16．Some families join the care child group in order to ____.

A．save some time　　　　　　 B．reduce the cost of child care

C．learn much about child care　　 D．make more friends

E

In the second half of each year，many powerful storms are born in the tropical(热带的)Atlantic and Caribbean seas．Of these，only about half a dozen becomes the strong，circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes，and several usually make their way to the coast．There they cause millions of dollars of damage，and bring death to large numbers of people．

The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds - even thousands - of miles out to sea．As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun，they are carried westward by the southeast winds．When conditions are just right，warm，moist(潮湿)air flows in at the bottom of such a wind，moves upward through it and comes out at the top．In the process(过程)，the moisture in this warm air produces rain，and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds．As the heat increases，the young hurricane begins to move in a counter－clockwise motion(逆时针运动)．

The life of a hurricane is only about nine days，but it contains almost more power than we can imagine．The energy in the heat released(释放)by a hurricane's rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months．Water，not wind，is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭)in a hurricane．A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours，causing sudden floods．Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea - the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center．The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore．

15．Some families leave their children at home after school because ____ ．

A．they are old enough to look after themselves　 B．the parents think it's safe for them

C．they have a lot of homework to do　　 D．they learn to do some cooking themselves

14．The problem most young American working mothers are facing is ____ ．

A．how to educate their children　　　　 　B．how much to spend on their children

C．how to take care of their little children　 D．what school to send their children to

13．Which of the following is true？

A．The driver was too careless．　　 B．James' carelessness saved his life．

C．James was out of luck that day．　 D．James was sorry for his oversleeping.

D

In the past，most American mothers were at home to take care of their children during the day．Now however，many mothers are working．More than half of the American women with young children have jobs outside the house．

American families settle the child care problem in different ways．Some parents permit older children to stay home alone after school．The parents must be sure the children，usually not younger than 10 years old，understand safety rules and can deal with emergencies(紧急情况)．Other parents say they would never permit their children to be at home alone．They usually pay someone to take care of the children．

Some parents in the U．S．find their own way to reduce the cost of child care．They join child care groups．Each person in the group cares for the children of other group members at different times．Some parents ask local churches，schools and social organizations to help offer activities(活动)for the children．These child care choices often cost little or no money．Many American parents，however，still struggle with the problem of finding good child care at a reasonable price．

12．The driver didn't go to James' because ____ ．

A．he forgot to wind the clock too　　 B．he forgot the time

C．he hadn't been told about the task　 D．he was too tired to wake up that morning

11．James lived a little far from the airport，so ____．

A．he decided to go there by taxi

B．he had to wind the alarm clock

C．he told the taxi driver to get up early

D．he asked his friend to wake him up on time

10．The TV company asked James to ____ ．

A．settle down in America　 B．watch how they produced the TV play

C．rewrite his play　　　　 D．help them produce the TV play

9．James was ____ ．

A．a famous actor　　　　 B．a successful writer

C．a writer from Pakistan　 D．a famous TV director

8．Animals can't speak，so ____．

A．they can't talk to each other　　 B．they are more foolish than human beings

C．they have to be taught　　　　 D．they can't keep any knowledge for long

C

James wrote a play for television about a family who came to England from Pakistan，and it was difficult for them to settle down in England．The play was very successful，and it was bought by an American TV company．

James was invited to go to New York to help with the production．He lived in Dulwich，which was an hour's ride away from Hesthrow Airport．The flight was to leave at 8：30a．m，so he had to be at the airport at about 7：30 in the morning．

He ordered a taxi for 6：30，set his alarm clock for 5：45，and then went to sleep．Unfortunately he forgot to wind (上发条)the clock，and it stopped shortly after midnight．Also the driver of the taxi had to work deep into the night and overslept.

James awoke with the terrible feeling that something was wrong．He looked at his alarm clock．It was stood there silently，with the hands pointing to ten past twelve．He turned on the radio and discovered that it was in fact ten to nine．He switched on the electric kettle．

He was just pouring the boiling water into the teapot when the nine o'clock pips(报时声)sounded on the radio．The announcer(播音员)began to read the news…“Reports are coming in of a crash(坠毁)near Hesthrow Airport．A Boeing 707 leaving for New York crashed after taking off this morning．Flight number 2234…”James turned pale．

“My flight，”he said out loud．“IF I HADN'T OVERSLEPT，I would have been on that plane！”

7．A child knows ____，so he can use it though he doesn't see it．

A．what a“stick”is used for　　　　　　　　 B．where he can find a stick

C．it's important to remember“stick”for ever　 D．he can easily get a stick from a tree