Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.
| A．has found a full-time job |
| B．has finished his study in university |
| C．can make money and support himself after completing his education |
| D．can support a family and be financially independent after graduation |
A young man of 24 may be busy ________.
| A．finding a job | B．finding a girl friend |
| C．making money | D．preparing for his wedding |
The underlined word “status” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.
| A．position | B．rank | C．level | D．situation |
From the passage, we learn that _________.
| A．being grown-up is just a matter of age |
| B．being grown-up is a process which takes some time |
| C．all people think completing education means being grown-up |
| D．the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up |
The best title for the passage should be “________”
| A．It takes a long time to grown up. |
| B．Are we grown-up yet? |
| C．Getting married means being grown-up. |
| D．Completing education means being grown-up. |
When you go to St. Petersburg, the number of attractions can seem overwhelming. If you’re short on time, or just want to make sure to hit the highlights, these are the top must-see sights in St. Petersburg.
The Hermitage Museum
The Hermitage Museum is one of the most important sights to see for any visitor to St. Petersburg. There you can see lots of different paintings of old masters inside the Hermitage. Prepare to come face-to-face with classic Western artists.
The Russian Museum
The Russian Museum holds one of the largest collections of Russian art in the world. View Russian art creations through the ages, from Byzantine (拜占庭)-style icons to the Socialist Realism of Stalin’s times.
Kizhi Island
Kizhi Island is an open-air museum of wooden buildings from the Karelia Region of Russia. These impressive structures are made without any nails (钉子) — the wood fits together with joints and grooves (沟槽).
Peterhof
Peterhof is as beautiful as it is fun. You’ll be charged for admission (门票), but go to Peterhof when the fountains (喷泉) are working — during
the day in the summer. They are shut off in winter as well as in the evenings.
The Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood
Love it or hate it, the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood is an attractive must-see sight. The beautiful look may make your eyes brighten, and the paintings inside the church will make you say “Wow!”
The Bronze Horseman Statue
The Bronze Horseman is a part of Russian Culture and a symbol(象征) of St. Petersburg. Made famous by Alexander Pushkin (普希金), this statue of Peter the Great sitting on his horse can truly show Peter the Great’s influence on the Russian idea of greatness.If you’re interested in paintings, you’d better go to _____.
| A．the Hermitage Museum and Peterhof |
| B．the Hermitage Museum and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| C．Kizhi Island and the Church of Our Savior on Spilled Blood |
| D．the Russian Museum and Kizhi Island |
The man on the Bronze Horse refers to _____.
| A．Peter the Great | B．Alexander Pushkin | C．Byzantine | D．Stalin |
What can we know from the passage?
| A．The fountains in Peterhof can be seen all year round. |
| B．The largest collection of Russian art is in the Hermitage Museum. |
| C．The buildings on Kizhi Island are made of wood. |
| D．You can visit Peterhof free of charge. |
The main purpose of this passage is to _____.
| A．show the wonderful history of Russia |
| B．introduce the famous buildings in Russia |
| C．persuade artists to study St. Petersburg |
| D．attract tourists to visit St. Petersburg |
It was several years since Adolf Hitler came into power in Germany. And now his army was marching into some parts of Europe. He must be in the prime of his career.
One day Hitler went to an exhibition where the works of school children were on show. He seemed to have great interest in the exhibits—inventions as well as carvings, drawings. After having walked around the hall and examined everything, he said he was ready to meet the young artists. And soon a group of children came into the room to salute(向-----敬礼) him.
“Well, well. You did very good work.” nodded Hitler in satisfaction. “I promise on my honor I’d satisfy you with whatever you want. What’d you wish to be if I were your father?”
“A sailor sailing the sea.” one of the boys answered.
“Good. I’ll have you join my navy and some day you will rule the oceans.”
“Ask for anything? What’d you wish to be if I were your father?” he asked a second boy.
“A painter as great as Rembruant.”
“Good. You are to be sent to the Fine Art School and surely you will make an even greater painter.”
When Hitler caught sight of a sad-looking boy he frowned(皱眉), then quickly forced a smile, “There my boy, in spite of my point of view towards the Jews, I’d do you a favor and your dream will come true. What’d you wish to be if I were your father?”
The boy looked straight at the man.
“An orphan(the child who has no parents).” he murmured.Hitler promised to satisfy the children with whatever they want because.
| A．he wanted all the children to live a happy life |
| B．he wanted to make a good impression on the children |
| C．he liked paintings very much |
| D．he liked all the children |
Hitler frowned when he saw the sad-looking boy because.
| A．the boy was recognized to be a Jew |
| B．the boy didn’t come to the front to salute him |
| C．the boy didn’t want to ask for anything |
| D．the boy was sad-looking |
Judging by what the boy said we can see that.
| A．the boy’s parents had died | B．the boy had no brothers or sisters |
| C．the boy hated Hitler very much | D．the boy wanted himself to be an orphan |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Hitler wanted to be the father of the children. |
| B．The boy was both clever and courageous (勇敢的). |
| C．Rembruant was a great painter. |
| D．Hitler did not like Jews. |
Here is a question I have often asked at dinner parties:
You're on an island with only one other person, your best friend. He's dying of cancer. In his final days, he tells you, "I have 100,000 dollars in a bank back home. When I die, make sure my son goes to medical school." Then he dies. But his son is a no-good playboy who has no interest in going to medical school and will waste that money away in a very short time. But your son is entering college, and he is willing to become a doctor. Which one do you give the money to for medical school?
I've asked this question of everyone from the president of a famous university to an ordinary young soldier, and it has never failed to get a discussion going. Everyone has an opinion, most of them different, but all of them correct. Sometimes this one topic lasts the whole evening. Which of the following is TRUE to the passage?
| A．Only the clever people can answer the question rightly. |
| B．Some people refuse to answer such a silly question. |
| C．Most of the people have the same answer. |
| D．Everyone at the dinner party seems to be interested in the question. |
What the writer often says at dinner parties is _______.
| A．a true story | B．not a true story |
| C．a strange story | D．just a joke |
Why does the writer often ask people such a question? Because ______.
| A．he wants to offer people a topic in which everyone could say something |
| B．he is interested in such a question |
| C．he likes to make fun of people at parties |
| D．he wants to find the answer for a research |
Which of the following decisions is most likely NOT correct?
| A．You give the money to your friend's son. |
| B．You give the money to your son for medical school. |
| C．You keep the money for your friend's son. |
| D．You keep the money for your future medical care |
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very
good job. This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech.
You have to give a speech, and you’re terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank goodness, it’s over. I’m just no good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again.”
Cheer up! It doesn’t have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of time doing your research. Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly. Never forget your audience. Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Just remember: be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief. Say what you have to say and then stop. And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience.
If you follow these simple steps, you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You’re not convinced yet? Give it a try and see what happens. The main idea of this article is .
| A．you can improve your speaking ability | B．a poor speaker can never change |
| C．always make a short speech | D．it is hard to make a speech |
The phrase “talk over their heads” means .
| A．speak too loudly | B．look at the ceiling |
| C．look down upon them | D．use words and ideas that are too difficult |
All of the following statements are true except that .
| A．few people know how to make good speeches |
| B．a lecturer does not need to organize his speech |
| C．research is important in preparing a speech |
| D．there are simple steps you can take to improve your speaking ability |
The title for this passage may be “”.
| A．Do Not Make a Long Speech | B．How To Give A Good Speech |
| C．How To Prepare For A Speech | D．Try To Enjoy A Speech |
Electronic waste, or e-waste, refers to electronic products that are no longer usable. This can include TVs, cell phones and computers and other office electronics, electronic toys and videos machines. Today, the average turnover（更换）rate for a computer in the United States is every two years, according to the environmental group, Greenpeace.
The group's Dai Yun says e-waste is a global problem. "The electronic industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The high speed of growth in this industry means more and more electronic products are being wasted and thrown away. If no one decides to retrieve the old products and process them properly, the electronic waste will sweep over the earth like the huge wave behind me and pollute the Earth seriously."
Greenpeace works out that 20 to 50 million tons of e-waste are produced globally each year. The components（部件）in many electronic products contain harmful chemicals that pollute ground water and the environment.
At present , the U.S. has no federal law for the disposal (处理) of e-waste although a few states have e-waste recycling programs in place, but there is no law. The U.S. exports much of its e-waste to third world countries, such as India and China, where workers took apart computers for valuable parts, hoping to sell them for money. But harmful wastes expert, Dr. Bakul Rao, says that's a dangerous practice. "From now on, the recyclers are not very educated. All they know is they can retrieve copper or gold out of it. So, the easiest way to do that is leach (过滤) it out in an acid or burn it off to retrieve it. So, that's where they don't know how to deal with it, neither do they have any health systems in place. So, their exposure is more." What does the underlined word "retrieve" (paragraph 2) probably mean?
| A．look into | B．take apart | C．get back | D．throw away |
What of the following statements is true according to the passage？
| A．The U.S. has strict national laws for dealing with e-waste. |
| B．Third world countries import e-waste to get valuable parts, which is a safe and easy way to make money. |
| C．The way uneducated workers deal with old computers does great harm to the environment as well as to their own health. |
| D．More and more electronic waste is being wasted and thrown away mainly because of people's bad habits. |
What is the purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To attract more people's attention to e-waste. |
| B．To call on people not to throw away e-waste anywhere. |
| C．To tell people what e-waste is and how to deal with it well. |
| D．To warn people to break away from the electronic industry. |
The next paragraph probably concerns ___.
| A．how to deal with e-waste properly |
| B．how to protect ourselves from harm by e-waste |
| C．How to slow down the development in the electronic industry |
| D．how to make full use of e-waste |