As I was reading a recent story in Slate on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled children who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment: my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we too are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?
Consider some of these views shared in the Slate story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.
I read that, and I thought, what planet is she living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.
A 26-year-old in the story despairs(绝望) that he can’t afford to get a Ph.D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.
Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations are slowly adjusting, but today’s 20-somethings grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be expanding.
It seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful－for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day－than on longing for some kind of luxury life.
1．What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?
A．They expect everything to be easy for them.
B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.
C．They are reluctant（不情愿的） to face all of the challenges.
D．They are burdened by student loans.
2．The underlined word “fertility” in Paragraph 3 probably means .
A．baby production B．pleasant
C．baby comfort D．essential
3．Which of the following is NOT one of the complaints of the 20-somethings?
A．They can’t have children for at least a decade to buy a house.
B．They have only one-bedroom apartment to live in.
C．They can’t buy a house until 40 because of student loans.
D．They despair at not being able to afford a Ph.D. in literature.
4．What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A．To tell us what the author’s attitude towards the 20 – somethings.
B．To explain why young people can’t afford to buy a house.
C．To suggest what we should do when young people’s high hopes create despair.
D．To explain what the 20 – something’s high expectations are.
Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment（营养）. The old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away. ” is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form(丸剂), believing that these will make them healthy. But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn’t need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?
In the modern western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw away the good habits and throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. The list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening.From the first sentence we know that ________
| A．all kinds of food you eat can be made into nourishment |
| B．your body is make up of the food you eat |
| C．what you eat has great effect on your health |
| D．the more you eat, the better you will feel |
How do you understand the old saying underlined in the passage?
| A．Eating apples regularly brings lots of benefits to our health. |
| B．Doctors are no longer necessary if we eat an apple every day. |
| C．The apple is the best among all kinds of fruits. |
| D．An apple is a good way to cure illnesses. |
What can we conclude from the second paragraph?
| A．Our bodies need food, or we can’t live. |
| B．Often eating apples is a good habit. |
| C．Taking extra vitamin pills is completely useless. |
| D．A good diet is of great importance for our health. |
In modern western countries, ________.
| A．people don’t want to pay more attention to their eating |
| B．lots of people’s illnesses are caused or made worse by bad eating habits |
| C．people throw everything into their stomachs without digestion |
D．people are o nly too busy to cook meals fro themselves |
If we want to keep healthy, we should ________ .
| A．only eat an apple a day |
| B．eat properly |
| C．take as many vitamin pills as possible |
| D．throw everything into our stomachs slowly and carefully |
Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men and women? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It’s very difficult
to e
xplain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and women. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. Can all be very expensive?
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional(专业的) trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.This article is most probably taken from ____.
| A．a letter | B．an advertisement |
| C．a personal diary | D．a newspaper article |
According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in sport ____.
A．feel un certain if they should let their children train to be sports men or women . |
| B．try to get financial(财政的) support from the government for their children’s training. |
| C．have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods |
| D．prefer their children to be trained as young as possible |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．By starting young, you won’t have much time for your schoolwork. |
| B．Early training may damage your muscles. |
| C．Most children may become professional sports men after a long period of training. |
| D．It’s very expensive for parents to support their child’s development in sports. |
The phrase “ to take a second place” means____.
| A．to repeat the activities some other day |
| B．to become less important |
| C．of all the things, they are the most important |
| D．to happen again |
____can become the best players after many years of training.
| A．Most people | B．Some people | C．Hardly any people | D．No people |
Tanzania Tarangire is a national Park which lies in Tanzania．The park itself covers an area of around 2,850 square kilometers, making it the sixth largest park of its kind in the country．I recently visited Tarangire to see what it was like…．
One of the first sightings upon entering the park which I found was a huge herd（群）of elephants． Our guide told us that Tagrangire was probably the best place in Tanzania to find large herds of elephants, and that their population in the park was around 2,500．We continued to watch the elephants as they stood under trees and scratched themselves against the trees to hit the spot of an itch（痒处）．
To the right of the elephant herd, we noticed a big tree! Our guide informed us that this was a Baobab tree and that they could live for hundreds of years．Compared with this tree, the elephant just looked like dwarfs（侏儒）! We were informed that Tarangire was one of the best National Parks in Africa to see so many Baobab trees．
As we continued our drive through the park, we finally reached a watering hole．Our guide warned us that there were lions all around us．It took us all a while to find them, but there they were! Most of them are resting in the 
shade under brushes, but there was one that was drinking from the watering hole directly in front of us．We then noticed just to our right, there were a couple of fresh zebra corpses（尸体）— it seemed as if the lions which were resting had killed them! We were unlucky not to have seen the actual kill, as our guide had mentioned that the zebra corpses were fresh and the kill had occurred within the last hour．
Our final big sighting was one that none of us were expecting to see, even our guide! We pulled over to where there was a large gathering of cars, with a sleeping leopard（美洲豹）there! We took photos h
appily and excitedly and observed its surprising body before returning to our hotel as it was getting late．
So, I hope yo
u enjoyed my description of Tarangire, and that I have inspired you to add this amazing park to your very own Tanzania travel route．Which statement is correct about the park?
| A．It covers an area of about 2,580 square kilometers |
| B．It is the largest park of its kind in the country |
| C．Their population in the park was around 2,000 |
| D．There are a lot of Baobab trees in it． |
How did the writer travel in Tanzania Tarangire?
| A．On foot | B．On horseback | C．By car | D．By bicycle |
What did they see when they stopped with some other cars?
| A．A large herd of elephants | B．Some lions |
| C．Some zebras | D．A leopard |
What does the writer think of his trip in Tanzania Tarangire?
| A．Boring | B．Challenging | C．Dangerous | D．Enjoyable |
Since my son is getting ready for first grade, I asked a friend where she shops for school supplies．For price and convenience, she had a quick answer: schoolpak．com．Parents can buy items or packaged equipment for all grades．The Generic Elementary School-pak for first through fifth graders, for example, is $23．28．（Teachers can also e-mail their grade’s or school’s whole list for a price on customized kits（销售包）．Shipping（运送）is free for 75 or more kits）
Teachers thinks highly of educational warehouse．com for its learning tools and games—everything from puzzles and puppets to software and chalks．Classroomdirect．com has great prices on over 10．000 products and a special corner offering even deeper discounts．
Pick your lunch box
The second-most-difficult back-to-school decision, right after what to wear on the first day, is what kind of lunch box to buy．Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana? Ariel or Elmo? Your kids can examine their （and your） lunch boxes at platesplus4kids．com and lunchboxes．com．
Trade in sports tools
My garage is a tangle（混乱） of bikes and balls, sticks and clubs, so I was excited to find play it again sports．com --- a company that helps you sell quality, name-brand sporting equipment．You’ll have to visit one of its 320 stores, located in 46 states and the District of Columbia．
3 sites for saving
Feed the pig．org
Think about the savings if your kids （and you） stopped buying lunch out every day and brown-bagged（自带午餐）it．
Good shop．com
Support your favorite school by shopping at more than 1,000 participating shops．Up to 30 percent of every purchase is donated．And you’ll find hundreds of deals and coupons（优惠券）．
Tax admin．org
Click on 2009 State Sales Tax Holidays to see if your state has a tax-free shopping day．Check what’s included before going to the store．The passage is mainly aimed at__________．
| A．parents | B．teachers | C．students | D．businessmen |
If you want to sell the bikes your children don’t use, you can go to ____________．
| A．educationalwarehouse．com | B．playitagainsports．com |
| C．Feedthepig．org | D．Taxadmin．org |
What does the writer think of picking a lunch box?
| A．It is very easy | B．It is rather hard |
| C．It proves interesting | D．It seems special |
What can be filled in the blank in the first item?
| A．Teachers are much wiser | B．Puzzles and puppets |
| C．Shops where teachers shop | D．Develop your brains |
Twelve years ago, a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco, California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest, he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight left quite an impression on him. But weeks later, back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down in the area he visited.
To keep hi
s website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer, cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example, he interviewed Alison Jolly, a top experts on lemurs(狐猴). He interviewed Rodney Jackson, a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
Stories like these have made Mongabay a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time.Com named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Rhett Butler and his website. |
| B．Rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. |
| C．How Rhett Butler protected rare animals. |
| D．How Rhett Butler made his website popular. |
Rhett Butler didn’t publish his book about rainforests because _______.
| A．making websites earns more money than writing books |
| B．he didn’t want to become a writer |
| C．the book was not about rainforest protection |
| D．he wanted to use the information to create a website |
Which of the followings is NOT true about the Mongabay. Com?
| A．It was set up in 1999. |
| B．It attracted many advertisers. |
| C．At least two related websites grew from it. |
| D．Rhett Butler made a lot of money from it. |
To keep his website going, Rhett Butler ________.
| A．kept visiting the rainforest |
| B．traveled around and interviewed experts |
| C．raised rare snow leopards |
| D．made a great number of advertisements |
We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．Mongabay.Com was loved by researchers as well as students |
| B．kids. Mongabay.Com. has many stories written by kids |
| C．WildMadagascar.org is better known than Mongabay.Com |
D．Rodney Jacks on was once a businessman |