There are a number of special days of the year that are celebrated in different countries. The origins of most of the days are unknown. They were certainly not created by individual people. Other days, however, especially those celebrated in western countries, often owe their origins to a particular person. One of the most popular of these, even though it is fairly recent, is Mother’s Day. Mothers have always been highly regarded in all cultures. The ancient Romans had a festival known as Hilaria, during which children took presents to the temple of the “Mother of the Gods”. The Christian Church adopted this idea and called it Mothering Sunday. However, over the years this custom was gradually forgotten and almost disappeared by the end of the 19th century.
Born in 1864 in Virginia, USA, Anna Jarvis was a school teacher and believed children should show gratitude to their mothers for all their love and care. Encouraged by a friend, she wrote to thousands of important people—politicians, churchmen, doctors, city officials—and asked them to support her idea: a special day of the year for thanking mothers.
In 1910 the Governor of West Virginia introduced Mother’s Day into the state. The date chosen was May 10—the second Sunday in May, which is still observed in America today. This date was chosen because May 10 was the date on which in 1908 Anna Jarvis’s mother had died. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson made May 10 the official date for Mother’s Day throughout the United States.
Soon there was a Mother’s Day International Association and the custom began to be adopted in many countries of the world.
Anna Jarvis, a sad and disillusioned（失望的） woman, died in 1948. The custom she had worked so hard to establish and which had become almost universal had lost its original purpose. It had been taken over by business. Like Christmas, the giving of presents and the sending of cards had become a multi-million-dollar industry.
【小题1】The story is about     .

根据以下各句所给的首字母或汉语提示，用单词的正确形式填空，并将其写在答题卷上。
【小题1】It was quite terrible. It took me some time to c___________ down myself.
【小题2】Parents are always c_____________ much about their children.
【小题3】I'm terribly sorry. I didn't do it on p__________.
【小题4】It took her a long while to r___________ from her heart operation.
【小题5】The children played ____________ (在户外)until it started to rain.
【小题6】After the war, a new g_______________ was set up for that country.
【小题7】The people p__________ at the meeting were all for the suggestion.
【小题8】The ball went in the d_______________ of the man sitting in a boat on the river.
【小题9】At the party a foreign teacher was r______________(要求) to sing some folk songs.
【小题10】He was a young sailor on his first sea v______________.
【小题11】The mother i_________ that he finish his homework first, which made his son very angry.
【小题12】Whether you will succeed or not in doing the work depends on your a________ to it.
【小题13】This song sounds f_____________ to me. I must have heard it sung somewhere before.
【小题14】She ________________ (毕业)from Peking University last year.
【小题15】The speech contest was o______________ well.
【小题16】When she heard the news that her husband was killed in the accident, she b_______ into tears.
【小题17】After the earthquake, the whole city was in r_________.
【小题18】J_______ from his accent, we know he comes from the west.
【小题19】Prices have _____________ (上涨) quickly.
【小题20】The building was completely ______________(摧毁) by fire.

Below are descriptions of six famous states in the U. S.
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is the most populous U.S. state and was admitted as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east. Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually. The California Gold Rush happened in San Francisco and there is also a famous Silicon Valley. Hollywood exists in Los Angeles, making it the center of entertainment. “The Golden State” has long been a popular designation for California and was made the official State Nickname in 1968.
Florida is a state in the southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Miami is the largest metropolitan area in the southeastern United States.The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south. Its economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation. Florida is also known for its amusement parks, the production of oranges, and the Kennedy Space Center. Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, and water sports.
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the Union on January 4, 1896. Utah is the most religiously homogeneous state in the Union. Approximately 63% of Utahans are reported to be members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS, which greatly influences Utah culture and daily life. The state is a center of transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining, and a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation.
Texas is the second most populous and the second-largest of the 50 states in the United States of America. Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify Texas as a former independent republic and as a reminder of the state's struggle for independence from Mexico. The "Lone Star" can be found on the Texas state flag and on the Texas state seal today. The term "six flags over Texas" came from the several nations that had ruled over the territory. In 1845 it joined the United States as the 28th state. One Texas industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle. Due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy.
Virginia, is a U.S. state located in the South Atlantic region of the United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there. It is unique in how it treats cities and counties equally, manages local roads, and prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Virginia's economy has many sectors: agriculture in the Shenandoah Valley; federal agencies in Northern Virginia, including the headquarters of the Department of Defense and CIA; and military facilities in Hampton Roads, the site of the region's main seaport. Virginia's public schools and many colleges and universities have contributed to growing media and technology sectors. As a result, computer chips have become the state's leading export.
Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. In 1792 it became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State", a nickname based on the bluegrass found in many of its pastures because of the fertile soil. It is a land with diverse environments and abundant resources, including the world's longest cave system, Mammoth Cave National Park, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the contiguous United States, and the two largest man-made lakes east of the Mississippi River.Kentucky is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the United States.
【小题1】 Which state is called the “golden state” and why?

A year ago August, Dave Fuss lost his job driving a truck for a small company in west Michigan. His wife, Gerrie, was still working in the local school cafeteria, but work for Dave was scarce, and the price of everything was rising. The Fusses were at risk of joining the millions of Americans who have lost their homes in recent years. Then Dave and Gerrie received a timely gift—＄7,000，a legacy from their neighbors Ish and Arlene Hatch, who died in an accident . “It really made a difference when we were going under financially.” says Dave. 
But the Fusses weren’t the only folks in Alto and the neighboring town of Lowell to receive unexpected legacy from the Hatches. Dozens of other families were touched by the Hatches’ generosity. In some cases, it was a few thousand dollars ; in others, it was more than ＄100,000.
It surprised nearly everyone that the Hatches had so much money, more than ＄3 million—they were am elderly couple who lived in an old house on what was left of the family farm . 
Children of the Great Depression, Ish and Arlene were known for their habit of saving, They thrived own comparison shopping and  would routinely go from store to store, checking prices before making a new purchase .
Through the years, the Hatches paid for local children to attend summer camp when their parents couldn’t afford it. “Ish and Arlene never asked you needed anything,” says their friend Sand Van Weelden, “They could see things they could do go make you happier, and they would do them.
Even more extraordinary was that the Hatches had their farmland distributed. It was the Hatches’ wish that their legacy—a legacy of kindness as much as one of dollars and cent —should enrich the whole community and last for generations to come.
Neighbors helping neighbors ——that was Ish and Arlene Hatch’s story.
【小题1】According go the text, the Fusses___________.

Children brought up on healthy diets are more intelligent compared with their junk food eating partners, a new research suggests．  
Kids fed a diet packed high in fats, sugars, and processed（加工）  foods had lower IQs than those fed pasta（意大利面食）, salads and fruit,  it was found．
The effect is so great that researchers from the University of Bristol said those children with a "healthier" diet may get an IQ improvement．
Scientists stressed good diet was essential in a child's early life as the brain grows at its fastest rate during the first three years of life．
This indicated head growth at this time is linked to intellectual ability and “it is possible that good nutrition（营养） during this period may encourage excellent brain growth” ．
Scientists tracked the long term health and happiness of around 14,000 children born in 1991 and 1992 as part of the West Country's Avon Longitudinal（纵向的）Study of Parents and Children （ ALSPAC） ．
Parents were questioned about the types and frequency of the food and drink their children consumed when they were three, four, seven and eight and a half years old． According to their different changing form, these children were marked and given grades which ranged from minus two for the most healthy to10 for the most unhealthy．
In the research, IQ was measured of 4,000 children when they were eight and half years old,  using a validated（经过认证的）test－the Wechsler Intelligence Scale（韦氏儿童智力量表） for Children．
The results found after taking account of some influential factors, a leading processed food diet at the age of three was associated with a lower IQ at the age of eight and a half , whether the diet was improved after that age．
Every l point increase in dietary pattern score was associated with a l.67 fall in IQ．
【小题1】Scientists stressed good diet was essential in a child’s early life because        .