Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom,’ Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf(分歧). From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friends.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents.
“There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving(演化的) roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds,were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
Through watching the National Day parade roll down Tian’anmen Square last Thursday, foreign observers were impressed by China’s fast development and growing strength
China’s military parade, the birthday celebration was a showcase of fighter jets, tanks and ballistic missiles（弹道导弹）．The display included 100,000 marchers, 80,000 children, 8,000 soldiers and 151 planes．President Hu Jintao, whose Mao suit（中山装）interested foreign media, told the watching nation that the Chinese people were “full of confidence,” USA Today reported．“Today, a socialist China, facing modernization, the world and the future, has stood rock-firm in the east of the world,” he said.
The celebration marked the day in 1949 when Chairman Mao Zedong announced the founding of the People’s Republic of China．In the years since, the nation has grown into the world’s third largest economy．
The Associated Press（美联社）quoted Geremie Barme, a China expert at Australian National University as saying that the displays “meant” to educate, excite, unite and entertain”．The New York Times said that while China’s military is still behind those of many developed nations, its progress since the last parade in 1999 was clear．
The rapidly improving ability of China’s army has worried some overseas analysts．Reuters said that Dongfeng 21C, the anti-ship missile, could force US aircraft carriers（航空母舰）to stay farther away from China’s waters, if models were developed into more powerful ballistic missiles．
Russell Moses, a political analyst, said China’s leaders are “right to congratulate themselves, but real test is not how they deal with success but how they deal with present challenges．” Among these are the imbalance in development between the town and the country, unemployment and the environment.
53．In total, ____people took part in the National Day military parade last Thursday．
A．100,000 B．88,000 C．188,000 D．188,151
54．_______reported the overseas analysts worry about the rapidly improving ability of China’s army．
A．Reuters B．The Associated Press C．USA Today .D．The New York Times
55 Which of the following is TRUE?
A．Foreign media paid little attention to President Hu’s Mao suit
B．Foreign media were only impressed by China’s rapid development
C．Dongfeng 21C has driven US aircraft carriers away from China’s waters
D Ten years ago, another National Day military parade was held in Beijing
56 What can be inferred from the passage?
A．China has successfully completed the processed of modernization
B．The US aircraft carriers are now staying not far from China’s waters
C．China’s military has caught up with most of the developed countries
D．There is a gap in development between China’s urban and rural areas
Kai-Fu Lee is one of the most successful of Chinese professional managers．He worked for big companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google．Now he works for himself and he also writes some books．Behind each of his choices is his belief that you should “lead your life” rather than “live your life”．
He made his first big life decision in 1990．He was then the youngest associate（副的）professor of Carnegie Mellon University．If he had stayed a little longer, he would have become a tenured（终身职位的）professor．But he decided to join Apple．There, he led his team to many hi-tech miracles（奇迹的）, such as the iPod and the iPhone which changed the world using hi-tech．In 1998, he left Apple for Microsoft and started up Microsoft Research China which is now called Microsoft Research Asia．Because of his effort, it becomes one of the best labs in the world．In 2005, he moved on again, to Google．In his four years there, Google’s market share in China jumped from 16% to 30%．
Now, he has started his own company “Innovation Works”．He aims to help new Chinese companies in mobile computing and e-commerce（电子商务）and also help China’s young people start up their own business．Young people can send their business ideas to the company．If Lee likes an idea he receives, his company will help to turn the idea into a business．
Lee has written several books．His “Be Your Personal Best” is a bestseller．His autobiography “Making a World of Difference; the Kai-Fu Lee Story” tells the story of Lee’s many successes but also setbacks on the way to becoming a technology and business giant．
49．The article is mainly about_______．
A．how the belief “lead your life” made Lee’s life different.
B．how Lee kept changing his jobs to become successful.
C．how talented Lee is in hi-tech and business.
D．how Lee started up his own company.
50．How many times has Lee changed his jobs?
A．Four B．Five C．Six D．Seven
51．Which of the following statements about Lee is TRUE?
A．He left the University because he had to wait long to be a tenured professor
B．He hopes his company can help young Chinese people build their own business
C．He left Microsoft for Google because he wanted more market share
D．He wants to get more money and fame from his books
52．The writer’s purpose of writing thelast paragraph is________.
A．to introduce Lee’s books to us
B．to tell us more about Lee’s talent
C．to raise our interest to buy Lee’s books
D．to show another example of Lee’s “leading your life”
O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise.
57. In which order did O. Henry do the following things?
a. Lived in New York. b. Worked in a bank. c. Traveled to Texas.
d. Was put in prison. e. Had a newspaper Job. f. Learned to write stories.
A. e. c. f. b. d. a B. c. e. b. d. f. a C. e. b. d. c. a. f. D. c. b. e. d. a f.
58. People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because -
A. they had surprise endings B. they were easy to understand
C. they showed his love for the poor D. they were about New York City
59 O. Henry went to prison because .
A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper
B. he broke the law by not using his own name
C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners
D. people thought he had taken money that was not his
60. What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing?
A. He was well-educated. B. He was not serious about his work.
C. He was devoted to the poor. D. He was very good at learning.
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn't easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn't exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin's work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's grand entrance for a long time!
45 The text is mainly about_________.
A. a strange man B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
46. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
A. often gave others surprises B. was a gifted musician
C. invented the roller skates D. was full of imagination
47 Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to_______.
A. impress the party guests B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention D. show his skill in walking on wheels
48. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. The roller skates needed further improvement.
B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C. Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
D. Merlin got himself into trouble
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）：
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree.
41. It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are _______________
A. grown in France. B. sold everywhere. C. very big. D. quite sweet.
42. Cold winter weather is good for _______________
A.the growth of apple trees. B. producing large apples.
C. improving the taste of apples. D. the increase of water in apples.
43. China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
A. be large producers of apples.
B. be large producers of applesauce.
C. have the longest history in apple production.
D. have the coldest winter among apple producing countries.
44. The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________
A. improved. B. increased. C. produced. D. sold.