In today’s households where both parents go to work and kids have busy schedules with school homework and many afternoon activities, finding time for a gathering at the table seems all but impossible. Yet, studies have shown time and again that eating together has lots of benefits for family members, especially children.

According to reports issued by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), children who eat more with their family are at lower risk of developing poor eating habits, weight problems or alcohol dependencies. They tend to perform better academically than those who frequently eat alone. Family meals came into American life in the mid-20th century. In the 60’s and 70’s, social, economic and technological changes quickly dissolved the short-lived way of family meals. Restaurant visits, take-out and TV dinners have since become normal.

There are indicators, however, that the old customs are coming back. According to the latest CASA reports, 59% of surveyed families said they ate diner together at least five times a week, a significant increase from 47% in 1998. Whatever drives this trend, it is a development that should be welcomed.

Eating together as a family is not just about food and nutrition. It is about teaching them how to become members of their society and culture. Food has become so easily and cheaply available that we no longer appreciate its significance. We have to rediscover its importance and its value. Sharing a meal with loved ones should be considered a special event, which can almost take on the form of a ceremony, as it was practiced by our ancestors for whom finding food was a constant struggle.

Of course, there is no guarantee that the simple act of eating at home surrounded by family may make children more virtuous or socially more responsible. But it can lay the groundwork for a lot of things that point them in the right direction.

1.What does the underlined sentence suggest?

A. Dining at home would enjoy great popularity.

B. The society was to develop at a fast speed.

C. This practice of family meals started to change.

D. Americans would attach importance to take-out.

2.What is the writer’s attitude towards eating together as a family?

A. Against. B. Encouraging.

C. Neither against nor encouraging. D. Uninterested.

3.From the passage we learn our ancestors possibly _____.

A. valued the education of children B. liked struggling with each other

C. appreciated the importance of food D. cared much about food nutrition

4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Family Dinners Benefit Kids B. Good Eating Habits Matter

C. Meals Take on New Meanings D. Old Customs Are Coming Back

閱讀短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的五個選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項。每個選項只能用一次。

Life is like a journey. On the way, we have happiness and sadness. 1. It’s not difficult for anyone around you to tell his regrets. When we get older, we look back and wish that we had made better choices. How can we avoid future regrets?

Make better plans

If you start to do something, you’d better make a plan before doing it. The earlier, the better. You will know what comes first and what comes last.2.. If changes happen, you can have more time to deal with them.

Live a more active life

You can go around more often. More outdoor activities can keep you relaxed and active. You also need to be kind. “Thank you” can bring a smile to someone’s face.3..

Find the right friend

A friend may make your life and he or she can break your life as well. So you need to think twice when you choose a friend. Good friends will always make your ideas better. 4.. That little help may get you good results.

Never fear failure

Everybody fails. Even the greatest person failed. 5.. We must take failure as a chance to learn and improve ourselves.

Life is good. We don’t have to live in our past, but we do hope that we can plan better, live better, and work better when we have the chance to do so.

A. We should not fear failure, because failure is not the end of the road

B. Learn to say “sorry” and don’t be angry with others

C. Sometimes it is also full of regrets

D. You’ll also know what you should do and what you shouldn’t do

E. When you get into trouble, ask others for help

A. We should not fear failure, because failure is not the end of the road

B. Learn to say “sorry” and don’t be angry with others

C. Sometimes it is also full of regrets

D. You’ll also know what you should do and what you shouldn’t do

E. When you get into trouble, ask others for help

閱讀短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容回答問題。

In November of 1995, Leslie was working for the Department of Social Services to help foster children in North Carolina. Her job is to take children out of dangerous home situations and place them in foster homes (寄養(yǎng)家庭). During her first task, Leslie saw most of the children carrying their things in plastic bags. They didn’t have suitcases (手提箱) for their clothes. Wanting to help these children, Leslie asked her mother if she could have the family’s old suitcases to give to them.

Leslie’s 10-year-old sister Abby asked how many foster children there were in the area and found out that there were 300. Most of those children had to carry their things in plastic bags. Leslie’s care and the thought of those 300 children made young Abby take action. She asked people to give away their old suitcases to these foster children by making posters and asking other children for help. But after a few weeks, she had not received any ones. Abby decided to buy some suitcases with her mother’s help. That’s how Abby Burnside set up her program, Suitcases for Kids. By March of 1996, Suitcases for Kids had collected and sent 175 suitcases to the foster children.

Finally, Abby’s efforts were noticed by the media. Her story was in newspapers and magazines and Abby appeared on popular television shows. As the story became known, Abby’s local chapter (分支機構(gòu)) received more and more suitcases, until it collected 4,000 suitcases in 1996. Soon, Abby was traveling to different states to help set up new Suitcases for Kids chapters. By the end of 1996, there were Suitcases for Kids chapters in 19 different states. After two full years, Suitcases for Kids had set up chapters in all 50 states. By its sixth year, the little organization reached international attention, having chapters in more than ten countries. Now thousands of children around the world can carry their things in suitcases instead of plastic bags just because a 10-year-old girl decided one day that she just wanted to help.

1.Was Leslie working to help the foster children in November of 1995?

_____________________________________________________________________

2.Where did Leslie see most of the children carrying their things?

_____________________________________________________________________

3.How did Abby ask people to give away their old suitcases?

_____________________________________________________________________

4.How many suitcases did Abby’s local chapter receive in 1996?

_____________________________________________________________________

5.What is the passage mainly about?

_____________________________________________________________________

文段表達

假如你叫李華，最近和你的英國朋友Ben通過郵件交流生活中經(jīng)常遇到的問題,例如學(xué)習(xí)、交友和父母相處等方面。請你選擇一個問題，談?wù)勀阃ǔＪ侨绾翁幚磉@些問題的及為什么這樣做，請你根據(jù)他的問題回復(fù)郵件。提示詞語: can’t get good grades, can’t get on well with, talk with, ask, important, feel, common…

Hi! Ben,

I’m glad to hear from you!

________________________________________________

______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

We often do lots of experiments in our ________ classes.

A. chemical B. history C. Chinese D. physics

You should be ________.Improving your English needs time.

A. lazy B. careful C. patient D. active

I found ________ very easy to learn English well if you put your heart into it.

A. that B. what C. it D. this

It's important ________ English well.

A. of us to learn B. for us to learn C. of us learning D. for us learning

I love reading books because I can have much ________ from them.

A. food B. knowledge C. money D. grammar

—________ did you achieve your dream?

—By working hard，of course.

A. When B. Why C. How D. What