1 . My Favorite Sweater

By Bonnie Highsmith Taylor

My favorite sweater grew too small.

I love that sweater best of all.

My grandma made it when I was three.

She made that sweater just for me.

I picked the yarn (纱线), a special blue.

The color of bluebells (风铃草), wet with dew (露珠).

When I was three I was very small.

But now I’m five and much too tall.

I have a new jacket now that’s green.

So I gave my sweater to our cat Queen.

Queen just gave birth to kittens in the shed (小屋).

My favorite sweater is now their bed.

1. Who is the writer of the poem?

A．The grandma.

B．Miss Taylor.

C．A kitten.

D．Queen.

2. How old is the girl in this poem now?

A．3.

B．4.

C．5.

D．6.

3. How old was the girl when her grandma made the sweater for her?

A．5.

B．3.

C．4.

D．6.

4. The underlined word “kittens” most probably means         .

A．a kind of food	B．baby cats
C．a kind of drink	D．a bed for a baby

2 . Everyone needs to be part of a family no matter what it consists of. A family may consist of all or any of the following: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and more.     1    

Show sincere concern for your family members. Do not keep your feelings in your heart.     2    

If you care about them, then let them know about this. Go out of your way to remind each family member what glues you all together — love, care and support.

Care about the interests of each of your family members.     3     Ask them how their hobbies, their interests and their work are going. Be an active listener when they tell you and think about what you can do for them if they have any trouble.

    4     It is very important that you let them know about your life, so that they can understand you and generally know what’s going on in your life. In turn, it is equally important that you know about their lives, too, so that they feel understood, supported and can be reassured that they are not alone.

Try small gestures. Even the smallest things count. With a simple text or a brief phone call, you can make someone’s day.     5    When you know that someone is going through a hard time, call him and tell him that you would like to do everything for him.

A．Spend time with your family members.

B．There are some ways to help protect the family.

C．Talk to your family members.

D．If you love them, then tell them that you love them.

E．Learn what they love doing and ask questions about it.

F．It’s obviously important to do your best to make the family happy.

G．Just make sure you leave a positive message that will make him feel happy.

3 . Here are a few ways to motivate (激发) children to do chores.

    1     Children always watch their parents and learn how to act from them, so the parents must set a good example and take chores seriously. This motivates children to do chores, too.

Decide what kinds of chores children do. For younger children, give them easy work, like putting away their toys.    2    .

Tell children about the importance of doing chores.     3    Knowing the importance of the chores helps to motivate children to do them.

    4     When children finish the chores on the list, parents can reward them by giving them a prize. A chore list also gives children a sense of pride when they finish all their chores.

Give children some money to do more chores.    5     But it is not the best way. It's best to make children feel that doing chores is the work that they should do.

A．Set good examples in the family.

B．Make a list of chores for children.

C．Make children do chores unhappily.

D．Ask children to do all kinds of chores.

E．Giving money for more chores can also work.

F．As the children get older, make them do more difficult chores.

G．Discuss the importance of doing chores and how they help the whole family.

4 . Engaging in Family Meals

Engaging in family meals may be a matter of improving communication and support at home. A new study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, connects less family discouragement and better family communication with a higher likelihood to eat evening family meals and family breakfasts together, and not in front of a television. The researchers surveyed 259 patients who participated in weight management and weight loss programs at the Ohio State University or Wake Forest University.     1    

“It’s important to note all family members in the home have influence,” lead study author Keeley J. Pratt, PhD, the Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, said of the findings that any family member can influence the adoption and maintenance of healthy patterns and behaviors in the home.     2     The study also found parents who perceived their child to be overweight were more than four times as likely to talk to them about the kid’s weight, also called “weight talk.”

“While open communication with children about health is beneficial, it’s important to ensure communication directly about children’s weight is not harmful in their development of a healthy body image and behaviors. That includes older children and adolescents who are at greater risk of developing eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors,” Professor Pratt said.     3     Families with younger children, regardless of gender, were more likely to eat family dinners and breakfasts together, and parents of older children were more likely to talk about their own weight with the child. As kids grow up, the relationship between kids and their parents becomes better.

    4     “Understanding these associations will provide essential evidence needed to design future family-based interventions for these patients to help in their behavior change and weight loss, prevent the beginning of obesity in children, and enhance positive family meal practices and healthy communication about weight,” Professor Pratt said.

A．The study shows parents of older children were more likely to talk about their own weight with the child.

B．They found parents with better family communication were more likely to participate in family meals.

C．There was no significant difference between male and female children in this study.

D．This was the first study specifically to examine the home eating habits of adult patients.

E．Previous study has shown parental obesity (肥胖) is the strongest risk for children’s obesity.

F．Someone has no power to influence the family, but they are influencing each other.

5 . Strategies for Getting Kids off Screens

It’s time to keep kids off the screens! Parents should use the winter vacation to remind their children of what it’s like to play freely, offline for hours on end.     1    . Here are some practical strategies for giving kids a screen-free winter.

Set clear screen time limits

Establish how many minutes or hours you’re OK with them each week, and make it something that can never be changed. For example, you could say they’re allowed to watch for an hour on Sunday morning, or for 15 minutes in the evening while dinner is being made, or none at all for the rest of the winter—and then stick to it.     2    

Get kids cooking

Involve them in meal preparation by assigning recipes that you’d like them to make each day.     3    . And you’ll have many tasty dishes at the end of it,

    4    

There are numerous half- and full-day camp options and lessons that can occupy a child’s time, such as swimming, art classes, tennis, dinosaur camp and sports camp. Look around your community for activities that can get them out of the house for a few hours each day.

Establish a reading routine (习惯)

    5    . Take your kid along to choose what she or he wants to read, and that will help keep them enthusiastic. Back home and see if you can set up a comfortable reading corner where they will be willing to read and let reading become a good habit gradually.

A．Sign up for lessons

B．Assign household work

C．That helps stop arguments of screen time

D．Of course, this is easier said than done

E．Master some basic tricks, using a homemade tool

F．They’ll develop new skills at cutting, cooking and baking

G．Go to the library once a week to store up fresh reading material

6 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

On a recent Saturday, I stepped into a MeDonald to use the ladies’ room. There I saw a woman of my age with a concerned look on her face helping her elderly father slowly make his way to the men’s room with his walker.She seemed like a loving,dutiful daughter dealing with the role reversal(逆转)that comes with age—those moments when it feels like you’re talking care of your parents,instead of being taken care of by your parents.

As a member of the sandwich generation,I can relate.I often feel like the peanut butter between two pieced of bread:I’m trying to hold it together for my two teenage daughters,and   also meet the needs of my 89-year-old mom,Elinor.

My mother’s day-to-day care became a must after my father passed away last year.My parents cared for each other through Parkinson’s disease,heart disease and cancer.Now mom is living alone, in the same house in Virginia where my elder sister,my younger brother and I grew up. The house is full of 55 years’ memories about my mom and my dad. And the thought of leaving it makes her extremely sad.

But what if something happens to her and no one is there to help? What about the hours of loneliness that can’t be alleviated with a phone call? I am lucky that my brothers and sisters and I are in regular communication and we all want to do our part.

We don’t want to decide for her, of course. And we do have options: We could ensure that the house is safe for her, or bring in someone a couple of hours a day to cook a few meals and do light house-keeping. The most important thing is to keep talking about it as family,and to keep mom involved in the discussion.

Whatever we decide, we’ll do it together.Mom sacrifices her whole life for us,and we want to help her age with dignity.

1. What does the author think of the woman of her age? (no more than 10 words)
_________________________________________________
2. Why doesn’t the author’s mother want to leave her house? (no more than 8 words)
_________________________________________________
3. What does the underlined word “alleviated” in Paragraph 4 mean? (1 word)
_________________________________________________
4. What makes the author think she is lucky ?(no more than 16 words)
_________________________________________________
5. What inspiration do you get from the passage? Please express it in your own words.(no more than 25 words)
_________________________________________________

7 . I’m Alice. From childhood, my sister and I each received a new calendar every Christmas from my parents. And even though we shared a bedroom and could have shared a calendar, too, we always got our own. My sister is three years younger than me, and for many years she requested a teddy bear calendar. My calendars always contained photos of a princess.

Even after I began my family, I still told my husband there was only one Christmas present I’d want most every year—a family photo calendar. And each year, he’s delivered.

Each month of my calendar features a few photos taken in the same month of the year that just passed. These photos are a way for our family to revisit fun events or to realize just how much my son Ryan has grown in one year.

At the end of the year, the completed calendar will go on the bookshelf with every other photo calendar that’s come before it. Through those calendars you can know what our family was like then—what we looked like the year before and how we will fill our days in the new year.

When I was a kid, unwrapping(打开) each new calendar gave me a sense of hope and promise for the year to come. Times have changed. Now, unwrapping the new calendar is different. I feel a sense of pride and joy when I look at our family and revisit our good times. But there is also a sense of sadness when I realize how big Ryan has gotten.

As I look through the pages, I don’t know exactly what the year ahead will hold for us. However, we can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious(意识到的) of our treasures(宝藏).

And that is the true gift.

1. What can we learn about Alice’s childhood from paragraph 1?

A．Alice and her sister both had a bedroom of their own.

B．They shared only a calendar because they were poor.

C．It’s a tradition to receive a new calendar each year.

D．Alice had a miserable time with her younger sister.

2. What does Alice’s yearly completed photo calendar bring Alice now?

A．A time capsule(胶囊).	B．Knowledge.
C．A rubbish bag.	D．A family tree.

3. What feelings does unwrapping each new calendar bring Alice now?

A．Promising.	B．Mixed.
C．Sad.	D．Joyful.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．My Wonderful Childhood	B．The Use of a Calendar
C．A Year at a Time	D．A Timeless Gift

8 . Bad things sometimes happen to you at school or with a friend. Then who would you like to talk to?     1     You may have a lot of helpful friends in your life. However, you will always have family there for you. Through good and bad times, your family always supports and loves you.

    2     David R. Wommack, a famous expert, thinks family is the tie that links us all so closely together and builds our characters, shared goals, respect and values. You just learn values like love, trust and tradition from your family.

Family is an important part of your everyday life. You can be yourself in front of your family members every day and they will accept you for who you are.     3     Even through difficult times, they will bring happiness into your life. Family is a tie that will last forever.

What are the ways that you can strengthen your family tie? You can make a family fun night each week.     4     This time together will strengthen your relationship for years to come. With a strong family tie, you can always turn to them for help and comfort.

Your family is a team. Do you remember when your family tried to help you deal with a challenge? Are there moments when your family tried to get you out of sadness?     5     You can try family dinners to improve your family tie.

A．Who do you turn to as well?

B．Friendship is a bridge that seems weak.

C．It can be a game night or a campfire night.

D．Who do you love most in your whole life?

E．It takes hard work to have a strong family tie.

F．Family helps you shape yourself and your life.

G．Your family will love you no matter what happens. .

9 . A Georgia mom is winning praise for the way she’s teaching her children, aged 13,10 and 6, about money.

Shaketha MeGregor, a single mother in Dublin, Georgia, knew she needed a solution after frequent requests from her three kids for things like new toys and money to do things with their friends.

She came up with the unique idea to host a “job fair(就业展览会)”for her three children, Jahkeem, in seventh grade, Takeia, in fifth grade, and Serinity, in first grade. The three positions at the job fair were the kitchen manager, lead housekeeper and laundry supervisor(洗衣房主管).Children had to earn their pocket money by doing a job.

Jahkeem, Takeia and Serinity each picked the job they wanted to apply for, filled out the application and had interviews with their employer-their mom.

“My oldest and my youngest both applied for the lead housekeeper,” McGregor said.“ As to my 6-year-old daughter Serinity, I was more impressed with her application and her interview than my 13-year-old son Jahkeem.”

”I want them to be familiar with the process when they are older,“ she said. ”Whether they’re applying to a school or for a new job. they can look back and say, “I did this with Mom years ago.” As a parent you want to protect your children as much as possible, but you know that eventually they’ll have to experience it on their own and a child’s greatest lesson in life is going through the process.

MeGregor’s post on Facebook where she shared her job fair idea now has more than 200,000 likes. She said she hoped it inspired other parents to think outside of the box and let their kids’ voices be heard.“ What I’m realizing is that kids just want to be part of something. The first-hand experience is the best way to educate children,” McGregor said.

1. What do you know about McGregor’s solution?

A．It is creative.	B．It’s uninteresting
C．It is strange.	D．It’s traditional.

2. How can Takeia get the new toy she wants according to the passage?

A．By doing housework.	B．By behaving well.
C．By getting good marks.	D．By listening to McGregor.

3. What can we infer from the result of the job fair?

A．Serinity was awarded a new toy.

B．Serinity got the position as a kitchen manager.

C．Takeia became the lead housekeeper at the fair.

D．Jahkeen didn’t get the job he had applied for.

4. What do we know from the last paragraph?

A．Children should always listen to their parents views.

B．Parents should pay their children for anything.

C．MeGregor’s post is well received online.

D．MeGregor’s idea is suitable for all families.

10 . Sometimes it seems like there are never enough hours in the day. But with a bit of time management, you can make time for the things you need to do, like housework. Here are some tips on how to manage your time for housework.

    1     Don’t try to do too much in one day or week. Spread out your housework over a period of days or weeks so that it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. “I’m going to clean the entire house today” rarely goes well and will just make you feel defeated.

Make a list. Once you know what needs to be done, make a list of the tasks and prioritize them.     2     You can also create checklists for things throughout the house so you can just move from one task to another.

Try to clean as you go. Have you ever noticed dishes are easier to wash if you wash them off immediately? This doesn’t mean that you have to clean up every single thing as soon as you finish using it.     3     This will save you time in the long run and help keep your house more organized.

Use your time wisely.     4     For instance, if you are vacuuming(用真空吸尘器)，move all the furniture in the room first so that you don’t have to keep stopping and starting. Don’t dust before you vacuum; you’ll just have to redo everything later.

Reward yourself. When you’ve finished all your tasks, give yourself a pat on the back or a good treat like a good cup of coffee. This will help you stay motivated and look forward to the next time you have to do housework.     5    

A．Set realistic expectations.

B．Set aside some time each day or week for housework.

C．But if you can, try to put things away and tidy up as you go.

D．Make sure you use your time wisely and take breaks between tasks.

E．Make sure you are using your time efficiently while you are cleaning.

F．Housework is always going to be a bit of a heavy task, but it shouldn’t be terrible.

G．This will help you focus on what needs to be done first and prevent you forgetting anything.