1 . In many families today, both the mother and the father have jobs outside the home. This can make it difficult to take care of the children. To help, some companies are changing the work rules. These companies are trying to be more family-friendly.
What are companies doing to become family-friendly? Many companies are allowing their employees (雇员) to work flexible (灵活的) hours. With flexible hours, people can work full time, but they don’t have to work to a nine-to-five schedule. Some employees choose to come early and leave early. Some employees choose to work ten hours one day and six hours the next. Most companies say that flexible hours increase productivity. In the United States, about one-third of full-time employees have flexible work schedules.
Family-friendly companies also allow two employees to share one job. Each employee does half the job and gets half the salary. In the United States, 27% of the companies offer some kind of job sharing.
Many family-friendly companies also give paid leave to both parents when a baby is born. In many countries, employers have to give female workers time off before and after the birth of a child. In the United States, for example, female employees get 12 weeks of unpaid time off. New mothers can stay at home, but they don t get their salary. In some countries, employers have to give all workers paid leave for the birth of their child. In Finland, for example, both male and female employees get paid leave. Women get 105 days of paid leave and men get 42.
The way people work is changing. For many people, that is a good thing.
1. Some companies make some changes in their work rules to ________.| A．enable parents to take care of their children |
| B．give parents more time to relax |
| C．provide parents with more job opportunities |
| D．allow parents to work at home |
| A．can arrange their work time themselves | B．can work with their babies around |
| C．must work from nine to five | D．must share jobs with others |
| A．Employers become busier with flexible hours. |
| B．Employers have enough time to look after their children. |
| C．Employees can get job-sharing opportunities in some American companies. |
| D．Employees can have three months’ paid leave in some American companies. |
| A．they have physical problems | B．they have a new baby |
| C．they do a good job | D．they do extra work |
| A．companies’ work rules about getting leave |
| B．ways of job sharing in some companies |
| C．job opportunities for female employees |
| D．some companies’ family-friendly rules |
2 . One Saturday, Mary and 1 were playing with a ball and suddenly the ball went into a big man’s house. We went to his house and asked him if he could let us in to get our ball. He said, “No.” We felt helpless. Then I had an idea. There was a water tank (水箱) behind the man’s house. I looked at it and told Mary that we could climb onto the water tank and jump over the wall. Mary agreed, but we were both wearing skirts. So we decided to get our ball the next day.
The next morning Mary and I went to the water tank very early. We were both wearing shorts. Mary first climbed down into the man’s house by herself and I followed her. We looked for the ball and found it under a bed. Along with the ball were some gold bars! In a rush, we climbed back with the ball.
When we reached Mary’s house, the TV was on. It was news time. We couldn’t believe our ears when we heard that 20 gold bars were stolen from a gold shop. They showed a picture of the gold bars which were exactly the same as the ones we had seen under the big man’s bed. We rushed to tell Mary’s mother about the gold bars and she called the police immediately. The police came at once and caught the man. They found the gold bars in his house.
Several days later a police officer came and said, “Thank you children for helping us catch the thief. Here is the reward for you.”
We opened the gift box and were greatly surprised. There were some detective (侦探的) storybooks.
1. What can we learn about the big man from Paragraph 1?| A．He was unhappy. | B．He was unfriendly. |
| C．He was crazy. | D．He was rich. |
| A．Because they got no permission. |
| B．Because they were afraid of the big man. |
| C．Because they didn’t know how to climb onto it. |
| D．Because they didn’t wear suitable clothes. |
| A．Mary was followed by the man. |
| B．Mary went to the water tank alone. |
| C．Both of the girls got into the house. |
| D．The girls ran out with the gold bars. |
| A．By watching the TV news. | B．By questioning the man. |
| C．By asking Mary’s mother. | D．By calling the police. |
| A．Two Honest Girls | B．A Ball and Gold Bars |
| C．Skirts and Shorts | D．A Stupid Thief |
—________.
| A．Don’t mention it | B．That’s all right |
| C．No, I don’t think so | D．Thank you |
—I am from New York City but I live in Washington D.C. now.
| A．Where are you from | B．Where have you been |
| C．What is your address | D．What are you doing here |
One afternoon
“Why didn’t you kill it?” asked one of his friends.
Chaplin shrugged his
6 . The porter brings your bags to your room and helpfully explains all you want to know. Then he points to the phone and says: “If there’s anything else you need, just call.” All this time you have been thinking one thing: “How much should I tip (付小费) him?” To make your next trip a little easier, here’s a guide to tipping across some Asian countries.
Bangkok
In general, the more Westernized the place is, the more likely you will be expected to leave a tip. Some top-end restaurants will add a 10% service charge to the bill. If not, waiters will appreciate you tacking on (附加) the 10% yourself. However, if you’re eating at a lowerend (低档的) restaurant a tip is not necessary. If you’re staying at one of Bangkok’s many fivestar hotels, expect to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht (泰国货币单位), depending on how many bags you have. Taxis are now metered in Bangkok. Local custom is to round the fare (车费) up to the nearest five baht.
Hong Kong
Tipping is customary in this moneymad metropolis (大都市). Most restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill, but the extra money often ends up in the pocket of the owner. If the service is good, add another 10% to the bill, up to HK $100 in an especially nice restaurant. For HK $10 hotel porters should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a new HK $ 20 bill may be more acceptable. When in a taxi, round up (凑整数) to the nearest dollar.
Kuala Lumpur
Tipping in Malaysia is limited to the expensive Westernized hotels, which often add a 10% service charge to your meal or hotel room. If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10% service charge. But at local restaurants, there’s no need to add a tip. At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit (马来西亚货币单位) will content a porter. At lowerend buildings don’t feel you have to tip. Like Bangkok, many taxis are now metered so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit.
Seoul
Tipping is not part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in international hotels where a 10% service charge is often added. If you’re at a Korean barbecue joint (烧烤处), there’s no need to add anything extra. But a nice Italian restaurant may require a 10% contribution. If you’re at a top-end hotel, so expect to pay 500～1, 000 won per bag. Taxi drivers don’t accept a tip. Keep the change for yourself.
1. In which of the following cities is it unnecessary to tip the taxidrivers?| A．Bangkok. | B．Hong Kong. |
| C．Kuala Lumpur. | D．Seoul. |
| A．Ringgit. | B．Baht. |
| C．Won. | D．Charge. |
| A．Hong Kong | B．Asian countries |
| C．the west | D．Bangkok |
| A．One ringgit. | B．10% of service charge. |
| C．Half a ringgit. | D．Two ringgit. |
| A．to tell the readers how to travel |
| B．to give the readers some advice on how to tip |
| C．to ask the readers to go on a travel to Asian cities |
| D．to make the trip more pleasant |
—________? I didn’t hear what you said.
| A．Why | B．Pardon |
| C．Really | D．Excuse me |
—________. I think Wang Hao will be the winner.
| A．I hope so | B．I don’t think so |
| C．It’s a pity | D．It doesn’t matter |
—________. The traffic jam has made me late.
| A．I’m really sorry | B．I didn’t mean to do that |
| C．No wonder | D．Don’t be angry |
提示：（1）春节的时间：农历新年的前夕 。
（2）春节的意义：是为了庆祝冬天的结束和春天的来临。
（3）春节期间有各种各样的活动，如：回到家乡进行传统的家人团圆，等12点钟声响起，燃放烟花迎接新年的到来，给亲戚们拜年，收红包。
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