Kids will often ignore your requests for them to shut off the TV, start their chores (杂事), or do their homework as a way to avoid following your directions. Before you know it, you’ve started to sound like a broken record as you repeatedly ask them to do their assignments, clean their room, or take out the trash. Rather than saying “Do your chores now.” you’ll be more effective if you set a target time for when the chores have to be completed. So instead of arguing about starting chores, just say, “If chores aren’t done by 4 pm, here are the consequences.” Then it’s up to your child to complete the chores. Put the ball back in their court. Don’t argue or fight with them, just say, “That’s the way it’s going to be.” It shouldn’t be punitive(惩罚性的) as much as it should be persuasive. “If your chores aren’t done by 4 pm, then no video game time until chores are done. And if finishing those chores runs into homework time, that’s going to be your loss.” On the other hand, when dealing with homework, keep it very simple. Have a time when homework starts, and at that time, all electronics go off and do not go back on until you see that their homework is done. If your kids say they have no homework, then they should use that time to study or read. Either way, there should be a time set aside when the electronics are off.
When a kid wears his iPod or headphones when you’re trying to talk to him, make no bones about it;he is not ignoring you, he is disrespecting you. At that point, everything else should stop until he takes the earplugs out of his ears. Don’t try to communicate with him when he’s wearing headphones — even if he tells you he can hear you. Wearing them while you’re talking to him is a sign of disrespect. Parents should be very tough about this kind of thing. Remember, mutual respect becomes more important as children mature.According to the passage, it seldom happens that ________.
| A.kids turn a deaf ear to their parents’ requests |
| B.parents’ directions sound like a broken record |
| C.children are ready to follow their parents’ directions |
| D.parents are unaware of what they are repeating to their kids |
Parents will be able to deal with their children more effectively if they ________.
| A.avoid direct ways of punishment | B.make them do things at their request |
| C.argue and fight with their children | D.allow their children to behave in their own way |
When the kid is doing his homework, parents ________.
| A.should provide him with a good learning environment |
| B.can do whatever they like |
| C.can stay aside watching TV |
| D.must switch off the power |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A.parents should take off his headphones when trying to have a talk with their child |
| B.it will make no difference that a kid is wearing his earplugs while talking to his parents |
| C.parents shouldn’t give in to their kid when he shows no sign of respect |
| D.kids’ purposely talking to their parents with iPod gives them a sense of power and control |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A.that respecting each other is more important than anything else |
| B.how kids behave to ignore and disrespect their parents |
| C.that children should make choices and decisions on their own |
| D.how parents can deal with their kids’ behavior effectively |
A year ago, at the annual pre-Grammy party, Whitney Houston, the great star, walked on stage and closed the evening with a brilliant performance.
Last Saturday, Houston was once again the focus before the Grammy, but her presence was a regrettable one.Earlier that day, the pop music's former queen was found dead in her hotel room.She was 48.This, no doubt, is sad news to the whole music industry and her fans all over the world.
At her peak(巅峰), Houston was the golden girl of the music world.From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists.She impressed audiences with her effortless, powerful and peerless performance.
Besides multi-million record sales, Houston made countless hits such as The Greatest Love of All, I Have Nothing, and the mostly famous I Will Always Love You.She also influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey.
But by the end of her career, there was a shocking fall for this superstar.Houston had been addicted to(上瘾) drugs.Her album sales declined (下降) and the hits stopped coming and her once beautiful voice became hoarse (嘶哑的), unable to hit the high notes as she used to.
In 2009, Houston staged a successful comeback with the album I Look To You, which fell on top of the charts.But hoarse voice, canceled concerts, and continuous illness-Houston's comeback trail wasn't smooth at all.In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, Houston admitted: "It (show business) is too much for me and I wanted out."
Now that Houston has finally taken a break from all the chaos(混乱), may she rest in peace.Whitney Houston died ______.
| A.shortly before the Grammy this year | B.earlier last Sunday |
| C.a year ago | D.at the annual pre-Grammy party |
The underlined word "peerless" in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______.
| A.having no power | B.having no equal |
| C.requiring no effort | D.leaving no impression |
The cause of the fall of Whitney Houston was that _____.
| A.her album sales declined |
| B.show business was too much for her |
| C.her fans no longer love her |
| D.she had been addicted to drugs |
According to the passage, which is not Houston’s achievement?
| A.She made countless hits such as I Have Nothing. |
| B.She influenced a generation of younger singers. |
| C.She became the focus before the Grammy this year. |
| D.She staged a successful comeback in 2009. |
Here is the Eight O’clock News.
…
Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan.
The children of Beijing No.2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate(庆祝)the 20th anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park.
Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by a Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006.
About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors (剪刀)” World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said that playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people.
…
And now it’s time for Morning Music.The students from Canada and Beijing No. 2 Middle School didn’t _________.
| A.take photos | B.visit places of interest |
| C.sing songs | D.have a football match |
Which of the following is NOT talked about in the news?
| A.The robot can help with shopping bags. |
| B.A Japanese company invented the robot. |
| C.The robot was tested at a shopping centre. |
| D.There are such robots in people’s homes now. |
The underlined word “anniversary” means_________.
| A.No.2 Middle School |
| B.yearly return of the date of an event |
| C.university |
| D.the new beginning of something important |
Which of the following is a game?
| A.Shopping assistant robot. | B.May Golden Week. |
| C.Rock Paper Scissors. | D.A visit to the school. |
Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure?Riding the train can be a real adventure. That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak. I often take a four-hour trip to visit my children. Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.
Last week when I was on the train, there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation—in another language. It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train. I think it was annoying.
Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two-day trip by train. She said her two daughters were worried at the thought of driving for three days to reach her home, although she had no trouble driving. The train ride was the only choice for her. She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.
She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents. That is a very good question. Both of us are old and have children. She asked that same question from time to time.
There are always many people on the train from all walks of life, different countries, and many languages. Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and learn all kinds of cultures. If you get hungry, you can buy food in the food car at any time. If you need to use the restroom, there is always one for you.
It surely beats driving the car, which has to stop for food and restrooms. And it is better than taking the bus.According to the passage, the purpose of the author’s train ride was ______.
| A.to do business | B.to see her children |
| C.to visit places of interest | D.to see her old friends |
In the author’s opinion, on the train Amtrak ______.
| A.the services are quite good | B.the food is terribly expensive |
| C.all the passengers are polite | D.all the passengers are American |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A.A painful experience on the train | B.A wonderful lady |
| C.Train ride—a cultural experience | D.The history of Amtrak |
Because of the change in the American public school system over the last several years, now many parents choose to home-school their children. There are many reasons behind this. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
For some parents, they have religious (宗教的) reasons for home-schooling. The public school system does not have religious teachings, so these parents want to put religion into the children’s daily school activities. This might include teaching religion-based courses rather than coursework that is taught in public schools.
For some parents, they do not feel that their local school system offers their children the best learning opportunities. So they want to take matters into their own hands. This may be because the local school has low educational standards (标准) or for some other reason the parents think it necessary to take their children out of the system. Sometimes the parents just feel the children will get a better education at home.
Some parents may not be rich enough to send their children to a private school, so the next best thing in their eyes is home-schooling. Thus they can teach their children what they like.
One should remember that the laws about home-schooling vary from state to state. In some states, the parents are required to hand in monthly attendance records (出席记录) to their local school system. What’s more, most states require state testing at certain periods such as the CRCT.The writer wrote this passage mainly to _______.
| A.advise parents to home-school their children |
| B.explain why some parents choose to home-school their children |
| C.tell us the advantages and disadvantages of home-schooling |
| D.praise home-schooling and private schools |
Paragraph 3 tells us that some parents choose home-schooling because ______.
| A.school teachers are not strict with their children |
| B.their children don’t do well in their studies at school |
| C.their children don’t like going to school |
| D.they are not satisfied with the school education |
What does the underlined word “vary” in the last paragraph mean?
| A.Increase | B.Change | C.Spread | D.Keep |
How many reasons for home-schooling are mentioned in the passage?
| A.2 | B.4 | C.3 | D.5 |
Monday: Here I am, in the middle of nowhere. This camping trip idea is not getting off to a very good start. It’s raining and the tent leaks. The hiking seemed to take forever, and I still can’t understand how it could all have been up hill! How did I ever let my brother talk me into this? When we get home—if we ever get home—he’s going to have to do something great to get back on my good side. Maybe he should sponsor a shopping spree(狂购)at the mall!
Tuesday: Things are looking up. The sun came out today, so we were able to leave the tents and dry out. We’re camped at the edge of a small lake that I couldn’t see before because of the rain and fog. The mountains are all around us, and the forest is absolutely beautiful. We spent most of the day dragging out everything out of our backpacks or tents and putting it where the sun could dry it out. Later in the afternoon we tried to catch the fish for dinner, but the fish were smarter than we were. At night we built a fire and sang songs happily.
Wednesday: We hiked to the far side of the lake and climbed to the top of a small peak. From there we could see how high the other mountains were and how far the forest spread around us. On the way up we passed through a snowfield!
Thursday: I caught my first fish! We followed the stream that fed the lake. After about two miles, we came to a section that Carol said looked “fishy”. She had a pack rod(竿), which can be carried in a backpack. I asked to cast it, and I caught a fish on my first try. Carol caught a few more. But they were just too pretty to eat for lunch so we put them back in the stream.
Friday: I can’t believe we are going home already. It will be nice to get a hot shower, sleep in a real bed, and eat junk food, but the trip has been wonderful. We’re already talking about another camping adventure next year where we canoe down a river. It’s hard to believe, but I think this city girl has a little country blood in her veins.The writer went on this camping trip because________.
| A.she enjoyed camping |
| B.she wanted to go fishing |
| C.she was influenced by her brother |
| D.she was tired of staying at home |
The whole morning of Tuesday, the writer ________.
| A.hiked along the lake | B.dried out her belongings |
| C.climbed the mountain | D.caught the fish for dinner |
It can be inferred that Carol had a pack rod with her because ________.
| A.she could not afford to buy a regular fishing pole |
| B.she needed it to get their main source of food |
| C.she thought the writer of the journal might need it |
| D.she expected to go fishing while they were hiking |
It is likely that the writer will ________.
| A.go on another camping trip |
| B.invite Carol to go fishing together |
| C.make her brother buy her something |
| D.convince her brother to go camping |