Four out of ten parents in the UK spend between ￡100 and ￡500 on their children’s birthday parties, according to a survey. Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to.
How much parents spend on their children’s birthday parties is one of the most frequently discussed topics on parenting websites. Here is one comment on Mumsnet summing up the thoughts of many parents: “Where we live everyone hires places, entertainers and so on. I don’t want to compare with my rich neighbors, but I want my son to have what all his classmates have.”
The research was carried out on behalf of the children’s charity, Lumos, set up by the author JK Rowling. Just 13 percent of parents spent ￡50 or less in the past year on their children’s parties.
Many children’s clowns(小丑) or entertainers charge ￡150 or more for an hour, and parents often feel it necessary to book a special place. Even without these, the cost of plates, the cake and party bags can mount up. Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.
Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines. Suri Cruise, the daughter of actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes, enjoyed a ￡100,000 birthday party according to a report.
Georgette Mulheir of Lumos, said,“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”
小題1:What’s the main idea of this passage?
A．Children’s birthday parties put their parents under financial pressure in the UK.
B．Many parents are willing to spend more on their children’s birthday parties.
C．Parents pay more and more attention to their children’s birthday parties.
D．Children in the UK hope for more and more expensive birthday parties.
小題2: What does the underlined part “mount up” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A．Increase.B．Change.C．Exist.D．Count.
小題3:By the example of the birthday party for Suri Cruise, the writer probably wants to show that________.
A．famous people love their children very much
B．children of famous people can get whatever they want
C．some children of famous people have really expensive birthday parties
D．holding expensive birthday parties is common nowadays
小題4:In which of the following sections would you most probably read this passage?
A．BusinessB．EducationC．ScienceD．Family

小題1:A
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:D

試題分析：現(xiàn)在很多父母為了給孩子慶祝生日舉辦昂貴的生日聚會(huì)，這已經(jīng)給英國(guó)的父母造成經(jīng)濟(jì)上的壓力。
小題1:主旨題：從文章第一段的句子：Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to. 和最后一段的句子：“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”可知這篇文章講的是在英國(guó)孩子的生日聚會(huì)讓父母有了經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力，選A
小題2:猜詞題：根據(jù)第四段的句子：Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.可知聚會(huì)上用的蛋糕，裝飾和包裹的價(jià)格都在增加，“mount up”的意思是“增加”，選A。
小題3:推理題：根據(jù)文章第五段的句子：Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines.可知作者通過(guò)Suri Cruise 的例子想說(shuō)明一些名人的孩子有真正昂貴的生日聚會(huì)，選C。
小題4:文章出處題：因?yàn)檫@篇文章講的是在英國(guó)孩子的生日聚會(huì)讓父母有了經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力，是關(guān)于家庭方面話題的文章，所以選D。
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It has become the modern substitute of glancing at your watch—the furtive(偷偷的)look at a phone screen to check for new messages or have a quick look at Facebook．Researchers have now found why we often feel such a strong urge to glance at our handset．Using your mobile，they say，is easily affected by other people．
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：完形填空

The elderly Chinese man in the small booth (售票口) behind the thick glass shook his head. I didn't need to know a word of Chinese to understand there were      beds available for the Thursday night train from Beijing to Shanghai. I had a Friday morning
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A．rushed towardsB．jumped upon
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

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D．the importance of focusing on the positive
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A person has to be sixteen to drive, seventeen to see certain movies, and eighteen to vote. People can get terrific discounts on all sorts of stuff－provided they’re over sixty-five. Everywhere we look there are age limits that define what people can and can’t do. But creativity has no boundaries, no limitations. Anyone can invent. And they do. Inventors are popping up at the youngest ages.
Sitting in the car waiting for her mom to return from shopping, Becky decided she might as well try to finish her math homework. But it was growing dark and getting hard to see the paper.
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“I’d turn on the light, turn it off, turn it on,” said Becky. “My parents remember me running out the room saying ‘It works, it works! I’m writing in the dark!’ ”
She used an acrylic board and coated it with a specific amount of phosphorescent paint. She took a complicated idea and made it work rather simply. When the coated clipboard is exposed to light, it glows. The glowing board then illuminates or lights up the paper that has been placed on top. Two years after her initial inspiration, in 1974, Becky became the youngest female ever to receive a U.S. patent.
She didn’t actively market her Glo-sheet. She didn’t need to. The New York Times wrote an article about an incredible invention－patented by a twelve-year-old, and the inquiries and orders streamed in.
小題1:From Paragraph 1 , we can draw a conclusion that _________.
A．it is illegal for one to drive under sixteen
B．people enjoy privileges when over sixty-five
C．one is never too old or too young to invent
D．people hate the limitations that define our behavior
小題2:What caused Becky to invent Glo-sheet?
A．She was trying to do homework when it got dark.
B．She was having trouble with math problems.
C．She was trying to earn some money.
D．She was working on a school project.
小題3:What is the meaning of the underlined words “phosphorescent paint” in paragraph 5?
A．paint that acts as a glue
B．paint that covers a mark
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D．paint that glows in the dark
小題4:What does it mean that Beck “didn’t actively market her Glo-sheet” according to paragraph 8?
A．She kept the original one for her own use.
B．Other people came to her for the Glo-sheet.
C．Becky’s father tried to sell the Glo-sheet.
D．She gave away patent to the government.
小題5:With which statement would Becky most likely agree?
A．Experience is needed to be a good inventor.
B．Only by inventing things can you know what people need.
C．Always try to sell patent rights to large companies.
D．You never know what you can do unless you try.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

請(qǐng)認(rèn)真閱讀下列短文，并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一個(gè)恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。(答案填在答題紙上)
Becoming a fireman is a challenging and competitive job today. A fireman’s main duty is decided by the fighting and extinguishment(熄滅) of fire which definitely requires being a strong man, both mentally and physically.
The duty of a fireman includes protection of life and property of the public. They are the servicemen who are decisively selected by an organization to deal with situations like fire. Such type of jobs is one of those few jobs where service is provided for innocent people when they need help immediately. This may include rescuing people from a building at fire, providing them with medical facilities, extinguishing fire in a house or in a large commercial building. Serving people is the main purpose of these professionals（職業(yè)）. The satisfaction which a fireman gets from this type of job cannot be compared to any other profession in the world.
Such profession requires top-level commitment and professionalism from those who have chosen it as a career. Fireman should have the highest level of courage and patience to put their lives in danger for the sake of others. They undergo lessons of maintaining patience for long hours and go through complete preparation to become successful and well-organized professional firemen. There are certain tests that are recommended before becoming a fireman.
It’s not that easy to become a fireman nowadays. A fireman is supposed to deal with unexpected situations, and they should be skilled at communicating with others and be self-disciplined at the same time.
In order to be a good fireman, one must undergo（經(jīng)歷、接受） strict local fire department’s training program after passing all the tests. All the fire departments conclude a two-to-four-month course, including classroom training and practical training that cover firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions. Completing this training, trainees go through the department’s trial period of service that can last from three to six months, depending on the methods of selection.
Firemen usually work both indoors and outdoors. They have to be on duty at all times and mostly work in shifts of at least 8 hours. They are also provided with several benefits which include medical aid plan, pension fund, annual leave and many more.
Title: Fireman
Definition
The servicemen decisively selected by an organization to (小題1:)_______ situations like fire.
(小題2:)      
● Helping innocent people (小題3:)        they need help.
● Rescuing people from a building at-fire and providing them with medical facilities.
● (小題4:)         out fire in a house or in a large commercial building.
Requirements
● Having top-level commitment and professionalism.
● Being courageous and (小題5:)          .
● Being strong both in body and (小題6:) _________.
● Having good (小題7:)       skills.
● Being self-disciplined.
(小題8:)       
● Firefighting techniques, fire avoidance, dangerous materials and urgent situation medical actions.
● The department’s trial period of service which possibly (小題9:)_________ 3～6 months.
(小題10:)       
Medical aid plans, pension fund, annual leave and many more.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Flight cancellations(取消) and loss of luggage can ruin even the best-planned holiday. The key to a stress-free trip is having a backup plan.
Fly non-stop. The worst problems involve connections, so it is important to take non-stop flights whenever possible. If you do have to make a connection, try to route through a southern city, where snowstorms and de-icing delays will be less likely. Always allow at least two to three hours for flight connections.
Check the weather. Check the weather in your connecting city, not just the arrival and departure city. If your departure flight is cancelled because of weather, you can go home or back to your hotel. Airlines promise to get you on the next available flight, not the next flight. That could be several days later on a sold-out holiday weekend.
Go early. The earlier in the day you fly, the better your chance of getting rebooked the same day after a missed connection. It will also put you ahead of stranded(滯留的) passengers who arrive later.
Rebook immediately. As soon as your flight is delayed or cancelled, get on the phone and rebook your flight instead of waiting at the ticket counter. If your rebooking is delayed, call or ask your travel agent to find a seat on another carrier, and then ask your original carrier to endorse your ticket to the new airline. Airlines are not required to do this but often do. Learn more at www. dot. gov/ airconsumer/ fly-rights.
Ship bags. A few days before your flight, ship suitcases or holiday gifts to your destination by a documented express service. It’s preferable to losing bags because of re-routed flights and sometimes cheaper than paying airline overweight bag fees.
Know your rights. Airlines are not required to compensate passengers for delayed or cancelled flights, but it never hurts to ask for goodwill vouchers(折扣) for meals, taxis or a room.
小題1:When making a flight connection, it’s common that you’ll___________.
A．stop in the south
B．choose a good city without snowstorm
C．be trapped in the storm
D．wait for two or three hours
小題2:The suggested way for you to rebook your flight is___________.
A．through the phone
B．by waiting at the ticket counter
C．by changing another airline
D．by surfing the Internet
小題3:According to the passage, we can infer____________.
A．it will take long to rebook the tickets
B．your luggage is easy to be lost
C．you will pay more for your overweight luggage
D．with the same ticket you can take the next flight
小題4:The underlined word “compensate” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “___________”.
A．payB．a(chǎn)skC．hostD．treat
小題5:What’s the best title of the passage?
A．The Worst Problem in the Trip.
B．The Preparation Before the Flight Trip.
C．How to Book the Plane Ticket.
D．How to Plan the Holiday.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians (監(jiān)護(hù)人) or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption.
When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact.
A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed.
A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other’s identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed (密封). A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed.
小題1:How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage?
A．2.B．3.C．4.D．5.
小題2:Which of the following statements is TRUE about the closed adoption?
A．The birth parents may have indirect contact with the adoptive parents.
B．The biological parents may often go to see their birth child.
C．No information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive parents.
D．Generally speaking, the adoptive parents do not know the birth parents’ identities.
小題3:Suppose someone adopts a child and his biological parents often get contact with the child by telephone. We can call this adoption _____.
A．a(chǎn) closed adoptionB．a(chǎn)n open adoption
C．a(chǎn) semi-open adoptionD．a(chǎn) semi-closed adoption
小題4:From the passage, we know adoption is _____.
A．where a child is brought up by the government
B．where a child is legally sent abroad by the birth parents
C．where a child is legally placed with adoptive parents
D．where a child is sent to live with the children whose parents have died

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