The old couple decided to（）a boy and a girl though they had three children of their own.

own.

A．adapt

B．bring

C．receive

D．adopt

The old couple decided to _________ a boy and a girl though they had three of their own.

A) adapt B) bring C) receive D) adopt

the smiths decided to _____ a boy and a girl though they already had three children.

A.adapt

B.bring

C.receive

D.adopt

Some couples choose not to learn the sex of their baby before he or she is born because the moment people hear "boy" or "girl" they begin to make assumptions (设想) about a child. One couple in Sweden decided to take that logic a few steps further, and are refusing to tell anyone whether their child is a boy or a girl. The child–called Pop, to protect his or her identity–is now two years old, and only a few close relatives know the sex. “We want Pop to grow up more freely, Pop’s mother said. Pop wears dresses, and also “male” styled pants and Pop’s hairstyle. changes often. Nordenstrom, who studies hormonal (荷尔蒙) influences on gender, says, “It will affect the child, but it’s hard to say if it will hurt the development. I don’t know what they are trying to achieve. It’s going to make the child different.” She says if Pop is still “genderless(无性的)by the time he or she starts school, Pop will certainly receive a lot of attention from classmates.“We don’t know exactly what determines sexual identity, but it’s not only sexual education,” says Nordenstrom.“Gender-typical behavior, sexual preferences and sexual identity usually go together. There are hormonal and other influences that we don’t know that will determine the gender of the child.” Pop will soon welcome a brother, or a sister. Pop’s parents will not reveal sex of that child, either, except, perhaps, to Pop.

1. What did the couple in Sweden do to their child？

A. They taught their child to take a few steps further.

B. They didn't want anyone to know the sex of their baby before it was born.

C. They are refusing to tell the sex of their child.

D. They refused to let their relatives get close to their child.

2. Why was the child called Pop？

A. It is a very beautiful name for a child.

B. The parents want this name to bring the child good luck.

C. It is a very meaningful name.

D. The name makes it hard for others to tell the sex of the baby.

3. What can we learn from what Nordenstrom said？

A. It's hard to tell whether the influence on the child will be good or bad.

B. The child will become abnormal (反常的).

C. The child is neither a boy nor a girl because it is "genderless."

D.Hormonal influence will determine the gender of the child.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph？

A. Pop is going to have a brother or a sister.

B. Pop will know the sex of himself or herself soon.

C. Pop's parents decided to tell people the baby's sex.

D. Pop's parents will also keep secret the sex of their new baby.

5. The best title for the passage is _____________.

A. Pop's life.

B. Keeping the Gender of a 2-Year-Old Secret

C. Study on Gender

D. how to Raise a Child Properly

requirements, are free to choose their own mates. Once a couple has decided to get married, the man customarily gives the girl a diamond ring. The use of a ring comes from the ancient custom of using a ring to settle an important agreement. When the wedding day is decided upon, the girl sends out wedding announcements or invitations to friends and relatives. They then send wedding gifts to the girl's home.

On the wedding day it is supposed to be bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding. Another old custom that many people believe will bring good luck to the marriage is for the bride to wear 'something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue'.

Before the wedding day the groom always chooses a "best man", a good friend to help him and stand beside him during the wedding ceremony. The custom of having a "best man" is thought to have come from ancient times when a strong friend helped the groom and bride escape from the bride's father.

When a couple marries, the groom gives his bride a wedding ring. Many marriages are double-ring ceremonies—that is, the bride and the groom exchange rings. The wedding ring is customarily a simple plain gold band. The roundness of the ring symbolizes eternity and announces that the couple is united for life. The wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand. People believe that a vein from the third finger runs directly to the heart.

Near the end of the reception, which is offered by the bride's parents, the bride throws her bouquet of flowers to the unwed bridesmaids. The lucky girl who catches it is supposed to be the next in the group to be married. As the bride and groom leave for their honeymoon, the guests all throw confetti on them. This is a symbol of joy and happiness.

Questions:

15.Which of the following requirements is essential if a young couple wants to get married？

16.Why shouldn't the bride and groom see each other before the wedding on the wedding day according to the passage？

17.What does the custom of having a 'best man' for the groom tell us about an cient times？

18.Why is the wedding ring worn on the third finger of the left hand？

(35)

A．To get consent from their parents.

B．To prepare rings for exchange.

C．To be of legal age and to meet certain medical requirements.

D．To send out announcements and invitations.

while Yoshio studies electrical engineering.They clearly love each other very deeply,but，says Yoshio，“We didn’t marry for love in the Western sense.We got married in the time honored Japanese way.Our parents arranged our marriage through a matchmaker.In Japan we believe that marriage is something that affects the whole family，not just the young couple concerned.So we think it is very important to match people according to their social background, education and so on. Matchmakers are usually middle aged women who keep lists of suitable young people with information about their families，education and interests.When our parents thought it was time for us to get married they went to a local matchmaker and asked her for some suggestions.We discussed the details and looked at the photos she sent, and then our parents asked her to arrange a ‘marriage interview’ for the two of us.”

A Japanese marriage interview is held in a public place，such as a hotel or restaurant,and is attended by the boy and the girl，their parents and the matchmaker.Information about the couple and their families is exchanged over a cup of tea and a meal.Then the boy and the girl are left alone for a short time to know each other.When they return home they have to tell the matchmaker whether they want to meet again or not.If both of them want a second meeting， the matchmaker arranges it，and after that they can decide whether to carry on the courtship themselves.Here Hiromi said with a gentle smile，“Not so long ago，the girl could never refuse to go out again with a boy who liked her,but now she can. I thought

Yoshio was really nice，so I didn’t refuse.”

Yoshio continued：“When our parents realized we were serious about each other, they started to make arrangements for our wedding.My family paid the ‘Yuino’money to Hiromi’s.This money is to help pay for the wedding ceremony and for setting up house afterwards.We also gave her family a beautiful ornament to put in the best room of their house，so everyone knew that Hiromi was going to marry. Six months after our first meeting we were married.A traditional Japanese wedding is a wonderful ceremony,and our traditional custom of arranged marriage has given me a wonderful wife.”

1. The Japanese think marriage is important because()

(A). it is expensive to hire a matchmaker

(B). it is time consuming to match people

(C). it concerns the couple and their families as well

(D). it is hard to get the approval of the couples parents

2. After a marriage interview,the second meeting will be decided by()

(A). the boys parents

(B). the matchmaker

(C). the young couple

(D). the girls parents

3. It is implied in the second paragraph that()

(A). a good hotel can bring about a good marriage

(B). men used to be dominant in choosing a partner

(C). women played a leading role in choosing a partner

(D). a marriage interview settles all marriage arrangements

4. Yoshio thinks that the traditional Japanese marriage is()

(A). costly

(B). satisfying

(C). complex

(D). outdated

5. This passage is mainly about()

(A). the process of an arranged Japanese marriage

(B). a wedding ceremony in a Japanese fashion

(C). conventional marriage and modern marriage

(D). the role of matchmakers in arranging marriages

A) Acquired

B) Imposed

C) Infected

D) Diagnosed

A.space

B.suburb

C.neighborhood

D.area

a traffic accident.

A.why

B.what

C.however

D.how

A.space

B.suburb

C.neighborhood

D.area

31. Why was the baby boy in New Zealand not allowed to be named 4Real？

32. In Britain, what kind of names are forbidden？

33. Who is Gandalf？

34. What are the rules in China about naming a child？ (give one example)

35. What are the most popular names for boys in Britain？ (give at least two examples)