I was very sympathetic with world leaders burdened with resolving conflicts between nations. When my three children were young, in most days it was hard to keep my house from becoming a war zone. It got worse as they grew older. Three years ago, Zack, then 16, couldn’t make it through a day without playing tricks on his sisters, Alex and Taryn, then 11 and 9.
My husband and I tried to understand his adolescent moodiness. We begged, reasoned, punished, and left heartfelt notes on his bed about how his behavior was hurting our family. His response was a shrug and “I say it because it’s true”.
I even tried telling the girls to fight back. But it was a bad idea. Now I had three kids at war. At wit’s end, I poured my heart out to my sister in an e-mail. She wrote back, “Don’t e-mail me. E-mail him.”
Our son was online every day, mailing and instantly messaging his friends. So what if I was within shouting distance? Maybe he would actually hear me this way. There’d be no yelling or door slamming（猛然关闭）. Zack wouldn’t feel under attack. And with a few simple keystrokes, he could respond. Or not. Zack didn’t reply for days. When he finally did, his entire message was four words. I expected the worst, but then smiled when I read them, ”You are right. I’m sorry.” The kids still fought, of course, but Zack scaled back the abuse (恶习). Best of all, I now have an effective way to communicate with not one but three easily annoyed teens. They don’t tune me out as much. They don’t like to listen to me nag (唠叨) .Or as Alex says, “You’re so much nicer online.”
All I know is that the house is quiet, and we’re talking. In fact, Taryn just instantly messaged me from upstairs. It’s time to take her to softball practice.The purpose of this passage is to tell us _________ .
| A．how to solve family problems |
| B．how a mother shows her love to her children |
| C．how to treat kids in a more sensible way |
| D．the value of understanding between parents and children |
By the first sentence of the passage, the author really means to be_______.
| A．humourous | B．sympathetic | C．serious | D．inspiring |
How did Zack react when the author first tried to stop his bad behavior？
| A．He was annoyed and got worse. |
| B．He talked back to the author. |
| C．He felt sorry and changed. |
| D．He was persuaded and acted politely. |
Zack stopped fighting with his sisters because _________ .
| A．his mother learned how to mail him |
| B．his mother stopped yelling and nagging |
| C．his sisters learned to instantly message him |
| D．his mother had more friendly communications with him online |
I’ve been writing for most of my life. The book Writing Without Teachers introduced me to one distinction(区别)and one practice that has helped my writing processes tremendously. The distinction is between the creative mind and the critical mind. While you need to employ both to get to a finished result, they cannot work in parallel no matter how much we might like to think so.
Trying to criticize writing on the fly is possibly the single greatest barrier to writing that most of us encounter. If you are listening to that 5th grade English teacher correct your grammar while you are trying to capture a fleeting (稍纵即逝的) thought, the thought will die. If you capture the fleeting thought and simply share it with the world in raw form, no one is likely to understand. You must learn to create first and then criticize if you want to make writing the tool for thinking that it is.
The practice that can help you past your learned bad habits of trying to edit as you write is what Elbow calls “free writing.” In free writing, the objective is to get words down on paper non-stop, usually for 15-20 minutes. No stopping, no going back, no criticizing. The goal is to get the words flowing. As the words begin to flow, the ideas will come from the shadows and let themselves be captured on your notepad or your screen.
Now you have raw materials that you can begin to work with using the critical mind that you’ve persuaded to sit on the side and watch quietly. Most likely, you will believe that this will take more time than you actually have and you will end up staring blankly at the pages as the deadline draws near.
Instead of staring at a blank start filling it with words no matter how bad. Halfway through your available time, stop and rework your raw writing into something closer to finished product. Move back and forth until you run out of time and the final result will most likely be far better than your current practices.When the author says the creative mind and the critical mind “cannot work in parallel” in the writing process, he means .
| A．one cannot use them at the same time | B．they cannot be regarded as equally important |
| C．they are in constant conflict with each other | D．no one can be both creative and critical |
What prevents people from writing on is .
| A．putting their ideas in raw form | B．ignoring grammatical soundness |
| C．attempting to edit as they write | D．trying to capture fleeting thoughts |
What is the chief objective of the first stage of writing?
| A．To organize one’s thoughts logically. | B．To get one’s ideas down. |
| C．To choose an appropriate topic. | D．To collect raw materials. |
One common concern of writers about “free writing” is that .
| A．it overstresses the role of the creative mind | B．it does not help them to think clearly |
| C．it may bring about too much criticism | D．it takes too much time to edit afterwards |
In what way does the critical mind help the writer in the writing process?
| A．It allows him to sit on the side and observe. | B．It helps him to come up with new ideas. |
| C．It saves the writing time available to him. | D．It improves his writing into better shape. |
Many people take it for granted that black is a color of bad things while white should always mean something good. This may be because, in their opinion, black is related to darkness and white to purity. However, that is not always the case. Did you know that the same colour may mean differently in different places of the world?
In the English-speaking world, black is the colour of mourning. People wear black clothes at the funeral. Red is concerned with danger or bloodshed (流血). Yellow is the word for fear. If you are afraid, you are yellow. Yet none of these sayings is true outside the English-speaking world. In China and Korea white is the colour of mourning. In Russia, China and some other countries, red stands for beauty, life and excellence. In Italy and Germany, you are yellow with anger, not with fear.
Even within the English-speaking area it is not difficult to find colour contradictions. A redcap in the United States is a porter in a railway station. In Britain, however, a redcap is a military policeman. Both names are logical because both men wear red caps. Similarly, the British term for an American white collar worker is sometimes called a black-coated worker.
One does not have to cross an area to find colour differences. Would you rather be red-blooded? If we go back to the origin
, we find that both terms are logical as both names suggest. The expression "blueblood" comes from Spain, where some noble families 
proudly said that they had "blue blood". But then why "blue" blood? Because they were fairskinned, and it is only natural that their blood vessels (血管) stood out appearing blue.Yellow is concerned with anger in .
| A．Russia | B．China | C．Britain | D．Germany |
The two meanings of the term "redcap" form a difference in .
| A．pronunciation | B．logical relationship | C． custom | D．climate |
Both Britain and America would probably agree that .
| A．a black-coated worker is employed in an office | B．black is the color of mourning |
| C．red stands for beauty and excellence | D．a redcap is a porter in a station |
The best title for this passage is
| A．The Development of the Symbolic use of Colors | B．The Meaning Concerned With Certain Colors |
| C．Colors that Carry Bad Meanings | D．The Origin of Blue Blood. |
When some Spanish called themselves “blueblood”, they actually meant.
| A．they came from a noble family | B．their faces looked blue |
| C．they had blue blood in their vessels | D．they were fairskinned |
There were quite a lot of things that the philosophers of the old times got right and one of those things was that there is a very strong need for lawyers and government in a society. The government looks to protect and help you in times of need and the lawyers are there to fight for your case if you a
re treated unfairly. Just like then, there is still a need for government to help people when they need help now in today’s world. This sort of help can come from when people need social security benefits because they become disabled after some sort of accident.
If you have become disabled in recent days, then you certainly have rights go to find out whether you are qualified to receive the social security disability benefits. The social security disability is for those who have become disabled or are disabled due to some sort of accident that may have happened and that forces you to be out of work. This can be very frustrating because being out of work means that you cannot make money that you need in order to provide for yourself and those you are possible taking care of. This is where the government comes into play. The government will help you out with this and possibly give you money in order to keep yourself from ending up on the streets.
They understand that accidents do happen and that there needs to be some sort of help for those who get into accidents and cannot provide for themselves. If you are sure that you have a disability, get in touch with the social security department for more information. Meyers Law Firm can help you get the social security disability benefits you have rights to gain.This passage talks mainly about.
| A．suggestions for you to contact related department | B．the disabled need protection from lawyers. |
| C．how you ask for help when having an accident | D．the government helps the disabled people |
If you are disabled the author suggests you.
| A．find out whether you can get the money | B．go to the related department to treat |
| C．ask your family members to give a hand | D．provide evidence for the social department |
When having an accident and becoming disabled people need to .
| A．ask the lawyers for help | B．turn to the government for help |
| C．fight for their benefits | D．seeking money from the accident |
What does the underlined part mean in the 2nd paragraph?
| A．Make you homeless. | B．Get you to live a happier life. |
| C．Stop you wandering in the street. | D．End your poor life. |
The social security disability is given to those who.
| A．are out of work making no money | B．have a deadly illness in the hospital |
| C．become disabled after an accident | D．have the disabled in their family |
Americans All
Type: Musical Running Time: 50 Minutes
This is a musical play set in a high school classroom that will teach you the importance of staying in school. This fun and entertaining musical experience will appeal to anyone. It has a positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents. Almost all of the roles can be played either by males or females. The dialogue teaches values, ethics and how to be the best you can be. The lyrics (歌词) and music flow non-stop with piano accompaniment (伴奏).
A Mother in My Head
Type: Short Play Running Time: 45 Minutes
Where does motherly advice and direction begin and where does it end? Or does it ever end? This fast-paced play follows the lives of two young people as they begin their careers, meet, and fall in love, each coached in every step of the way by the "mothers in their heads". The on-stage presence of the mothers provides an interaction (相互交流) between characters that is thoroughly enjoyable.
One of Our Clowns Is Missing
Type: Short Play Running Time: 30 Minutes
Adapted from the full-length play One of Our Clowns Is Missing by Robert Frankel, this play will bring the audience to cheers, tears, and applause. Sandy lacks self-esteem (自尊), but after meeting a group of characters that turn her life around, she regains her confidence and makes a new start.
My Fed Ex Christmas Request
Type: Short Play Running Time: 10 Minutes
Nicky is naughty every year so instead of getting toys under his Christmas tree, Santa has been leaving him a lump (块) of coal in his stocking year after year. Well, Nicky has finally had it with being labeled as naughty by Santa and decides to pack himself in a FedEx box and ship it to the North Pole. He’s going to defend his case face to face with Santa. This comedy shows us what happens when Nicky decides he’s not going to take it anymore!To encourage their children to stay in school, parents should take their children to see __________.
| A．Americans All | B．A Mother in My Head |
| C．One of Our Clowns Is Missing | D．My Fed Ex Christmas Request |
A Mother in My Head___________________.
| A．teaches young women how to be good mothers |
| B．advises mothers to care more about their children |
| C．shows mothers’ influence on young people’s lives |
| D．encourages young people to live with their mothers |
Which of the following can inspire people to gain more self-confidence?
| A．A Mother in My Head. | B．Americans All. |
| C．My FedEx Christmas Request. | D．One of Our Clowns Is Missing. |
An inventor seeks to create a new product that serves a specific need and fulfills a role that other products do not. Sometimes an inventor comes up with a wholly new idea, but more often inventions are simply improvements on an older design. With a little imagination and creativity (创造力), an old idea can suddenly become something new.
However, creating a new invention means much more than having a brilliant idea. A good designer follows the design process: identifying the challenge, researching and brainstorming ideas(集思广益), designing a solution, testing and evaluating the ideas, and finally building the product. Designers also use science, math, technology, and engineering to design a tool that satisfies the need they identified.
Anyone can be an inventor —even kids! For example, Chester Greenwood was just fifteen years old when he invented a product that changed his life. In fact, his idea was so good that his invention supported him for the rest of his life. You may not know his name, but you probably know his invention —earmuffs (保暖耳罩)!
The inspiration for his earmuff design came to Chester when he was ice-skating. His ears were cold, and he decided to find a way to keep them warm. With the help of his grandmother, he made a new product to protect his ears and at the age of eighteen, Chester patented his earmuff design.
Many other famous inventors started young as well. Margaret Knight —the inventor of the flat-bottomed brown paper bag —is said to have created a safety device for textile looms(织布机) when she was just twelve years old. Another example is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, who applied for his first patent when he was just twenty-one years old. Over the course of his life, Thomas Edison patented a total of 1,093 inventions! In most cases, an invention ________ according to the first paragraph.
| A．comes from a complete new idea |
| B．is usually based on an old product or idea |
| C．will change its creator’s life completely |
| D．is created by scientists in different fields |
The second paragraph mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．the difficulty in making a new invention |
| B．the common steps of creating new things |
| C．having a good idea is the key to creation |
| D．designing a tool is the first step in inventing |
The example of Chester Greenwood is used to show that ________.
| A．children can also invent something |
| B．it is easy even for children to make inventions |
| C．kids have more advantages in inventing things |
| D．to be an inventor is the best way to change one’s life |
At first Chester designed his earmuffs in order to ________.
| A．protect his ears while ice-skating |
| B．earn money to support his poor family |
| C．realize his dream of becoming an inventor |
| D．make himself look fashionable while ice-skating |