1 . Family time is one of the most important times in a children's life. My family and I spend a lot of time together, including having dinner together every night.     1     Even when my father is away on business, my mother, my sister and I talk and have fun together. As a teenager, spending time with my parents is not the most fun thing I do but I feel it is necessary. I learn from them every time we talk, whether it is about my dad's job or my mother's day. 

    2     Data show that only 50% of families sit down for dinner together every night. That's a shame because researchers claim that kids who have these regular family dinners tend to have a sense of belonging and safety.       3     And they are also more likely to have better grades and a larger vocabulary.

There have been many recent studies showing kids are "wilder" than they used to be.     4    I think less attention from parents might be one of them. If parents spend more time with their children, they will keep their kids away from television, video games and "wild" ideas.

I have noticed in old TV shows and my parents' stories that not long ago sitting at the family dinner table was not a choice, but a must.     5    It is probably because parents and children are under more pressure from work and study. Although we all lead busy lives and are always running around trying to finish homework or play sports, we should all spend 20 minutes each day to eat dinner together.

A．Nowadays, it seems harder for people to find time to be together.

B．I did a little research on the "family table" idea.

C．Children just watch TV and play computer games.

D．There are certainly many reasons for this.

E．We don't watch television. Instead we sit down at the table to eat and discuss our days.

F．What's more, they learn better behaviours during the time with their parents.

G．It is important for parents to teach children how to behave.

2 . When my husband lost his job, I began searching for that stupid silver lining（一线希望）— perhaps a better job or a good opportunity. But I could ______ have expected what we would learn together about our ______.

After almost 10 years, my husband and I had a(n) ______ marriage and we rarely fought. But the loss of ______ meant much more time together. Little things began to ______ us. But as we are the polite fighters , we seldom talked about each other’s ______.

One evening, we ate the popcorn chicken (鸡米花) I cooked with our children. When I ______ there wasn’t much left, I said, “I’m going to make it again soon.” Several days later, when I started ______ dinner — popcorn chicken, my husband asked, “Popcorn chicken tonight, huh?” “Yup!” I ______. After a few minutes, he said, “OK, I’m just going to say it. I just don’t like this ______. I never have, I never will, and, oh, this does feel so good to finally ______ it!” “Why didn’t you ever tell me this?” I asked. “I didn’t want to ______ your feelings!” he said. Then I said, “Well, it’s what’s for ______. And tonight, we need to talk about more than just popcorn chicken.”

After the ______ went to bed, my husband poured some ______. The wine made my husband talk ______ to me and we realized that being ______ with each other is important in a marriage. Maybe sometimes it’s a little hard to be honest, but ______ keeping thoughts to ourselves, we’re much more open. ______ I miss eating popcorn chicken, it’s only a small sacrifice（牺牲) to ______ my marriage.

1.

A．always

B．often

C．ever

D．never

2.

A．choice

B．responsibility

C．marriage

D．friendship

3.

A．unhappy

B．strong

C．broken

D．romantic

4.

A．money

B．work

C．opportunity

D．power

5.

A．surprise

B．embarrass

C．upset

D．disappoint

6.

A．thoughts

B．values

C．experiences

D．dreams

7.

A．heard

B．noticed

C．regretted

D．guessed

8.

A．having

B．selling

C．buying

D．making

9.

A．asked

B．replied

C．explained

D．warned

10.

A．dessert

B．soup

C．dish

D．bowl

11.

A．realize

B．say

C．find

D．refuse

12.

A．hurt

B．consider

C．know

D．change

13.

A．breakfast

B．lunch

C．dinner

D．brunch

14.

A．partners

B．kids

C．parents

D．pets

15.

A．tea

B．juice

C．water

D．wine

16.

A．frankly

B．slowly

C．angrily

D．sadly

17.

A．patient

B．honest

C．strict

D．friendly

18.

A．as for

B．apart from

C．thanks to

D．instead of

19.

A．Although

B．Because

C．So

D．But

20.

A．focus on

B．depend on

C．pay for

D．believe in

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Nowadays, housework is getting much easier than it has ever been. There     1     (be) plenty of helpful machinery equipment in most people's families. Most machines are powered by electricity.

The first sewing machines in the 1800s     2     (operate) by a person turning a wheel by hand, or     3     (push) a foot-pedal up and down, while modern sewing machines have electric motors to do the work. A washing machine is a     4     (simply) electrical device. People had spent hours washing their clothes by hand     5     they had washing machines. Now it takes just a few minutes to fill the machine and set the right program. It works by mixing dirty clothes     6     soapy water. During the operation,     7     drum turns to slosh (搅动) the clothes in the water, and then clean water washes away the soap and dirt. Eventually, the machine's drum spins very fast to help dry clothes. A microwave oven cooks food very quickly by sending invisible     8     (wave) of energy, called microwaves, into the food. This makes the watery parts of the food vibrate and get hot.

    9     appeals to people is that the machines can help save more time and make people's life easier. It means that people have more time     10     (work) or relax.

4 . “Mommy, will you play this with me?” My two-year-old daughter sat next to a mountain of laundry baskets. She held a toy in her hand. I looked at her, and then I stared down a pile of dirty clothes - enough, already. I thought of some popular phrases among moms I had read countless times on the Internet. “Days are long but the years fly by.” “A messy house is a happy house.” “Hard work pays off.” I become energetic every time the phrases pass through my mind.

Sometimes, the laundry just needed to get done. I stared straight into my daughter’s pleading eyes.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I cannot play right now. Mom is really busy.” Suddenly, an idea passed through my brain. I must do the housework! And that would not make me a bad mom!

Quite the opposite, I thought.

It’s okay to clean, to cook, or to spend a morning paying bills, making phone calls and folding towels. That’s what grown-ups do. And how else will our kids learn unless we demonstrate? Recently, I read an article about a local family. It was a diary of their typical week, written by the father of six children. Each day consisted of cooking and family devotions. The grandkids ran in the barn while the older children milked cows, and everyone helped make pies for the family bakery business. They were all faithfully devoted to one another as they worked side by side from dawn to dusk.

Could it be that the real call on a family is not for the parents to serve the children, but for everyone to serve each other for a greater purpose? Sometimes we work, and sometimes we play. Strong families are built with both.

“Sweetie, I have a great idea.” I set my daughter’s game on the table and held her hands. “You can help me put these clothes in the wash. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Her face lit up. “Can I push the buttons, too?” “Absolutely, you are a good button pusher.” “Yeah,” she said as if I had just asked her to play.

1. According to the writer, the popular phrases.

A．persuade the moms to enjoy their lives.

B．encourage and comfort the exhausted moms.

C．tell the moms the real meaning of life.

D．make the moms become more knowledgeable.

2. What did the writer learn from the diary?

A．Interest should be developed at a young age.

B．It is really hard to take good care of children.

C．Children should be taught to contribute to families.

D．Parents are responsible for keeping family in harmony.

3. How did the daughter feel when she was asked to do some housework?

A．Worried and scared.

B．Thankful and touched.

C．Excited and interested.

D．Disappointed and upset.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Enjoying a messy house.

B．Playing toys with my kid.

C．Making dreams come true.

D．Doing the laundry together.

5 . Anyone who has messy children, lazy partners or naughty flat mates will be impressed by the resourcefulness (足智多谋) of Katrina Neathey, the co-owner of a cleaning company in West Sussex. She has made her three teenagers sign an agreement to help keep the house tidy. Any infraction of the agreement, for example, littering up their bedroom with magazines and drinks, or failing to put their dirty plates in the dishwasher, will come with a 5 pounds’ fine on removal of their phones.

It is one way of setting up a cleaning rota (轮班表) that people might stick to. “Cleaning is teamwork.” says Lynsey Crombie, also known as the Queen of Clean. She suggests getting everyone in the household together to find out what people like doing. “In our family, my husband is better at mowing the lawn. I love cleaning rooms. Someone else might like folding the towels. You let everybody do what they’re good at, or enjoy, so there’s more chance they’ll actually do it.”

Crombie is not a fan of fines. For her children, she takes away their phones or turns off the Wi-Fi. For other adults who aren’t joining in, she suggests keeping asking them to take action.

If you aren’t sure what is required to keep the dirt at bay, there are many checklists online that you can print out to share the daily, weekly and monthly tasks. You can stick it on the fridge, and then everyone knows where they stand. If it’s not working, have another chat, such as “What do you dislike?” “How can we improve it?” Ironing out problems is all about communication.

1. What does the underlined word "infraction" in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Change.	B．Violation.
C．Explanation.	D．Discussion.

2. How does Crombie encourage her family to enjoy their tasks?

A．By dividing tasks in terms of interest.	B．By sticking to the cleaning rota strictly.
C．By setting up a role model herself.	D．By offering the family timely help.

3. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A．Fines work well among adults.	B．Ways to motivate people vary.
C．It’s hard to push adults to take charge.	D．It’s good to remind people of their tasks.

4. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To advertise a great cleaning company in West Sussex.

B．To encourage people to develop teamwork spirit at home.

C．To call on housewives to handle lazy partners resourcefully.

D．To introduce ways of inspiring family to share housework.