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 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. Anna Jarvis wanted to _ . A) thank her mother for her care B) introduce a celebration for mothers C) meet thousands of important people D) make her pupils celebrate her on Mother's Day
B
We all, at one time or another, have pretended to be a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favorite song. Most of us have done this in the privacy of our own room when we were kids and as adults, in the privacy of our homes. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along too and pretty soon my arms are in the air and I am moving along to the rhythm. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work. Yes, that is true, I will be in my nice work clothes, jamming while driving or stopped at a traffic light I get weird looks from some people and others laugh. Personally, I love to get lost in the rhythm of a song which leads me to share with you the importance of being silly! The definition for the word silly, according to the dictionary is: stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they walk around all serious, which in all honesty, is foolish! No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don't care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal , how rich, and so on...No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not? Life is so short. You never know when this beautiful journey will be over, so why waste a single second on being so full of rigidity ? Here is a quote by Souza, that I think says it all and is a great recipe for life: "Dance as though no one is watching you, Love as though you have never been hurt before, Sing as though no one can hear you, Live as though heaven is on earth." When we were kids, we had no idea of what limitations were and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that childlike innocence. So don't lose the child that still lives within you. The next time you feel down, go turn on your favorite song, and sing and dance along like there is no tomorrow or watch something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to whatever ails (......) you and nothing is better... Which of the following would be the best title for the text? A) The Innocence of Being a Child B) The Importance of Being Silly C) No One Is Perfect D) Life Is Short
B
Q: Children of America are getting fatter every time. 13% of the children at the age of 6 to 11 are overweight(too fat). When we look at children's lives today in the USA, we can see the root(origin)of the problem--sports and foods. Young children like sports but they don't have enough around the start of high school. That's especially true for girls. Meanwhile, to make matters worse, schools are becoming much more interested in sports teams. So children are not able to get enough exercise just when they need it the most. There is also the food problem. Children get most of their calories at restaurants or parties or somewhere else away from home. They often drink too many Cokes. Parents have a lot of fears about telling a child he needs to lose weight-- they are afraid it will push a child into an eating disorder. Some parents fear that pushing children to lose weight means their children will think they're not good enough, or not loved because of their weight. Parents need to come to terms with the fact that the family is very important to the children. The most useful program for children is called "family weight control". This is good news. Mom and Dad, even if they don't have weight problems, have to go through the same program as their children and learn how to get some exercise and how to eat healthily. The writer thinks if mother or father is on the same program as their children, _ . A) "family weight control" will be successful B) it will make the children eat much more C) their children will not eat better D) parents will feel sorry about themselves
A: A
(Q).
Secondhand smoke isn't just a health threat to people.It can also hurt dogs and cats,veterinarians say. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,more than 126 million Americans who don't smoke are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes,vehicles,workplaces,and public places.This exposure causes thousands of lung cancer and heart disease deaths among nonsmokers every year,according to the California Environmental Protection Agency. "Making the leap from the effects of secondhand smoke on humans to their effects on pets isn't a big one," says veterinarian Carolynn MacAllister of Oklahoma State University. "There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets," MacAllister said."Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats,lung and nasal cancer in dogs,as well as lung cancer in birds." Studies have also shown that dogs living in a smoking household are susceptible to cancers of the nose and sinus area,particularly if they are a long-nosed breed,because their noses have a greater surface area that is exposed to carcinogens and a greater area for them to accumulate.Dogs affected with nasal cancer normally don't survive for more than one year. "Short and medium-nosed dogs are more susceptible to lung cancer,because their shorter nasal passage aren't as effective at accumulating the inhaled secondhand smoke carcinogens," MacAllister said."This results in more carcinogens reaching the lungs." Birds are also at risk for lung cancer,as well as pneumonia,because their respiratory systems are hypersensitive to any type of air pollutant. To help prevent animals from being adversely affected by smoking,pet owners who smoke should have a designated smoking area that is separated from the home or stop smoking altogether,MacAllister said. The best title of the passage is _ . A) Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in People B) Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Birds C) Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Pets D) Secondhand Smoke Causes Cancer in Cats
(A).
C