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I'm usually fairly doubtful about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America's kids so stressed? According to the report there are two main causes: increasing loneliness ─ brought on by high divorce rates and little communication with society, among other things ─ and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Given that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation handle such difficulties. At the top of the list is giving children a better appreciation of the limits of individualism (个人主义). No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps protect individuals against stress. To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for face-to-face relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news. Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale. Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you deal with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
1. The author thinks that the conclusions of any research comparing people's state of mind today with people’s state of mind in the past are______.
A. surprising B. confusing C. interesting D. questionable
2. What does the author mean when he says, “we can't turn the clock back” (Paragraph 3)?
A. It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be changed.
C. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
D. It's impossible to forget the past.
3. According to the analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago____.
A. had little communication with friends
B. were probably less self-centered
C. probably suffered less from anxiety
D. were considered less individualistic
4. The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is ____.
A. to provide the children with a safer environment
B. to lower their expectations for the children
C. to get the children more active socially
D. to set an example for the children to follow
5. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?
A. Anxiety, though unavoidable, can be dealt with.
B. Children's anxiety has been taken too seriously.
C. Children's anxiety can disappear with more parental care.
D. Anxiety, if properly controlled, may help children become mature.
Many women write to me perplexed(困惑的) about why they can't form close friendships.They try new approaches，put themselves in all the right places，see therapists，and read relevant selfhelp books.They consider themselves interesting，loyal，kind，and friendworthy people.But for reasons unknown to them，they have a tough time forming intimate relationships.Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature(personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships.Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto，Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years，looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood.Their study，like prior ones，showed a link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing：The more times participants moved as children，the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper，the researchers found that personality—specifically being introverted (内向的) or extroverted (外向的)—could either intensify or buffer (缓冲) the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood.The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
“Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain longterm close relationships，” stated Dr.Shigehiro Oishi，the first author of the study，in a press release from the American Psychological Association，“This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily.Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends.”
Families often have to relocate—across town，across the country，or across the globe.Yet，in many cases，their kids and young adolescents haven't yet built up a bank of friendships.So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child，whenever possible，and to move at the end of the academic year.The passage is written mainly to ________.
| A．offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships |
| B．explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships |
| C．explain how moves during childhood affect children |
| D．tell us how to help children make friends |
Which of the following is true according to the second paragraph?
| A．People who moved less during childhood have better social relationships. |
| B．The more people moved during childhood，the more friends they have. |
| C．The more people moved during childhood，the better they adjust to society. |
| D．There is no link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing. |
In order for children to maintain longterm close relationships，parents ________.
| A．should not relocate their homes |
| B．should relocate their homes within the town |
| C．had better move at the end of the school year |
| D．had better move when their children couldn't build up a bank of friendships |
We learn from the fourth paragraph that moves during childhood ________.
| A．have a bigger impact on an introverted person compared to extroverts |
| B．have no impact on an outgoing person |
| C．are a big problem for both introverts and extroverts |
| D．help children better adapt to a new environment |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
| A．our friendships are mainly affected by our nurture |
| B．we can move when children have made a lot of friends |
| C．the impact of moves will disappear when one reaches adulthood |
| D．there is some way to minimize the impact of moves during childhood on children |
Before the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914，the only way ships could leave Boston was on a route around Race Point—the northern tip of Cape Cod.However，navigation during the 18th century was a nightmare，because the floating cross current(交叉气流) around Race Point caused countless accidents.So building a lighthouse to lighten the place was very necessary.
As early as 1808，the people of Provincetown requested a lighthouse on Race Point，but it took Congress eight years to react when they finally paid $ 8,000 on April 27,1816 to build a lighthouse —Race Point Light，which was located in the town of Provincetown，Massachusetts.It was first built of stone 25 feet high with no foundation and its light was 30 feet above the sea.It was equipped with one of the nation's earliest revolving lights.
Actually，there were two other lighthouses on Cape Cod，but they were hit by a storm in October 1841.In the following year，Race Point Light was examined by I．W.P.Lewis，who realized the light's importance.He said，“The light should be useful to all ships leaving Boston.However，its illuminating power is so weak that people would hardly be able to differentiate it from the lights set on the ships which stay in the bay，or close by.It hasn't played its role as a lighthouse well.”
The result was that old lighthouse was destroyed and a new iron lighthouse with a proper foundation was put up to take its place.The new lighthouse was 45 feet high.Although the original keeper's house was in good repair，it was destroyed too and a new one was built.Today the lighthouse has been automated(自动化)and Race Point Light is still an active aid to navigation.
You can park at Race Point Beach and walk about 45 minutes to the lighthouse.Sunset at Race Point Light is one of the Cape Cod's most popular scenes.And at times whales can be seen in the lighthouse.For reservations to stay one night in the keeper's house at Race Point call(508)487－9930.The underlined word “illuminating” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
| A．preventing accidents | B．cooling the air |
| C．providing light | D．predicting weather |
Why was the original Race Point Light replaced by a new one?
| A．It was too old to repair properly. |
| B．It hadn't done a good job in helping the passing ships. |
| C．It was destroyed in a storm in October 1841. |
| D．It wasn't high enough and had no foundation. |
According to the passage，Race Point Light ________.
| A．is also a tourist spot now |
| B．stopped working after 1914 |
| C．was built by I．W.P.Lewis |
| D．has been automated since 1841 |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．The keeper's house is open to the public now. |
| B．The present keeper's house is the original one. |
| C．The two other lighthouses had revolving lights too. |
| D．The government didn't agree to build Race Point Light. |
What does this passage mainly talk about?
| A．The building process of Race Point Light. |
| B．The tourism value of Race Point Light. |
| C．The three lighthouses on Cape Cod. |
| D．The history of Race Point Light. |
After spending a year in Brazil on a student exchange program，her mother recalled，Marie Colvin returned home to find that her classmates had narrowed down their college choices.“Everyone else was already admitted to college，” her mother，Rosemarie Colvin，said from the family home.“So she took our car and drove up to Yale and said，‘You_have_to_let_me_in.'”
“Impressed—she was a National Merit (全国英才) finalist who had picked up Portuguese in Brazil—Yale did, admitting her to the class of 1978，where she started writing for the Yale Daily News and decided to be a journalist，” her mother said.
On Wednesday，Marie Colvin,56，an experienced journalist for The Sunday Times of London，was killed as Syrian forces shelled the city of Homs.She was working in a temporary media center that was destroyed in the attack.
“She was supposed to leave Syria on Wednesday”，Mrs.Colvin said.“Her editor told me he called her yesterday and said it was getting too dangerous and they wanted to take her out.She said she was doing a story and she wanted to finish it.”
Mrs.Colvin said it was pointless to try to prevent her daughter from going to conflict zones.“If you knew my daughter，” she said，“it would have been such a waste of words.She was determined，she was enthusiastic about what she did，it was her life.There was no saying ‘Don't do this.' This is who she was，absolutely who she was and what she believed in：cover the story，not just have pictures of it，but bring it to life in the deepest way you could.”“So it was not a surprise when she took an interest in journalism，” her mother said.From the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1，we can infer that ________.
| A．Yale was her last choice |
| B．Yale must keep its promise to Marie Colvin |
| C．Marie Colvin was confident of herself |
| D．Marie Colvin was good at persuading |
Marie Colvin's story suggests some of the best qualities of being a journalist are ________.
| A．patience and confidence |
| B．honesty and curiosity |
| C．flexibility and creativity |
| D．determination and courage |
Which of the following is the correct order to describe Marie Colvin's life?
a．She was doing a story in Syria and got killed.
b．She was admitted to Yale University.
c．She studied in Brazil as an exchange student.
d．She was hired by The Sunday Times of London.
e．She began to take an interest in journalism.
| A．d→e→c→a→b | B．c→b→e→d→a |
| C．e→d→c→b→a | D．b→c→d→e→a |
From the last paragraph we can know that Mrs.Colvin ________.
| A．knows her daughter very well |
| B．cares little about her daughter |
| C．dislikes the choice of her daughter |
| D．doesn't fully appreciate her daughter |
What can be the best title of the text?
| A．Covering Stories in a Dangerous Conflict Area |
| B．Applying for Top Universities，a Successful Case |
| C．Recalling Her Daughter，a Journalist Killed in Syria |
| D．Choosing Lifelong Careers Based on Your Own Interest |
Suppose you don't need your car today.And suppose，as it happens that a stranger in your area does need a car.Would you be willing to rent yours out?
Several carsharing startups，including Getaround，RelayRides and JustSharelt，are eager to connect car owners with renters this way.The companies have different rules，but participating owners receive，generally speaking，about twothirds of the rental earnings.RelayRides says an owner of a midsize，latemodel sedan who rents out a car for 10 hours a week could expect to clear about $ 3,000 a year.
Peertopeer carsharing remains in the trial stage；it can be found in San Francisco and a few other places.It has a long way to go before it becomes the auto equivalent of Airbnb，the surprise success story for peertopeer sharing of space in apartments and houses.
Shelby Clark，founder of RelayRides，says potential investors in his company have been concerned that owners will be afraid to hand their car over to strangers.To address that，he points to Airbnb，saying，“Letting people sleep in your living room is much more of a disturbance into your personal space than letting someone use your car.”
All of these companies offer their own insurance coverage for their renters，which are supposed to put owners' minds at ease.But only two states—California and Oregon—have passed laws to clarify that an owner will not suffer any consequences should a carsharing renter have an accident.
“In all the other states，legal ambiguity remains，” Shelby Clark says.“If a renter should be involved in a serious accident in those states，the victim can be expected to go after every party possible，including the car's owner.”
Also to remove the worries of car owners，the driving records of renters are checked for recent serious violations..What does the underlined word “sedan” in Paragraph 2 probably refer to?
| A．A kind of car. |
| B．An owner of a car. |
| C．A renting company. |
| D．A carsharing renter. |
Which of the following is true of Aribnb?
| A．It cares little about personal privacy. |
| B．It deals with housesharing successfully. |
| C．It is a very popular carsharing company. |
| D．Its ideas are being tried out in some states. |
If a carsharing renter should have an accident in California，the car's owner ________.
| A．has to take legal responsibility |
| B．will not suffer the consequence |
| C．is not covered by health insurance |
| D．must pay the insurance for the renter |
According to the text，more carowners will participate in the service，if ________.
| A．legal ambiguity is clarified in all the states |
| B．renters are warned not to violate traffic rules |
| C．more money is given to participating owners |
| D．people are aware of the importance of sharing |
It can be learned from the text that carsharing ________.
| A．makes no profit |
| B．remains in popularity |
| C．is against the state law |
| D．is a new business model |
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers.They use robotic systems to milk their cows.Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations.Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside，the cow is rewarded with food.As the cow eats，a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine.A few minutes later，milking is complete.The gate is opened，the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day.The cows get to decide when they want to be milked.Cows are milked an average of about three times a day.Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system.A computer keeps records on their eating and milking.A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk.Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers.She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm.Still，she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm.Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system.A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars.The second costs 150,000 dollars.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot.He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.From the first paragraph，we can infer ________.
| A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor |
| B．cows can be raised by robots in the future |
| C．robots direct cows into milking stations |
| D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms |
Besides milking cows，the robotic system also can ________.
| A．adjust the temperature of milking stations |
| B．judge the quality of fresh milk |
| C．improve the appetite of cows |
| D．keep fresh milk for two weeks |
Why is the robotic system not popular now?
| A．Because young people have no interest in it. |
| B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it. |
| C．Because people can't afford to buy it. |
| D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk. |
According to Doug，what is the wage of an employee per year?
| A．$150,000～$175,000. |
| B．over $75,000. |
| C．$150,000～$30,000. |
| D．$30,000～$35,000. |