When I was 13, my bedroom walls were covered with posters of the Monkees and Beatles. I wrote fan letters and daydreamed about meeting the objects of my affections. I begged my parents to attend every rock concert and watch every TV show featuring my favorite celebrities (名人) ; my friends and I discussed for hours all the things we would say and do when we met our favorite movie stars and pop singers. I drove my mother crazy! But after a few years, my obsession (迷恋) stars faded as I matured and gained the confidence to socialize with "real" boys.
In the 35 years since I was a teenager, celebrity worship (崇拜) has increased among teens due to the explosion of television celebrity gossip shows, and instant access to celebrity news on the Internet. It's no wonder that many teens are obsessed with stars when news programs often are filled with entertainment stories and the lives of celebrities.
Celebrity worship syndrome (综合征) is now considered a personality disorder. While it is normal for teenagers to follow the lives of their favorite stars, parents should try to monitor everything their child finds interesting. Parents should take action if they suspect a teen is too obsessed with celebrities and showing little interest in school or withdrawing from the family. When teens talk a lot about celebrities and view them as just means of entertainment, this is considered normal celebrity worship. However, when a teenager is obsessed with a star and often expresses a desire to have a close personal relationship with a celebrity or feels they have a special connection to a star, this may be the time for concern.
Recent studies have shown that teens who develop an unhealthy obsession with celebrities often suffer from low self confidence and depression. Teens who are overly obsessed with stars often have damaged relationships with their parents.We learn from the second paragraph that ____.
| A．teens today are not so obsessed with celebrities |
| B．the author is surprised at celebrity worship |
| C．the media greatly contributes to celebrity worship today |
| D．celebrities expose their lives too much |
Parents should become concerned when their children ____.
| A．talk a lot about celebrities with others |
| B．put up celebrity posters in their bedrooms |
| C．ask to go to their favorite star's concert |
| D．desire a close personal relationship with their favorite star |
The last paragraph implies that ____.
| A．parents should not care too much about a child's celebrity worship |
| B．children can normally get out of celebrity worship when they are older |
| C．children with celebrity worship usually have high opinion of themselves |
| D．celebrity worship syndrome can be a serious problem if left overlooked |
What is most likely to be talked about in the paragraph following the passage?
| A．The harm of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| B．What to do with children's celebrity worship syndrome. |
| C．More signs of celebrity worship syndrome. |
| D．Who will suffer most from celebrity worship syndrome. |
Two years ago ,Hannah Mighall ,then 13, survived a great white shark attack on Tasmania’s north-east coast, but despite the terrible scars ,the shy yet courageous teenager is determined to get back into the water.
It’s been a long journey back for the brave girl, whose life was changed forever as she was on her surfboard 60 metres offshore at Binalong, Bay ,Tasmania.
Her cousin ,32-yeaf-old syb Mundy ,was surfing nearby, “Suddenly, everything went quiet ,”Hannah ,now15,recalls of the day she almost lost her life, “I look down into the water and noticed a dark shadow under my board I knew instantly it was a shark.”
As Syb watched in horror, the five-metre shark put hundreds of sharp teeth onto Hannah’s right leg,throwing her from her board, “I was attached to my leg-rope as the shark stared to pull me under the water”,She shakes, “I was lying on my back with one leg under the shark’s body and the other still in its jaws.”
Syb desperately punched (猛击)the shark’s nose and reached out to grab Hannah as the monster bit a huge chunk（大块）from the surfboard, “I was still attached to my board and was dragged back under the water again,”she says ,When she came up for air, Hannah dog paddled(爬泳)to Syb’s board and he dragged her from the water to lie on his back ,”We looked down and saw the shark circling beneath us,”Hannah says.
Hannah was rushed to the hospital by helicopter ,She needed more than 400 stitches(针)on her leg and spent two weeks in hospital.
Modest about her remarkable courage, Hannah owes her survival to Syb’s bravery and the fact that great whites,despite their reputation as man-eaters, typically don’t target humans ,After the attack ,Hannah earned the Sea Shepherd award for courage for speaking in defence of the shark “I was in his territory, she wasn’t in mine,”she smiles.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Courage Can Beat Any Difficulty |
| B．How to Escape from a Shark Attack |
| C．A Survival from a Shark Attack |
| D．Sharks Can Target Humans Sometimes |
What is the correct order of the following events happening to Hannah?
a、She was bit and pulled by the shark d、She was dragged from the water
b、She swam to Syb’s board e、She was pulled under the water again
c、She came up to take a breath f、She noticed the change of the things around her
| A．f,a,b,e,c,d | B．f,a,e,c,b,d | C．a,e,c,b,d,f | D．a,c,b,e,d,f |
From the passage, which statement is mentioned about Hanah?
| A．was so brave that this experience didn’t have any influence on her life |
| B．didn’t hesitate to get hack into the water to surf immediately she recovered |
| C．thought it is a common thing to be attacked by a shark in the ocean |
| D．didn’t blame the fact that sharks are known as man-eaters for her being attacked |
How was Hannah sent to the hospital.?
| A．She was went to the hospital by Syb |
| B．She was went to the hospital by local people |
| C．She was went to the hospital by helicopter |
| D．She was went to the hospital by the Sea Shepherb |
The reason why Hannah was awarded is that .
| A．She was brave to speak for the shark although she was severely injured by it |
| B．She successfully escaped from a dangerous situation because of her courage |
| C．She was courageous enough to go deep into sharks’territory and survived |
| D．She has been determined to go hack into the sea where there are sharks |
I had the meanest mother in the whole world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs or toast. While others had Cokes and candy for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’ too. But at least, I wasn’t alone in my sufferings. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and where we were going. She insisted if we said we’d be gone an hour, then we should be gone one hour or less -- not one hour and one minute. And she always insisted upon us telling the truth. Now you can see how mean she was.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine each night and up at eight the next morning. We couldn’t sleep till noon like our friends. So while they slept - my mother actually had the courage to break the Child Labor Law. She made us work. We had to wash dishes, make beds, and learn to cook. We had to wear clean clothes and take a bath every day. The other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money. I believe she laid awake at night thinking up mean things to do to us.
Through the years, things didn’t improve a bit. We could not lie in bed “sick” like our friends did, and miss school. Our marks in school had to live up to expectations. Our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, being as different as she was, would be satisfied with nothing less than ugly black marks.
As the years rolled by, first one and then the other of us was put to shame. We graduated from high school. With our mother behind us, talking, hitting and demanding respect, none of us was allowed the pleasure of being a drop-out.
My mother was a complete failure as a mother. Out of four children, a couple of us attained some higher education. None of us have ever been arrested or divorced. Each of my brothers served his time in the service of this country. She forced us to grow up into God-fearing, educated, honest adults. I am now trying to raise my three children. I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Why? Because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the whole world.The author’s mother wanted her children to _________.
| A．do their best at school and be educated and respected citizens |
| B．be top students in school and graduate with honors |
| C．stop seeing her friends who pretended to be sick to skip classes |
| D．bring home colored report cards like her friends did |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The author has a deep hatred for her mother. |
| B．The author’s mother set timetables for her children whenever they went out. |
| C．Some of the children weren’t able to go to college because of their mean mother. |
| D．As a parent, the author is following her mother’s example. |
It can be inferred from the passage that________.
| A．All the other kids at school studied better than the author. |
| B．The author worked hard and usually got good grades in studies. |
| C．Mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law. |
| D．The author’s family lived a miserable life. |
Our risk of cancer rises rapidly as we age. So it makes sense that the elderly should be routinely screened for new tumors (肿瘤) or doesn’t it?
While such tracking of cancer is a good thing in general, researchers are increasingly questioning whether all of this testing is necessary for the elderly. With the percentage of people over age 65 expected to nearly double by 2050, it s important to weigh the health benefits of screening against the risks and costs of routine testing.
In many cases, screening can lead to additional examinations and operations to remove cancer, which can cause side effects, while the cancers themselves may be slow-growing and may not cause serious health problems in patients’ remaining years. But the message that everyone must screen for cancer has become so ingrained (根深蒂固的) that when health care experts recommended that women under 50 and over 74 stop screening for breast cancer, it caused a noisy reaction among doctors, patients and social groups.
It’s hard to uproot deeply-held beliefs about cancer screening with scientific data. Certainly, there are people over age 75 who have had cancers detected by routine screening, and gained several extra years of life because of treatment. And clearly, people over age 75 who have other risk factors for cancer, such as a family history or previous personal experience with the disease, should continue to get screened regularly. But for the rest, the risk of cancer, while increased at the end of life, must be balanced with other factors like remaining life expectancy.
A recent study suggests that doctors start to make more objective decisions about who will truly benefit from screening—especially considering the explosion of the elderly.
It’s not an easy calculation to make, but one that makes sense for patients. Dr. Otis Brawley said, “Many doctors are ordering these tests purely to cover themselves from medical disputes. We need to think about the wise use of health care, which means making some difficult decisions with elderly patients, and going against the misguided belief that when it comes to health care, more is always better.”Routine cancer screening for the elderly people makes sense because ______.
| A．it is believed to contribute to a long life |
| B．it is part of their health care package |
| C．they are more sensitive about the health |
| D．they are in greater danger of tumor growth |
How do some researchers now look at routine cancer screening for the elderly?
| A．It adds too much to their medical bills. |
| B．They are doubtful about necessity. |
| C．It helps increase their life expectancy. |
| D．They think it does more harm than good. |
What is the traditional view about women screening for breast cancer?
| A．It is a must for adult women. |
| B．It applies to women over 50. |
| C．It is intended for young women. |
| D．It doesn’t apply to women over |
Why do many doctors advise routine screening for cancer?
| A．They want to take advantage of the medical care system. |
| B．They want to protect themselves against medical disputes. |
| C．They want data for medical research. |
| D．They want their patients to suffer less. |
What does the writer say is the general view about health care?
| A．Better care, longer life. |
| B．Prevention is better than cure. |
| C．Better early than late. |
| D．The more, the better. |
In the face of tragedy，you must of course let yourself feel: Cry without holding back, shake with fear, yell out in anger, accept and follow your feelings. This is part of the wise approach to tragedy: The Upward Path —the feeling of emotions, the acceptance of them, and the coupling of the emotional mind with wisdom. Along this path, you'll take the experience —no matter how sad or upsetting —as a learning event, just as a11 other points on your journey will prove to be. While tragic, you must recognize this is still a chance for all involved to grow. You should let both sadness and joy, fear and courage, dark and light fill your world, and learn to find your steady, calm center in the midst of the opposing forces. This is the Upward Path. Use the event as a chance to gain balance and discover wisdom —the wisdom of love and of letting go, of non-attachment and non-resistance, and using this experience to eventually help others in need of guidance.
Being able to relate to others who have also experienced tragedy and inspire in them hope — of recovery, and of moving forward —is perhaps the greatest gift you can receive from tragedy. Turn the negative into positive, the pain into connection. After you've taken appropriate time to be sad, to feel your own pain, you should make it your work，your goal, your purpose to connect with others who need help. Show them how you've experienced feelings, achieved
balance，and gained wisdom that you would never have otherwise had the chance to learn.
FEEL, but do not FEED on tragedy. Rather, let it inspire you to go beyond the person who you were before. With demise comes renewal, so let this loss be also your rebirth. No matter how hopeless it seems, no matter how difficult this becomes, you have the power to transform yourself into someone greater than you ever knew you could be.When following the Upward Path, the person facing tragedy should _______.
| A．free his emotions |
| B．hold back his feelings |
| C．fill his world with positive ideas |
| D．give in to tragedy and all opposing forces |
According to the author，the greatest gift one gets from tragedy is being able to _______.
| A．seek solutions from others |
| B．forgive others and move on |
| C．stay calm and resist change |
| D．understand and help others |
The purpose of the passage is to _______.
| A．analyze the causes of tragedy |
| B．suggest a way of dealing with tragedy |
| C．tell people how to prevent tragedy |
| D．encourage people to build friendship after tragedy |
Dear Mr. Watson,
CLAIM AL54323432–-STORM DAMAGE TO ROOF
I received a cheque for $623 dated 26 January in payment of my recent claim(索赔). However, I wish to tell you how upset I have been by the way your Claims Assessor, Mr. Michael Tan, handled this claim.
When Mr. Tan first called me, he specifically told me that he believed I had been overcharged, and he would expect to pay that price for work on a double garage, rather than a single garage like mine. Mr. Tan suggested that I neither use nor recommend this contractor again. He continued to tell me it was unlikely for me to receive full payment. Never during this conversation did he mention that the reason for not receiving full payment was because of the nature of my insurance policy.
Consequently, I wrote to Mr. Lance Ashe to complain about his pricing, stating that I was very upset thinking that he could have taken advantage by overcharging a 73-year-old woman. Mr. Ashe telephoned me immediately and explained his charges in detail. He later reported back to me that Mr. Tan explained that I would not receive full payment because of the type of policy I hold, which does not cover wear and tear. This was the first time this issue had been brought to my attention, so you can imagine my surprise.
When I received Mr. Tan’s letter of 2 February, this situation was explained. If this had been explained in the first place I would have accepted it and would not have questioned Mr. Ashe’s charges. Instead, by telling me initially that I had been overcharged for this work, he caused a great deal of upset, not only for me but also for Mr. Ashe.
I believed this claim was handled badly by Mr. Tan from the beginning. Therefore, a great deal of embarrassment has been caused over this issue.
I felt you should know how disappointed and upset I am. I trust you will look into this and ensure that such claims are handled more appropriately in the future.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs. RichardThe author writes this letter to ______.
| A．inform the manager of a payment |
| B．complain about a mishandled case |
| C．demand an apology from Mr. Watson |
| D．require the manager to fire Mr. Tan |
The underlined words “the contractor” in Para.2 refer to ______.
| A．Mr. Tan | B．Mrs. Richard | C．Mr. Ashe | D．Mr. Watson |
The author could not receive full payment because _______.
| A．her policy doesn’t cover some of the items |
| B．the contractor overcharged her for the work |
| C．Mr. Watson doesn’t take the matter seriously |
| D．she spent too much money fixing her garage |
We can learn from the passage that Mr. Tan works in a/an _______.
| A．welfare organization | B．nursing house |
| C．local affairs office | D．insurance company |