Four out of ten parents in the UK spend between ￡100 and ￡500 on their children’s birthday parties, according to a survey. Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to.
How much parents spend on their children’s birthday parties is one of the most frequently discussed topics on parenting websites. Here is one comment on Mumsnet summing up the thoughts of many parents: “Where we live everyone hires places, entertainers and so on. I don’t want to compare with my rich neighbors, but I want my son to have what all his classmates have.”
The research was carried out on behalf of the children’s charity, Lumos, set up by the author JK Rowling. Just 13 percent of parents spent ￡50 or less in the past year on their children’s parties.
Many children’s clowns(小丑) or entertainers charge ￡150 or more for an hour, and parents often feel it necessary to book a special place. Even without these, the cost of plates, the cake and party bags can mount up. Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.
Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines. Suri Cruise, the daughter of actor Tom Cruise and actress Katie Holmes, enjoyed a ￡100,000 birthday party according to a report.
Georgette Mulheir of Lumos, said,“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”
【小题1】What’s the main idea of this passage?
| A．Children’s birthday parties put their parents under financial pressure in the UK. |
| B．Many parents are willing to spend more on their children’s birthday parties. |
| C．Parents pay more and more attention to their children’s birthday parties. |
| D．Children in the UK hope for more and more expensive birthday parties. |
| A．Increase. | B．Change. | C．Exist. | D．Count. |
| A．famous people love their children very much |
| B．children of famous people can get whatever they want |
| C．some children of famous people have really expensive birthday parties |
| D．holding expensive birthday parties is common nowadays |
| A．Business | B．Education | C．Science | D．Family |
【小题1】A
【小题2】A
【小题3】C
【小题4】D
解析试题分析：现在很多父母为了给孩子庆祝生日举办昂贵的生日聚会，这已经给英国的父母造成经济上的压力。
【小题1】主旨题：从文章第一段的句子：Four in ten parents of children under 18, who were questioned in a survey, admitted that they felt pressured into organizing more expensive birthday parties for their children than they would like to. 和最后一段的句子：“Parents in the UK are under increasing pressure to spend more and more money on birthday parties for their children and their children’s friends.”可知这篇文章讲的是在英国孩子的生日聚会让父母有了经济压力，选A
【小题2】猜词题：根据第四段的句子：Party Pieces, a company set up by Carole and Michael Middleton, charge about ￡16 for a birthday cake for a party with 16 guests, ￡22 for table decorations and up to ￡48 for party bags.可知聚会上用的蛋糕，装饰和包裹的价格都在增加，“mount up”的意思是“增加”，选A。
【小题3】推理题：根据文章第五段的句子：Many children of famous people have increasingly expensive parties, often seen in famous magazines.可知作者通过Suri Cruise 的例子想说明一些名人的孩子有真正昂贵的生日聚会，选C。
【小题4】文章出处题：因为这篇文章讲的是在英国孩子的生日聚会让父母有了经济压力，是关于家庭方面话题的文章，所以选D。
考点：考查日常生活类短文
阅读快车系列答案科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Let's say you want to hit the gym more regularly this year. How do you make that happen? Consider putting the habit loop to use.
Here's how it works:
A habit is a 3-step process. First, there's a cue, something that tells your brain to operate automatically. Then there's a routine. And finally, a reward, which helps your brain learn to desire the behavior. It's what you can use to create-or break-habits of your own.
Here's how to apply it:
Choose a cue, like leaving your running shoes by the door, then pick. a reward-say, a piece of chocolate when you get home from the gym. That way, the cue and the reward become interconnected. Finally, when you see the shoes, your brain will start longing for the reward, which will make it easier to work out day after day. The best part? In a couple of weeks, you won't need the chocolate at all. Your brain will come to see the workout itself as the reward. Which is the whole point, right?
【小题1】Which of the following best fits in the box with a “?” in THE HABIT LOOP?
| A．Pick a new cue. | B．Form a new habit. |
| C．Choose a new reward. | D．Design a new resolution. |
| A．changing the routine | B．trying it for a week |
| C．adjusting your goal | D．writing it down |
| A．To test out different kinds of cues. |
| B．To do something as a habit even without rewards. |
| C．To work out the best New Year's resolution. |
| D．To motivate yourself with satisfactory rewards. |
| A．The Harry Potter poster. |
| B．Reading 30 pages of an English novel. |
| C．An English newspaper. |
| D．Watching TV for half an hour. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Each new school year brings fresh reminders of what educators call the summer learning gap. Some call it the summer learning setback. Simply speaking, it means the longer kids are out of school, the more they forget. The only thing they might gain is weight.
Most American schools follow a traditional nine-month calendar with winter and spring breaks and about ten weeks of summer vacation. Some schools follow a year-round calendar. They hold classes for about eight weeks at a time, with a few weeks off in between. The National Association for Year-Round Education says there were fewer than 3,000 such schools at last count. They were spread among forty-six of the fifty states.
But many experts point out that the number of class days in a year-round school is generally the same as in a traditional school. Lead researcher Paul von Hippel said, “Year-round schools don’t really solve the problem of the summer learning setback. They simply spread it out across the year.”
Across the country, research shows that students from poor families fall farther behind over the summer than other students. Experts say this can be prevented. They note that many schools and local governments offer programs that can help.
But calling them “summer school” could be a problem. The director of the summer learning center at Johns Hopkins, Ron Fairchild, said research with groups of different parents in Chicago and Baltimore found that almost all strongly disliked the term “summer school”. In American culture, the idea of summer vacation is connected to beliefs about freedom and the joys of childhood. The parents welcomed other terms like “summer camp”, “extra time” and “hands-on learning”.
【小题1】 According to the first paragraph, the summer learning gap _____.
| A．helps children to gain weight |
| B．leads children to work harder |
| C．improves children’s memories |
| D．affects children’s regular studies |
| A．perform better and have more learning gains |
| B．have much less time for relaxation every year |
| C．have generally the same number of class days |
| D．hold more classes with more free weeks off |
| A．Students from poor families often fall behind after the vocation. |
| B．Year-round schools can solve the problem of the learning gap. |
| C．There are schools in each state following a year-round calendar. |
| D．Nothing can help the students who fall behind after the vocation. |
| A．Because they cherish the children’s rights of freedom very much. |
| B．Because they are worried about the quality of the “summer school”. |
| C．Because they want their children to be forced to make up the gap. |
| D．Because they couldn’t afford to the further study during the vacation. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. “Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology.” Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products.
“Here in 2012, $252 on average–the technology spend for consumers this year.” From tablet computers to smartphones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. “It’s kind of hard to make a decision.”
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199.
“The hardware inside is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps.” Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. “If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most.”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. “You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things.”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.
With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive.
“We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we’ll go ahead and price match that for you.” Elman Chacon said.
【小题1】According to Brain Tong, ________.
| A．the Apple’s iPad Mini is more suitable for enthusiastic readers |
| B．the hardware in iPad Mini is more advanced than that in Nexus 7 |
| C．Nexus 7 has fewer apps than iPad Mini |
| D．iPad mini is more eco-friendly |
| A．you are sure to get double the amount you paid |
| B．you can return the device and get your money back |
| C．the store will return the price differences |
| D．the store will lower the price within 30 days |
| A．Smart cameras. | B．Streaming media boxes. |
| C．Wireless speaker systems. | D．Tablet computers. |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
When I started my career in management, I was really green, but I always tried to stay positive on the job. I was working for a new company that was having a difficult time with its customers. Actually, at one point my General Manager told me he liked me and suggested I should start looking for a new job as we were about to lose our only order. Every day we faced people leaving the company, customers complaining, and upper management preparing to close the place.
One night, I went home thinking about the problems. My wife told me to forget about work and see a movie. We went and saw Slumdog Millionaire. Jamal, an eighteen-year-old Indian young man, is from a poor family and becomes rich later. He tries his best to change his position. I realized what we needed to do was to correct the situation.
The next day I called my customers to have a talk. I promised to do my best to solve the problems if they would give us some time. As a result, we were given one month to turn the situation around. This was our only chance to correct the situation. To achieve this, I worked day and night with my team. I can remember working from 6 a. m. and not going home until 2 a. m. the next day.
To make a long story short, we succeeded in solving all of the problems and at the same time increased our productivity(生产率). The customers and management were very happy, and I knew at that moment we had saved our jobs. Actually things went so well that we ended up having our pay doubled.
Through this experience I understand that you can achieve what you desire as long as you work at it and stay positive.
【小题1】 The General Manager advised the author to look for a new job mainly because .
| A．he knew the author didn’t want to stay there |
| B．his company was too small to hire so many people |
| C．he believed the author could get more pay that way |
| D．the management was preparing to close the department |
| A．The hero in a movie. | B．His wife. |
| C．His boss. | D．The customers. |
| A．8 hours. | B．15 hours. |
| C．20 hours. | D．24 hours. |
| A．if a person does his best and keeps positive, he’ll succeed |
| B．if a person takes advice from others, he’ll make progress |
| C．if a person is clever, he’ll realize his dream sooner or later |
| D．if a person wants to change his fate, he mustn’t change his job |
| A．My Work Experience |
| B．My First Management Job |
| C．How to Correct Your Situation |
| D．The Importance of Working Hard |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Don't you just love ice skating every winter? I am sure, that since winter is approaching, your skates are set to come out, just waiting to be used. Impress your friends with your new trick on how to ice -skate backwards with the help of these tips. Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basic, there' s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.
Stand Straight
The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don't worry; this happens to all.
Confidence is What You Need
The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice. Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slop every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort. But before you do that, make sure that the place where you are practicing is free from any kind of debris （碎片） because otherwise, you could end up in the hospital due to some accident. While going backwards, just get used to the feeling of moving backwards. One of the important ice skating tips and techniques is that if you feel that you are losing your balance, then scissor （做剪式运动） your skates. Keep practicing this till you are confident about it.
Maintain Speed
Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed. While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling （滑浆）, that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke （滑动）. Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process. Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling. Now, try the same thing using the other foot. Again keep doing this till you are confident enough.
Increase Your Speed Now
Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed. Try some of your own tricks now. Scull with either foot or with both at the same time.
Scull and Be Aware
While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other. You can do that simultaneously （同时，一起） with both feet. Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going. If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone.
【小题1】According to the text confidence comes from ______ .
| A．constant exercise | B．strict coaches |
| C．high speed | D．good techniques |
| A．c→a→d→b | B．c→b→d→a | C．c→b→a→d | D．a→c→b→d |
| A．one must be brave to learn to ice - skate backwards |
| B．skating and keeping cautious are both important |
| C．it’s difficult to concentrate when ice - skating backwards |
| D．it' s a common thing to hit someone when ice - skating backwards |
| A．to offer some advice on ice - skating backwards |
| B．to introduce the culture of ice-skating backwards |
| C．to explain advantages of ice - skating backwards |
| D．to compare different ways of ice - skating backwards |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
The young man arrived on the Massachusetts beach early carrying a radio, a shovel(铁锹), and a strange set of tools: a brick layer’s trowel, a palette knife, spatulas, spoons, and a spray bottle.
He walked down near the water — the tide(潮水) was out — and switched on the radio to listen to soft rock. Then he shoveled wet sand into a pile nearly four feet high and as many feet across. Then he created a square shape.
After that, he set to work with palette knife, spatulas, and spoons. He shaped a splendid tower, topped walls, fashioned beautiful bay windows, and carved (雕刻)out a big front gate.
The man knew his sand. He smoothly finished some surfaces and carved artistic designs on others. As the shapes began to dry, he gently kept them slightly wet with water from the spray bottle, in case they might break in the wind.
All this took hours. People gathered. At last he stood back, obviously satisfied with a castle worthy of the Austrian countryside or Disneyland.
Then he gathered his tools and radio and moved them up to drier sand. He had known for a while what many in the crowd still ignored: the tide was coming in. Not only had he practiced his art with confidence and style, he also had done so against a powerful, irresistible(不可抵抗的) deadline.
As the crowd looked on, water came at the base of the castle. In minutes it was surrounded. Then the rising flood began to eat into the base, walls fell, the tower fell, and finally the gate fell. More minutes passed, and small waves erased bay windows — soon no more than a small part was left.
Many in the crowd looked terribly sad; some voiced fear and discouragement. But the man remained calm. He had, after all, had a wonderful day, making beauty out of nothing, and watching it return to nothing as time and tide moved on.
【小题1】In this passage, why did the young man start early in the day?
| A．He needed the sun to help dry the sand. |
| B．It gave plenty of time for the crowd to gather. |
| C．He knew the tide was out on this particular morning. |
| D．It was easier to begin his work with only a few people around. |
| A．It is time to begin working. |
| B．It is the end of a day’s work. |
| C．It is the busiest time of the day. |
| D．It is time for lookers-on to leave. |
| A．They were disappointed to see the art ruined. |
| B．They tried their best to save the sand castle. |
| C．They were nervous about their own belongings. |
| D．They helped the artist finish the castle. |
| A．payment for his work |
| B．personal satisfaction |
| C．popularity as an artist |
| D．attention from the crowd |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Interactive Home-security Systems
Tarik Celebi, who lives in San Francisco suburb, takes his home-security system with him to work, to dinner, just about anywhere．By his cell phone, he "arms" his home-security alarm from his car before he leaves for work．During his workday, he gets e-mail alerts every time his front door opens, even though he's miles away．If the door opens at an unusual time -say midday when no one should be coming or going - he can order a 30-second video clip（片段） from the camera that watches the door．If it's just his mother-in-law getting a package delivery, no worries．
Celebi is one of the first users of the latest interactive home-security systems．In addition to sounding alarms when the house is broken into and notifying homeowners or police, as traditional systems do, the interactive systems give users new ways to remotely control their systems and their home environment．Different from traditional home-security alarms, which homeowners typically have to press buttons on a keypad to turn on before they leave their homes, the interactive systems enable consumers to arm and disarm systems from smart phones, iPads and PCs, no matter where they are．
Most traditional systems are set up to sound an alarm if doors or windows are opened． The interactive systems give homeowners more options．For example, users can elect when they want to be notified．They might want an e-mail or a text every time a door is opened, or only during the hours of 3 to 4 p．m．, when kids come home from school．Like Celebi, they can add cameras and get video clips when doors open．That could be helpful in making sure kids aren't bringing friends home when they're not supposed to．
Nationwide, about 20% of homes have．traditional home-security systems．About half stop using them because they tire of the trouble．Being able to arm systems even while dashing to the subway or while at work will increase their usage of the new interactive systems．Although the new functions add costs to home security, the interactive-systems are believed to push home-security systems' usage rates closer to 30%, which would be a big movement for an industry that's been largely stuck at 20% for the past decade．"We all know it's going to get bigger, though we don't know how long it's going to take," Eric Taylor, an officer from San Francisco Security Department says．
【小题1】What may Celebi first do if his front door opens at a wrong time when he is away?
| A．Inform the police． | B．Call his mother-in-law． |
| C．Arm the security alarm． | D．Observe through video． |
| A．improve his home environment remotely |
| B．lock his house's door while he is miles away |
| C．operate the home-security systems at any place |
| D．sound the alarm and inform the police at the same time |
| A．They are cheaper． |
| B．They are easier to set up． |
| C．They can give quicker reaction． |
| D．They have more ways to inform the users． |
| A．The importance of security industry． |
| B．The functions of the interactive alarms． |
| C．The popularity of home-security systems． |
| D．The market potential of the interactive systems． |
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科目：高中英语 来源： 题型：阅读理解
Shakespeare once called the English countryside “the precious stone set in the silver sea”- and he is not the last to sing high praises of its beauty and historical charm(魅力).
The countryside is particularly beautiful during the summer, especially in August and September. As one travels the countryside, you’ll find more of its treasures: so many plants and animals, romantic castles(浪漫的城堡), secret gardens, and villages so unchanged in the last decades that they seem to have been caught under a fairy’ s spell.
Must-sees include Derbyshire, called “the heart of England” and home to the National Park. The great peaks were the muse（创作灵感）of the Bronte sisters (and if you love the book Jane Eyre, you can visit North Lees hall, where the real Eyre family once lived).
History lovers will enjoy a visit to Lincoln city (its most famous son is Lord Alfred Tennyson). It is also known for its cathedral(大教堂), the charming tea shops, a small castle. One would never guess its violent past—built by Romans, it was once a center for arrow(箭) making.
Harry Potter fans shouldn’t miss a visit to Alnwick, which is better recognized as the “Hogswarth” in the movies.
Let’s not leave out the Wessex region, where one can see one of England’s greatest mysteries, Stone Henge. You can also go to the City of Bath, which has been famous for its medicines springs since the Roman times. Other popular tractions include Salisbury Cathedral, and landscaped(景色优美的) gardens of Stourhead, and the cobbled(用鹅卵石铺的) streets of Shaftesbury. This is also home to Oxford, one of the world’s most famous universities.
Art lovers will also like a visit to East Anglia, whose landscapes inspired the painter Constable (he was born in Dedham village). This is also home of the University City of Cambridge, and the famous architectural(建筑上的) attraction, King’s College Chapel. Be sure to visit the aircraft museum of Duxford.
【小题1】What was Shakespeare’s attitude towards the English countryside?
| A．Uninterested. | B．Dissatisfied(不满意的). |
| C．Surprised. | D．Admiring. |
| A．produced arrows in the past |
| B．will be enjoyed by music lovers |
| C．was the place where the Eyre family once lived |
| D．has one of the world’ s most famous universities |
| A．the Wessex region | B．Derbyshire | C．Yorkshire | D．Alnwick |
| A．a travel guide |
| B．a book review(书评) |
| C．a history paper |
| D．a newspaper report |
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