The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The color of your bedroom walls. Where you go and how you get there. The people you hang around with. What time you go to bed. What do these things have in common, you’re asking? They’re just a few examples of the many hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child.
As a kid, you didn’t have a say in everything; your parents made decisions about everything from the cereal you ate in the morning to the pajamas you wore at night. And it’s a good thing, too—kids need this kind of protection on their own.
But finally, kids grow up and become teens. And part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separate from your parents’. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his own decisions, your parents have a difficult time adjusting(调整).
In many families, it is this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. And issues like the type of friends you have or your attitudes to partying can cause bigger arguments, because your parents still always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.
The good news about fighting with your parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teen has a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, focus on communicating with your parents.
Sometimes this can feel impossible—like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents.
Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.In the first two paragraphs, the writer________.
| A．complains that parents control kids too much. |
| B．proves that kids have no right to give their opinions. |
| C．describes how carefully parents look after kids |
| D．explains that it is necessary for parents to control kids |
A lot of fighting breaks out between teens and parents because________.
| A．parents aren’t used to losing control of kids |
| B．teens like to have everything decided |
| C．parents blame teens for not respecting them |
| D．teens are eager to develop their own identity |
In the opinions of the writer, parents control teens in order to ________.
| A．prevent them from having their own ideas |
| B．protect them from being hurt |
| C．make them respect parents in family |
| D．make sure that children have a good future. |
The underlined word “this” in paragraph 6 may refer to “________”.
| A．arguing with friends |
| B．fighting with your parents |
| C．communicating with parents |
| D．adjusting to new roles |
What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．What do parents control their children for? |
| B．How parents take are of children? |
| C．How to get rid of your parents’ control? |
| D．Why do I fight with parents so much? |
As computers become more and more popular in China, Chinese are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes(笔画) of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more widespread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer. All the students interviewed say they usually use computers.
It's faster and easier to correct the mistakes if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being used more and more often in modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I'm familiar with it.”
“I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to type on a computer, why bother to write by hand?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said, “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic (审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. Besides, handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can learn one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression.”
To encourage students to write more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Importance of Typing |
| B．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters |
| C．Writing by Computer Will Replace Writing by Hand |
| D．To Type or to Write by Hand |
The students interviewed prefer to type on a computer mainly because_______.
| A．they can correct the mistakes quickly and conveniently |
| B．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays |
| C．they find it hard to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about advantages of handwriting?
| A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion. |
| B．Handwriting can impress people well and build their self-confidence. |
| C．The writer's thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting. |
| D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 probably means________.
| A．getting bored with | B．becoming crazy about |
| C．becoming dependent on | D．getting curious about |
根据短文内容，从下框的A—F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项为多余项．
A．Join learning communities and help each other.
B．Expect problems, never be disappointed, and gradually you’ll make it.
C．Anytime is learning time.
D．Get interested and arouse（唤起） your desire for knowledge.
E．Cover the same ground from different angles(角度).
F．Try to be a good and effective learner.
As a student, how we can learn our lessons effectively is a common problem which is always puzzling us．If you follow suggestions below, I'm sure you'll find the solution easily.Your interest in the subject is the essential driver of success. You can' t learn what you do not want to learn. Emotion is an important part of the learning process. If you are even moderately interested in a subject, give yourself a chance. The key is to get started. If you can create some pleasurable routines, you may find that the subject grows on you. You must always remember learning is just like eating. You don' t expect to enjoy your food without appetite（食欲）.Therefore, you should always try to arouse your interest and desire for knowledge if you want to learn well.
Don't expect to understand things, or remember too much, the first time you study them．Think about what problem you will meet with in your study, so that you are well-prepared for it. Never be disappointed no matter what happens. Trust that things will get clearer as your brain comes to get new information. It is like a jig-saw puzzle or a cross-word puzzle（纵横填字游戏）. As you start to put the pieces together, or string the words together, the full picture becomes clearer. The brain learns all the time, but on its own schedule．Learning does not take place according to a schedule laid down by a curriculum or teacher. Keep at it, and you will gradually find that things that seem difficult at first, will become second nature with time.
Your brain is struggling to form patterns to cope with new input from your learning activities．Sometimes, no matter how long you focus on one subject, your brain is not going to pick it up．If you are stuck, move on．Then cover the same general information from a different source, a different book, or a blog, or an online lecture or a video．Try to become a grazing learner, wandering about the countryside, rather than a feed-lot learner, just standing there in one spot, chewing the same bale of hay．The broader your base, the easier it is to learn．Just as the "rich get richer" , the more you know, the more you can learn．
Take full advantage of the Internet, blogs, and various mobile devices, not to mention good old-fashioned books and magazines．Learn during "dead time". Listen in your car, on the train, or while jogging. Have your learning with you while waiting in the doctor's office, or listen while checking out at the supermarket. Anytime is learning time．Remember, you are learning through exposure, not by nailing things down. It is more like moisture accumulation in a cloud, rather than building a brick wall．
The "loneliness of the distance learner" is a thing of the past．Join a learning community on the web, where members share their knowledge and experience. Search for the communities that suit your interests and learning styles. You will find encouragement, advice and stimulus from fellow learners, as well as from tutors, teachers and coaches．In these communities, you can measure your progress against your own goals, or compare your experience with that of other learners．You can even teach and help others, which is a great way to learn.
If there is one thing I’m quite sure about, it is that in a hundred years from now we still be reading newspapers. Not those newspapers are a necessity. Even now some people get most of the news from the television or have the radio switched on in the background or in the car. Many buy a paper only on Saturday or Sunday. But for most people a newspaper has become a habit passed down from generation to generation.
The basic British character won’t change, and one of the characteristics of the British is that we don’t much like talking to each other when we get up. So what better way is there to keep yourself thinking in the morning than to wrap yourself in a newspaper?
Over the past couple of centuries, human beings have developed a close relationship with the newspaper. It has become as natural as breathing or enjoying the sun. And it is not just the British who love newspapers. On suburban trains in Calcutta, for instance, just one person in the whole car will buy a newspaper and read aloud the best bits to his fellow passengers, much to everybody’s enjoyment.
The nature of what is news may change. What essentially makes news is what affects our lives and the big political stories, the coverage of the wars, earthquakes and other disasters, will continue much the same. I think there will be more coverage of scientific research, though. It’s already happening in areas that may directly affect our lives, like genetic engineering. In the future I think there will be more coverage of scientific explanations of why we feel as we do, whether it’s love or depression. We develop a better understanding of how the brain operates and what our feelings really are.
It’s quite possible that in the next century newspaper will be transmitted(传送) electronically from the national equivalents of Fleet Street (伦敦的舰队街，以报馆集中而著称) and printed out in our own homes. In fact, I’m pretty sure that that is how it will happen in future. You’ll be probably selecting from a menu, making up your own bespoke newspaper by picking out the things you want to read and say. You might even have an intelligent screening device (装置) to do the job for you.
I think people have got it wrong when they talk about the competition between the different media. They actually have a relationship, feeding off each other. It was once predicted that television would kill off newspapers, which hasn’t happened. What is read on the printed page is more enduring (持久的) than pictures on a flickering screen or sound lost in the sky. And as for the Internet, it’s never really satisfying to read something just on a screen. The author of the passage is most probably from _______________.
| A．Russia | B．India | C．Britain | D．America |
According to the passage, the future of newspapers ____________.
| A．will be mainly connected with scientific research |
| B．will report more important political activities |
| C．will directly cover more on scientific research |
| D．will build a bridge between different people |
The underlined part “bespoke newspaper” of the passage probably refers to _____________.
| A．a newspaper which dares to report the truth |
| B．a newspaper edited to one’s own interest |
| C．a newspaper edited and published for the public |
| D．a newspaper which only covers the life of family members |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was centuries ago that newspapers came into being . |
| B．Televisions have taken the place of newspapers . |
| C．The Internet will gradually take the place of newspapers. |
| D．The nature of news may remain the same over generations. |
What will city life be like in the future? Some people think that life in the cities is going to be horrible. They say that cities will become more and more crowded. As the number of people increases, there will be less space for each person. This overcrowding will cause other problems — more crime, dirtier streets , and worse problems with traffic than we have now. How will people find enough drinking water, energy (such as gas and electricity ), and housing? Because life will be hard, people who live in cities will worry more, and they may become sick. For these reasons, some say that nobody will want to live in city areas.
How can we deal with such problems as overcrowding, crime, and traffic? In some cities, thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets because there is little suitable housing — and because houses are too expensive. The crime rate isn’t going down. Instead, it is increasing so fast that many people are afraid to go out at night. Traffic is also getting worse. More and more often, traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets. These problems have been getting worse, not better, so many people see no hope for the future of the city.
Los Angeles, California, for example, has no subway system and buses are slow. Instead, many commuters (乘、开车上班族) drive many miles from their homes to work. Many of these drivers spend several hours each day on busy freeways. New York, however, has a big transport system — buses, commuter trains, and subways. Because the public transportation is crowded and dirty, many people drive private cars, and the traffic jams are worse than that in Los Angeles. A taxi driver complains, “I was driving home, but in forty-five minutes I moved only two miles! Finally, I turned off the engine and just sat there. A lot of people left their cars where they were in the middle of the street and went into a bar for a few beers!”
On the other hand, some cities have clean, fast and pleasant public transportation systems. In Paris, France, and Toronto, Canada, for example, anyone can use buses or subways to move quickly from one part of the city to another.What do some people think is the main problem of the future city like?
| A．Poor housing. | B．Overcrowding. |
| C．Environmental pollution. | D．Traffic jams. |
The best way to work out the traffic problem in Los Angels might be _________.
| A．cutting down the number of private cars |
| B．providing more buses in the freeway |
| C．building a subway system |
| D．persuading people to live nearer to their workplaces |
Which of the following sentences is NOT TRUE?
| A．Thousands of people are already sleeping in the streets. |
| B．The crime rate isn’t going down. |
| C．The traffic jams are so bad that cars don’t move at all for several streets. |
| D．Many people have a positive attitude towards the future of the city. |
One thing the tour books don’t tell you about London is that 2,000 of its residents are foxes. They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in. But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world.
“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing,” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland. A survey of the wildlife in New York’s Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels. A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species. One of the country’s largest populations of raccoons (浣熊) now lives in Washington D.C., and moose (驼鹿) are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns. Peregrine falcons(游隼) dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U.S. cities to prey on (捕食) pigeons.
Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities. Foremost(首要的) is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts. Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs. In addition, urban wildlife refuges (避难处)have been created. The Greater London Council last year spent￡750,000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city. Over 1,000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from deserted lots. One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben.
For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings (悬崖栖息地). By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life. That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food.
Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful. The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated. Such habitats can even be functional. In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain (保持) the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds.The first paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．environment is vital for wildlife |
| B．tour books are not always a reliable source of information |
| C．London is a city of fox |
| D．foxes are highly adaptable to environment |
Which of the following is NOT a reason that wildlife is returning to the cities?
| A．Food is plentiful in the cities. |
| B．Wildlife is appreciated in the cities. |
| C．Wildlife refuges have been built in the cities |
| D．Air and water quality has improved in the cities |
It can be inferred from the passage that _________.
| A．Londoners are putting more and more wild animals into their zoos. |
| B．Londoners are happy to see wild animals return to their city |
| C．Londoners are trying to move wild animals back to the countryside |
| D．Londoners have welcomed the wild birds, but found foxes a problem |