "it is so."

The Indian languages have given many words to English. Twenty four of the American States almost half, have Indian names, Okalahoma, the Dakotas, Idaho, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee, to name a few. And the names of many rivers, streams, mountains, cities and towns are Indian.

However, there are many people who dispute the idea that "Okay" came from the In di ans. Some say the President Andrew Jackson first used the word "Okay." Others claim the word was invented by John Jacob Astor, a fur trader of the late 1700s who became one of the world's richest men. Still others say a poor railroad clerk made up this word. His name was Obadiah Kelly and he put his initials(首写字母), O.K. on each package people gave him to ship by train.

So it goes, each story sounds reasonable and official.

But perhaps the most believable explanation is that the word "Okay" was invented by a political organization in the 1800s. Martin Van Buren was running for President. A group of people organized a club to support him. They called their political organization the "Okay Club. The letters "O" and "K" were taken from the name of Van Buren's hometown, the place where he was born, old Kinderhook, New York.

There is one thing about "Okay" that the experts do agree on: that the word is pure American and that it has spread to almost every country on earth.

There is something about the word that appeals to peoples of every language. Yet, here in America it is used mostly in speech, not in serious writing. In recent time, "Okay" has been given an official place in the English language. But it will be a long time before Americans will officially accept two expressions that come from "Okay." There are "Oke" and "Okeydoke".

______different opinions as where the word "Okay" came from are mentioned in the text.

A．Four

B．Five

C．six

D．Three

点击查看答案