Having learned much about the War of Resistance against Japan, Mao Jingxin didn’t like the Japanese when she was a child. “I thought they were cruel and rude,” said the 18-year-old girl from Hebei Province. But she began to change her mind after she met some Japanese teenagers in a history museum six years ago. These fashionable high school students looked seriously at the history displays and talked to Mao in a friendly way. “I found that they are not bad as I thought,” she said.
Like Mao, many Chinese teenagers’ are caught up in this confusion. A survey by 21st Century Teens shows about 51 per cent of Chinese teenagers say they dislike Japan. But most of them still want to have a Japanese friend. Also, Japan lies third on their list of Asian countries that they want to visit, following Singapore and South Korea. Teens did a survey just before the 60th anniversary of the victory day of the War of Resistance against Japan, which fell on September 3. The survey aimed to encourage understanding and communication between young Chinese and Japanese.
Teens also wanted to understand Chinese teenagers’ attitudes towards Japan, and how much they actually know about the country. As Teens found, more than 60 per cent of Chinese teenagers learn about Japan through the media or books. Only 16 per cent have ever met a Japanese person.
“Most of my friends hate Japan for what it did to China during World War II. But people should not live in hatred. I think the best way to figure it out is to have contact with the Japanese people myself,” Zhang Yuyuan, a Senior 2 girl, told us in the survey.
Jin Xide, professor of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, says that China and Japan actually had a peaceful relationship during the 1970s and 1980s. Since the 1990s, the growth of Japan’ s right-wing forces has caused great difficulties. “We have to be strong against them. But we mustn’t ignore the fact that there are far more friendly Japanese,” added Jin.
“Japan has done wrong to Asian countries including China and it has caused pain to everyone,” said Hikaru, a 17-year-old girl in Kawasaki. Having visited China four times and learned much, she understands the importance of communication between the two peoples. She plans to join in an exchange programme with Chinese youth. “Welcome to Japan, my Chinese friends!” She says it with a smile.
64. Most teenagers hate Japanese because _______.
A. the Japanese they meet are cruel
B. the Japanese were cruel during the war
C. they look too fashionable
D. the Japanese don’t want to communicate with Chinese people
65. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the survey?
A. Only a small percentage of teenagers have met a Japanese.
B. More than half of the teenagers in the survey don’t like the Japanese.
C. Singapore is one of the most popular Asian tourist places for Chinese teenagers.
D. Most Chinese teenagers learn about Japan through exchange activities.
66. According to Professor Jin, _____ is the main reason for the worse relationship between Japan and China.
A. the War of Resistance against Japan
B. lack of communication
C. Japan’s increasing right-wing force
D. Japan’s rapidly-growing economy
67. The passage is written to ______.
A. encourage Chinese teenagers to meet the Japanese
B. report what Chinese teenagers think about Japan
C. provide information about Japanese teenagers
D. give a brief introduction to the history of the War of Resistance against Japan
“I didn’t hear them call my name,” explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2013. “Are you ready?” is what she heard. Then she said, “I shook my head no, and then they said ‘yes’ and it was announced again."
It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen-year-old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana—she was still on cloud nine.
“I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen.” Present in the audience(观众)that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher.
Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there, AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete. “She’s always been my role model. I’ve danced with her since I was six. She’s been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I’ve learned to get over bad life’s experiences and learned how to move on because of her.”
One of those bad life’s experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the rough days. She said, “I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot, a lot...”
As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving, in addition to many other things to help the youth.
When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, “Don’t let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way, it is easy to be yourself.The underlined words “on cloud nine” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.
| A．frightened | B．troubled | C．very happy | D．very angry |
Shelley takes her dance teacher as a role model mainly because she is _______.
| A．determined | B．friendly | C．strict | D．experienced |
What did Shelley often do after she became Miss Louisiana Teen?
| A．She visited drunken drivers. |
| B．She gave dance performance. |
| C．She made speeches on safe driving. |
| D．She helped other teens with their studies. |
What suggestion does Shelley give to the teens?
| A．Be yourself with the support of friends. |
| B．Meet friends whenever possible. |
| C．Go easy on yourself and others. |
| D．Have a good role model. |
MANY of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high angle (角度), making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more marked out. You turn to your best side and click.
There it is – your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially related to young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The cult (狂热) of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition to self-expression and documentation (记录), selfies “allow for an close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. “There’s a danger that your self-esteem (自尊心) may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are – they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.” The first paragraph is intended to _________.
| A．explain why selfie is popular | B．describe how to make selfie |
| C．show the importance of selfie | D．introduce the topic of selfie |
How many reasons for the rise of selfie culture are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
What is Jill Weber’s opinion about selfies?
| A．Comments on selfie are based on who you are. |
| B．Selfies have more disadvantages than advantages. |
| C．Others’ response to selfies might affect one’s self-esteem. |
| D．Selfies shouldn’t be encouraged for they lead to social problems. |
The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．go down | B．calm down | C．pick up | D．build up |
An estimated 80 percent of American adults think music lessons, though at times boring and challenging in the eyes of some kids, improve children’s ability to learn or their performance in school . They say that the satisfaction for learning to play a new song helps a child express creativity.
Researchers at Harvard University, however, have found that there’s one thing musical training does not do. Samuel Mehr, the leading researcher of the new study, said it is wrong to think that learning to play a musical instrument improves a child’s intellectual development. The evidence comes from studies that measured the mental ability of two groups of 4-year-olds and their parents. One group attended music class; the comparison group went to a class that places importance on the optical arts-arts that can be seen.
“We found no evidence for any advantage on any of these tests for the kids participating in these music classes,” said Mehr.
Samuel Mehr says researchers have carried out many studies in an effort to learn whether musical training can make children smarter. Only one study seems to show a small percentage increase in IQ, intellectual scores among students after one year of music lessons.
He does not believe that IQ is a good measure of a child’s intelligence. Therefore, the researchers in his study compared how well children in the musical training group did on mental processing tasks, then the results were compared to those of children who did not take lessons.
Music lessons may not offer children a fast easy way to gain entry to the best schools later of their life, but the training is still important.
Mr Mehr notes that the works of writer William Shakespeare are not taught , so the children will do better in physics. He says Shakespeare is taught because it is important for cultural reasons.“And I don’t think music needs to be any different than that.”What attitude do most American grown-ups have towards music lessons? _________
| A．Uninterested | B．Approving | C．Doubtful | D．Uncertain |
The underlined word“optical”in Paragraph 2 probably means .
| A．visual | B．colorful | C．traditional | D．serious |
According to Samuel Mehr, _________ .
| A．many studies show that music training can improve IQ |
| B．IQ is a good measure of a child’s intelligence |
| C．music can enable a child to go to a better school |
| D．music should be taught for cultural reasons |
The study shows that .
| A．early music training has negative effects |
| B．musical lessons should be stopped at school |
| C．musical training doesn’t improve kids’ intelligence |
| D．playing musical instrument makes kids more creative |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接触) with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels. People who are unhappy _______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| C．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
| D．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” in the first paragraph most nearly means “_______”.
| A．make others unhappy |
| B．tend to scold others openly |
| C．have a good taste with social life |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| C．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
In this passage, the writer mainly _______.
| A．describes two types of people |
| B．laughs at the unhappy people |
| C．tells people how to be happy in life |
| D．suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness |
When most of us hear the word chocolate, the verb that comes to mind is probably “eat”, not “drink”, and the most proper adjective would seem to be “sweet”. But for about 90 percent of chocolate’s long history, it was strictly a beverage (饮料), and sugar didn’t have anything to do with it.
The Origin of Chocolate
Many modern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older.
In the book The True History of Chocolate, authors Sophie and Michael Coe prove that the earliest linguistic (语言学的) evidence of chocolate consumption dates back three or even four thousand years.
Valuable and Fashionable Chocolate Beverage
It’s hard to discover exactly when chocolate was born, but it’s clear that it was cherished from the start. For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America, cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen, according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
Sweetened chocolate didn’t appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled (品尝) the native cuisine. Chocolate didn’t suit the foreigners’ taste at first — one described it in his writings as “a bitter drink for pigs” — but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain. By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal functions. But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.
The Birth of Solid Chocolate
In 1828, a Dutch chemist found a way to make powdered chocolate. His product became known as “Dutch cocoa”, and it soon led to the creation of solid chocolate. In 1847, Joseph Fry created the first modern chocolate bar. By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milk chocolate hit the market a few years later.
Prosperous Chocolate Industry
In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was used instead of wages. Even now, statistics show that the humble cacao bean is still a powerful economic force. Chocolate manufacturing is a more than 4-billion-dollar industry in the United States, and the average American eats at least half a pound of the stuff per month.The earliest chocolate was most probably _________.
| A．a dish | B．a drink | C．a bar | D．a candy |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________________.
| A．the history of chocolate is at most 4,000 years. |
| B．people around the world could buy things with chocolate. |
| C．chocolate was well paid attention to since it was born. |
| D．an American at least eats a pound of chocolate per month. |
Why did chocolate suit the Spanish’s taste so quickly? _________
| A．Because chocolate was so tasty and bitter. |
| B．Because chocolate was believed to be a source of nutrition. |
| C．Because chocolate was sweetened with honey or cane sugar. |
| D．Because chocolate became a fashionable beverage. |
Which one shows the correct order according to the time of their appearing? _________
| A．chocolate beverage----chocolate bar----chocolate candies----milk chocolate |
| B．chocolate bar----chocolate beverage----chocolate candies----milk chocolate |
| C．chocolate bar ----chocolate candies ----milk chocolate ---- chocolate beverage |
| D．chocolate beverage ----chocolate candies----chocolate bar---- milk chocolate |