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. |
A euphemism (from the Greek words eu--well and pheme--speak) is a word or expression that is used when people want to find a polite or less direct way of talking about difficult or embarrassing topics like death or the bodily functions. Most people, for example, would find it very difficult to say in plain language that they have arranged for their sick old dog to be killed. They would soften the pain by saying:We had Ruby put down or We had Ruby put to sleep. Many people prefer to call someone plain than ugly, or cuddly rather than fat.
Euphemisms are an important part of every language, but it seems that English has an ever-growing number of them. The non-native speaker not only has to make sense of the euphemisms he hears, he also has to learn which euphemisms are appropriate in any particular situation. He might be aware that his American friend needs to use the toilet when she asks where the bathroom (or restroom, or comfort station) is, but he is less likely to guess that his English friend has the same need when he says he has to see a man about a dog. He might have learned, for example, that in the family way is a euphemism for pregnant. If, however, he says to his boss," Congratulations! I hear your wife is in the family way," he would be using an expression that is too familiar for the circumstances.
Schools are full of euphemisms. At Frankfurt International School, for example, the special lessons given to students who are having difficulties in their school subjects are called Study Center (in the middle school) and Aca-demic Workshop (in the high school). Teachers rightly do not want to upset students or parents by being too frank or straightforward,and usually choose a softer word or expression to convey the same message.According to the passage, people use euphemisms in order to.
| A．make themselves understood | B．attract attention |
| C．to sound straightforward | D．avoid embarrassment |
. A person who is described as plain and cuddly is in fact.
| A．tall and handsome | B．ugly and fat |
| C．ugly but tall | D．pretty and slim |
When an English lady says she has to see a man about a dog, she might want to.
| A．go to the toilet | B．see an ugly friend |
| C．have her old dog killed | D．see a pregnant woman |
The main purpose of Paragraph 2 is to.
| A．stress that euphemisms are an important part of every language |
| B．inform readers that English has an ever-growing number of euphemisms |
| C．warn English learners to be careful about the meaning and use of euphemisms |
| D．suggest non-native speakers use euphemisms as often as possible |
At Frankfurt International School, the students who receive lessons in Study Center.
| A．work hard at their lessons |
| B．do well in school |
| C．have poor grades in the subjects |
| D．prefer to learn more |
University of Maryland student Ben Simon and his friends couldn' t stand to see good food thrown out on their campus. "We basically noticed that some of the extra food from the dining hall was going to waste at the end of the day. And we met with the dining services and asked them whether it would be okay if instead of throwing out the food we would donate it. And they were on board," he said.
So 18 months ago, the students began what they call the Food Recovery Network. Each night, volunteers would show up at a campus dining hall to pick up leftovers and deliver them to area shelters and food banks. So far, they have donated more than 23 000 kilos of food that would otherwise have been thrown out.
Nationwide, $ 165 billion worth of food is wasted each year, according to the National Resources Defense Council.Spokesman Bob Keefe says that is about 40% of the country' s entire food production. "If we can reduce our waste in this country by 15% ,we can feed 25 million hungry Americans. That is a huge benefit. That is what programs like this Food Recovery Network are doing," he said.
Christian Life Center is one of the beneficiaries ( 受益) of the students' efforts. Ben Slye, the senior pastor (牧师) ,said," It has been just amazing to see these students take their own time, their own vehicles and own gas money and be able to make an effort like this. Each week we are able with this food probably to feed over hundred people."
The University of Maryland' s Food Recovery Network now has 200 volunteers and the program has expanded to 18 schools across the country. "I want to grow 18 chapters to a thousand chapters within five years. And once we get to the Food Recovery Nation being at every college campus in America, we want to expand to restaurants and farms." said Simon.
The volunteers are committed to making that happen.The dining services in University of Maryland.
| A．threw out good food on the campus |
| B．enjoyed the talk with the students |
| C．supported the volunteers'job |
| D．donated their leftovers to the poor |
Volunteers from the Food Recovery Network.
| A．started the Food Recovery Network two years ago |
| B．delivered leftovers as well as money to shelters |
| C．donated leftovers to avoid food waste |
| D．helped to solve the hunger issues in America |
Ben Slye' s attitude toward the volunteers' effort was that of.
| A．unconcern | B．appreciation |
| C．doubt | D．opposition |
We can learn from the text that.
| A．over 40% of the country' s entire food is wasted each year |
| B．altogether 25 million Americans suffer from hunger nowadays |
| C．every college has started the Food Recovery Network |
| D．Simon aims to expand the program to restaurants and farms |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Battles Against the Problem of Hunger |
| B．College Students Rescue Leftover Food |
| C．How to Pick up Leftovers on College Campuses |
| D．Waste Problems in University of Maryland |
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A little-known fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 there will be 1 billion, with over 700 million living in developing
countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example, it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk？ One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live ,the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible, including during old age, to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries, certainly in Asia, older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily, which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment. Life-long learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country's development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort. One thing is sure:there is no time to be lost.The proportion of older people.
| A．is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries |
| B．will increase much faster in China than in France |
| C．is one-seventh of the population in developing countries |
| D．will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020 |
According to the passage, which of the following are governments most worried about?
| A．The longer life and good health of people. |
| B．The diseases and disability of older people. |
| C．The loss of taxes on older people. |
| D．The increasing respect for older people. |
It is stated directly in the passage that older people should.
| A．be treated differently in different cultures |
| B．enjoy a similar lifestyle |
| C．be valued by the younger generations |
| D．be ignored as society changes |
Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem？
| A．Getting rid of age discrimination in employment. |
| B．Ensuring adequate income protection for older people. |
| C．Supplying life-long learning programs to older people. |
| D．Providing free health care for sick older people. |
The author concludes in the last paragraph that.
| A．governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem |
| B．people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem |
| C．population ageing is a hard problem,but it needs to be solved urgently |
| D．much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem |
Everyone in our village likes my father, so he has a sense of humor. On other words, he canmake others laugh easy and people feel happy to be around him. I admire him very much anddream of that some day I will be as humorous as him. I even asked him how have a good sense ofhumor, but what she replied disappointed me. “Not someone can be humorous, because those whois humorous are usually born to be humorous,” he said. However, later, he adds, “But you can behumorous too if you know a lot of joke.” That’s why now I’m reading a book of jokes.
A typical day at work for Cesar Millan might include putting on his running shoes and taking a fourhour jog with 40 dogs—large and small, young and old. Amazingly, most of those dogs belong to him. The rest are at the heart of his work; they are troubled dogs sent to Millan to learn good behavior.
Obviously Millan, star of the TV show “Dog Whisperer” and author of the bestselling book Cesar's Way，has a special gift for working with these animals.
Growing up on a farm in Mexico, Millan knew he wanted to work with dogs. His first job, at age 15，was helping a veterinarian (兽医)．He was so good at calming scared dogs and handling all kinds of situations that people started calling him “el perrero”， Spanish for “the dog boy”．Since then, he has built a rewarding career around his favorite animal.
“My grandfather taught me at an early age not to work against nature，”he explains. In nature, dogs_are_pack_animals. They form a group and follow one leader. Millan's specialty is teaching people to be pack leaders for their dogs.
Studying dogs on the farm where he grew up，Millan realized they need lots of exercise to be calm. He explains his approach，“Exercise and discipline first，and then affection！”He says a lot of people get it backwards because they don't realize what dogs really need. Therefore, while he trains dogs, he teaches owners to understand that their pets need rules. He's helped famous people like Oprah Winfrey and movie star Will Smith and everyday people too.
To find the right career, Millan encourages kids to do what they enjoy. “A lot of people don't realize I've been working with dogs for more than 20 years—long before my TV show or book. Success followed me because I was following my dream of being the best dog trainer in the world.”By saying “dogs are pack animals”(in Para.4)，the author means that________.
| A．dogs like to live with people |
| B．dogs are easier to be trained |
| C．few dogs can be leaders |
| D．dogs live in groups |
Which of the following would Millan agree with?
| A．Dogs are quiet animals. |
| B．Dogs should be trained on farms. |
| C．Rules are more important than love in training dogs. |
| D．Famous people have more problems in training dogs. |
What does Millan advise children to do when it comes to choosing a job?
| A．Do what interests them. |
| B．Never give up and they will succeed. |
| C．Share their ideas with many other people. |
| D．Receive training long before they succeed. |