The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one number of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with me.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change. ”What is the popular image of the teenagers today?
| A．They worry about school. |
| B．They quarrel a lot with other family members. |
| C．They have to be locked in to avoid troubles. |
| D．They dislike living with their parents. |
Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents ____________.
| A．go to clubs more often with their children |
| B．are much stricter with their children |
| C．give their children more freedom |
| D．care less about their children’s life |
According to the writer, teenage rebellion __________.
| A．may be a false belief |
| B．is common nowadays |
| C．existed only in the 1960s |
| D．resulted from changes in families |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Negotiation in family. |
| B．Education in family. |
| C．Harmony in family. |
| D．Teenage trouble in family. |
Teaching a child to read at a young age gives him a valuable start in life. Reading is the basic part of education and a child’s reading ability will influence his school success greatly. Learning difficulties, many of which begin from poor reading skills, can damage a school child’s confidence and affect his future achievement. Young children are programmed to learn and they can learn better with encouragement. Ten to twenty minutes of reading a day still leaves plenty of time for play.
Many parents are concerned that learning to read is too challenging a task for a pre-school child, but they should also remember that most children learn to speak by the time they are 3. Learning a language is probably the single most challenging task any individual can undertake, yet children do it without formal instruction, achieving the fluency much better than adult language students.
There is a window of opportunity in terms of IQ development, which is most open during a child’s early years. A scientific study, carried out by Dr. Peter Huttenlocher at the University of Chicago, showed that the number of connectors, called synapses（神经元突触）, between the nerve endings in a newborn baby’s brain is similar to the number in the average adult brain. These synapses increase rapidly during early childhood. By 12-24 months a child’s brain has about 50% more synapses than the average adult brain. After that the synapses which are not in use begin to atrophy（衰退）. For most people, from age 16, the number remains steady. It begins to drop again as we move into our golden years. Doing intellectual activities at a young age, such as learning to read, can stimulate（刺激）and preserve these connectors in the brain resulting in a long-term beneficial（有益的）effect on IQ development.
Another notable study is probably the Milwaukee project. This study took a group of babies, all of whose mothers had low IQs, and gave them special training for seven hours a day, five days a week, until they started first grade. By the age of 6 these children had an average IQ 30 points higher than their contemporaries. The overwhelming conclusion is that the early intellectual stimulation can have a positive, long-term effect on a child’s brain development.
From birth you should talk to and explain things to your baby. Reading to him can be a wonderful way of spending quality time with your child. The enjoyment of books and being familiar with the idea of print will pave the way for（为……铺平道路）learning to read later.
If your child is a fast learner you can help him realize his potential by introducing him to the joy of the printed word at an early age. This will lay the foundations（基础）for both a high achieving school career and a lifelong love of reading. If your child shows early signs of reading difficulties, your efforts may help him get rid of such problems before he goes to school.
It can be difficult to teach your own child because emotional（引起情绪激动的）issues arise easily. Online programs for learning to read English are excellent options. They allow children to repeat new materials as many times as they need to, without wearing out the parents’ patience.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Children should be taught to read at an early age. |
| B．Children can read better than most adult students. |
| C．Children have more synapses than most adults. |
| D．Children are supposed to learn to read on the Internet. |
Why does the author mention the study by Dr. Peter Hutten locher?
| A．To remove parents’ worry. |
| B．To explain IQ development. |
| C．To explain how a baby’s brain works. |
| D．To show the parents’ wrong ideas. |
How can children benefit from learning to read at a young age?
| A．It can build up great confidence in their mind. |
| B．It can help preserve the connectors in their brains. |
| C．It can help produce more connectors in their brains. |
| D．It can help them find both their weaknesses and strengths. |
At the end of this passage the author advises _______.
| A．parents not to get angry too often |
| B．children to enjoy reading as early as possible |
| C．children not to wear out their parents’ patience |
| D．parents to get their children to take an online program |
If you're networking (建立人际关系) and nothing is happening, you might need to evaluate how you're doing it. Maybe you show up at each event and still feel challenged by the process. You aggressively talk to people, give out your cards, call endlessly to schedule an appointment but have no real success from your efforts. To help you gain a different future, here are ten habits you should avoid.
Ineffective networkers：
1. Lack patience. They expect immediate results and want business now, not tomorrow.
2. Constantly “selling” something. They see dollar signs every time they shake hands with someone.
3. Too many choices. If they offer a variety of products, they might try too hard to tell about all of them. Offering too much information sends a confusing message making it difficult for people to send referral (指点). Opportunities are all around us but when you're networking, only focus on one.
4. Change positions too often. If they move from company to company or do something totally different, it might be difficult for people to keep up with them.
5. Lack manners and respect. They interrupt others, talk with food in their mouth, aren't very polite and appear unprofessional. They call people during dinner or on the weekends without thinking whether the occasion is suitable.
6. Distribute too many cards and sales literature. They come while loading with brochures, flyers (传单), catalogues and samples.
7. Focus on themselves. Too much self promotion can leave the other person to feel unappreciated. Every sentence begins with “I” and is all about their business.
8. “Talking” instead of “giving”. They don't realize what other people sense when they are being very selfish. Others may think that they are being taken advantage of.
9. Lack authenticity (可靠性) and personal values. They may create unrealistic expectations and not deliver on their promises. Sometimes doing things without integrity (诚实) possibly twists the truth.
10. Poor communication and interpersonal skills. They have trouble speaking effectively, building relationships and following up.
Networking is a process that is an investment of time and money. If you find you're doing any of these habits, consider learning how to improve on these and maximize your results while networking. You'll start to get better at connecting with people and obtain more referrals.This passage is meant for people who ______.
| A．want to do more businesses |
| B．often take instead of giving |
| C．have poor communication and interpersonal skills |
| D．want to improve their interpersonal relationship |
According to the second habit, we shouldn't ______ when we are networking.
| A．sell things | B．talk about dollars |
| C．pay attention to money only | D．shake hands with everyone |
When talking with others, you should ______.
| A．give out your cards and brochures every now and then |
| B．talk about the quality of your product as much as possible |
| C．interrupt others when they make a mistake |
| D．let other people express themselves completely |
Which of the following is NOT correct about a salesman's behavior?
| A．He offers too much selfpromotion during the conversation. |
| B．He considers carefully when he can get what he expects. |
| C．He only focuses on one opportunity when networking. |
| D．He keeps his promises and doesn't expect too much from others. |
It's a name that needs no address.Everyone knows Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
So letters sent to Santa Claus find their way to the small town of the North Pole deep in Alaska，including those simply sent to Santa. Last year，120,000 letters arrived from 26 countries，not including the thousands with no return addresses.
Those who have return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark（邮戳） that has delighted children all over the world for many years. They feel happy to receive Santa's reply.
Letters arrive all the year around in the town of 1,600，where streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. Around Thanksgiving，they start getting there by the thousands each day as Christmas comes. Even letters without stamps get through，an exception（例外）for the U．S. Postal Service.
“This is special because it has Santa's name on it，”said Debra Cornelius，an officer at the main post office in nearby Fairbanks，where the letters are kept during the holiday.
Gabby Gaborik is among several dozen volunteers who are busy sending off replies to children who sent return addresses.
In his 10 years as a volunteer，Gaborik has seen every kind of wish. There are children who want the latest toys they see on TV. There are children who ask for miracles（奇迹），some wanting their mother back for Christmas or their father back from Iraq，even though he died there.
Replies get a North Pole postmark，including a halfmoon drawing of Santa's face. Even late letters get a reply，Gaborik said，“It says something like ‘Thanks for writing. Santa's been really busy，’anything the children might want to hear，”he said.Letters written to Santa Claus without an address can arrive at the North Pole because ______.
| A．all letters without an address are sent there |
| B．people believe that Santa Claus lives there |
| C．this kind of letter is sent with a special postmark |
| D．streets named Santa Claus Lane can be found there |
The underlined word “delighted” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “______”.
| A．excited | B．amazed | C．confused | D．disappointed |
We can know from the text that ______.
| A．letters written to Santa Claus are sent free |
| B．Santa Claus' replies to children always arrive at Christmas |
| C．many people write to children for Santa Claus asking for no pay |
| D．there're thousands of letters sent to Santa Claus every month |
What's the best title for the text?
| A．Letters written to parents |
| B．All kinds of wishes from children |
| C．Letters to Santa Claus rush into Alaska |
| D．North Pole，Alaska，a beautiful place |
Dear Mayor,
I would like to draw your attention to the depressing state of the environment in our city. Increased vehicles have made the air polluted. Citizens find it difficult to breathe. Dumping toxic chemicals into the river has polluted the drinking water and ground water.
All of us, as concerned citizens, have discussed these problems in various meetings. We have come up with the following proposals（提议）.
The green roads are no longer green. Many trees and bushes have been cut. We propose restricting the movement of vehicles. Besides, we should make it compulsory（强制性的）to use anti-pollution devices on all vehicles. We should also plant more plants and trees along roads.
The Bada Nadi River has become a dumping ground of toxic chemicals from some factories. These toxic chemicals have killed nearly all the life in the river and polluted our drinking water and ground water. We propose that the Bada Nadi River be declared a protected water body. All the dumping should be banned and heavy fine should be imposed on the offenders（违法者）. To tackle the problem of managing toxic waste, we propose setting up a water treatment plant so that only clean water is discharged into the river. Cleaning up the river and introducing various fishes and plants to the river will bring it back to life.
Lastly, the noise pollution caused by honking（鸣）horns and blaring loudspeakers has caused distress to one and all. Many people have suffered from noise-related illnesses. We propose a blanket ban on the use of loudspeakers. And“no horn zones”should also be declared in residential hospitals and school areas.
I would request you to seriously consider our proposals and act accordingly.
Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
A kind-hearted citizenThe author wrote this letter in order to ______.
| A．express his/her thanks to the mayor |
| B．complain about the environment |
| C．share his/her opinions about city life |
| D．make his/her suggestions on managing toxic waste |
In order to protect the Bada Nadi River, the author suggests _______.
| A．anti-pollution devices should be used on vehicles |
| B．planting more trees and bushes along roads |
| C．restricting the movement of vehicles |
| D．banning dumping dangerous chemicals into the river |
The underlined word “tackle”in the fourth paragraph means“_______”.
| A．put off | B．deal with |
| C．set up | D．turn down |
Kodak’s decision to file for bankruptcy (破产) protection is a sad, though not unexpected, turning point for a leading American corporation that pioneered consumer photography and dominated the film market for decades, but ultimately failed to adapt to the digital revolution.
Although many attribute Kodak’s downfall to “complacency (自满) ,” that explanation doesn’t acknowledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodak predicted that digital photography would overtake film (胶片) — and in fact, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 — but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its new discovery to focus on its traditional film business.
“It wasn’t that Kodak was blind to the future”, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.
Kodak is an example of a firm that was very much aware that they had to adapt, and spent a lot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a difficult time switching into new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets (资产) into the new businesses.
Although Kodak predicted the unavoidable rise of digital photography, its corporate (企业的) culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important to them. Now their history has become a liability.
Kodak’s downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the company commanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras. But the 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which undermined Kodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak’s decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid went instead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in the marketplace. What do we learn about Kodak?
| A．It went bankrupt all of a sudden. |
| B．It is approaching its downfall. |
| C．It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry. |
| D．It is playing a dominant role in the film market. |
Why does the author mention Kodak’s invention of the first digital camera?
| A．To show its early attempt to reinvent itself. |
| B．To show its effort to overcome complacency. |
| C．To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution. |
| D．To show its will to compete with Japan’s Fuji photo. |
Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?
| A．They find it costly to give up their existing assets. |
| B．They tend to be slow in confronting new challenges. |
| C．They are unwilling to invest in new technology. |
| D．They are deeply stuck in their glorious past. |
What does the author say Kodak’s history has become?
| A．A burden. | B．A mirror. | C．A joke. | D．A challenge. |