1 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

When a grandchild comes along for the first time, it’s important to have the right help. In our case, a lovely young couple seems    1    (absolute) perfect in bringing up our grandson. The new baby appears to really like them,    2    certainly takes away the worry for us grandparents.

Here’s the deal: we get the young couple to do most of the difficult work, like    3    (feed) the baby and changing nappies. He even lives    4    their house, which makes things a lot    5    (easy). We arrive for the good times, such as when the grandson is available to lie in our arms and glancing up at the world as if to comprehend its wonder.

Why, you may ask, would a young couple be willing    6    (do) all the hard work, while the grandparents enjoy the good times? It’s a fair question. When we arrive,     7    couple has usually been up, all night with dark circles. The grandchild, though, is full of energy. We, the grandparents, take    8    (turn) to rock him and he wriggles (扭动)in our arms. An hour    9    two later,when things are about to turn tricky, we hand him back to them and disappear down the steps.

Could these different work conditions really    10    (consider) fair? The young couple seems happy enough. The grandchild looks like them both, which may have helped.

2 . Cook in the kitchen

Earlier last month, my parents and I had a free day — a rare event for us.     1    

For our weekend menu, we decided to make smoked pork. I found this recipe online. It looked interesting and the steps were simple. So we decided to make it for dinner one weekend.

First, according to the recipe, the pork needed to be salted. The process would take a long time.     2     Mom first thawed (解冻) the pork and then spread salt, sugar and pepper or the surface, After that, she wrapped the pork in a plastic film (塑料薄膜) and refrigerated it for two days.

    3     To make smoked dishes indoors, we needed to use aluminum foil (铝箔). After searching for it for a long time, we finally found the foil in the cupboard.

After that, Dad was responsible for slicing (切片) the pork, Mother was responsible for preparing the ingredients (佐料). I was responsible for spreading the black tea and sugar for smoking on the aluminum foil and then a layer of baking paper.     4     After more than ten minutes of smoking and a few minutes of frying, the smoked pork was complete.

    5     When combined with an apple vinegar sauce, the meat was even more delicious.

A．It was easy for me to make the food.

B．Pork is the main meat source of our food.

C．We decided to cook together in the kitchen.

D．Finally, I put the pork on the smoking shelf.

E．So, Mom started working on it early the night before.

F．Two days later, the pork was ready for the next steps.

G．The pork was very delicious and contained the special smell of black tea.

3 . Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each.

Children in the US will leave their parents’ home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday.

Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves.

Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use.

1. Size of most American families is ________ that of other countries.

A．larger than

B．smaller than

C．as big as

D．as small as

2. American children grow up, they leave their parents’ home to ________.

A．get married

B．be free

C．find good jobs

D．study

3. American children visit their parents ________.

A．on weekdays

B．on weekends

C．at any time

D．on holiday

4. Parents pay their children for doing housework because ________.

A．children can learn how to make money for themselves

B．their children required them to do so

C．they are rich

D．it is required by law

5. Which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．Children have the freedom to choose their own job.

B．Parents don’t ask their children to do the housework.

C．Parents think it important for children to make their own decision.

D．When children grow up, they usually live far away from their home.

4 . Twenty years ago, cable services (有线服务)were relatively expensive. When we requested our cable services be lowered to the basic package, we found the cable company had________ our service instead. After learning that we would have to pay for________, we decided to give it up altogether.

________they could no longer watch their favorite television shows, our daughter________into her bedroom, screaming about the injustice of it all. Our son looked upset while he________that the only shows he ever watched were cable-only stations.

I admit that the first week was the________. With so much time in hand, my children began________over little things. After a week of listening to my children constantly quarreling, I was almost________to re-order cable but gave up at the last minute. In the third week I was pleased to announce that no one had died of________. The children started enjoying more physical activities. We also organized________activities that requested the whole family's involvement. Besides, when I needed the children's help, I________heard, "Just a minute, Mom. I'll be there during the next________"

We found more time to talk with each other. We________the pleasure of reading, and board games had become a family affair. It truly was a________and a great way to reacquaint (重新熟悉) ourselves with one another. After all, shared activities and family affection________anything.

1.

A．put off

B．cut off

C．turned down

D．taken down

2.

A．reconnection

B．repair

C．improvement

D．change

3.

A．Wondering

B．Remembering

C．Assuming

D．Realizing

4.

A．slid

B．wandered

C．stormed

D．skipped

5.

A．complained

B．explained

C．admitted

D．described

6.

A．silliest

B．strangest

C．busiest

D．hardest

7.

A．arguing

B．worrying

C．thinking

D．watching

8.

A．able

B．ready

C．stressful

D．grateful

9.

A．illness

B．sadness

C．anger

D．boredom

10.

A．bonding

B．pleasant

C．complex

D．training

11.

A．accidentally

B．usually

C．hardly

D．eventually

12.

A．absence

B．commercial

C．activity

D．game

13.

A．reevaluated

B．rediscovered

C．reconsidered

D．redefined

14.

A．relief

B．reward

C．blessing

D．sacrifice

15.

A．deserve

B．show

C．outweigh

D．influence

5 . How to Exercise at Home

You’ve got home from work, planned and prepared a nutritious yet also delicious dinner and now it’s time to put on some sports clothes and head to the gym. No?     1    .

Take advantage of your stairs

Here is a question.     2    ? Bring the washing down, carry the ironing up, rush to the bathroom, remember what it was you went upstairs for in the first place. Take the opportunity to burn some calories just going about your normal routine, but do it in half the time; instead of just walking up them, try taking the stairs two at a time.

    3    

Make the most of the housework!     4    , set aside half an hour and get yourself on a mission to do the whole house. Even the modern, lightweight vacuum cleaners(吸尘器)do require a bit of effort to push around, go backwards and forwards, deep into the corners and, if you can sing along with the music, then so much the better!

Turn grocery delivery into a workout

    5    , but that doesn’t help with maintaining an active lifestye. So when your delivery driver drops your groceries off, why not build a little weights routine into the unpacking? Four packs of beans and noodles make great substitute(代替)weights, so strengthen your muscle with a pack in each hand.

A．Turn to a vacuum cleaner

B．Make housework your workout

C．How many steps are there in your house

D．Rather than just vacuuming one room at a time

E．In that case, here are some home workout suggestions

F．How many times a day do you go up and down the stairs

G．Many of us now use online shopping to make our busy lives a little easier

6 . Let’s face it: Nobody really likes doing chores (家务) around the house. But at a certain age, our kids are old enough to start lending a hand with the housework.     1     But what exactly are the benefits that young children and teenagers get from doing chores?

Chores help teach life skills. They’re young now, but they won’t be kids forever! Washing clothes, cooking and cleaning the room are just some of the skills kids will need once they finally move out.     2     So it is really important to make kids learn them at home.

Chores teach kids how to follow directions. Whether you are giving instructions to a small child or a teenager, describing what you are expecting them to do and then doing it will teach them how to follow directions.    3     Remember, only age-proper instructions can help them learn this important skill.

Chores teach responsibility and respect. Having your children clean up their own messes will give them a sense of responsibility. Task them with assisting in making the family’s meals.     4    These will help them understand all that their parents do to keep the home running smoothly and be more respectful of it.

    5    Everyone in our home has their own jobs to do in order to allow our house to function. It not only lessens our own stress level and to-do list, but it teaches our kids that we all must work together as a team. They may complain, but they’ve come to understand that the chores they are tasked with each day or week are all a bigger part of keeping the family functioning.

A．Chores encourage teamwork.

B．They can benefit from doing this.

C．Or let them sort their own clothes.

D．Speak to them at a level they'll understand.

E．These are also things that schools do not fully teach.

F．Encouraging kids to do chores will build their confidence.

G．Chores help improve planning and time management skills.

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入括号内单词的正确形式。

I still remember last winter, when I     1     (wake) up in the morning, it     2     (stop) snowing. Looking outside of the window, the shiny white snow on our lawn     3     (clean) by my father. I closed the book that I     4     (borrow) from our local library and went downstairs for breakfast. Then my little brother came to tell me that he     5     (finish) all his homework and he     6     (have) a very nice dream the night before. During the breakfast, one of my best friends came to visit my family. She     7     (go) to Australia last year. Before that she     8     (prepare) for the examination of University of Sydney for half a year. During her study, she     9     (learn) the culture and     10     (profession) knowledge in her field.

8 . My parents have very different parenting styles. Dad brings out the best in me. He is calm(镇静的）and reasonable and treats me like an adult. Mum, like so many parents of my friends, makes me want to rebel(反抗）．    1    

My friends and I think that our parents care too much about us. Take me for example.     2    It was a journey I'd taken with Mum before. Dad was fine with the idea of me going alone, but it took weeks of arguments(争吵）before Mum agreed. In her eyes, I'm not old enough to go on the trip alone. But I' m sixteen years old!

Parents need to learn to trust us. There is no point in becoming angry, which just makes things worse. A few months ago, Mum went crazy when I told her I'd been receiving e-mails from a stranger I'd met online. Since then she hasn't allowed me to use the Internet.     3     They use monitoring software(监控软件）to secretly   watch what their teenagers are looking at online.

I understand them, but they overreact(反应过激）.     4     I think what they should do is keep calm and help us find a way to deal with it.

We love the idea of being really close to our parents.     5     But part of being a teenager is feeling free to take steps down new paths and learning from our own mistakes. Our parents have to let us get on with what is just a natural stage of life.

A．She speaks to me as though I'm still a child.

B．Some teenagers refuse to open up to their parents.

C．But she isn't so bad as many of my friends' parents.

D．We also know deep down that our parents care about us most.

E．Recently, I wanted to take a train to Portsmouth to see a friend.

F．Mum, on the other hand, kept suggesting other things I could do

G．What they do makes us not want to talk about our personal things with them.

9 . 短文改错
Dear David,

I’m very pleasing to invite you to my home to experience the customs and traditions during the coming Spring Festival. Now let me share something about the festival to you.

The Spring Festival, which falls the first day of the first lunar month, is the most importantly festival for all of us Chinese. I have an unforgettable Spring Festival last year. At New Year’s Eve, all my family member got together to have a family reunion dinner, after that we enjoyed the CCTV Spring Festival Gala until the clock struck twelve. Then, singing and laughing, we set off fireworks with my cousins to welcome the New Year’s coming. Are you eager to enjoy such a great happiness with us in China?

I’m looking forward to your coming.

Yours,

Li Hua

10 . Saturday was her favorite day of the week. It rained most of the day, so, Kayla enjoyed playing video games inside. On Sunday, her friends came over and they played basketball for several hours.

Then it was Labor Day, the extra day off that Kayla was so looking forward to. But Kayla was awakened early that morning by her dad. He told Kayla that in honor of Labor Day, the family would be cleaning both inside and outside the house. Kayla couldn’t believe it. This was a holiday. She was supposed to be enjoying freshly squeezed lemonade while playing in her tree house. As Kayla wiped her eyes, she began to wonder if this was just a bad dream.

As she sat down at the kitchen table, Kayla asked her parents, “Are you serious about working today? Isn’t Labor Day a holiday?” “Yes, Kayla. It is,” replied her dad. “But your mom and I thought working hard today would make you realize why Labor Day was observed in the first place.” At first, Kayla felt disappointed at her parents’ plan for the holiday. How eagerly she wanted to go out to play with her friends! She was against the annoying plan from the bottom of her heart, but she had no choice. First, Kayla was arranged to wash the breakfast dishes. After that, she was asked to give their puppy a bath. She knew it was a hard task, which needed a lot of careful work. She began the work with great unwillingness.

But things began to change as she was doing the chores. When she brushed the puppy, she found it was a lot of fun with so many soap bubbles. Then it was yardwork and Kayla helped to pick up sticks. She pretended the small sticks were basketballs and shot them into a large trash can. So the work was done with great pleasure, and Kayla felt proud to see how much better the yard looked. When she finished her meaningful chores, Kayla enjoyed relaxing in her tree house. The lemonade tasted wonderful after a hard day of work.

1. How did Kayla feel when she got up?

A．nervous

B．satisfied

C．annoyed

D．excited

2. Why did her parents let her do housework on this day?

A．Because they were too busy to do it.

B．Because they wish her to understand the meaning of working.

C．Because her family had too much housework to do.

D．Because they want her to be good at doing housework.

3. Which of the following statements is right?

A．Her parents expect too much of Kayla.

B．Kayla did not like doing housework.

C．Kayla used sticks to play basketball.

D．The work was more enjoyable than expected.

4. What does the last sentence in the text suggest?

A．Work brings satisfaction.

B．The lemonade is fresher than usual.

C．Lemonade juice is Kayla’s favorite.

D．Work is tiring.