Parents should stop blaming themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. “I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said. “He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”
He hasn’t forgotten them. He’s just decided that he’s not going to use them. She confessed (坦白) that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.This text is most probably written by ______.
| A.a doctor for mental health problems |
| B.a headmaster of a middle school |
| C.a parent with teenage children |
| D.a specialist in teenager studies |
The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
| A.the advice that parents want their children to follow |
| B.the change from good to bad that’s seen in a child |
| C.the opinion that a child has of his parents |
| D.the way that parents often blame themselves |
From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters ______.
| A.pay no attention to them |
| B.feel helpless to do much about them |
| C.have come to hate them |
| D.are too busy to look after them |
What is the author's opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?
| A.Parents should work more closely with school teachers. |
| B.Parents should pay still sore attention to the change. |
| C.Parents have no choice but to try to accept it. |
| D.Parents are at fault for the change in their children. |
Three Gorges Cruises(游程)
Day 1 Home → Beijing
We will meet you at the airport in Beijing and take you to the hotel in the downtown area.
Day 2 Beijing
After breakfast, you’ll visit Tiananmen Square. Then you will go to the Forbidden City, the home of Chinese emperors for more than 500 years. In the e
vening you will attend a welcome party and have a chance to enjoy Beijing Roast Duck!
Day 3 Beijing → Chongqing
After breakfast, you will fly to Chongqing and visit the Chongqing Museum. Then your cruise down the Yangtze River will begin on the five-star cruise ship, Regal China.
You will spend the night on the ship.
Day 4 Chongqing → Fengdu
At 8:00 a.m., the cruise will leave Chongqing. Relax on the deck, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river. In the afternoon, we will arrive at Ghost City — Fengdu for an excursion (短途游览) on the shore. Overnight on the ship.
Day 5 Three Gorges
You will sail through the Qutang Gorge and the Wu Gorge, and take a small boat down the Shennong Stream to enjoy the scenery.
Day 6 Three Gorges
After passing the Xiling Gorge, you will go on a morning shore excursion to the Three Gorges Dam.
Day 7 Three Gorges → Wuhan → Shanghai
At 2:30 p.m., the cruise ship will arrive in Wuhan and the cruise tour will end. You will have a chance to visit the Yell
ow Crane Tower(黄鹤楼), and then you will fly to Shanghai.
Day 8 Shanghai → Home
You will visit the Shanghai Museum in the morning. After lunch, you will visit the Bund (外滩), which is said to be a landmark of Shanghai. Then
you will be seen off at Shanghai airport.
How many nights will you spend on the cruise ship?
| A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
On which day will you h
ave an afternoon shore excursion?
| A.Day 4. | B.Day 5. | C.Day 6. | D.Day 7. |
What is the order of the journey?
① the Wu Gorge② the Yellow Crane Tower
③ the Xiling Gorge④ the Bund
⑤ Chongqing Museum⑥ Fengdu
⑦ the Three Gorges Dam ⑧ the Forbidden City
| A.⑧⑤⑥③①②⑦④ | B.⑧⑤⑥①③⑦②④ |
| C.⑧⑥③⑤②①⑦④ | D.④⑤⑥①②③⑦⑧ |
How much will a family with 2 adults and a 3-year-old child pay for the visit?
| A.US$4375. | B.US$4905. | C.U S$3950. |
D.US$4537.5. |
Their grandmothers fought for the vote, and their mothers have battled to have it all. Now the upcoming generation of girls have decided to turn the clock back and stay at home with their babies.
According to a survey of more than 5,000 teenage girls in Britain, their main ambition (追求的目标) is to complete university then stay at home. More than nine out of ten of the girls believe it should be up to their husbands to provide for them. And although 43 percent of those questioned believe they should continue with their education until they have achieved a university degree, one in four say getting married is the most important thing for them.
The supposedly super-modern, “fun comes first” teenage generation
has proved to be very traditional in every area of their beliefs, with over 50 percent saying they would not dream of having c
hildren before seeing a ring on their finger.
The desire to have children is beginning earlier too. On average, teenage girls plan to have their first child at 26, and most plan to have one or two more children over the following four years. The national average now is 1.64 children per couple.
“This survey doesn’t show that the battles of feminism (女权运动) have been lost,” said author Claire Rayner, “Feminism was never opposed (反对) to marriage or children. On the contrary, feminism was about to equal opportunities for women to do what they wanted to do, when they wanted to do it, and this is exactly what these girls are choosing to do.” The passage is mainly about ________.
| A.the result of the battles of feminism |
| B.women’s struggle for independence in the society |
| C.the girls’ desire to stay at home after they graduate |
| D.women’s social status in the modern society |
Girls prefer to be housewives rather than independent women because _______.
| A.it’s hard for women to find jobs |
| B.men would rather their wives look after babies at home |
| C.girls want to live a more comfortable life |
| D.women have a low salary |
From the last paragraph we can see that Rayner thinks ________.
| A.women should stay at home with their babies |
| B.women should find jobs and support the family |
| C.women should be offered more job opportunities |
| D.women should live the life they like |
Richard Charles Rodgers was born in New York City on June 28th, 1902. Both his parents enjoyed singing and playing the piano. His grandparents loved opera and took their grandson to many productions. Richard attended many Broadway (百老汇) shows as a child. Richard began playing the piano
by the age of three. At the age of fifteen, he decided that he would work in the musical theater. In the same year, he wrote the music for a stage show presented by a local group of young people. Then, he wrote music for a production of the students at Columbia University.
Richard and his wife Dorothy had two daughters and six grandchildren. One daughter and two grandsons also write music. Richard died in 1979. Books written about
his life describe him as a cold man who was often depressed (消沉的). Family members say he was only able to express himself through music.
Other future show business leaders were also involved in the Columbia productions. Two of these men would be very important in Richard’s life — Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart. Richard once said the show he liked the best was Carousel, the second musical (音乐剧) he wrote with Oscar Hammerstein. Music experts say that a Richard show is always playing somewhere in the world — on Broadway, in theaters in different countries, and in local school productions. And people all over the world still enjoy the movies linked to Richard, such as State Fair, South Pacific, Pal Joey, The Sound of Music, Oklahoma and Carousel. When did Richard Charles Rodgers decide that he would work in the musical theater?
| A.In 1967. | B.In 1917. | C.In 1907. | D.In 1905. |
Which musical is the one that he likes most?
| A.Oklahoma. | B.The Sound of Music. |
| C.State Fair. | D.Carousel. |
Which is the first musical he wrote with Oscar Hammerstein?
| A.Carousel. | B.South Pacific. | C.Not mentioned. | D.State Fair. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A.All the life of Richard Charles Rodgers | B.Richard Charles Rodgers’ Family |
| C.Richard Charles Rodgers’ Music | D.Richard Charles Rodgers’ Stage |
If you don’t prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.
The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you’re retired, unless you ‘ve already started a hobby, you’ll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren’t for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.
Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment(成就) and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you’ll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don’t think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they’ve had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.
There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.
Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there’s nothing you love doing now, then you’ll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire.Why does the author suggest starting a hobby before retirement?
| A.Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement. |
| B.Because we are gong to have a vast amount of free time after retirement. |
| C.Because we will only have a limited choice of hobbies after retirement |
| D.Because not every one of us has already started some hobbies already. |
What can we learn about volunteering from the text?
| A.We can make devoted friends through volunteering. |
| B.It can help companies find hard-working workers. |
| C.One can even make some money by volunteering. |
| D.Almost everyone is willing to help in some way. |
Which of the following can best explain “a happy retirement”?
| A.Travelling around the world every year. |
| B.Going back to university for further study. |
| C.Having plenty of free time for one’s hobbies. |
| D.Living a busy life and doing what one enjoys doing |
A super drug that could remove Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆症),heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病) and help people live to 100 is being developed by scientists. Their research is based on the identification of three genes that help prolong lives and prevent diseases which occur in old age. Medically controlling the proteins made by the “ longevity genes” will allow millions to live longer, predicts Dr Nir Barzilai.
Those whose DNA strongly features the three genes are 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. The genes also fight against the deadly impact of smoking, poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise.
Already, several laboratories are working on a pill to imitate the benefits of the genes and Dr Barzilai thinks it could be tested within three years. The pill could remove some diseases that damage old age. “ The advantage of finding a gene that involves longevity is that we can develop a drug that will imitate exactly what this gene is doing,” he said.
Of the three longevity genes, two genes increase the production of so-called good cholesterol(胆固醇), which reduces the risk of heart disease. The third prevents diabetes. They were discovered by Dr Barzilai’s team while studying the DNA of 500 Ashkenazi Jews with an average age of 100. The chances of living that long are one in 10,000 but the group, which shared relatively few common ancestors, was 20 times more likely to hit the entury. Dr Barzilai said: “ 30 percent of them were obese or overweight and 30 percent smoked two acks of cigarettes a day for more than 40 years, however they can live to 100.”
But Andrew Ketteringham of the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Alzheimer’s disease, a most common disease, is likely to be caused by a combination of genetic disosition(遗传倾向), lifestyles and life events. Many genes are probably involved. Some people are able to live to 100 years because of ______.
| A.a magical medicine | B.three special genes | C.good living habits | D.longevity proteins |
Why does the discovery of the longevity genes mean a lot?
| A.Because it can bring great benefits to scientific labs. |
| B.Because it can help people change their unhealthy genes |
| C.Because it helps produce a drug that can make people live longer. |
| D.Because it will help scientists build up a new branch of biology. |
From Paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.
| A.longevity genes can create good cholesterol. |
| B.the volunteers share some common ancestors |
| C.bad habits are likely to have no effect on the volunteers |
| D.longevity genes protect the volunteers against bad habits |
What is Andrew Ketteringham’s attitude toward the study?
| A.Positive | B.Negative | C.Critical | D.Cautious |