The National Postal Museum is divided into galleries that explore America’s postal history. Visitors will have a full picture of the creation and fantastic varieties of postage stamps.

World of Stamps

Video images bring stamps to life and attract visitors who explore the surrounding displays．Visitors encounter the world’s first postage stamp—the 1840 Penny Black and learn how it revolutionized communication．Stamp images—including Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the stamp that helped raise almost $72 million dollars for breast cancer research—explain how stamps have shaped history and honored people and places worldwide.

Gems of American Philately

Visitor have the opportunity of examining 13 of the most rare and highly valued stamps in the world of the stamp collection—including the most famous American stamp of all，the 1918 Inverted Jenny. A video explains why the inverted Jenny and other stamps displayed here are the most valuable. The treasures in this area are rarely available for public viewing. Each tells a story about an important event in US history.

Mail Marks History

The markings on mail provide valuable clues to the surprising ways mail has been transported over time, including challenges and even disasters encountered along the way. You will understand these markings by following the journeys of three historic letters.

Connect with US Stamps

Visitor explore their own connections with stamps. At three touch screen tables they create their own stamp collection based on the topics that interest them most. They can also create their own stamp designs. Visitors have the chance to view videos in which stamp designers talk about their craft, stamp collectors explain what they collect and why, and footage(片段)shows the process of making stamps.

21. What can you do at World of Stamps?

A. Donate money to cancer research.

B. Photograph some nice stamps on display.

C. Learn more about the great importance of stamps.

D. Listen to a speech by Martin Luther King on video.

22. What can yon see at Gems of American Philately?

A. Some of the most valuable US stamps.

B. Some newly released stamps in the US.

C. Some famous stamp designers in the US.

D. Some important public reviews of stamps.

23. Where can you see how stamps are created?

A. World of Stamps.  

B. Mail Marks History.

C. Connect with US Stamps.  

D. Gems of American Philately.

24. Where does this text come from?

A. An official report.

B. An announcement.

C. An art show review.

D. An exhibition guide.

My family lived in a motel for two years. Like most families living there, we stayed in a two-bedroom suite. We were living from paycheck to paycheck, so when Christmas approached, we didn't know if we would be able to purchase gifts for our children.

A few days before Christmas someone dropped off presents for all the kids that lived at the motel. It brought so much joy to all the children, most of whom knew that they wouldn't be receiving anything.

Five years ago, we moved out of the motel. After that, my husband and I were working hard at Joe’s Crab Shack to support our family. A few days before Christmas. I was working a “big top” and a single table. The man at my table could see the large tables was taking most of my time, but I was very patient and  friendly. Between drinks and food I was able to chat with him about his family and mine. He left me $ 10, then walked out. A bout 10 minutes later, I turned around and there he was again. He gave me a hug, and put something inside my apron, telling me “ Have a Merry Christmas”. I reached into my apron and pulled out $ 800.

I was so overwhelmed by his generosity that I burst into tears. He had given me more than enough money to help my family catch up on our bills. After discussing what we should do with the money we had left over. We decided to buy presents for the families living at the motel, so we could pass on the blessing that we had received. Since then, it has been a tradition for us to give Christmas gifts to the families in need.

Last year we were able to give presents to each of the 80 children at a school in our community, and throw a Christmas party for them. This year our goal is to add at least 20 children.

25. What does the underlined part imply?     

A. They paid for checks non-stop. 

B. They might struggle financially.

C. They were in heavy debt. 

D. They had to save money for children.

26. What did the author do?

A. She was a nurse.            

B. She was a party designer.

C. She was a waitress.           

D. She was a shop assistant.

27. What did the author do with the 800 dollars?

A. She used all the money to improve their life. 

B. She threw a Christmas party for schoolkids.

C. She bought some presents for poor families.         

D. She donated all the money to her community.

28. The author wrote the article to ________

 A . share her own experience 

B. stress the importance of love

C. call on readers to do good deeds  

D. express her gratitude to a stranger

People always think men are more skilled than women in driving. Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.

In a survey done for insurer MetLife, 51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. “Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding (守法的) drivers, which leads to fewer accidents.” the report says. However, not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them up on one point: automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control, which helps prevent rollover accidents.

Auto safety unavoidably matters to money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general, women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest advantage in Wyoming (where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington, D. C., where their insurance costs are 16% lower.

 “More than 11,900 male drivers died in U.S. traffic accidents in 2009, compared with just under 4,900 women drivers,” according to the study. “Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, v.s. 1.7 deaths for women.”

29. According to the study, male drivers _________..

A. are less aggressive while driving              

B. are more skilled at auto knowledge

C. are more likely to stick to driving laws       

D. are less familiar with safety equipment

30. Insurance companies focus on female driver clients(客户) probably because they _________.

A. cause more accidents on the road but ask for little 

B. cause little damage and pay more money to the insurance companies

C. make up the most part of the insurance clients

D. are more careful drivers and cause less damage

31. We can infer from the passage that _________.

A. men are 3.1 times more likely to get tickets than women

B. all women in the USA pay the same for their auto insurance

C. more female drivers die every year than male drivers

D. women are generally safer drivers than the opposite sex

32. The writer mainly develops paragraphs by _________.

A. giving examples                                                         B. making comparisons

C. drawing a conclusion                                                D. presenting an argument

Most people know about the boomerang(回力棒), the legendary Australian throwing tool which, once released, returns to its owner. But have you heard of the boomerang generation? This refers to a phenomenon of people who move back home after briefly 1eaving their parents’ houses for university in Western culture. Most of these young adults were born between the mid—1970s and mid—1980s. They are likened to the boomerang because they return to their home，just like the throwing too1.

Monster, a job search company, reported in a survey that 48 percent of prospective(未来的)graduates planned on becoming “boomerang kids”, returning home after graduation. Although many expected to just make a quick stop before getting their own place, Monster discovered that 42 percent of graduates said they were still living with their parents.

What is the cause of this passive generation? It may not be only the young people’s fault. The long-term economic recession(不景气)has made it difficult for college graduates to find jobs，while the cost of living has continued to rise. And as a result, many young people have lost hope and self-confidence. Moreover, the unconditional love and support of parents allow the boomerang kids to rely on them without feeling much guilt.

Boomeranging is not all negative. Kids get the chance to reconnect with their parents after university, and parents get the opportunity to be a big part of their children’s adult lives, which can lead to closer bonds.

But critics of this phenomenon argue that this situation affects young adults. Without the stress or ambition to succeed, boomerang kids tend to become more passive in their search for good jobs, harming their professional ambitions. And finally，the extra financial burden on parents can become too heavy to bear, leading to deep and often permanent damage to the relationship.

33. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. Many young adults like boomerang

B. The boomerang generation are passive

C. Adult children are moving back home

D. The boomerang kids are burdens on parents

34. What did Monster’s survey show?

A. Boomerang kids didn’t stay long at home.

B. The number of boomerang kids was large.

C. Boomerang kids were close to their parents.

D. There were few jobs for young adults to do.

35. What is a result of boomeranging?

A. Boomerang kids will be self—confident.

B. Parets may have a bad relationship with their kids.

C. Parents will be free from the burden of raising kids.

D. Boomerang kids tend to lose their desire for knowledge.

Is your child not included in activities or invited to play games during the break? If so, here are some ways you can help him.

Acknowledge your child's concerns. Let him know and understand that what he is going through is hard for him and that you will do whatever you can to help.    36    Or set up a meeting with his teachers.

  37  If your child talks about not fitting in or being picked on, comfort him and show concern about him. Help him learn some social skills and read social situations. Let him know that many children have experienced similar feelings or situations and try to help him come up with some solutions.

Be your child's coach and teacher. As a coach, you need to remind him of the skills he already has. Meanwhile, just like a teacher, help him develop the skills he needs to solve the problem. 38     

Get involved.   39   That will allow you to observe interactions between the other children. Seeing what the kids most enjoy, talk about, or play can give you enough information to help your children better fit in.

  40  Sign him up for a team or activity such as an art or dance class outside his school, and observe whether he is left out by a new group of children. If so, try to find out what might discourage friendships from forming.

 A. Comfort your child.

 B. Identify your child's strengths.

 C. Look for new social outlets for your child.

 D. Consider volunteering or helping out in his class.

 E. It is important for your child to develop his confidence.

 F. Suggest searching the Internet or finding a book together that might be useful.

 G. This will help him solve his problems on his own, which will serve him all his life.