“Teenager” is the new term being used in the UK to describe kids at either 8—12 or 10—13 years old.
More and more companies are beginning to create products and services for teenagers. The Disney Company sells music and film to teenagers and their parents. You can get everything from lunchboxes and mobile phone covers, to monthly fan magazines and clothing. It’s all about sales, which suggests that teenagers must have more money, freedom and influence upon their parents than they’ve ever had before.
Most kids in the UK today get more pocket money than kids did ten years ago. Parents have more money to give their kids than before, since parents are having fewer children. In addition, the divorce（离婚） rate in the UK is continually rising and parents spend less time with their children than they used to, so many parents try to please their children by buying them presents. It’s a bad habit for both parents and kids to get into, but parents are under pressure from commercial marketing and the pleas（请求） of their children.
UK kids today are very media and computer-literate. A lot of kids have a TV, if not a computer, in their bedrooms. They have easy access to much more information about life and the world. They may have experienced a lot in life as well, since 24% of UK kids live in single-parent families, so people now say that “kids are getting older younger”. With such maturity (成熟)at such a young age, it’s no wonder teenagers are able to influence their parents and have more freedom than previous generations.
UK teenagers never used to be worried about spending money on clothes. That’s changed. Now, they are much more fashion(时尚) conscious and concerned about their image(形象). Many of them outgrow the bright colors and fashions of kids years ago and go for something darker and more rebellious(叛逆).
Surely none of the above is a good thing. The UK government is certainly concerned, and for that reason has strict laws preventing companies from marketing their products and services at children.Why are more products and services created for teenagers?
| A．Because companies are creating better products and services. |
| B．Because children education is becoming more important. |
| C．Because it is better to study music from an early age. |
| D．.Because children have more money to buy them. |
Kids today can get more money partly because ________.
| A．parents always accompany(陪) their kids |
| B．more parents divorce nowadays |
| C．parents have more expectation(期望) of kids |
| D．kids know how to make money |
Teenagers have more freedom due to the following facts EXCEPT that ________.
| A．they become mature at a younger age |
| B．they know more information than kids before |
| C．they have a lot of experience in life |
| D．parents can no longer influence them |
Which is true about kids in the past?
| A．They used to have more money to spend. |
| B．They couldn’t influence their parents. |
| C．They preferred to wear brighter clothes. |
| D．They looked older than their age. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To introduce a new phenomenon(现象). |
| B．To teach a new word “teenager”. |
| C．To warn parents to care about their kids. |
| D．To blame（责怪）today’s young people |
The National Outline for Medium and Long Term Education Reform and Development (2010 - 20) was released over the weekend. Here are some of the highlights:
Four – percent effort
The government says spending on education will be 4 percent of GDP by 2012. globally, average spending on education is about 4.5% of GDP. China spend 3,33% in 2008. according to Hu Angang, of Tsinghua University’s Center for China Studies, even if China reaches that goal, it will only rank about 100 th out of 188 countries.
Administrative rank
Administrative rankings for school leaders are to be phased out to tackle the bureaucracy (官僚机构) problem that limits educational development, according to Cheng Fangping, of the national Institute for Educational Research. Areas like teaching programs, scientific research, and technological development will be more independent.
Vocational Education
The system will be free of charge. According to Wu Yan, of Beijing Institute of Educational Sciences, this will be key to developing China’s production capacity and will improve poor people’s lives dramatically.
Entering college
Universities could eventually have the freedom to choose some of their own high school applicants. Normally, students are accepted based on the uniform national exam scores. Also, students who agree to go to a remote area could be admitted to university under special circumstances. The most likely change could come on the college entrance English test, which might be modeled on the IELTS or TOEFL. Students will be able to take it several times and pick their best score.
56．Which of the following is true in the future according to the passage?
| A．Applicants could take the IELTS or TOEFL instead of the college entrance English test. |
| B．Colleges will be given the right to choose all of their own applicants. |
| C．Vocational education will be party free to make people’s lives better. |
| D．Applicants could sit for the college entrance English test more than once. |
57．Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “uniform” in the last paragraph?
| A．formal | B．official | C．same | D．united |
58．We can learn from the passage even though our country spends 4% of GDP on education in 2012, .
| A．there will still be 188 countries ahead of China in this aspect |
| B．China will certainly overtake the global average spending on education |
| C．there might be nearly 100 countries ahead of China in this aspect |
| D．China will be the 100 th country to spend over the global average on education |
59．From the third paragraph, we can infer that .
| A．school leaders will have more freedom to manage the school |
| B．schools will have more limits from the government |
| C．School administrative rankings are to be strengthened to solve the bureaucracy problem |
| D．schools and research centers will be fully independent from the government |
When I was about 12,1 had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings．
Week by week her list grew: I was very thin; I wasn't a good student; I talked too much; I was too proud and so on．I came very angry．1 ran to my father with tears in my eyes．
He listened to me quietly, then he asked, "Are the things she said true or not? Jane, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion．Go and make a list of everything she said．and mark the points that are true．Pay no attention to the other things she said．"
I did as he told me．To my great surprise, I discovered that about half of the things were true．Some of them I couldn't change （like being very thin）, but a good number I co-aid and suddenly I wanted to change．For the first time I got a fairly clear picture of myself．
I brought the list back to Daddy．He refused to take it．"That's just for you," he said．"You know better than anyone else, the truth about yourself．But you have to learn to listen, not just closing your ears in anger and feeling hurt．When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you．Don't shut y
our ears．Listen to other people's opinions, but hear the tmth and do what you know is the right 'thing to do．"
Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important moments．In my life, I've
never had a better piece of advice．Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but a Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I've Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
What does "Week by week her list grew" mean?
| A．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious． |
| B．She had written down a list of my shortcomings arid kept on adding new ones to it, |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on． |
| D．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out． |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter's enemy said was mostly true． |
| B．Because he had teen so angry with his daughter's shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while． |
| C．Because he knew; that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment． |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth． |
What did the father:．do after he heard his daughter's complaint?
| A．He told her not．to．pay any attention to what her "enemy" had said． |
| B．He criticized （批评）her and told her to overcome her shortcomings． |
| C．He told her to write down all that her "enemy" had said about her and pay attention only to the things that were true． |
| D．He refused to take-the list and have a look at it． |
How Long Can People Live?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121at birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s record holder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150 or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it”
wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135," says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas．
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees．"People can live much longer than we think," he says．"Experts used to say that humans couldn't live past 110．When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120．So why can't we go higher? "
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it's all just guessing．"Anyone can make up a number," says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan．"Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine．"
Won't new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120．Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most．So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, "adding another 50 percent would get you to 120．"
So what can．we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington．"We can get flies to live 50 percent longer," he says．"But a fly's never going to live 150 years．" Of co
urse, if you became a new species, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds．
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化） their way to longer life? "It's pretty cool to think about," he says with．a smile．What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
| A．People can live to 122． |
| B．Old people are creative,, |
| C．Women are sporty at 85． |
| D．Women live longer than men． |
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, _____．
| A．the average human life span could be 110 |
| B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging |
| C．few people can expect to live to over 150 |
| D．researchers are not sure how long people can live |
Who would agree that a scientist, will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
| A．Jerry Shay． | B．Steve Austad | C．Rich Miler | D．George Martin |
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
A
．Most of us could be good at sports even at 150．
B．The average human life span cannot be doubled
C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before．
D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species
If you walk slowly though downtown Helsinki（赫尔辛基）during the day, taking in the splendid 19th century buildings, white boats and noise of passing trams（有轨电车）, you will start to understand why it is called a city of two colors: white and blue.
The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds creaming. When over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds creaming. When you take the tram, suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with a calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush about as in other cities. Instead, they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by.
A usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself 
in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it.
The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront （滨水区
）of the city after sunset, you couldn’t help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats.
However, in some way. Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores.Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its,
| A．19th century buildings, boats and parks |
| B．19th century buildings, boats and seabirds |
| C．old houses, parks and trams |
| D．old buildings, boats and the sea |
The best way to see most of Helsinki is to go.
| A．by boat | B．by bus | C．by tram | D．on foot |
The 19th century buildings, the white Glass Palace, popular cafes and design shops in Helsinki all show that Helsinki is.
| A．both splendid and dull | B．both quiet and noisy |
| C．both historical and modern | D．both old and new |
This passage is most likely to be found in.
| A．a story-book | B．a geography textbook |
| C．a research report | D．a travel magazine |
Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. Form the beginning, people may send the wrong signal（信号）. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize (强调) the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or caf6s rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment (多元文化环境) will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to _______.
| A．develop closer relations | B．share the same culture |
| C．get to know each other | D．keep each other company |
The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _________.
| A．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| B．too many words are of no use |
| C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| D．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?
| A．By sharing different ways of life. |
| B．By accepting different habits. |
| C．By recognizing different values. |
| D．By speaking each other’ s languages. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Multicultural Environment. | B．Cross-Cultural Differences. |
| C．How to Understand Each Other. | D．How to Build Up a Relationship. |