A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.
It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.
So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.
My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.
This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.
Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.
Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.
By Ariel LewitonWhen the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.
| A．was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life |
| B．started to think about her own life |
| C．realized I should buy a house. |
| D．wondered why her parents had settled down early |
What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their parents according to the article?
| A．Their attitude toward high technology. |
| B．Their ways of making their way to the top. |
| C．Their attitude towards responsibility. |
| D．Their ways of gaining experience. |
Which of the following might the author agree with?
| A．It’s all right to try more before settling down. |
| B．It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier. |
| C．It involves too much effort to rise vertically. |
| D．It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”. |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age. |
| B．Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships. |
| C．“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents. |
| D．The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better. |
What is the main theme of the article?
| A．The sudden realization of growing up. |
| B．A comparison between lifestyles of generations. |
| C．Criticisms of the young generation. |
| D．The factors that have changed the young generation. |
Happiness is for everyone. You don’t need to care about those people who have beautiful houses with large gardens and swimming pools or those who have nice cars and a lot of money and so on. Why? Because those who have big houses may often feel lonely and those who have cars may want to walk on the country roads in their free time.
In fact, happiness is always around you if you put your heart into it. When you are in trouble at school, your friends will help you; when you study hard at your lessons, your parents are always taking good care of your life and your health; when you get a success, your friends will say congratulations to you; when you do something wrong, people around you will help you to correct it. And when you do something good to others, you will feel happy, too. All these are your happiness. If you notice a bit of them, you can see that happiness is always around you.
Happiness doesn’t mean money. It is a feeling of your heart. When you are poor, you can also say you are very happy, because you have something that can’t be bought with money. When you meet with difficulties, you can say loudly you are very happy, because you have more chances to challenge yourself. As the saying goes, life is like a revolving（旋转的）door. When it closes, it also opens. If you take every chance you get, you can be a happy and lucky person. When you do something wrong , people around you will.
| A．quarrel with you | B．help you correct it |
| C．do something wrong like you | D．laugh at you |
What will your friends say when you make great progress?
| A．Oh, so do I | B．Congratulations! |
| C．Good luck! | D．Just so-so |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．People who have cars would never like to walk in the open air. |
| B．You can get help from others when you are in trouble. |
| C．You can still be a happy person even if you have little money. |
| D．Happiness is always around you though difficulties come towards you. |
The passage mainly tells us .
| A．parents always care for our life and health |
| B．we’re not happy if we meet with difficulties |
| C．happiness is always around us |
| D．life is colorful |
The British policeman has several nicknames, but the most frequently used are"copper"and"bobby". The first name comes from the verb "cop" meaning "to take" or "capture", and thesecond comes from the first name of Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century politician, who was the founder of the police force. An early nickname for the policeman was "peeler", but this name had died out.
Visitors to England seem，nearly always, to be very impressed by the English police. In fact, it has become a joke that the visitors to Britain, when asked for his views of the country, will always say，at some point or other, "I think your policemen are wonderful."
Well, the British bobby may not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful character.
A music-hall song of some years ago was called, "If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." Nowadays, most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman. In London, the policemen spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else! The British policeman has _______ nicknames mentioned in the passage.
| A．five | B．two | C．three | D．ten |
One of the nicknames for the policeman, "peeler" _______ .
| A．is the name of a politician |
| B．is most frequently used sometimes |
| C．is not used any more |
| D．is still used as much as "bobby" |
"If you want to know the time, ask a policeman." That means _______ .
| A．the British policeman is friendly and helpful |
| B．the British policeman has plenty of time to help people |
| C．people usually think that the policeman always knows the time |
| D．it is a duty for the policeman to tell people the time |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The British policeman has some nicknames. |
| B．The British policeman is wonderful. |
| C．Only the British policeman knows the time very well. |
| D．The British policeman is ready to help people. |
The following are four kinds of medicine. How to use the medicine is very important. Never take some by mistake.
| Take the medicine with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For further nighttime and early morning, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in 24 hours. For children between six and twelve years old, give half the adult dosage（剂量）. For children under six years old, go to your doctor for advice. Reduce dosage if nervousness, restlessness or sleeplessness takes place. |
| Each pill of the medicine taken three times every day for fourteen-year- olds. As usual, a pill at 6:00a.m. before breakfast, one before 11:00 and one before sleep. Not for children under six years old and old persons with heart attack. |
| The medicine for a person with a fever. Once two pills a day before sleep for adults. Don’t take the medicine without fever. Half for children under 12 years old. For children with a high fever, go to see a doctor at once. |
| The medicine taken three times a day, once five pills for adults with a cold. Half of the pills for children under 14 years old. Take the medicine before breakfast, lunch, supper or before sleep. |
If a little child under six has a fever, it’s suggested that he ________.
| A．take two tablets before sleep | B．stop to take another pill |
| C．take one tablet before sleep | D．go to see a doctor |
Obviously a kind of medicine mentioned above isn’t proper for ________, judging from the information.
| A．children over twelve years old | B．some adults of 18 years old |
| C．some old persons with heart attack | D．neither adults nor children |
When an adult has a cold, he had better __________.
| A．have as many as fifteen pills a day | B．have twice a day |
| C．have four times a day | D．have nine pills a day |
How many kinds of medicine can be taken by children of seven years old?
| A．Two kinds. | B．Three kinds. | C．None. | D．Four kinds. |
When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazingperson - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.
One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called “Information Please" and told her what happened.She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told "Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.Another day I was on the telephone, “How do you spell ‘grateful’? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.
A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."
Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn’t planned on this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell ‘grateful’?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."I laughed. "So it’s really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally passed away five weeks before.
Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me—“Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today? What does “Information, Please” refer to in the passage?
| A．An amazing girl. |
| B．A special kind of telephone. |
| C．A communication system. |
| D．A service that helps telephone users. |
What happened to the little boy one day when he was at home alone?
| A．He was amused by the telephone. |
| B．He hurt his finger with a hammer. |
| C．He found an amazing telephone. |
| D．He got a piece of ice from an icebox. |
What did “Information, Please” give the little boy whenever he was in trouble?
| A．Information and conversation. |
| B．Good memories and happiness. |
| C．Sympathy and information. |
| D．Friendship and cheers. |
When did the author get in touch with “Information, Please” again after he moved to Boston?
| A．When he was in trouble on his way to college. |
| B．When his plane stopped in Seattle for half an hour. |
| C．When he went back to Seattle to visit his sister. |
| D．Three months later after he moved to Boston. |
Welcome to Cöteborg University
Cöteborg University is one of Sweden’s largest and most popular universities.
We are very proud of this and believe that there are several reasons for our popularity. The principal reasons we believe to be the high quality of our education and research and the broad range of courses that we offer. In addition to this, Cöteborg University provides an attractive and exceptionally（格外的）high-standard study environment. Most parts of the university are situated in the city centre and this enriches city life as well as student life.
Cöteborg has a lot to offer its students: it has a rich and varied cultural life with many theatres, concerts and festivals. For those looking for outdoor life, forests and vast recreation（娱乐）areas are not far away from the city centre; the sea and the archipelago（群岛）are also within easy reach. Industry and commerce are expanding, and have a joint interest with the University in meeting the ever-changing and growing demands of society.
Cöteborg University strives（努力）to be an attractive choice for students from all over the world.
We look forward to welcoming you to Cöteborg University.The main reasons for Cöteborg University’s popularity according to the passage is ______ .
| A．the high quality education and research and the wide range of courses |
| B．the convenient traffic |
| C．its excellent location and fast developing economical environment |
| D．famous professors and friendly students |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The university is in the city centre. |
| B．The students can live outdoor. |
| C．The cultural life of the university is very rich. |
| D．The University has no interest in growing demands of society. |
What’s the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To bring fame to Cöteborg University. |
| B．To introduce the wonderful cultural life in Cöteborg University. |
| C．To declare Cöteborg University’s goal and interest. |
| D．To attract students all over the world to apply for Cöteborg University. |