Many American youngsters earn their own allowance（零花钱）by doing temporary jobs for their neighbors. Babysitting is one of the common of these jobs. Most couples do not have maids or relatives living with them, and they need to have someone watch the children if they want to go out.
Another way is by mowing lawn in summer and clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways in winter. Many people mow their own lawns，but often people prefer to give the job to a neighbor’s child. In winter, snow clearing from streets and highways is the government’s responsibility. Homeowners or tenants, however, must clear sidewalks and driveways. Since clearing snow is very tiring, many people prefer to hire teenagers for this job rather than do it themselves.
Besides, many American teenagers usually work two to three hours after school and all day on Saturday or Sunday at the local supermarket. They work as cashiers or stockroom clerks. Or they help customers carry things to their cars. Other favorite jobs are waiting on tables in restaurants or working part-time at stores or gas stations.
By earning their own allowance，teenagers acquire a feeling of independence and a sense of responsibility which prepares them for a productive life in society.What does “babysitting” mean in the first paragraph?
| A．Watching a baby when its parents are out. | B．Working as a maid. |
| C．Sitting with a baby. | D．Selling something. |
How do American youngsters earn their allowance? Which one is NOT one of the ways?
| A．By mowing lawn in summer. |
| B．By clearing snow from sidewalks and driveways in winter. |
| C．By working two to three hours after school and all day on Saturday or Sunday. |
| D．By doing some housework for the family. |
When it comes to clearing snow，what do many people like to do?
| A．Hire teenagers for this job rather than do it themselves |
| B．They do it themselves. |
| C．They hire their own children to do so |
| D．They don’t clean it at all. |
What is the advantage of youngsters earning allowance?
| A．They acquire a feeling of independence. |
| B．They acquire a sense of responsibility. |
| C．The actions prepare them for a productive life in society. |
| D．All of the above. |
Who will clear the snow on the streets?
| A．The inhabitants. | B．The neighbors |
| C．The government. | D．The police. |
In the computer age, most of us take a broadband（宽带）Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files（档案文件）download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.
There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs（郊区）, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.
But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.
Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.
Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.
| A．a rare challenge | B．a desirable plan |
| C．an efficient device | D．a hidden problem |
What can we know from the third paragraph?
| A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities. |
| B．Internet service providers care about rural（农村的）customers. |
| C．Computer is popular in developing countries. |
| D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas. |
Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.
| A．make TV and telephone available everywhere |
| B．bring great change to people’s everyday life |
| C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet |
| D．bring faster Internet connections to users |
What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?
| A．The broadband connection’s getting faster. |
| B．More and more Internet users. |
| C．more and more Internet connections. |
| D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology. |
When asked to point out one or two things that are most important to themselves, many put friends ahead of homes, jobs, cloth and cars.
A true friendship carries-a-long history of experience that determines who we are and keeps us connected. It is a treasure we should protect. Unfortunately, the better friends you are, the more probably you’ll have disagreements. And the result can be what you don’t want an end to the relationship.
The good news is that most troubled friendships can be mended First, don’t let your pride get in your way. Most of us can forgive each other when differences are brought out in the open . second, apologize when you’re wrong – even if you’ve been wronged. Over the course of a friendship, even the best people make mistakes. Sometimes, it may be best if the wronged person takes the lead and apologizes. When you apologize, give your friend a chance to admit that he has been wrong. Third, see things from your friend’s point of view. And finally, accept that friendships change as our needs and lifestyle change. Making friends can sometimes seem easy. The hard part is keeping the connections strong during the natural ups and downs that have an effect on all relationships . My suggestion: Consider friendship an honor and a gift , and worth the effort to treasure and nurture .What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Easy Ways to Make Friends |
| B．Ups and Downs in Friendship |
| C．How to Mend a Troubled Friendship |
| D．How to Take the Lead in Making Friends |
The “wronged person” underlined in the text refers to a person .
| A．who has been mistaken for another |
| B．who has been blamed unfairly |
| C．who has treated friends badly |
| D．who has admitted his mistakes |
According to the text a friendship can last long only if ．
| A．we have much in common |
| B．we know our friends’ mistakes |
| C．we treat our disagreements wisely |
| D．we have know one another for long |
What should we do if we follow the author’s second suggestion?
| A．Stick to our own prints of view |
| B．Avoid making mistakes |
| C．Make an apology first |
| D．Change our lifestyles |
Here are two letters in WORKWORRIES, a column（栏） in a newspaper:
From Amoretto's letter, we know that he __________.
| A．has been working for a long time | B．is likely a green hand |
| C．expects to change his job | D．is quite satisfied with the job. |
How can a man arrange his work-life balance according to Ariel?
| A．By taking a training course． | B．By asking people for advice． |
| C．By comparing with others． | D．Through his own work experience |
All of the following are advised byArial EXCEPT__________.
| A．understanding the terms before signing |
| B．working hard and efficiently |
| C．getting a better position |
| D．doing the job at least a year |
What does Ariel advise to do in the reply?
| A．Take the job offered． | B．Give up and find a new job． |
| C．Depend on your feeling． | D．Choose jobs with great care |
Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son's soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son's team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son's teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of "Kick it!" echoing（回响）across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted（爆发）. O'Donnel had scored!
Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome (唐氏综合症) and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.
The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, "I scored! I scored. Everybody won! Everybody won!" For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致礼）salute and started chanting, "Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!" Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal. Mike happily and everyone sent their wishes to him.
Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, "It was a tie. Everybody won."Which is the most correct description of the author’s too? He was/had.
| A．brave | B．honest | C．sympathy | D．pride |
The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “.”
| A．stare | B．silence | C．congratulation | D．noise |
After Mike scored, the author help his breath, because.
| A．Mike cheated everyone | B．everyone would accept the fact |
| C．the score was out of his expectation | D．his son might get angry with Mike |
We can infer from the passage that Mike.
| A．was cared about by his teammates |
| B．was hared by his own team |
| C．was corbarrassed when he realized the fast |
| D．was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams |
From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-confidence. Your level of self-confidence is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-confidence are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are mere victims. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success.People with low self-confidence are compared to leaves because they____________.
| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don't have the power to face their fate | D．can't control themselves in life |
Losers would think that ___________.
| A．success is the result of hard work |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck |
| D．they don't make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that ___________.
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as ____________.
| A．the proof of the author's points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title for the text? _______________.
| A．Success is a choice | B．The secrets of success |
| C．Develop our confidence | D．How to achieve success |