For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner．Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict．In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it．From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness．And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely．Both feel trapped．
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap．The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things．Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends．Second, blaming．The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong．Third, needing to be right．It doesn’t matter what the topic is — politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg — the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other pers
on is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority — someone who actually knows something — and therefore to command respect．Unfortunately, as long as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress．Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?
| A．both can continue for generations． | B．Both are about where to draw the line． |
| C．Neither has any clear winner． | D．Neither can be put to an end． |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict． |
| B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict． |
| C．The teens accuse their parents of misleading them． |
| D．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents． |
Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________．
| A．give orders to the other | B．know more than the other |
| C．gain respect from the other | D．get the other to behave properly |
What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．causes for the parent–teen conflicts |
| B．Examples of the parent–teen war． |
| C．Solutions for the parent–teen problems |
| D．Future of the parent–teen relationship |
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C,和D）中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln spent twenty years as an unsuccessful Illinois lawyer —at least, in financial fields. Legends (传奇) are often untrue, but Lincoln was the real thing. During his years as a lawyer, there were hundreds of examples of his kindness and honesty.
For example, Lincoln didn’t like to charge the poor who were as poor as he was. Once an old man gave him twenty-five dollars, but Lincoln sent him back ten, saying he was being too generous. He often persuaded the people who came to his office to settle their issues (问题) out of court, thereby saving them a lot of money and earning nothing himself.
He and his partner once prevented a mentally ill girl from being cheated off her land. The case took fifteen minutes, and the girl’s brother was completely satisfied. When his partner came to divide up their fee, Lincoln criticized him and said, "The money comes out of the pocket of a poor, mentally ill girl. I would rather starve than cheat her in this manner. You return half the money at least, or I won’t take a cent of it as my share."
Kindness and honesty make you feel good about yourself and create trust in others. It’s not very fashionable these days to talk about the benefits of kindness and honesty, but the benefits are there and are valuable. He often said, "When I do good, I feel good, and when I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my belief."
36. From the passage, we can know that Lincoln ____.
A. charged poor people nothing
B. was very rich when he was a lawyer
C. did not like money
D. helped the poor as much as possible
37. What do we learn from the third paragraph?
A. The girl’s problem was very difficult to settle.
B. He criticized his partner for accepting too much money.
C. The girl’s brother was very generous.
D. Lincoln’s partner got at least half the money from the girl’s case.
38. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Lincoln got a lot of money from those who came to him.
B. The legends of famous people are always untrue.
C. Lincoln believed that kindness and honesty were valuable.
D. It is popular to talk about the benefits of honesty.
39. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Don’t Believe Legends
B. Abraham Lincoln’s Belief
C. The Value of Kindness
D. The Legend of Lincoln Is True
The purpose of communication is to get your message across to others. This is a process that involves both the sender of the message and the receiver. This process leaves room for error, with messages often being misunderstood by one or more of the parties involved. This causes unnecessary confusion.
In fact, a message is successful only when both the sender and the receiver perceive (感知) it in the same way. By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communication breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals — both personally and professionally.
In a recent survey of recruiters (招募者) in companies with more than 50,000 employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factors leading to job success.
In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many individuals continue to struggle with this, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively — whether in oral or written form. This inability（无能） makes it nearly impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of career progression. Getting your message across is essential to progressing. To do this, you must understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circumstances surrounding your communication, such as situational and cultural context.
47. The underlined word “This” in the first paragraph refers to ______.
A. the purpose of communication
B. the process of getting your message across to others
C. the process of letting others know your purpose
D. the cause of unnecessary confusion
48. A communication failure occurs when ______.
A. the sender and the receiver understand the message in the same way
B. the receiver purposely understands the message wrong
C. the way you send the message creates problems with the receiver
D. the sender creates problems in a professional way
49. _______ make for job success.
A. Communication skills and ability to cooperate
B. Communication skills along with written presentations
C. Written presentations together with ability to work with others
D. The abilities to cooperate with others
50. What is the attitude of the writer towards the communication skills?
A. Neutral. B. Opponent. C. Supportive. D. Indifferent.
Jazz was originally sung or played by the African slaves in America. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Africans were sold in America as slaves to work in large plantations（种植园）. After a hard day’s work, these people would gather together and sing, both to forget their worries and also to teach their children about the land and culture they came from. Early jazz music was basically the soulful and sad composition performed by black musicians who had little or no training in western music.
Many different kinds of music helped to create jazz. Jazz probably had its roots in the 19th century. African Americans created blues music from church music and sad songs from the times of slavery. In large cities, African Americans mixed these songs with music from other immigrants and then formed jazz. Sounds from West African, Spanish, French and even Arabic cultures can be heard in jazz music. In this way, jazz is like American culture. Jazz brings many ideas together from around the world to make something new.
There are many different ideas about where the word “jazz” came from.Some experts think that the word just borrows ideas from many different languages. They think that people may have made up their own word to describe the excitement of hearing and playing a new kind of music. Others think that the word comes from the Arabic word jazb. Middle Eastern jazb music and jazz have similar sounds. Several musicians from the Middle East have come to America to study jazz. They mix traditional jazz sounds with music from their own countries. This kind of jazz is called “fusion” and it is one of the most popular forms of jazz in America today.
43. African slaves in the plantations played early “jazz” to _____.
A. earn some money
B. entertain their slave owners
C. develop a kind of soulful and sad music
D. forget worries and keep their land in mind
44. Some experts think that the word “jazz” is a word for people to ______.
A. pronounce the Arabic word “jazb”
B. form a new kind of culture
C. express their inner feeling
D. create a way to explain themselves
45.What can we infer from the passage?
A. By comparison, African Americans have the greatest talent in the world.
B. American culture is a mixture of different cultural and social patterns.
C. The native Americans started jazz music in the time of slavery.
D. The music was created by some professional musicians from Africa.
46. The title of the passage could be ____.
A. Basic Information of Jazz
B. The Features of Jazz Music
C. Different Forms of Jazz Music
D. The Prospect of Jazz Music
Show Your Bones is the newest album from a musical group with an unusual name, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The energetic music made by these rock musicians is becoming very popular in America.
A singer, a guitar player and a drummer make up the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Their rock sound is creative, unusual, and full of personality. Their music is considered an example of “indie”(short for independent) rock. Indie musicians like to protect their independence and artistic freedom. One way to do this is to avoid using major record companies. The lead singer Karen O is known for wearing wild clothing and having wild hairstyles while performing. Sometimes she even pours beer over herself and the audience. Imagine Karen O dancing around on stage as you listen to her sing the song, Phenomena.
The words in the songs on Show Your Bones are poetic and also a little strange. It is not always clear what the songs mean. In the song called The Sweets, Karen O describes colors and the motion of water. Also, she wonders about meeting someone again.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs started playing music together in New York City.
Now Karen O has moved to Los Angeles, California. She says that she likes flying between the two cities and the band is now “bi-coastal”. Karen O also said that this album was the most difficult to make. The band was trying to find a different sound from their earlier albums. Their work seems to have been worth the effort. Critics say Show Your Bones might be one of the best albums of the year.
39. How many people are there in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?
A. Two. B.One. C. Four. D. Three.
40. According to the passage, we know that_______.
A. Karen O usually drinks beer on stage while singing
B. The Sweets is an album made by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
C. Karen O doesn’t sing in New York any longer
D. the group had made more than one album before Show Your Bones
41. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Most major record companies follow certain The words on
B. Show Your Bones are all difficult to understand.traditions.
C. Show Your Bones has got a lot of criticism.
D. Show Your Bones is the best-seller of the year.
42. The writer’s attitude towards the Yeah Yeah Yeahs can be best described as _______.
A. indifferent B. curious C. positive D. negative
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson. I prefer students to begin at an earlier age. Robby insisted that it had always been his mother’s dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him on as a student.
Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions. But he just did not have any inborn ability.
I only saw his mother from a distance. She always waved and smiled but never came in. Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else.
I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career. However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came，telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part in. I agreed, but I made him perform last in the program, so I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”.
I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart’s. Never had I heard a piece of Mozart’s played so well by someone at his age. When he finished, everyone was cheering.
I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy. “I’ve never heard you play like that, Robby! How could you do it?”
“Well, Miss Hondorf. Do you remember I told you my mom was sick? Actually she died this morning. She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she could hear me play in heaven. I wanted to make it special. I knew I could.”
That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student. He taught me so many important things about life.
36. Why did Robby stop coming to piano lessons suddenly?
A. He lost heart and believed that he would never make it.
B. His mother might had been seriously ill.
C. He thought that his teacher disliked him.
D. His mother died and he didn’t need to play any longer.
37. We can know from the passage that ________.
A. the writer thought that students shouldn’t begin playing the piano too early
B. the writer thought that Robby had given up his piano lessons
C. only by practicing at home did Robby learn to play well
D. no one else could play the piece of Mozart’s as well as Robby
38. The writer made Robby perform last because ______.
A. the one who performs last always performs very well
B. Robby asked the writer to do so
C. she wanted to do something to save a poor performance
D. Robby thought his mother would come at last