During my childhood in the 1960s, my parents were always busy with work and meetings. They left early in the morning and came back late in the evening. My sisters, my brother and I were left alone with Grandma. We saw our parents only on Sundays and during the few holidays. The only long period （一段）of time during which the whole family could be together once a year was the Spring Festival. We missed our parents badly, but didn’t say so because we had been told that hard work was everyone’s duty and that we could not have our own small family without a big family.　　  Later I was a hard working student and, during summer or winter holidays, often stayed alone at university to have more time to study. I was always encouraged by my parents, for whom the holiday was less important than “work” and “study”. Holidays were a waste of time and I felt as if I had done something wrong if I took a holiday or did nothing during a holiday.

I spent the most difficult period of my life abroad. But when I joined this company, my boss didn’t seem to think it right for me to work like that. When I called him at home after office hours for business purposes （目的）, he politely told me that he preferred talking about work with me in the office.

When the holiday season came near, he asked me to plan my leave beforehand （提前）. He talked with me about his holiday and also asked about mine. For him, leave was a right.　　  Giving up a holiday for the company is encouraged in China, but is foolish here. I began to think about holidays.

Today my parents are retired （退休）and stay home with a lot of time for their children. But we are all grown- up and live far away. We miss each other, but we cannot afford to see each other very much and they often feel sorry for the fact that they were too busy to be able to take care of us when we were young.

Nowadays, Chinese take long weekends and have paid holidays. But do they use their holidays to enjoy family life? I hope so because my experience in China and Europe has helped me understand that work is not my whole life and that a family is also very important. I do not want to feel sorry in the future as my parents do and I certainly spend as much time with my son as possible. There is nothing wrong with either working hard or taking holidays, but we shouldn’t have one instead of the other. It is important to keep a balance （平衡）between work and play.   

1. What do the underlined words “paid leave” mean?

A. You have to pay when you take a holiday.　　 

B. Someone will pay for your holiday.　　 

C. You are still paid when you have your holiday.　　

D. You can’t leave until you pay for the holiday.   

2. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Working is the only part of the life.      

B. Traveling is the best way to spend your holiday.　　 

C. Enjoying holidays is as important as working　　 

D. Sharing happiness with your family is more important   

3. The writer talks about her own experience because she hopes that the Chinese will _______.　　  A. plan their holiday beforehand　　  B. get used to long holidays and enjoy themselves　　  C. give up a holiday for their work　　   D. bring business home after work hours

A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in a year.You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam.If you want to be good at English,you have to read stories in English and speak English as much as possible.A few days before the exam you should go to bed early.Do not stay up late（熬夜)for the exam.Before you start the exam,read carefully over the question paper,try to understand the exact meaning of each question.When you have finished your exam at last,read over your answers.Correct the mistakes if there are any and be sure that you have not missed anything out.

1. 1.

   If students want to do well in an exam,they have to work hard________.

   1. A.
      for most of the month
   2. B.
      every day of the year
   3. C.
      for only a few days
   4. D.
      late at night
2. 2.

   If students want to learn English well,they________.

   1. A.
      only need to learn grammar
   2. B.
      must often practise (练习)English
   3. C.
      have to go to England
   4. D.
      should go to bed early
3. 3.

   It’s important to ________a few days before the exam.

   1. A.
      play too much
   2. B.
      have a good sleep
   3. C.
      read the questions papers
   4. D.
      have a good drink
4. 4.

   When students have finished the exam,they should________.

   1. A.
      stand up and leave the classroom at once
   2. B.
      check your answers with the other students in class
   3. C.
      make sure they haven’t missed anything out
   4. D.
      ask the teacher for the right answers in class
5. 5.

   The best title for this passage is ________.

   1. A.
      An Important Exam
   2. B.
      How to Pass An Exam
   3. C.
      The Importance of English
   4. D.
      Get Ready for An Exam

A good way to pass an exam is to work hard every day in a year. You may fail in an exam if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the exam. If you want to be good at English, you have to read stories in English, and speak English as much as possible.

A few days before the exam you should go to bed early. Do not go to bed late at night. Before you start the exam, read carefully over the question paper, and try to understand the exact meaning of each question. When you have at last finished your exam, read over your answers. Correct the    mistakes if there are any and be sure that you have not missed anything out.

(   )16. If people want to do well in an exam, they have to work hard_____

A. every day in a year   B. for most of the month 

C. for only a few days   D. late at night

(   )17. If people want to learn English well, they_____

A. only need to learn grammar    B. must often practice English

C. have to go to England        D. should go to bed early

(   )18. It's important to______         a few days before the exam.

A. play too much        B. have a good sleep 

C. read the question papers   D. have a good drink

(   )19. When people have finished the exam, they should______

A. stand up and leave at once      B. answer .a few more questions

C. make sure that they have not missed anything out 

D. leave some mistakes on the question paper

(   )20. The best title for this passage is______

A. An Important Exam        B. An Easy Exam 

C. Get Ready for an Exam    D. How to Pass an Exam