A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWesl that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, are particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts than any before.
University tuition fees (学费)are currently capped at £3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.
In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average £ 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just £ 17,815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than £ 10.000. Average debts for graduates are £ 12，363.
Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they are to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively."
Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweather aged 15 from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money.
Which of the following can be found from the five-year research project?
| A．Students understand personal finances differently. |
| B．University tuition fees in England have been rising. |
| C．Teenagers tend to overestimate their future earnings. |
| D．The students' payback ability has become a major issue. |
The phrase "to raise the ceiling" in paragraph 2 probably means "______".
| A．to raise the student loans | B．to improve the school facilities |
| C．to increase the upper limit of the tuition | D．to lift the school building roofs |
According to Stephen Moir, students_______.
| A．are too young to be exposed to financial issues |
| B．should learn to manage their finances well |
| C．should maintain a positive attitude when facing loans |
| D．benefit a lot from lessons on personal finance |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Many British teenagers do not know money matters well |
| B．Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts. |
| C．Financial planning is a required course at college. |
| D．Young people should become responsible adults. |
The African elephant, which is the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and under-bushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．The effect of African elephants’ search for food. |
| C．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
| A．Fixing the time. |
| B．Deciding the conditions. |
| C．Improving the quality. |
| D．Worsening the state. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
| D．They are home to many endangered animals. |
The passage is developed mainly by ______.
| A．giving examples |
| B．pointing out similarities and differences |
| C．describing the changes in space order |
| D．showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage for five days where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating (纪念）the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that’s the traditional togetherness (友爱）that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It’s really easy to relax, and it’s great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue (举办地）for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to _______.
| A．gather people with different musical tastes |
| B．collect old stories of folk music |
| C．exhibitive good voices of great talents in folk music |
| D．remind people of the real sense of folk music |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations. |
| B．It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues. |
| C．Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years. |
| D．People have to pay $2 for a plate of food. |
We can learn from the passenger that .
| A．the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized |
| B．people can get tickets easily for the festival |
| C．driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended |
| D．bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday |
What would the best title for the passage?
| A．Folk Music of Blues |
| B．Edmonton’s Downtown Park |
| C．Festival for Family Gathering |
| D．One Festival for All |
It was a dark, wet November morning. It seemed like it would take a million years to get to summer again. I thought bears have got it right---- what a perfect idea to sleep through the worst part of the year and wake up when spring comes!
“Want some words of affirmation(肯定)?” a coworker, seeing my mood, kindly suggested. “You don’t think they would cheer you up?”
“Today? No.” I shook my head.
“I used to think so too,” he said, “until I realized the effect my words had on a certain person. Well, it was someone I knew pretty well. I have to say I treated him rather badly.”
“You? But you are always so positive! How did you treat him badly?”
“I told him I did not like anything about him, really. I told him I did not even like his name. In fact, it wasn’t only what I said. I also did pretty bad things to him. When he was hungry, I did not give him the chance to eat proper food. When he felt like doing something fun, I said to him that he was being childish and having fun was not productive (有成果的). And worst of all, when he was sick and needed care, I did not care. I told him to get up and get to work. And when he did, I never told him he did good work. You could say I was ashamed of him,” he said. “I wanted to get rid of him because he just wasn’t good enough for me---but couldn’t.”
“But that was heartless!”
He nodded. “Then one day it all changed. I stood there in front of the bathroom mirror one morning. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, I saw the excess (过量的) weight. I saw the hair that needed cutting. And I saw the eyes that once had looked at the world eagerly. Now they were so sad and tired. And there and then I realized he deserved better. So I told the man I had disliked for so many years that he was a good person after all.”
My jaw (下巴) dropped. I looked at him---full of positive energy, in good shape, always ready to encourage others.
“Wow…”
He winked (眨眼) at me. “So how about having a little positive conversation with the bathroom mirror? The person in there has the greatest effect on you!”The first paragraph implies that .
| A．the author felt frustrated that morning |
| B．the weather in November was the worst in a year |
| C．the author didn’t enjoy his work environment |
| D．the author always felt bad in winter |
The author’s coworker used to be a person who .
| A．was very proud of himself |
| B．treated people differently |
| C．worked hard to keep fit |
| D．criticized himself a lot |
Which paragraph gives a clue about who the person that a author’s coworker treated badly was?
| A．Paragraph 4. | B．Paragraph 8. |
| C．Paragraph 6. | D．The last paragraph. |
What does the author’s coworker suggest the author do?
| A．Be helpful to those in need. |
| B．Be confident in the face of difficulty. |
| C．Be positive about himself. |
| D．Be kind to those who make mistakes. |
Living and dealing with kids can be a tough job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even tougher.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate, you drift apart. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the concerns of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore everyone. Even if you just say “Hi”, and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing.
If you looked up the word “communication” in a dictionary, it would say “the exchange of ideas, the conveyance (表达) of information, means of communication such as a letter or a message”. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Yelling or walking away only makes the situation worse.
This is an example: one night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident go. Communication is the key factor here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, tell the other person how you feel—listening is the key factor to communication.In the writer’s view, dealing with parents is __________than with children.
| A．more difficult | B．easier |
| C．more uninteresting | D．more interesting |
The main idea of the second paragraph is __________.
| A．the importance of friendship |
| B．to make your feeling known to others |
| C．the importance of communication |
| D．the disagreement between generations |
The example in this passage proves that __________.
| A．Sophie is very polite to her parents |
| B．Sophie’s parents are willing to listen to her |
| C．explanation is the best way to solve a problem |
| D．communication is the solution (解决办法) to misunderstanding |
All the following statements are correct except __________.
| A．If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know |
| B．It is better to say “Hi”to others than say nothing |
| C．If you are not able to communicate, walk away |
| D．Communication is a two-way deal |
Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: “My own happiness in the past often got such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”
This Side of Paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Tales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was the novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quickly brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda had an effect on his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to (沉迷于) alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
| A．5 | B．6 | C．7 | D．8 |
Which of the following is the correct order according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
| A．f-c-e-a-b-d | B．b-e-a-f-c-d |
| C．f-d-e-c-b-a | D．b-f-c-d-e-a |
We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald __________.
| A．had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama |
| B．was well educated and well off before he served in the army |
| C．would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down |
| D．helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital |
The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about __________.
| A．Zelda’s personal life |
| B．Zelda’s illness and treatment |
| C．Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham |
| D．Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world |