56. Royal Doulton in the third paragraph must be _____.

A.　　　 the manager of a fine china factory

B.　　　　 a company that produces fine china

C.　　　　 an organization that determines the use of workforce

D.　　　 a large region in Britain famous for producing china

55. In Britain, the formal traditions at family dinner _____.

A.　　　 show people’s respect for the older generations

B.　　　　 are mainly preferred in families of the upper class

C.　　　　 have a long history and are valued by some people

D.　　　 will be deserted completely with the development of economy

54. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. Aging people in the USA are increasing.

B. The rate of heart disease is high in America.

C. It is difficult to tend aging parents from afar.

D. Harris advises on tending aging parents from afar.

B

When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best.

But in many other homes, this china-and-silver custom has given way to a stoneware(粗陶)-and-stainless informality, with dresses appearing an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain, it means economic hard times.

Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is cutting down 1,000 jobs-one-fifth of its total workforce. That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often, the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth? Forget it. Polish the silver? Who has time?

Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of table manners that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed”. “Keep your elbows off the table.”)must be picked up elsewhere.

53. What does the underlined word “outsource” in the last paragragh mean?

A. Arrange somebody outside to do a job.　　　　　 B. Work something out by oneself.

C. Speak something out for help.　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Understand something.

52. What can we learn about Patricia Harris from the passage?

A. She thinks it harder to look after her parents the next few years.

B. Her parents cannot take care of themselves at all.

C. She cannot do a demanding job.

D. She cannot afford to go to California often.

51. Why was the woman thought to have broken a promise?

A. She failed to take care of Flora.

B. She was not supposed to call Harris at midnight.

C. She couldn’t go to hospital on time.

D. She told Harris about her mother’s illness.

49. A. judge　　　　　　　　 B. say　　　　　　　　　 C. remember　　　　　 D. respect

48. A. pat　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. lesson　　　　　　　 C. kiss　　　　　　　　　 D. present

47. A. earliest　　　　　　　 B. nearest　　　　　　　　　　 C. best　　　　　 　　　 D. hardest