【推荐1】“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 a lot of 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 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 tries 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 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 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 in terms of the change of the 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

【推荐2】I did not go on my first hike until my mid-30s. I could blame it on the fact that I grew up on the Great Plains of South Dakota and North Dakota. But mostly, to be honest, I just wasn't interested.     1    

I went on my first hike a few years back while living in Vernont. At the urging of my wife, and with my two young kids, we walked a beautiful forest path on a cool August morning.     2     When we reached the top, we ate lunch together overlooking a perfectly still pond and a scenic Vermont.

A few weeks ago, my 11-year-old son, my 61-year-old dad, and I hiked Camelbeack Mountain in Phoenix.     3     And later this week, my wife and daughter will join us to walk the Waterfall Trail in the White Tank Mountains. Most of our hikes only last 2 hours.

Now, just to be clear, by no means would I classify myself as an expert hiker. I love the stillness and calm of an empty path     4     But waking early on a Saturday morning to walk 3-5 miles along a forest path with lunch in the backpack is a journey I'd recommend to anyone.

    5     It provides an opportunity to slow down and disconnect. And given the chance, hiking teaches us important truths about life.

A．I've fallen in love with climbing mountains.

B．I carried a small backpack with water and snacks.

C．If you can climb a mountain, you can do anything.

D．I didn't see the value and always shook my head when asked.

E．It is healthy physical exercise that creates wonderful memories.

F．And I have no plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or walk the Appalachian Trail.

G．Last weekend, I hiked down the Grand Canyon with my son along the South Kaibab Trail.

【推荐3】Of all social organizations, family is the most natural one. To have a good partner, build a good nest and raise the young and the old, can give us a sound feeling of reassurance(安心) about life. Those without a family are carefree, but this freedom can sometimes be too hard to bear, for it can easily trap us in a feeling of rootlessness and emptiness.

Man is a greedy animal caught by conflicting(冲突的)desires. He tends to think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, so he often finds himself unsatisfied with what he has and longing for what he has not. Thus he is caught in the confusion of whether to enter or escape the " besieged city'，(围城).Most people, however，are willing to give up some freedom for reassurance. Those modern people who once abandoned their families for fashion are now returning to them in great numbers. The reason is simple: man is after all a social animal, and family, as a living cell of society, can allow man to achieve the fullest satisfaction of his social nature.

A home is not simply a place. Rather it is more like a living thing, formed when two lives are united because of love. The longer they live together, the more this home becomes a living thing in which life experiences and fates (命运)are interwoven (交织)，with the hard work and pleasure of raising children in most cases. Precisely for this reason, divorce can still cause a severe pain of being torn apart even after their love has disappeared. If we always remember that our home is a living thing being able to feel pain and fear death, then we will perhaps be able to guard against some of the avoidable tragedies of family break-ups.

So let us treasure this home as we do a kind family member who spares no pains to protect us and our memories with her or his silent blessing.

1. How are the people without a family likely to feel?

A．They feel pleased about the fullest freedom.

B．They feel secure about life.

C．They feel unbearable of looking after children.

D．They feel lacking in a sense of belonging.

2. Which sentence may be close in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A．Gifts blind the eyes.	B．Much will have more.
C．Make hay while the sun shines.	D．Great minds think alike.

3. Why can divorce still cause a severe pain for the two lives?

A．Because they hate the hard work of raising children.

B．Because they no longer love each other .

C．Because they, are unsatisfied with what they experienced.

D．Because they shared small but precious memories.

4. What's the best title for the passage?

A．On Home

B．To Besieged City

C．On Marriage

D．To Constant Love