“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl.”

Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different answer from every man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy(怀孕) was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly or unwillingly.

Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the change from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this re-socialization process. Although many good books have been written about American mothers, only recently have some books discussed the role of a father.

It is argued by some writers that the transition to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation of daily routine and adaptation to a new life, on the other hand, the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we have mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household.

1. According to the author, being a father _______.

A. brings a feeling of excitement to some men

B. has a different meaning for those who have daughters

C. makes some men feel proud and others uneasy

D. means nothing but more responsibilities.

2. It is stated in the passage that ________.

A. some parents are not prepared to have a child

B. young couples do not like children at all

C. working couples do not have much time to take care of their children

D. many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child

3. The transition to the mother’s role requires that the wife _______.

A. changes her life style in a quite different way

B. makes a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation

C. stays at home to take care of the baby

D. helps her husband in his re-socialization process

4. Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared with mothers, _______.

A. have to do more in the household  

B. have to make more difficult adaptations

C. have an easier job to do          

D. can usually do a better job

—Will you accept his proposal?

    —Me?____．He is the last man in the world I want to marry．

    A．not likely      B．not really     C．not exactly       D．not nearly

Why do human beings still risk their lives under ground and doing one of the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs in the world？It’s an increasingly urgent question，given the recent high?profile(引人注目的) mining accidents in Sago，W.Va.and Huntington，Utah.A small group of engineers and robotics experts look forward to a day in the not?too?distant future when robots and other technology do most of the dangerous mining work.

Robotic technology，in particular，holds much promise，McAteer says，especially when it comes to mapping mines and rescuing trapped miners—the special operations of the mining industry.

One of the first mining robots was developed five years ago at Carnegie?Mellon University’s Robotics Institute.It was called Groundhog and it looked like a golf cart.It used lasers(激光器) to “see” in dark tunnels and map abandoned mines—some of the most dangerous work in the business.

The latest design is called Cave Crawler.It’s a bit smaller than Groundhog，and even more advanced.It can take photos and video and has sensors mounted(增加) that can detect the presence of dangerous gases.Incredibly，the robot has a real sense of logic.If it comes across an obstacle it gets confused.It has to think through the process and where to go next，and sometimes it throws_a_fit just like a real person.

The biggest obstacle，though，is cost.The original research project was federally funded，but that money has dried up，and it’s not clear where future funding will come from. Partly for that reason，and partly because of advances in safety，mining is not nearly as dangerous as it was in the past.Since 1990，fatalities(致命性) have declined by 67 percent and injuries by 51 percent，according to the National Mining Association.

Some experts predict that robots in mines will serve much of the same function that they do in the automotive industry.The robots do the most repetitive and dangerous jobs，but don’t eliminate(消除) the need for human workers.

1.The underlined phrase “throws a fit” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．

A．gets angry? B．gets sick

C．becomes hungry? D．becomes cheerful

2.We can infer from the last paragraph that ________.

A．robots in mines will serve much in the automotive industry

B．there will be no need for human workers in mines

C．the mine robots will have a very bright future

D．robots in mines have a long way to go

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．Mining robots do most of the mining work at present.

B．Groundhog can discover the presence of dangerous gases.

C．Experts are trying to make robots save miners in danger.

D．Robots cannot do dangerous work in dark areas.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A．Mining Accidents in America

B．Could Robots Replace Humans in Mines?

C．Cave Crawler，the Latest Robot

D．The Development of Robots

Why are so many people so afraid of failure? Quite simple because no one tells us how to fail so that failure becomes an experience that will lead to growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the right to fail.

   Most parents work hard at either preventing failure or protecting their children from the knowledge that they have failed. One way is to lower standards. A mother describes her child’s hastily made table as “Perfect!” even though it doesn’t stand still. Another way is to shift(转移)blame. If John fails science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.

   The trouble with failure prevention is that they leave a child unequipped for life in the real world. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything, no one can win all the time and that it’s possible to enjoy a game even when you don’t win. A child who’s not invited to a birthday party, who doesn’t make the honour roll on the baseball team, feels terrible, of course. But parents should not offer a quick comfort, prize or say “It doesn’t matter.” because it does. The young should be allowed to experience disappointment and be helped to master it.

Failure is never pleasurable. It hurts grownups and children alike. But it can make a positive contribution to your life once you learn to use it. Step one is to ask “Why did it fail? Don’t blame someone else. Ask yourself what you did wrong, how you can improve. If someone else can help, don’t be shy about inquiring. Success, which encourages repetition of old behaviour, is not nearly as good a teacher as failure. You can learn from a bad party how to give a good one, from an ill-chosen first house what to look for in a second. Even a failure that seems definitive can cause fresh thinking, a change of direction. After twelve years of studying ballet, a friend of mine applied for a professional company. She asked. That ballet master shook his head. “You will never be a dancer,” he said,” you haven’t the body for it.”

In such cases, the way to use failure is to take stock bravely asking “What have I left? What else can I do?” My friend put away her shoes and moved into dance treatment center, a field where she’s both able and useful. Failure frees one to take risks because there’s less to lose. Often there is recovery of energy — a way to find new possibilities.

1.The first paragraph tells us ______.

  A. failure is very natural for every person

  B. the reason why we don’t know how to fail

  C. the reason why so many people are afraid of failure

  D. one should be ready to face failure at any time

2.How many preventions may parents use when a child fails according to the passage?

  A. only two  B. no more than three  C. less than three  D. more than three

3. Which statement below does the writer support?

  A. Failure is as good an experience as success.

  B. Failure is the mother of success.

  C. Failure is far from a good teacher like success.

  D. Definitive failure gives us nothing but fresh thinking.

4. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.

  A. failure is the recovery of energy

  B. failure makes one free to do something dangerous

  C. failure should be forgotten in our life

  D. failure is likely to do us good in life

—“Could we put off the meeting?” she asked.

  —“ ____ ,” he answered politely. “This is the only day everyone is available.”

   A. Not likely     B. Not exactly     C. Not nearly     D. Not really