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. Partly, 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. The 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. The third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is — politics, the taws 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 person is wrong for both wish to be considered an authority, and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to suppose 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 Para. Two 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. |
The story happened during the Second World War. An old man lived in a small town of Germany. He had three sons and they all worked in the same factory where he had worked. After the war had begun, his sons were all made to join the army one after another and they all died in the fights. The old man was very sad. He didn’t have enough food and was often hungry. And nobody helped him and he didn’t know how to go on living.
It was a very cold winter night. The old man couldn’t go to sleep. He had been hungry for two days and it was so cold in his room that ice could be seen. He had to get up and began to run in the room until he lay down on the floor. The next morning he had to beg from door to door. He had been to a lot of cities and knew a lot.
Once he came to a village, but the villagers were all poor and couldn’t give him anything. He was too hungry to go to another village. He thought hard and found a way. He came to a police station and called out, “Hitler is a foolish pig!”
Out came an old policeman at once. He took the old man into a room, gave him some bread and a cup of tea. Then he said, “Don’t say so in our village, sir!”
“I’m sorry, sir,” said the old man. “I don’t know it’s Hitler’s hometown.” “No, no, sir,” the policeman said in a hurry. “It’s pigs’ hometown!”The old man’s sons joined the army because_________.
| A．they were all strong | B．they loved their country |
| C．they wanted to be full | D．they had to do so |
The old man was sad because _________.
| A．his three sons had to join the army |
| B．his three sons lost their lives during the war |
| C．he lived in the small town alone |
| D．he had neither food nor clothes |
From the passage we can infer that _________.
| A．the old policeman would send the old man into prison |
| B．the old policeman hated Hitler, too |
| C．the old policeman thought Hitler was better than pigs |
| D．the old man found a friend at the police station |
In the old policeman’s opinion, _________.
| A．Hitler was more foolish than pigs |
| B．the old man insulted（侮辱）their hometown |
| C．the old man had to say sorry to him |
| D．the old man had to fight with Hitler |
What would probably be the best title for this passage?
| A．An Old Man and His Three Sons | B．Hitler is a Foolish Pig |
| C．It’s Hitler’s Hometown | D．It’s Pigs’ Hometown |
A farmer had some puppies to sell. He painted a sign advertising them on the edge of his yard.
One day, a little boy came to buy one of the puppies. With a whistle（口哨）, the farmer called, “Here, Dolly!” Out from the doghouse ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy stood against the fence（栅栏）. His eyes danced with happiness.
As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, something wrong with its legs, doing its best to catch up.
“I want that one,” the little boy said.
The farmer knelt（跪下）down at the boy's side and said, “Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would.”
With that, the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so, he showed a steel brace（固定器）running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see, sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”How did the farmer advertise his puppies?
| A．Advertise them in the newspaper. | B．Put up a sign in his yard. |
| C．Show them to his neighbors. | D．Send pictures to a magazine. |
The underlined words “four little balls of fur” refer to “_________”.
| A．four toy balls | B．four balls made of fur |
| C．four lovely dogs | D．four puppies with no fur |
Why did the boy choose the last dog?
| A．Because they have something in common. |
| B．Because he didn't have enough money. |
| C．Because it was the most lovely one. |
| D．Because the farmer wouldn't sell other dogs. |
According to the story, we know that the boy _________.
| A．didn't like dogs at all | B．needed a dog to help him |
| C．could run as fast as others | D．had an artificial leg |
Which of the following words best describes the boy?
| A．clever | B．lovely | C．warm–hearted | D．strange |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
It is your skin that keeps your insides from falling out. It helps you warm up when you are cold,and it can cool you off when you are hot. It lets you feel things by touch.
Like the heart, stomachand brain, your skin is an organ.In fact, it is the largest organ in your body. But it is still easy to take skin for granted. 1But skin has an important job to do.
Your skin is constantly protecting you. 2When you take care of your skin, you are helping your skin do its job. And taking care of your skin today will help prevent future problems, like wrinkles(皱纹) and even skin cancer.
3Keeping your hands clean all the time is especially important because they can spread germs(细菌) to the skin on other parts of your body.
4Cold or hot water may hurt your skin. Wet your hands, then lather up with a mild soap (香皂). You should rub everywhere, including the palms, the wrists and the nails. Wash them well, dry thoroughly with a clean towel and you’re done.
You'll also want to use warm water when you take a bath. Use soap to clean your body. Don't forget under your arms and behind your ears! Your face needs attention, especially as you enter puberty(青春期) and the skin on your face gets more oily. 5
| A．One simple way to take care of your skin is to keep it clean. |
| B．It is a good habit to wash your hands before and after meals. |
| C．When washing your hands, use water that’s comfortably warm. |
| D．It keeps infections out of your body and keeps you from getting sick. |
E.Unless there’s a problem, your may not think about your skin very much.
F.Your skin plays a more important role in keeping you healthy during your puberty.
G.It’s a good idea to wash your face once or twice daily with warm water and a mild soap.
February 4, 2012 saw the take-off of a new rising NBA star-Jeremy Lin.
Among professional basketball players, Jeremy Lin's background is not typical. He graduated from Harvard University, which sends few players to the NBA, and he is the only Chinese-American NBA player.
Lin's enjoyment of basketball actually began in Taiwan. When Lin's father moved to U.S., his interest in the sport only grew and he passed on this love of basketball to his son, introducing him to the game at the age of five. The young Lin spent much of his youth playing basketball for fun.
In high school, Lin dreamed of playing in the NBA. When he applied for college, he was not offered a single sports scholarship. However, after his admission to Harvard, he was offered a place on its college basketball team.
During Lin's time at Harvard, his basketball career began to speed up. He scored 1,482 points, making him one of the highest scorers in Ivy League history.
When he graduated, no professional teams offered Lin a contract, but he was invited to play in the NBA Summer League. He played well and ended up eagerly signing a contract with the Golden State Warriors.
At first，playing in professional games filled Lin with excitement. He treasured opportunities to meet players he had been watching on TV for years. But slowly, the excitement wore off and was replaced by anxiety. In a few very difficult months, he was cut by two teams before the New York Knicks picked him up.
But he had the courage and determination to stick to his dream, so he put himself into hard training to get ready for his opportunity to come. Then his moment arrived on February 4, 2012，on which his excellent performance made him famous overnight. After that, he led the Knicks to their fifth straight victory. Knicks fans developed the nickname for him "Linsanity" (林发疯）. Time magazine released its 2012 list of the 100 "Most Influential People in the World", Jeremy Lin included.WhichofthefollowingisoflittlehelpinLin’ssuccess?
| A．hisfather’sinfluence | B．hisdevotiontobasketball |
| C．hisyearsofhardwork | D．hisgraduationfromHarvardUniversity |
Whatdoesthephrases"woreoff"inseventhparagraphprobablymean?
| A．arose | B．disappeared | C．grew | D．remained |
WhichofthefollowingstatementsisTRUEaccordingtothepassage?
A.Linlearnedtoplaybasketballwhenhewaseight.
B.Linwasexcitedforprofessionalgamesanddidagoodjobatthebeginning.
C.BeforeLintherewasnoChinese-AmericanNBAplayers.
D.LinisthemostoutstandingplayerinNBA. Itcanbeinferredfromthepassagethat______.
A.Lindidn’thaveasmoothroadinNBA.
B.LingotaneasyentryintoNBA.
C.Lindidn’tshowhisbasketballtalentsinHarvardUniversity.
D.NBAprefersgraduatesfromHarvardUniversity.
Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.
The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.
“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”
The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic (混乱的) way but we didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.
Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.
“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.
| A． notice | B．medicine | C． comfort | D．action |
When making decisions, _____.
| A． teens’ brains continue to do much needless work |
| B． the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active |
| C． people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s |
| D． adults are more independent than teens |
What is the effect of having too much grey matter?
| A． It makes us always feel disappointed. |
| B． It makes us more intelligent. |
| C． It had a bad effect on the growth of teens. |
| D． It had a bad effect on decision-making. |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A． Teens have different brains from those of children. |
| B． Adults work more effectively than teens. |
| C． Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention. |
| D． Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity. |