As we know, many teen celebrities(名人) feel and think that having a slimmer figure can do great good to them. But, does size really matter? Are teenage fans trying hard to become like their celebrity idols(偶像)? Do celebrities really have the power to influence people, especially teenagers?
For the longest time, many parents blame teen idols for influencing the way their kids act. Have you noticed how teens idolize the celebrities these days? Even, their personal affairs are being followed by kids these days. Take for example the case of Lindsay Lohan of Mary Kate Ashley. They are definitely famous teen stars. But, since they are trying to project an image to satisfy a lot of people in show business, their health and body suffer. Many kids are aware of this problem. But they are easily influenced by these celebrities to exercise and eat less.
It is a fact that the media, and especially famous teen celebrities, can influence people powerfully. But teenagers are easily influenced because teenage years are the period when our personality and identity developments take place. Teens watching TV shows and reading magazines are easily pulled into the dieting and harmful eating habits because the media have some ways to pull these acts. They use thin models and celebrities to endorse(做广告宣传) products or to star in an up-and –coming shows or movies. With fierce competition, celebrities are forced to eat less and do extreme exercise routines to get the roles or offers that come their way.
Living in today’s time and generation is a bit disturbing to a lot of parents. Media, especially as well as the celebrities, have a very powerful influence to drive teenagers to good or bad. It’s good that we can control ourselves to avoid bad things from happening. If not, parents should really be aware and guide their teens to determine what’s in ad what’s out.From the passage we can find Lindsay Lohan .
| A．lives an unhealthy lifestyle |
| B．lives a rich and happy life |
| C．doesn’t get any exercise |
| D．sets a good example for teenagers |
According to the writer, why are teenagers easily influenced by some TV shows?
| A．They are tired of school. |
| B．Their celebrity idols appear in many TV shows. |
| C．They’re in their development period. |
| D．They have nothing to do in their spare time |
Many celebrities have to be on diet .
| A．to keep healthy to face competition |
| B．to survive under pressure |
| C．to keep a slim size |
| D．to satisfy their teenage fans |
What’s the title of the passage?
| A．Parents’ responsibilities. |
| B．Advice on self-control. |
| C．Bad influences of celebrities. |
| D．Media’s bad influences. |
Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place.Around 1870，it was experiencing an economic(经济的)boom，and the capital，Buenos Aires，attracted many people.Farmers，as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy，came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs.These jobs didn’t pay well，and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city.As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city，the dance known as the tango(探戈舞)came into being.
At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes.It was danced in the bars and streets.At that time there were many fewer women than men，so if a man didn’t want to be left out，his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women.Gradually，the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.
In Europe at this time，strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning.This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris.Every kind of dance from ballet(芭蕾舞)to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters.After tango dancers from Argentina arrived in Europe，they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes.Though not everyone approved of the new dance，saying it was a little too shocking，the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.
The popularity(流行)of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world.Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America.It reached Japan in 1926，and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act as a kind of dance ambassador，and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea.The origin of the tango is associated with________.
| A．belly dancers |
| B．American soldiers |
| C．a Spanish city |
| D．the capital of Argentina |
Which of the following is true about the tango?
| A．It was created by foreigners from Spain and Italy. |
| B．People of the upper classes loved the tango most. |
| C．It was often danced by two males in the beginning. |
| D．A dancer in Seoul became the Argentinean ambassador. |
Before World War I，the tango spread to________.
| A．America | B．Japan |
| C．France | D．South Korea |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Dance the Tango |
| B．The History of the Tango |
| C．How to Promote the Tango |
| D．The Modern Tango Boom |
We’ve reached a strange－some would say unusual－point.While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO)，more people now die from being overweight，or say，from being extremely fat，than from being underweight.It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.
Worse，nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight.What’s going on?
We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems.The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by publichealth campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.
In the 1970s，Finland，for example，had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause.Not any more.A publichealth campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005，and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body.That has become a sort of fashion.No wonder it ranks as the world’s most bodyconscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter.By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise.More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food.They say：it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat.Still others lay the blame on the Americans，complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much Americanstyle fast food.
Some also blame their parents－their genes.But unfortunately，the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape，or rather slim.
It’s a similar story around the world，although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight.Parents are eager to see their kids shape up.Do as I say－not as I do.What is the“strange”point mentioned in the first sentence?
| A．The good life is a greater risk than the bad life. |
| B．Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world. |
| C．WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety. |
| D．Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts. |
Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?
| A．A lot of effective diet pills are available. |
| B．Body image has nothing to do with good food. |
| C．They have been made fully aware of its dangers. |
| D．There are too many overweight people in the world. |
．The example of Finland is used to illustrate________.
| A．the cause of heart disease |
| B．the fashion of body shaping |
| C．the effectiveness of a campaign |
| D．the history of a bodyconscious country |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Actions or Excuses? |
| B．Overweight or Underweight? |
| C．WHO in a Dilemma |
| D．No Longer Dying of Hunger |
In my living room，there is a plaque (匾) that advises me to“Bloom (开花) where you are planted.” It reminds me of Dorothy.I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s，when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville，Kentucky.The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program.Dorothy stands out in my memory as one who“bloomed”in her remote area.
Dorothy taught in a school in Harlan County，Kentucky，Appalachian Mountain area.To get to her school from the town of Harlan，I followed a road winding around the mountain.In the eightmile journey，I crossed the same railroad track five times，giving the possibility of getting caught by the same train five times.Rather than feeling excited by this drive through the mountains，I found it depressing.The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.
From the moment of my arrival at the little school，all gloom (忧郁) disappeared.Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom.I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen.The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects.Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread for“dinner”(lunch)．In case you don’t know，poke greens are a weedtype plant that grows wild，especially on poor ground.
Dorothy never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students.Her enthusiasm never cooled down.When it came time to sit for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification，Dorothy was ready.She came to the assessment and passed in all areas.Afterward，she invited me to the oneandonly steak house in the area to celebrate her victory，as if she had received her Ph.D.degree.After the meal，she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand.She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝)，but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be matched with things.“Early Childhood Development”in Paragraph 1 refers to________.
| A．a program directed by Dorothy |
| B．a course given by the author |
| C．an activity held by the students |
| D．an organization sponsored by Union college |
In the journey，the author was most disappointed at seeing________.
| A．the long track |
| B．the poor houses |
| C．the same train |
| D．the winding road |
Upon arriving at the classroom，the author was cheered up by________.
| A．a warm welcome |
| B．the sight of poke greens |
| C．Dorothy’s latest projects |
| D．a big dinner made for her |
What can we know about Dorothy from the last paragraph?
A．She was invited to a celebration at a restaurant.
B．She got a pen as a gift from the author.
C．She passed the required assessment.
D．She received her Ph.D.degree.What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Whatever you do，you must do it carefully. |
| B．Whoever you are，you deserve equal treatment. |
| C．However poor you are，you have the right to education. |
| D．Wherever you are，you can accomplish your achievement. |
Going green seems to be a fad(时尚)for a lot of people these days.Whether that is good or bad，we can’t really say，but for the two of us，going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22,2011，we decided to go green every single day for an entire year.This meant doing 365 different green things，and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things.Rather than recycle and reduce our energy，we had to think of 365 different green things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day for a year，Our Green Year started.My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all the green things that could be done to help the environment.We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year，we completely changed our lifestyles.We now shop at organic(有机的)stores.We consume less meat，choosing green food.We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need.We have given away half of what we owned through websites.Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice，with no chemical cleaners.We make our own butter，enjoying the smell of homemade fresh bread.In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year.We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others.We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planet.What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Going Green |
| B．Protecting the Planet |
| C．Keeping OpenMinded |
| D．Celebrating Our Green Year |
It was difficult for the couple to live a green life for the whole year because________.
| A．they were expected to follow the green fad |
| B．they didn’t know how to educate other people |
| C．they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
| D．they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
What did the couple do over the course of Our Green Year?
| A．They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
| B．They ignored others’ ungreen behavior. |
| C．They chose better chemical cleaners. |
| D．They sold their homemade food. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The government will give support to the green project. |
| B．The couple may continue their project in the future. |
| C．Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. |
| D．Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family，and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck.I’m not going to say luck，talent，and circumstances don’t come into play because they do.Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence，and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However，to succeed in life，one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical.And，in addition to that，in order to get really good at something，one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practising.To become great at certain things，it’ll require even more time，time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love.If you don’t enjoy what you do，it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success，you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost.It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent，but thinking that way does you no good，and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do，if you want to become great at it，you need to work day in and day out，almost to the point of addiction，and over a long period of time.If you’re not willing to put in the time and work，don’t expect to receive any rewards.Consistent，hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want，but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about________.
| A．the reasons for success |
| B．the meaning of success |
| C．the standards of success |
| D．the importance of success |
In Paragraph 2，the underlined word that refers to________.
| A．being good at something |
| B．setting a practical goal |
| C．putting in more time |
| D．succeeding in life |
Successful people suggest doing what one loves because________.
| A．work makes one feel pain |
| B．one tends to enjoy his work |
| C．one gives up his work easily |
| D．it takes a lot of time to succeed |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Successful people like to show their great skills. |
| B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. |
| C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life. |
| D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. |
What is the main theme of the passage?
| A．Having a goal is vital to success. |
| B．Being good is different from being great. |
| C．One cannot succeed without time and practice. |
| D．Luck，talent and family help to achieve success. |