Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days，but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher．
If I have learned anything in my 16 years，it is that communication is very important，both when you disagree and when you get along．With any relationship，you need to let the other person know how you are feeling．If you are not able to communicate，your relationship drifts apart．When you are mad at your parents or anyone else，not talking to them doesn’t solve anything．
Communication begins with the concerns of another．It means that you can’t just come home from school，go up to your room and talk to nobody．Even if you just say “Hi” and see how their day is for five minutes，it is better than nothing．
If you look up the word “communication” in the dictionary，it will say “the exchange of ideas，conveyance (传递) of information，correspondence (通信)，means of communication；a letter or message”．To keep a good relationship，you must keep the communication strong．Let people know how you feel，even if it’s just by writing a note．
When dealing with parents，you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as parents．If you are trying to make them see something as you see it，tell them that you listen to what they have to say，but ask them politely to listen to you．Shouting or walking away only makes the situation worse．
Here is an example．One night，Sophie went to a street party with her friends．She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks．but they didn’t feel she could just ask to go home．That would be rude．After all，they had been nice enough to take her along with them．Needless to say，she was late getting home．Her parents were mad at first，but when Sophie explained why she was late，they weren’t as mad and let the incident go．Communication was the key factor here．If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen，Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble．
Communication isn’t a one-way deal．It goes both ways．Just remember：if you get into a situation like Sophie’s，telling the other person how you feel and listening are key factors to communication．
68．The second paragraph mainly talks about ________．
A．the importance of friendship
B．making your feelings known to others
C．the importance of communication
D．the disagreement between generations
69．The key to happy relationship between parents and children is that _______．
A．children should always obey their parents
B．parents play the leading part
C．parents should mind their own business
D．both should make the other know their feelings
70．The example in the passage proves that ________．
A．Sophie’s parents were willing to listen to her
B．Sophie was very polite to her parents
C．Sophie did the right thing when she explained the reason of her being late
D．communication is the key to solving misunderstanding
71．All of the following statements are true EXCEPT ________．
A．if you don’t agree with others，you’d better let them know
B．it is better to say “Hi” to others than to say nothing
C．if you are too busy to communicate，just walk away
D．communication is a two-way deal
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup(民意调查) Organization questioned them by telephone in 2010. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Happiness Varies with Ages | B．Experience More, Worry Less |
| C．The Older, the Wiser | D．Being Young, Being Happy |
We can learn from the research that _________.
| A．only when people get older will they feel happier |
| B．stress levels among the youngest are the highest |
| C．older people tend to be grateful |
| D．older people usually have no worries |
According to the research, when people get older, _________.
| A．they miss the old days | B．they are physically weak |
| C．they have better self-control | D．they are more emotional |
What would the author probably talk about next?
| A．What influences happiness. | B．How to live better. |
| C．How to keep happier. | D．Why women are less happier. |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．advise how to reduce stress | B．introduce a scientific finding |
| C．describe how to do research | D．talk about human emotions |
A woman renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation．She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself．
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily．“I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation．The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title．“What is your occupation?” she asked．
The words simply popped out．“I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask, ” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t）, in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out)．Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it)．But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out．
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (依托) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern．
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was. |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude. |
| C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced. |
| D．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society. |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．curious | B．indifferent | C．puzzled | D．interested |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A．calm | B．panic-stricken | C．confident | D．cool |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards. |
| B．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab. |
| C．Because she thought the author did admirable work. |
| D．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of. |
What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. |
| C．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work． |
Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said “cheers,” clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.
The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will save NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttle Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and thankedengineers in two NASA centers that worked on the system.
“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”
The new sy
stem takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the steam is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water steam is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about 18 liters from urine in about 6 hours.
“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami. According to the text, the recycling system is important because __________.
| A．it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible |
| B．it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded |
| C．with it NASA won’t need to ship any water up the space station |
| D．it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste |
From Paragraph 5 we can know __________.
| A．the processof recycling urine |
| B．the effect of the recycling system |
| C．the theory behind the recycling system |
| D．an opinion on recycling urine |
What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?
| A．The taste of recycled urine is not as good as that of common water. |
| B．The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true. |
| C．The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant. |
| D．It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress |
| B．New Technology Is Used in the Space Station |
| C．Drink up: Space Station Recycles Urine to Water |
D．Good News:Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good |
When it comes to protecting the privacy of their children, U.S. parents give social networks a failing grade. According to a recent survey, three out of four parents believe social networks are not doing a good job of protecting kids’ online privacy.
The survey was conducted for Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping families find the right way to deal withthe world of media and technology.
Ninety-two percent of parents said they are concerned that children share too much information online, and 85 percent said they are more concerned about online privacy than they were five years ago. In other findings, Common Sense Media found that 68% of parents are not at all confident in search engines keeping their private information safe and secure and 71% of parents said the same about social networking sites.
The survey found a great deal of concern about the online geo-location 
services which find and show the exact position of somebody through the net. Ninety-one percent of parents said search engines and social networking sites should not be able to share the physical location of children with other companies unless the parents approve.
“The survey results present a clear divide between the industry’s view of privacy and the opinion of parents and kids,” Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer said.
“American families are deeply worried about how their personal information is being used by technology and online companies, yet the companies appear to be keeping their heads deep in the sand,” Steyer said.
IT companies need to step up but parents, children, schools and government also need to do more, he said.
“Parents and kids have to educate themselves about how to protect their information,” he said. “Schools should teach all students and their parents about privacy protection.”
“And finally, policymakers have to update privacy policies for the 21st century,” he said. According to the survey, more than 60 percent of parents want the US Congress to update online privacy laws for children and teenagers. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．Refusing to admit the problem. | B．Refusing to work with others. |
| C．Trying to find a solution to the problem | D．Trying to look deep into the problem. |
According to James Steyer, the following organizations should make more contributions to protecting
children’s online privacy except __________.
| A．IT companies | B．Government | C．Schools | D．Nonprofit Organizations |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Parents are worried about social networks because they lead to the children’s failing grades. |
| B．Most US parents agree that the online geo-location services should be forbidden. |
| C．Most USparents will support a law that limits IT companies to using personal information. |
| D．US Congress has not yet passed any online privacy law for children and teenagers. |
Which of the following may be the best title for the passage?
| A．US Congress to Update Privacy Policies for 21st Century |
| B．Common Sense Media Warns Against Social Networks |
| C．US Parents Want Better Online Privacy Protection for Kids |
| D．Worry Grows for Problems Caused by Social Networks |
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbagfrom the department store I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there’s not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. I have informed the social security office so you won’t be able to cash the child benefit next week. I hope that won’t leave you too short．But if you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book．Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid(有效的), so it won’t be much use to you.
Actually I don’t mind about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book．There were all kinds of papers in it, and notes and things that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you . I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather handbag. You probably dumped it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We’ve looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I’m not really angry with you．I know how the pressures of modern living can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel offended and helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged（耸） their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn’t answer that question. I wonder if you can.In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to __________.
| A．describe the contents of the bag in detail | B．give some suggestions to the three thieves |
| C．tell the thieves they could hardly get any money | D．state the fact that she was careless with the money |
Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?
| A．The cash in her bag. | B．The papers and notes in the bag. |
| C．The handbag itself. | D．The check books in the bag. |
What can we conclude about the police?
| A．They have doubts about human nature. | B．They show sympathy for the woman. |
| C．They think the case quite common. | D．They are unable to find the thieves. |
Why does the author write the letter?
A．To give the th ieves a serious warning. |
B．To complain about the fall ofhuman goodness. |
| C．To call people’s attention to their belongings. | D．To express her affection for her valuable bag. |