It is impossible to think about “growing up” in modern America without considering “youth culture” which every young person—even those who do not attend public schools—is confronted by and must deal with. It is impossible to be so isolated that we are untouched by the surrounding culture. Nor should we wish to be—as we are called to be—salt and light in a very confused and broken world. Popular culture deserves neither uncritical acceptance nor knee-jerk rejection, but thoughtful critique（批评）.
On the contrary, China paid too little attention to youth culture in the past. However, with society developing, more and more people have realized the importance of analyzing, understanding and promoting youth culture.
About 100,000 young Chinese people from all over the world will attend the first China Youth Culture Week scheduled to open Saturday in Shenzhen’s China Folk Culture Villages, a press conference was told Thursday.
A series of cultural activities will be staged from Saturday to Wednesday, including a huge performance expected to challenge for a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records.
About 10,000 young people will attend the opening ceremony Saturday. A final list of the Chinese Youth Idol Award to five outstanding young Chinese was announced at the conference. They are the country’s first astronaut, Yang Liwei, Chinese NBA star, Yao Ming, IT entrepreneur, Ding Lei, anchorperson, Wu Xiaoli, and Olympic Games gold medalist, Deng Yaping. The youth idols were selected by
Chinese teenagers with 380,000 votes cast nationwide.
During the past two months, the organizers received more than 3,000 applications from young people in Hong Kong and Macao who wanted to take part in the performance.
52. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “confronted by”?
A. Concerned about. B. Thought of. C. Confused with. D. Faced with.
53. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 1?
A. People can be isolated from the surrounding culture.
B. The American youth accept popular culture without any thought.
C. People shouldn’t refuse popular culture totally.
D. Americans ignore cultures at all while growing up.
54. The list of the five Chinese youth idols indicates that ____.
A. success is considered the most important factor in the Chinese youth’s values
B. the Chinese youth don’t care about their idols’ personalities
C. there are only five people admired by the Chinese youth
D. the parents want to set those people as examples
55. What can we infer from this passage?
A. America paid too much attention to youth culture.
B. China pays more attention to youth culture nowadays.
C. Chinese youth admire movie stars and regard them as their idols.
D. America thinks their youth are more important than the Chinese youth.
Many phrases like “ no pains, no gains” give the impression that we ought to be suffering while we study. It’s almost as though the only way to know if we’re putting in enough work is the sense of hardship we bear.
When we haven’t taken the time to come up with another idea, all we know how to do is shut ourselves in a room with a book. It’s no surprise that we find revision boring and difficult. Just as children learn from playing, we can learn from doing, or at least from study techniques that interest us, rather than make us switch off.
Shutting yourself away can make you learn to hate studying. This leads to a situation where instead of being able to concentrate on your work, you are troubled by how unfair it is that you must study.
When you hate your work it’s very difficult to make yourself star, or approach it with any kind of structure or enthusiasm. This can be part of a vicious cycle(恶性循环) that traps you into ineffective revision, your poor progress fuelling further annoyance.
Just being around other people really helps fight against feelings of loneliness and, thankfully, it’s perfectly possible to work in the company of other people. We just need to learn how to deal with distractions(使人分心的事物).
It’s not necessary to avoid all company, just idle(懒散的) company. Studying in the same room as someone who is ironing or working out is perfectly possible. People who are bored and looking to be distracted, however, are terrible to work around. They constantly try to keep others in conversation.
It’s also a good idea to avoid the company of people involved in activities that you would rather be doing than studying. What would it be like working while sitting next to someone playing video games?
If being around others means working in a noisy environment, a pair of headphones and some background music can block out even noisy children. They also act as a psychological barrier, so that people think twice before interrupting you.
When you’re studying for a big exam, it seems like your whole life is taken up with study. Friends and family can lessen feelings of isolation(孤立). And connecting with other people makes us happy, so it’s important not to give that up and to make sure that we take the time to socialize.The author might believe that the phrase “no pains, no gains” _______.
| A．best describes how to study well |
| B．makes people treat study as a habit |
| C．encourages people to learn step by step |
| D．is not a good inspirational phrase for study |
Which saying about study might the author prefer?
| A．There is no smooth road to learning. |
| B．It’s better to work behind the closed door. |
| C．A positive motivation leads to good study results. |
| D．He who is ashamed of asking is ashamed of learning. |
Which might lead to an effective study based on this text?
| A．A correct goal. | B．A good teacher. |
| C．A favorable interest. | D．A hard task. |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 7 implies that _______.
| A．playing video games is helpful for an effective study |
| B．one shouldn’t let a video player be his / her company |
| C．one should study from something that interests him/her |
| D．the more time one spends in playing games, the higher marks he / she will get |
If you are studying in a noisy environment, you’d better _______.
| A．show your not wanting to be interrupted |
| B．give up others’ company at once |
| C．think twice before taking any action |
| D．force yourself to be used to the environment |
| Art Calendar Walking Tours of the Museum’s collections (fee with admission contribution) are offered daily and on weekends by Museum-trained volunteers. No tours on November 29-December 1 and December 17-31 Weekdays Tuesday through Friday subject to Gallery hours
Weekends |
Walking tours of the Museum’s collections are offered on __________.
| A．November 29. | B．December 20 |
| C．December 31 | D．December 10 |
What time is the latest Chinese Art Class?
| A．1:45 | B．2:45 |
| C．10:30 | D．10:45 |
When is the last Old Master Paintings?
| A．Friday 7:00 | B．Tuesday 9:00 |
| C．Friday 1:00 | D．Thursday 1:00 |
Which one starts the earliest?
| A．Highlights of the Museum |
| B．Egyptian Galleries |
| C．Chinese Art |
| D．Ancient Mexico and Peru. |
The Hunan Satellite TV(HNTV) show “Where are we going, Dad?” is a big hit. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered（触发）a lot of people’s emotional resonance（共鸣）. Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going, Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.In raising a child in modern society, parents should ________.
| A．play computer games with their children |
| B．keep their children at home to avoid socializing |
| C．balance well between family and career |
| D．break down the barrier between children and teachers |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
| A．Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
| B．36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
| C．The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
| D．In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
| A．Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
| B．Modern Education is Important |
| C．Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
| D．New problems in Modern Children’s Education |
What attitude towards modern family education does the author express in the second paragraph?
| A．Proud. | B．Worried. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Indifferent. |
What does the underlined word “participation” probably mean?
| A．taking responsibility |
| B．taking apart |
| C．taking part |
| D．keeping company |
While applying to college may seem easy, getting in can be tough! When you apply for college, you will have to be honest with yourself and do a bit of research to find the right fit. Here are three steps to take when applying to colleges for the best chances at getting into the best college for you.
Step l: Making a List of Colleges to Apply to
With over 6,000 colleges in the United States, the first step in applying to college is to do some research and make a college list. This process will be different for everyone. The number of colleges you apply to can vary, from applying to 1 school (not recommended) to 30 schools (not recommended), each applicant can choose how many colleges they apply to. Many limit the number because applications are accompanied by a fee.
Step2: Splitting the List into Target, Reach and Safety Schools
In general, students will want to apply to three types of schools: Target, Reach and Safety schools. It is up to you how many applications you send, but a good mix would be more target than reach, and at least one safety. You will need to take your list, and now decide which are your top picks, which are attainable for you academically, which are affordable for you only with aid, and refine (精炼) your broad list into a group of schools that gives you the best chance for success. Talk to an admissions counselor at your high school if you have questions about this.
Step 3: Completing and Sending Applications to Colleges
Once your list is complete you are ready to apply to college by completing and sending in applications! College applications take time to complete - you have to write essays, ask for recommendations and get test scores sent to schools - so stay organized! All colleges will require these types of application materials, so start thinking about these items well before October or December. Once you complete and send them, then you have successfully applied to college.It can be learned from the first paragraph that_______.
| A．you don't have to think twice before applying to college |
| B．you should be cautious to pick up the right college |
| C．once you apply to a college, you'll be admitted to it easily |
| D．each applicant should choose the best college for their ideal |
To make a list of colleges, you ________.
| A．needn't consider about your ability |
| B．are supposed to choose merely one most fit |
| C．had better take your academy into account |
| D．are required to pick out more than 30 colleges |
Which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．One doesn't have to send his test scores to the intended college. |
| B．Refer to an admissions counselor at high school if necessary. |
| C．One should clarify the list according to one's abilities. |
| D．Teachers' recommendations are included in application materials. |
We can conclude from the text that ________.
| A．each applicant has the right to apply to any colleges for free |
| B．the more college one chooses, the more successful he will be |
| C．safety schools are those that don't have so many requirements |
| D．applicants should send required materials before the deadline |
The text is mainly about _________.
| A．how to succeed in life |
| B．how to apply to college |
| C．how to ask for information |
| D．how to do a research in college |
A baby mermaid was just born in Finland; Justin Bibber is getting married; iphone 6 is going to be released this year…We read rumors every day on the Internet. With the help of social media, rumors — no matter whether they are true or false — spread like wildfire, and sometimes we can’t be sure what to believe.
Now, an international group of researchers might be able to make it easier for us. They are working on a lie detector that could separate online truth from lies, Discovery news reported.
Named after the Greek goddess Pheme, famed for spreading bad rumors, the system is far from a traditional lie detector, which works by attaching a machine to a potential liar. Instead, Pheme analyzes the rumor directly.
When a rumor comes out, on a micro blog, for example, Pheme can trace the source of information to see if it was released by reliable sources like experts or news agencies. If it wasn’t, Pheme then examines the history and background of the account to identify whether it was created just to spread rumors — whether it’s what’s called an “Internet bot.”
After finding the source of the rumor, the system can keep a close eye on how other users react to the rumor — either confirming or denying it — to help analyze and further determine the reliability of the information.
Some people might find the Pheme system unnecessary based on the idea that false rumors never survive for long and people always get to the truth over time. While that’s a fair point, there is a certain class of rumors, such as “a tiger is at large” or “an asteroid (小行星) is about to hit the Earth”, that can cause panic among people and thus lead to serious consequences.
These are cases when we need to be able to check for accuracy quickly. “Our system aims to help with that, by tracking and verifying information in real time,” lead researcher Kalina Bontcheva, at the University of Sheffield, UK, told the BBC.
According to Bontcheva, Pheme is still under development and won’t be ready for another 18 months.
Until then, there’s an old fashioned technique that you can use to protect yourself from false information — ask questions, check sources and don’t believe any claim until you’ve seen the evidence for it.What is the article about?
| A．Tips on how to deal with rumors online. |
| B．Factors that make rumors so easy to spread. |
| C．A new device that can check whether online rumors are true or not. |
| D．An introduction to some types of lie detectors. |
By writing the first paragraph, the writer intends to ________.
| A．share with readers some exciting news |
| B．warn readers not to trust anything on the Internet |
| C．tell readers rumors are out of control |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
What makes Pheme different from a traditional lie detector?
| A．It works by attaching a machine to a potential liar. |
| B．It examines a statement’s truthfulness directly. |
| C．It can identify a rumor and prevent it from spreading. |
| D．It is controlled by what is called an “Internet bot” |
How does the Pheme system determine the reliability of a piece of information?
| A．Based on the reliability of its sources and the history of its authors. |
| B．Based on how the majority of people react to it. |
| C．By collecting and examining relevant information to further confirm it. |
| D．By making use of an “Internet bot” to track and verify the information. |
Which of the following statements might the author agree with?
| A．The Pheme system is not very helpful because all rumors eventually die down. |
| B．The Pheme system will be ready to help social networks become more accurate by the end of 2014. |
| C．The Pheme system can identify almost all kinds of rumors on social networking sites. |
| D．The Pheme system aims to respond to rumors quickly so as to reduce the impact of false ones. |