My teenage son Karl became withdrawn after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card （成绩报告单）arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six failing grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I'm giving the whole thing up to you.” Just then, I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster, “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a great improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll（光荣榜）. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home，he said, “Mum，remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”By saying “Karl became withdrawn” the author means that the boy changed entirely and ________.
| A．he preferred to stay at school |
| B．he stayed at home all day |
| C．he refused to talk to his mother |
| D．he began to like his life |
There was silence on the other end of the line because ________.
| A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to his mother |
| B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking |
| C．the speaker didn't want the mother to recognize his voice |
| D．the speaker didn’t want to interrupt the mother |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems. |
| B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life. |
| C．Being understood by parents is not necessary to teenagers. |
| D．School education is a failure. |
Which is not true according to the article?
| A．Karl changed a lot after his father died. |
| B．What Karl did at school showed that he didn’t love his mother. |
| C．Karl’s mother tried many ways to help him. |
| D．Karl’s teachers were surprised at his change. |
Criticism(批评) never changes a thing. Accept yourself exactly as you are. Everybody changes. When you criticize yourself, your changes are negative. When you approve of yourself, your changes are positive.
Don’t scare yourself
Stop scaring yourself with your thought that it’s terrible to live this way. Find a mental image that gives you pleasure, and immediately change your scary thought to a pleasant one. Imagine a positive future ahead of you.
Be gentle, kind and patient
Be patient with yourself as you learn new ways of thinking. If you make a mistake you will develop self-hatred, but don’t hate yourself for thinking. Gently change your thoughts. Praise and support yourself.
Criticism breaks your spirit, while praise builds it up. Praise yourself as much as you can. Tell yourself how well you are doing with everything. Find ways to support yourself. Reach out to friends and allow them to help you. It is best to ask for help when you need it.
Take care of your body
Learn about nutrition. What kind of fuel does your body need in order to have enough energy and vitality(活力)? Learn about exercise. What kinds of exercise do you enjoy? Insist on doing exercise every day.
Mirror work
Look into your eyes in the mirror often and express the growing sense of love you have for yourself. At least once a day you should say to yourself: "I love you." If you have confidence in yourself, you’ll never give in to difficulty.
Love yourself. Do it now, begin now, and do the best you can. According to the author, you should _____.
| A．praise yourself now and then |
| B．change yourself |
| C．criticize someone else |
| D．criticize yourself |
The underlined phrase in paragraph 1 probably means ______.
| A．to defend | B．to challenge |
| C．to appreciate | D．to suspect |
You should face the mirror and say that you love yourself so that you can _____.
| A．imagine a positive future ahead of you |
| B．grow more confident of yourself |
| C．find out the expressions on your face |
| D．learn more about yourself |
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| We Need Office Cleaners! Three people are required for professional cleaning in the CBD area. Working hours from 5: 00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays for each one. Approximately five hours per shift(轮班). A good record is necessary. Experience preferred. Phone 6345 7843 now. |
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You may find the above advertisements _____.
| A．in a store window | B．in a school magazine |
| C．in a newspaper | D．on a company notice-board |
The position of a(n) _____ is a part-time job.
| A．florist | B．artist |
| C．preschool teacher | D．dental nurse |
Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?
| A．Cooking skills |
| B．The ability to work well with other people. |
| C．Childcare experience |
| D．The ability to start work in two weeks |
An office cleaner will be required to work about _____ hours a week.
| A．5 | B．10 | C．15 | D．45 |
One day, President Lincoln went to a party. At the gathering, a man called Douglas was repeatedly talking about Lincoln’s low position in life and saying that he first met Lincoln when he was a shop assistant at a village shop. Finally he said, “And Mr. Lincoln was a very good waiter too.”
People burst into laughter, but they quieted down when Mr. Lincoln said quietly.
“Gentlemen, what Mr. Douglas has said is true. I did keep a grocery(杂货店), and I did sell cotton, candles and cigars, and sometimes whiskey(威士忌酒). But I remember that in those days Mr. Douglas was one of my best customers. I often stood on one side of the counter(柜台) and sold whiskey to Mr. Douglas on the other side, but the difference between us now is: I have left my side of the counter, but Mr. Douglas still sticks to his as firmly as ever.”Where was Douglas talking about Lincoln’s low position in life?
| A．At home | B．At a grocery |
| C．At a gathering | D．In a restaurant |
Douglas was repeatedly talking about Lincoln’s low position in life because _____
| A．he was friendly to Lincoln. |
| B．Lincoln was an example to show that an American of low position can also rise up in life. |
| C．he wanted others to look down upon Lincoln. |
| D．he wanted to tell other people about Lincoln’s honesty as a shop assistant. |
How did Lincoln win the oral competition?
| A．By telling about his low position in life in his early days. |
| B．By making fun of Douglas’ low position now. |
| C．By proving Douglas was telling lies. |
| D．By comparing his present position with Douglas. |
What do you suppose the sentence “Mr. Douglas still sticks to his as firmly as ever means?”
| A．Douglas was still talking about Lincoln’s low position in life. |
| B．Douglas was still standing on the other side of the counter. |
| C．Douglas remained a drunkard and had not changed a bit. |
| D．Douglas kept on going to parties and speaking ill of Lincoln. |
In nature, you may see many insects and animals of different colors. Have you ever wondered why?
Locusts （蝗虫）are super delicious food for birds, but it is not always an easy job for birds to catch them. It is neither because locusts are good jumpers or runners nor because they are smarter than their enemies（敌人）. The reason is that the colors of locusts change with the colors of crops （庄稼）. When crops are young, locusts look green. But when autumn comes, locusts change to the yellow and brown color as crops do.
Brown bears, tigers and other animals move quietly through forests. They can’t be seen easily by their enemies. This is because they have colors similar to the trees. For the same reason, polar bears that live on a land of snow and ice are white. Butterflies （蝴蝶）and bees living among the flowers are colorful like flowers. Soil insects are mostly dark-colored and they live under the soil in a dark and wet environment. However, insects with colors different from plants can easily be found and eaten by others. So in order to survive, they have to hide themselves in the daytime and appear only at night.
Have you ever noticed some even stranger acts（行为）? The ink fish in the sea can send out some very black ink when it faces danger. As the ink spreads over, its enemies will find themselves in a dark world. At the same time the ink fish immediately swims away. That is how it keeps itself safe though it is not strong at all. According to the passage, most soil insects ______
| A．do not have bright colors |
| B．change their colors with the soil |
| C．do not live in a dark and wet environment. |
| D．eat colorful insects like butterflies and bees. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “survive” in the passage?
| A．繁殖 | B．产卵 | C．觅食 | D．生存 |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Some insects and animals have different skills. |
| B．Some insects and animals are cleverer than we think. |
| C．Some insects and animals use colors to protect themselves. |
| D．Some insects and animals can get used to the environment easily. |
Where did Li Hua see Mrs Daniels’ advertisement?
| A．At London University. | B．In a newspaper |
| C．On the Internet. | D．On TV. |
Why did Li Hua write the Email?
| A．To make friends with Mrs Daniels. |
| B．To apply to study at London University. |
| C．To get more information about Mrs Daniels’ lessons. |
| D．To find out more information about Aston College. |
Which of the following information did Li Hua NOT mention in his email?
| A．His age |
| B．His reasons for learning English |
| C．His language level |
| D．The language skills he wants to focus on. |
Li Hua wants to take the lessons to improve his ______.
| A．listening and writing | B．writing and speaking |
| C．listening and grammar | D．listening and speaking |