Some students think that learning a foreign language is slow and difficult―think of all the hours of hard work ______ they have spent learning English．

A．when                      B．in which                 C．that                        D．while

Some students think that learning a foreign language is slow and difficult-think of all the hours of hard work ________ they have spent learning English．

1. A.
   when
2. B.
   in which
3. C.
   that
4. D.
   while

Pushing children too hard is a really big social problem that seems to be getting worse．Now we have 6-month-olds in music classes and swimming classes．Parents fear that if other children are attending these classes，they will be holding their own children back if they do not enroll，too．

    The other extreme，simply taking a laissez-faire approach and letting children do—or refuse to do—whatever they want，is not the answer either，of course．

    Dr Taylor emphasizes that parents need to push their children based on what is best for the children，not what is best for themselves．If children understand that an activity is in their best interests，then they will accept it, he finds．

    Dr Taylor and other family experts remain pessimistic about the possibilities for widespread social change．“The force of our popular culture，driven by money and superficial（表面上的） values，cannot be resisted，” he says．But change can take place at a“micro-level,” in families and schools．

    When changes do occur，the rewards can benefit everyone in the family．One mother supporting this new approach toward parenting mentions the advantages her family experienced after her children cut back on activities．“The biggest thing is that since we have done this，we are rested,” she says．“Not only are our kids rested，because they're not in a ton of stuff, but my husband and I are rested，because we're not driving them everywhere．We weren’t living in the moment when we were always busy．We were living by the schedule．The return on our investment of spending time together has been enormous．”

One of the reasons why parents push children so hard is that they       

   A. believe in early development in children

   B. are too busy to take care of their children

   C. don't want their children to lag behindw(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

   D. want to repeat what their parents did to them

The phrase“a laissez-faire approach”(in Line 1，Paragraph 2)most probably refers to      .

   A. denying them what they need

   B. controlling children in a flexible way

   C. developing a keen interest in children

   D. letting children do whatever they want

The best way to encourage children to work hard is           .

   A. to make them believe it’s in their best interests

   B. to consider the matter from parents' standpointw(w w.ks&5 u.c*o m

   C. to emphasize the importance of hard work from time to time

   D. to make it interesting and enjoyable to them

What the author doesn’t approve of in the essay is _______.

   A. achieving a balance between pushing the children too hard and leaving them alone

   B. going from one extreme of pushing children too hard to the other of leaving them alone

   C. involving children in activity that will probably contribute to their development

   D. enrolling them in music and swimming classes at the very early age

As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

         Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.

         One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

　　Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.

　　Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.The passage tells us that            .

A．people seldom work long hours to make money

B．people hardly buy more things than necessary

C．people are sure everything they own is in the right place

D．people realize there is more to life than just making money

2.When Daniel was a reporter he ___.

A．lived in central London       B．disliked his job

C．missed his children     D．was well paid

3.Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.

A．was easy to organize B．has improved family life

C．was extremely expensive   D．has been a total success

4.What does the author mean by saying"the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives" in the second paragraph ?

A．People work long hours to earn their living.

B．To make more money through hard work is the aim of people's life.

C．Long hours of hard work occupy too much of people's life.

D．People spent too much time and money eating meals.

5.The underlined word "downshifting" in the second paragraph refers to _________.

A．repairing your car by yourself

B．spending money carefully

C．moving out to the countryside to live a simpler and better life

D．living in a big house in the suburbs and dining out once a week

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass. While he was alive, he  1   me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important  2  “Believe in yourself.”
If there was one phrase my dad  3  liked to hear, it was “I can’t.” He never got to finish high school and 4 two jobs to support his family,  5   he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.
When I was in high school, I had a  6  time with math. He tried to help me, but I 7 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for  8  help. I told my dad, “That’s  9 ! I can’t do that!” He replied, “You’re doing it. I’ll sent you to school.” Every morning at 6:45 a.m., we’d leave the  10 . Despite working 12 hours every day, Dad never once  11   driving me to school.
After months of  12  , I was facing the final exam. I was so  13 . On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke,  14   yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my  15  and in the hours of work I’d 16 . When I got my  17   proudly, the first person I called was Dad. He screamed, “Yes! You deserved it!”
Even now, whenever I  18  that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how  19   something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever 20  to Dad for that lesson.