Ever since Stephanie’s 13th birthday we have been receiving comments from other adults expressing their sympathies because our daughter is now a teenager．We’ve heard everything from，“Sure she’s a good kid，but just wait，now that she’s teenager…”to the ever inspiring，“Well，all kids are rotten when they are teenagers，just try to go through it the best way you can．”What’s more upsetting is that many of these insensitive adults feel the need to share their negative predictions well within the hearing of both our daughters．
I know that teenagers can be moody（闷闷不乐）and difficult at times，but I’m 38 and I can also be difficult and moody．We worry about the future and want today’s kids to know that we care for them and that there are opportunities that wait for them．However, at the very point they set out on that journey toward adulthood we stand there watching them disapprovingly（不赞成），just waiting for them to make mistakes．“just like we knew they would．”We tell them to respect themselves and to say no to drugs，yet we fail to set a positive example by treating them with kindness and consideration，demonstrating（示范）our respect for them．
I have，at times been guilty of this behavior but am now realizing that the more I see each person as a person，the more I am pleasantly surprised in some way or another. For example，a few weeks ago my husband and I were having dinner at our favorite restaurant and two teenage boys came in and sat down right beside us．I must admit that my first thought was，“perfect，there goes our quiet, peaceful dinner．”I was so wrong! These young men were well behaved．quiet and left a nice tip for the waitress．Once I looked beyond the jeans so loose they were practically falling off and the multi-colored hair, I saw what fine people these kids were．
Many of the people who，perhaps unknowingly, treat teens with disrespect are unhappy about the fact that pop singers and sports stars are our children’s heroes. I feel that unless we give them something better to go after, we really shouldn’t complain．When their children reach their teens，parents usually expect_________．
| A．trouble | B．sympathy |
| C．congratulations | D．inspiring comments |
In the author’s opinion，the trouble with parents is that________．
| A．they are too watchful of their teenage children |
| B．they are too concerned about their children’s future |
| C．they fail to treat teenagers with enough kindness and respect |
| D．they speak ill of their children within their hearing |
When two teenagers came into the restaurant and sat beside the author, her first thought was that__________．
| A．they were wrong to have chosen this restaurant for dinner |
| B．something interesting was going to happen over dinner |
| C．her quiet dinner with her husband would be ruined |
| D．she and her husband were going to have a pleasant surprise |
What does the author think of the two teenage boys?
| A．They may become nice people if they are willing to change their lifestyle． |
| B．They are typical of teenagers who wear ill-fitting clothes and dye their hair． |
| C．They’re fine young men despite their loose jeans and multi-colored hair． |
| D．They will respect you if you respect them． |
Here is some information about several famous local bakeries(面包房) in Indiana, the US. They serve as a social gathering place for locals.
Maple Lane Bakery
At 8260 S. State Rd. Claypool, IN. (574) 566-2917, it offers a variety of cooked pies, cookies, and bread. With 20 years’ experience Maple Lane Bakery has specialized in the making of pies. The menu includes peach pie $7.19, berry pie $ 7.70, apple pie $7.19 and banana pie $6.99. Feel free to place an order at least 24 hours in advance.
Betty’s cakes & Candy Shop
At 816 E. Winona Avenue Warsaw, IN. (574) 269-1231, it specializes in cakes and offers cookies and candies. The chocolate cookies are sold at $ 8.99 a dozen. Betty’s cakes & Candy Shop, started half a century ago, specializes in wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Buying a cake from Betty’s will not disappoint you as they are always excellent.
Crepes’ Quality Bakery
At 217S. Cavin Street Ligonier, IN.(260) 894-3024, this third generation bakery is located downtown Ligonier. It offers cookies and cupcakes, and specializes in rolls and bread. If you plan to buy cookies for the office or work area, you had better get there early as the building workers arrive just before 5:00 am waiting for the doors to open.
Olympia Candy Kitchen
At 136N. Main Street Goshen, IN. (574) 533-5040, it has been welcoming visitors for almost a century in its unchanged location in downtown Goshen, Indiana. Its tradition began in 1912 when Greek Nicholas began making his own chocolates. Today this family-owned operation offers all kinds of candies and boxed candies. If you need an order, you should call ahead of time to see if they can meet your request.Which of the following pies is the most expensive?
| A．Berry pie. | B．Banana pie. | C．Apple pie. | D．Peach pie. |
If you want to order a birthday cake, you are advised to call ______.
| A．(574) 566-2917 | B．(574) 533-5040 |
| C．(260) 894-3024 | D．(574) 269-1231 |
Which of the following bakeries has the shortest history?
| A．Olympia Candy Kitchen | B．Crepes’ Quality Bakery |
| C．Maple Lane Bakery | D．Betty’s cakes & Candy Shop |
The author wrote this passage mainly to ______.
| A．warn customers to order bakeries in advance |
| B．make the bakeries better known to readers |
| C．tell readers some travel information |
| D．persuade more people to eat pies |
After my brother died in an accident, my mother was in deep sadness. I was only a four-year-old girl at the time, but I still understood the sudden shift in my mom’s attitude towards safety. Suddenly everything around us was potentially dangerous. Overnight, the world had gone from a playground to a dangerous zone. I grew up with a lot of limits and rules. I couldn’t walk home from school by myself, even though everyone I knew already did. I couldn’t go to summer camp because what if something happened to me?
As I got older, the list of things of fear got longer. My whole life was divided into “things you should avoid”, and “things you needed to do in order to have a good, long life.” I became a natural worrier. I worry about things like getting cancer, losing my wallet, car accidents, earthquakes, and losing my job — disasters big and small, real and imagined.
The funny part is that you’d never know it by looking at my life. In fact, I’ve developed a rule for myself: If it scares me, then I have to do it at least once. I’ve done lots of things that my mom would have worried about: I’ve ridden a motorcycle; I’ve traveled —a lot. I’ve performed stand-up comedy, and I’m planning my second wedding.
There’s something else I don’t usually talk about, but it’s a cornerstone in my belief: When I was 14, my mother died suddenly in a car accident. At my mom’s funeral I remember making a choice. I could either live out the rest of my life trying to be “safe” or I could be brave enough to live out a fulfilling, exciting and, yes, sometimes dangerous life.
I worry that I may have betrayed(背叛) my mother by writing her in this light, but she has been a driving force in my life and, in the end I think she would have been proud of me. Courage isn’t a natural character of human beings. I believe that using courage is like developing a muscle. The more often I do things that scare me or that make me uncomfortable, the more I realize that I can do a lot more than I originally thought I could do.
Even though I inherited (继承) my mother’s cautious nature. I’ve also come to believe that fear can be a good thing, if we face it. Believing that has made my world a less scary place. In the writer’s childhood, the limits and rules were used to ______.
| A．improve her behavior | B．develop her independence |
| C．be in memory of her dead brother | D．protect her from possible danger |
How does the writer deal with the things that frighten her?
| A．She just ignores them. | B．She faces up to them. |
| C．She turns to her mother for help. | D．She does them with her friends. |
From the passage, we can learn that ______.
| A．the writer failed in her first marriage |
| B．nothing can make the writer afraid now |
| C．frightening things made the writer lose her self-confidence |
| D．the writer’s mother felt annoyed with her |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Mothers influence their children much. |
| B．Fear is in fact not a bad thing. |
| C．Facing fear bravely produces courage. |
| D．The world is not as scary as people expect. |
In the past few years development in medical technology has made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are being developed every day to extend(延长) life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of(支持) these life extending measures, and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want to. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become terrible. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity (尊严) and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the argument goes on and on without a final answer.The best title for this passage is _____.
| A．The Right to Live | B．The Right to Die |
| C．The Doctor’s Duty | D．The Right to Live or Die |
In recent years, people can live longer than in the past. It’s because of __ .
| A．the development of medical technology |
| B．big hospitals |
| C．good doctors |
| D．both B and C |
According to some people whether a dying patient has the right to die or not is decided by _____ .
| A．the doctors |
| B．the head of the hospital |
| C．his or her family |
| D．the patient himself or herself |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Most of the medical workers join in the argument. |
| B．The argument has ended in favor of the patient. |
| C．The argument hasn’t ended yet. |
| D．The quality of life is not as important as life itself. |
If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi drivers for example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high-class Benz with a fare(车费) of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to drop you at any place, say that you have some business to attend to, and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver would not show the least sign of anxiety.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests, but also serve outside diners. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining rooms to have their meals. The most they would do to show their good faith is to wave their registration（登记） card to the waiter. With such a loose check, you can easily use any old registration card to take a couple of friends to dine free of charge.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. They are very much on their own as soon as they have agreed with the boss on the rate. From then on they just say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid accordingly.
With so many loopholes （漏洞） in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven to those who love to take “petty advantages”. But the strange thing is, all the taxi passengers would always come back to pay their fare after they have attended to their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms. And workers always give an honest account of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good faith in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman”.The underlined words in this passage means to “______”。
| A．be ready to help others |
| B．make good use of one’s friends |
| C．be a little ahead of others |
| D．gain something at other’s loss |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．While taking a taxi in Finland, you can get off without first paying your fare. |
| B．In a big hotel in Finland, you can enjoy free meals if you’re living in the hotel. |
| C．The bosses in Finland pay the employees according to registration of t heir working hours. |
| D．The workers are always honest with their working hours. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．the Finnish society is of very high moral (道德) level |
| B．there are many loopholes in everyday life in Finland |
| C．in Finland, most taxi drivers will not charge you anything |
| D．everyone in Finland is like a gentleman, for they have faith in themselves |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Life in Finland |
| B．A Society with “Foolish” People |
| C．What a Life |
| D．Honest accounts of the Finns |
People who are hit by lightning and survive often have long-term effects. These may include memory loss, sleep disorders, muscle pain and depression(郁闷).
Experts tell people to seek(寻找) the safety of a building or a hard-top vehicle any time they hear thunder, even if it is not raining. They say lightning can strike as far as sixteen kilometers from any rainfall. Lightning can travel sideways. And at least ten percent of lightning happens without any clouds overhead that you can see.
People who are outdoors should make sure they are not the tallest thing around. Bend(屈身) low to the ground, but do not lie down. And do not stand near a tree or any tall object. Get away from water and anything made of metal. A car is safe, but do not touch any metal inside.
Safety experts say people in buildings should stay away from anything with wires or pipes that lead to the outside. The National Weather Service says if you plan to disconnect any electronic equipment, do so before the storm arrives. Do not use a wired telephone. Do not use water. All these can carry electricity.
Some people think a person struck by lightning carries an electrical charge （电荷） afterward. Experts say this is not true. It is safe to begin emergency treatment.
Each year about four hundred people in the United States are struck by lightning. Last year forty four people died. The average(平均) is close to seventy. The National Weather Service says that is more than the number of people killed by severe storms. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Lightning can happen even if there is no cloud. |
| B．Lightning won’t do harm to people’s health. |
| C．Lightning can travel sideways. |
| D．Lightning can strike very far. |
The underlined word “disconnect” (in Paragraph 4) refers to “_______”.
| A．cut out | B．interrupt | C．disturb | D．cut off |
Which of the following mustn’t you do in order to seek lightning safety?
| A．Hide in a building. | B．Sit in a car. |
| C．Bend low to the ground. | D．Lie under a tall tree. |
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The latest information about lightning. |
| B．Some common knowledge about lightning safety. |
| C．How lightning comes into being. |
| D．Where we should hide in case of lightning. |