loading23．Which of the following carnivals provides gifts for people joining it?
A．The Quebec Carnival. B．The Venice Carnival. C．The Rio Carnival. D．The Cologne Carnival.
24．What would be the best title for the text? A．Carnivals in Europe B．The origin of carnivals C．Festivals across the world D．The birthplace of carnivals
B
Sunjit Patel is a designer with a well-known publishing company.He lives in South London，and for the last three years he has been working from home.He prefers working from home because he can spend more time with his family and have a better work-life balance.Sunjit isn’t alone：in Britain，there are 2.1 million people who work from home at present.In addition，about eight million people spend some time working in the home rather than in an office.This is almost twice as many as ten years ago.
This rapidly-growing trend (趋势) towards working from home is the same in many countries.But what are the reasons for it？The main reason is technological：easy access (接近) to broadband and the availability of phone and video-conferencing.These make it possible for people to use their home as an office in an efficient (高效的) and cost-effective way.
Other reasons for homeworking are the benefits to both employers and employees：office space is costly，so if an organisation can reduce its workstations，it may be able to move to a smaller site.Employees often work better at home：travelling to work can be a waste of time and
tiring.Many homeworkers save a lot of time if they don’t travel to work and they can start the day fresher and therefore work more efficiently；parents with young children appreciate the flexibility (灵活性) that homeworking allows and are more relaxed.
Sunjit Patel says，“I have been working from home since my son was born and have been really enjoying it.But I can tell you that homeworking requires special skills like self-discipline (自律) and time management.I’ve known my boss and workmates for a long time now，which really helps because you’ve got to trust each other.You also need to have regular communication，by phone，email or video conferences，and you need to make regular trips to your office.Otherwise you really miss out on the social side of work.”
Not everyone agrees with Sunjit though.“The only people who can work from home full-time are those who do an unnecessary job.” Fortunately for Sunjit and the 2.1 million like him，not many people think that way!
25．We can infer from Paragraph 1 that . A．Sunjit Patel is a well-known designer B．homeworking is generally on the increase C．Sunjit Patel is homeschooling his son D．most designers in London work from home 26．Paragraph 3 is mainly about . A．the daily life of homeworkers B．the advantages of homeworking C．how employers increase efficiency D．why employees dislike travelling to work
27．According to Sunjit Patel，people who want to work from home should .
A．show great self-control B．improve their social life
C．have excellent communication skills
D．make frequent trips to their workplaces 28．What can we infer from the last paragraph? A．Most homeworkers do a pointless job. B．Many people are against homeworking. C．People’s opinions on homeworking vary. D．Homeworking influences many people’s life.
C
Swimming along a river in western Florida，a newborn manatee (海牛) calls out for her mother.But the baby hears no answer.The mother has disappeared，possibly frightened away by a passing motorboat.Longing for her mom’s gentle touch，the confused manatee begins rubbing against the closest big thing she can find—a boat.
From his home beside the river，Richard Dash sees the manatee rubbing against the boat.He keeps watch on the animal，hoping the mother will appear.But after two hours，she’s still alone.Dash calls the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help.“A baby manatee needs its mother to show it where to find food，”says Andrew Garrett，a rescue coordinator (协调员) at the organization.“Without a mother’s guidance，chances of survival are pretty much zero.”
A rescue team rushes to the scene to catch the newborn，and then takes off for the rehabilitation (康复) center at Lowry Park Zoo.After arriving at the center，the manatee is given a checkup by the workers.The doctor’s exam shows that the manatee，now named Kee，is dangerously underweight.At less than 50 pounds，she’s one of the smallest orphans (失去生母的幼小动物) ever treated at the zoo.The baby is placed in a pool where the workers give her 24-hour care.Gradually Kee puts on pounds and gains strength.
A few weeks later，an adult manatee recovering at the center from an accident has a baby.This gives animal care manager Virginia Edmonds an
idea.She decides to introduce Kee to the new mom，named Della.Edmonds hopes that Della will raise Kee alongside her own baby，Pal.So the workers place the three manatees in the same pool.Within hours Della is nursing Kee with her milk.Soon Kee is getting all of her food from Della.
29．The manatee described in Paragraph 1 is in a state of . A．anger C．surprise
B．puzzlement D．disappointment
30．What do we know about Richard Dash? A．He’s the owner of the boat. B．He’s not familiar with the river. C．He’s sure the mother won’t return. D．He’s quite worried about the manatee.
31.At the rehabilitation center the manatee . A．is given full-time care B．is becoming overweight C．is checked up once a day D．gets along with other orphans 32．What’s the main idea of the text? A．Animals are in need of help. B．A newborn manatee is in danger. C．The rehabilitation is playing a role. D．An orphaned manatee finds a new mom. D
Here are some kids who had great ideas that they turned into inventions.We call these kids “brain children”．
Six-year-old Suzanna Goodin，tired of cleaning the cat food spoon，came up with the idea of a spoon-shaped cracker that can be eaten.She won a grand prize for her invention in the Weekly Reader National Invention Contest.