This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers (young people aged from 13-19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U. S. schools, meet U. S. teen-agers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teen-agers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected --much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it."
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should criticize American schools", he says. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens(公民). There ought to be some middle ground between the two. " This year _____ teen-agers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.
A.twenty three hundred | B.thirteen hundred |
C.over three thousand | D.less than two thousand |
The whole exchange programme is mainly to _____ .
A.help teen-agers in other countries know the real America. |
B.send students in America to travel in Germany |
C.let students learn something about other countries |
D.have teen-agers learn new languages |
Fred and Mike agreed that _____ .
A.American food tasted better than German food |
B.German schools were harder than American schools |
C.Americans and Germans were both friendly |
D.There were more cars on the streets in America |
What is particular in American schools is that _____ .
A.there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
B.there are a lot of after-school activities |
C.students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
D.students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car |
After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought _____ .
A.a better education should include something good from both America and Germany |
B.German schools trained students to be better citizens |
C.American schools were not as good as German schools |
D.the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students |
The world’s population continues to grow. There are about five billion of us on earth now. It could reach six billion in 10 years’ time, and eleven billion in another 75 years. Experts have long been concerned about such growth. Where will we find the food, water, jobs, houses, schools and health care for all these people?
A major new study shows that situation may be changing. A large and rapid drop in the world’s birth rate has taken place during the past 10 years. Families generally are smaller now than they were a few years ago. This is happening in both developing and industrial nations. Scientists said they found a number of reasons for this. More men and women are waiting longer to get married. More women are going to school or working at jobs away from their home instead of having children. And more governments, especially in developing nations, now support family planning programs to reduce population growth.
China is one of the nations that have made great progress in reducing its population growth by about one half since 1970. China now urges each family to have no more than one child. And it hopes to reach zero population growth before long, that is, the number of birth equaling the number of death.
Several nations in Europe already have fewer births than deaths. Experts said that these nations could face a serious shortage of workers in the future.
1. In the sentence “Experts have long been concerned about such growth”, the phrase “concerned about” is similar in meaning to_____.
A. worried about B. related to C. busy working on D. made a study of
2. “Family planning programs” means______.
A. economic policy in a country B. economic policy in a family
C. TV programs for a family D. birth control in a country
3. The world’s birth rate has dropped because_____.
A. people marry at a much later time
B. women would rather go to study or work than have children
C. some countries are carrying out the family planning programs
D. all the above
4. We hope that soon the number of birth and the number of death in China will_____.
A. be greatly different B. be equal to each other
C. drop in great deal D. become much larger
We know that many animals do not stay in one place. Birds, fish and other animals move from one place to another at a certain time. They move for different reasons: most of them move to find food more easily, but others move to get away from places that are too crowded.
When cold weather comes, many birds move to warmer places to find food. Some fishes give birth in warm water and move to cold water to feed. The most famous migration(迁移) is probably the migration of the fish, which is called the “salmon”. This fish is born in fresh water but it travels many miles to salt water. There it spends most of its life. When it is old, it returns to its birthplace in fresh water. Then it gives birth and dies there. In northern Europe, there is a kind of mice that leave their mountain homes when they become too crowded. They move down to the low land. Sometimes they move all the way to the seaside, and many of them are killed by falling into the sea.
Recently, scientists have studied the migration of a kind of lobsters(龙虾). Every year, when the season of bad weather arrives, lobsters get into a long line and start to walk across the floor of the ocean. Nobody knows why they do this, and nobody knows where they go.
So, sometimes we know why humans and animals move from one place to another, but at other times we don’t. Maybe living things just like to travel.
1. Most animals move from one place to another at a certain time to ____.
A give birth B enjoy a warm climate
C find food more easily D find beautiful places
2. The fish called “salmon” spends most of its time in ____.
A salt water B rivers C fresh water D its birthplace
3. A kind of mice in northern Europe move when ____.
A they give birthB the weather becomes bad
C there are too many of them in one place D they haven’t enough food
4. What is the main idea of the passage?
A Animals move in order to find food more easily
B The migration of the fish called “salmon” is the most famous migration
C Living things move from one place to another because they like to travel
D Sometimes we know why and how living things move from one place to another, but sometimes we don’t.
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and they seldom give their children a free hand.
It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young.For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.
Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music.But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted.That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.
Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “ Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.
1.According to the passage, young people prefer to ___.
A.ask for advice before they really start to do anything.
B.do things without thinking carefully ahead.
C.think in the same way as their parents do.
D.be very strict with themselves
2.Young people like to have clothes, entertainment and music in their way, because ____.
A.they want to make their parents happy.
B.they try to get their parents to believe them.
C.they want to try on something new and look different from the older.
D.they want to test whether they are cleverer than old people.
3.According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own, because ___________.
A.they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people.
B.they do not want to get into trouble.
C.they feel they are as clever as old people.
D.they want to show they have grown up.
4.If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to ___.
A.do everything according to his own wish.
B.do everything the way his parents do.
C.do everything beyond his parents’ control.
D.hold himself responsible for everything he does.
Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.
Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health(亚健康).
Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline state between health and disease.
According to the investigation(调查) by the National Health Organization, over 45%of sub-healthy people are middle aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam week.
Symptoms(征兆) include a lack of energy, depression, slow reactions, insomnia(失眠), agitation, and poor memory. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health, according to some medical experts, is to form good living habits, alternate work and rest, exercise regularly, and take part in open air activities.
As for meals, people are advised to eat less salt and sugar. They should also eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish because they are rich in nutritional elements(营养元素)---vitamins and trace elements—that are important to the body.
Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract(消化道). They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health.
1.When you are in a stat of sub-health, you should _____________.
A.stay home and keep silent
B.go to a doctor and buy some medicine
C.not consider it very serious
D.find out the reasons and relax yourself
2. Middle-aged people may be easy to get sub-healthy because ____________.
A.they have used up their energy
B.they have lost their living hopes
C.they have more pressure in life and work
D.they have changed their way of life
3. The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub-health is to ____________.
A.keep on working regularly
B.go to sleep a bit earlier
C.form good living habits
D.take medicine if necessary
4. The underlined word “ alternate” in this passage means _____________.
A. arrange by turns B. cause to take place
C. make up forD. keep away from
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,共40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
We have two daughters: Kristen is seven years old and Kelly is four. Last Sunday evening, we invited some people home for dinner. I dressed them nicely for the party, and told them that their job was to join Mommy in answering the door when the bell rang. Mommy would introduce them to the guests, and then they would take the guests’ coats upstairs and put them on the bed in the second bedroom.
The guests arrived. I introduced my two daughters to each of them. The adults were nice and kind and said how lucky we were to have such good kids.
Each of the guests made a particular fuss over (对…关爱倍至)Kelly, the younger one, admiring her dress, her hair and her smiles. They said she was an unusual girl to be carrying coats upstairs at her age.
I thought to myself that we adults usually make a big “to do” over the younger one because she’s the one who seems more easily hurt. We do it with the best of intentions (意图).
But we seldom think of how it might affect (影响) the other child. I was a little worried that Kristen would feel she was ignored. I was about to serve dinner when I realized that she had been missing for twenty minutes. I ran upstairs and found her in the bedroom, crying.
I said, “What are you doing, my dear?”
She turned to me with a sad expression and said, “Mommy, why don’t people like me the way they like my sister? Is it because I’m not pretty? Is that why they don’t say nice things about me as much?”
I tried to explain to her, kissing her to make her feel better.
Now, whenever I visit a friend’s home, I make it a point to speak to the elder child first.
1.The underlined expression “make a big ‘to do’ over” (in paragraph 4) means _______.
A.show much concern about B.have a special effect on
C.list jobs to be done for D.do good things for
2.The guests praised Kelly for carrying coats upstairs for her _______.
A.pretty clothes B.lovely smile C.young age D.beautiful hair
3.Kristen felt sad and cried because ______.
A.the guests gave her more coats to carry
B.the guests praised her sister more than her
C.her mother didn’t introduce her to the guests
D.she didn’t look as pretty as Kelly
4.We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A.parents should pay more attention to the elder children
B.the younger children are usually more easily hurt
C.people usually like the younger children more
D.adults should treat children equally