It does not matter who wins. We are told that from day one. Usually, that statement is followed by some remark about being a loser. If we do not care who wins, then why do we compete? Fun, experience, the chance to meet new people --- these are the reasons we try to outdo each other.
People will compete over anything. Every Christmas, my neighbors and I have a little Christmas light competition. It is heaven for the electric company, but I think we give Will Rogers Airport a scare. It is bright enough to land a plane in our front yards. I admit that last year my neighbors won, but only because they bought every strand of lights Wal-Mart had before I could get there.
Personal competitions are great, but we get a little carried away. I cannot stand to see coaches shout at kids playing sports. Who cares if someone messes up and the other team advances?
I’m tired of people competing just to win. It happens not only in sports, but in music competitions, too. People auditioning（试音）for chair placement in certain bands can get really unfriendly. This year I did not audition for a certain band, but I went to auditions anyway. This was the first time I actually had the opportunity to comprehend the whole picture.
Other times I’ve been the person who was nervous and anxious. This time, I sat back and observed everyone else. I came to the realization that the people who aren’t so good are terrified of the good people, and the good people are scared stiff that the bad people have taken lessons and can now show them up. Unless a person is on the outside looking in, I don’t think anyone realizes this.
Maybe competing is human nature, but we shouldn’t let it influence our judgment. Being disrespectful to opponents（对手）, letting competition become our life, and becoming so involved that we close ourselves off from friends and family is not the meaning of competition.
A little competition is healthy, so it shouldn’t hurt anyone. If it does, someone somewhere needs to back off, find the good thing hidden inside, and try it again. Winning isn’t everything, and losing isn’t the end of the world.The author mentions his competition with his neighbors to __________.
| A．make excuses for his failure |
| B．express his concern about the airport |
| C．imply his neighbor cheated in the competition |
| D．show people really care about the result of competition |
The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refers to ________.
| A．the rules of competition |
| B．competitors’ effort to win |
| C．the influence of competition on life |
| D．the negative attitude to competition |
From the passage, we can learn that _______.
| A．the author failed the audition |
| B．competitors may be unfriendly to each other |
| C．it is coaches who always mess up the match |
| D．those who observe opponents calmly always win |
Which of the following opinions does the author probably accept?
| A．Competition for the job is fierce. |
| B．Winning or losing is none of people’s concern. |
| C．Competition is healthy, but it can get out of hand. |
| D．The disadvantages of competition outweigh the benefits. |
On Nov.18,1995，Itzhak Perlman，the violinist，came on stage to give a concert.If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症) as a child，and so he walks with the aid of two crutches.
The audience sat quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair and begins his play.But this time，something went wrong.Just as he finished the first few bars，one of the strings on his violin broke.We thought that he would have to stop the concert.But he didn’t.Instead，he waited a moment，closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
Of course，anyone knows that it is impossible to play a pleasant work with just three strings.I know that，and you know that，but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.
When he finished，there was a breathtaking silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium.
He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow and then he said－not proudly，but in a quiet，holy attitude－“You know，sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”
This powerful line has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it.And who knows？Perhaps that is the meaning of life－not just for artists but for all of us.
So，perhaps our task in this fastchanging，puzzling world in which we live is to make music，at first with all that we have，and then，when that is no longer possible，to make music with what we have left.What made Itzhak Perlman’s performance at the concert special on Nov.18,1995?
| A．There were too many audience. |
| B．He was late for the stage. |
| C．He had a quarrel with the audience. |
| D．One string of the violin got broken. |
Why did Itzhak Perlman continue his playing after one string was broken?
| A．Because he was a person of self pride. |
| B．Because he thought the audience didn’t see that. |
| C．Because he decided to succeed with the broken violin. |
| D．Because he didn’t know that the string was broken. |
Why did the audience give heated claps to Itzhak Perlman?
| A．Because they were moved by his disease. |
| B．Because they were moved by his spirit. |
| C．Because they were laughing at his action. |
| D．Because they were encouraging him to cheer up. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．When you lose the most important thing. |
| B．How can you give it up easily. |
| C．Playing a violin with three strings. |
| D．Playing a violin by yourself. |
National Family Week－an event that encourages families to spend more time together－carried out a study among 8－15 yearolds.The study found 40% of girls thought Facebook was one of the most important things in their lives－compared with 6% of boys.Parents were found to underestimate (低估) the importance of Internet technology.
The role of social networking was particularly important in families with a single mother as parent.The survey was carried out last month and based on 3,000 parents and 1,000 children across the UK.
The survey shows that girls are using social networking as something central to their social and family life.Girls saw websites such as Facebook as much more influential (有影响力的) than television，magazines, famous people and even their own brothers and sisters.Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and MSN.
Girls are also more likely to believe that technology－in the form of social networking and mobile phones－plays an important role in their lives.While 41% of girls think technology is one of their biggest influences，only 17% of boys believe this.
Girls see their big influences as parents，teachers and technology，while boys choose parents，friends and school as their big influences.The survey says that parents have failed to keep up with their children’s use of technology，overestimating (高估) their own importance in their children’s lives.
The survey also looked at how children thought about their relationships with their parents.It found that both boys and girls would much rather have stories read to them by their mothers.However，girls felt closer to their fathers，while boys felt closer to their mothers.What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The study was carried out by the government. |
| B．The researchers studied more girls than boys. |
| C．Boys liked to surf the Internet more than girls. |
| D．Parents didn’t think the Internet was so important. |
How many people were included in the survey last month?
| A．1,000. | B．2,000. |
| C．3,000. | D．4,000. |
Which of the following is NOT among the three most important things for girls?
| A．Teachers. | B．Family. |
| C．Facebook and MSN. | D．Friends. |
According to the passage，the survey shows ________.
| A．girls felt closer to their mothers |
| B．children are better at using technology than their parents |
| C．televisions are much more influential in girls than magazines |
| D．more boys regard technology as one of the biggest influences than girls |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the journal of HealthandSocialBehavior shows that although love can make grownups live healthily and happily，it is a bad thing for young people.Puppy love (早恋) may bring trouble for young people and can cause depression (沮丧)．The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys，and young girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”．According to the study，even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic (浪漫的) relationship”，this “loss of self” is much more likely to cause depression when it happens to girls.Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions.They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr.Marianm Kaufman，who works on young people problems，says 15% to 20% of young people will have depression during their growing.Trying romance often causes the depression.She advises kids not to jump into romance too early.During growing up，it is important for young people to build strong friendship and a strong sense of self.She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends，attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for their children’s eating or mood changes.If they see some，they need to give help.The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age.Love will always make us feel young，but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
| B．Parents should agree to their children’s love. |
| C．Romance is a twoedged sword for grownups. |
| D．Romance is good for young people. |
Who are most likely to become depressed?
| A．Young people who have a strong sense of self. |
| B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
| C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
| D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
According to the passage，the author ________ puppy love.
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is not interested in | D．thinks highly of |
Dr.Marianm Kaufman does NOT suggest parents’encouraging their kids to ________.
| A．keep close to their friends |
| B．attend more interesting activities |
| C．chat more on line |
| D．spend more time with their family |
TheInventionofHugoCabret，by Brian Selznick，is a novel like no other.There are pages of exciting events and then suddenly，wait! A picture with tiny details，then a big picture that takes up the whole page－and the next page，and the next page，and the next！The pictures are actually telling the story.It’s like a book and a movie all in one.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Selznick about his unique novel.I wanted to know just how he came up with the concept of writing a novel that reads like a picture book.
“Because the book was so much about movies and the history of cinema，I also wanted to figure out how to make a book that was also like a movie，” Selznick said.
Writing and illustrating the book was a long and hard process，Selznick said.One of the challenges was figuring out what the story was really about and what happens to the main character，Hugo.Selznick also had to figure out how to make the narrative and the pictures work together to tell the story.
Working with pictures was natural for Selznick.He has actually spent most of his career as an illustrator and really considers himself more of an artist than a writer.
But sometimes figuring out what was going to happen in the story was not easy，he told me.He had no idea what the story was going to be about when he started writing.He didn’t know if it was going to be sad，adventurous，or exciting.For now，Selznick doesn’t plan on writing a sequel (续集) to the book，but he warns，“You can never say never.”TheInventionofHugoCabret is ________.
| A．a novel on which a popular movie has been based |
| B．a novel only using pictures explaining series of events |
| C．a book which tells children how to draw pictures |
| D．a book packed with pictures－a combination of words and drawings |
What does Brian Selznick think of writing the novel?
| A．Challenging. | B．Timesaving. |
| C．Adventurous. | D．Foolish. |
By saying “You can never say never”，Selznick means ________.
| A．it’s hard to say whether he will continue writing the book |
| B．it is such a difficult book that he won’t continue it |
| C．he will never give up writing a sequel to the book |
| D．he will never write a novel like TheInventionofHugoCabret |
It can be inferred that the text is ________.
| A．an introduction to an unusual novel |
| B．a summary record of an interview |
| C．a biography of the novelist Brian Selznick |
| D．an ad persuading kids into buying the novel |
Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school.Kids who complain about the number of activities they’re involved in or refuse to go to them may be a sign that they’re burdened with stress.
How can you help kids deal with stress? Proper rest and good nutrition can improve such skills，as can good parenting.Make time for your kids each day.Whether they need to talk or just be in the same room with you，make yourself available.
Even as kids get older，quality time is important.It’s really hard for some people to come home after work，get down on the floor，and play with their kids or just talk to them about their day－ especially if they’ve had a stressful day themselves.But expressing interest in your kids’days shows that they’re important to you.
Help your child deal with stress by talking about what may be causing it.Together，you can come up with a few solutions like cutting_back_on afterschool activities，spending more time talking with parents or teachers，developing an exercise habit，or keeping a journal.
You can also help by anticipating(期待) potentially stressful situations and preparing kids for them.For example，let a child know ahead of time (but not too far ahead of time) that a doctor’s appointment is coming up and talk about what will happen there.Keep in mind，though，that younger kids probably won’t need too much advance preparation.Too much information can cause more stressreassurance(放心) is the key.
Remember that some level of stress is normal; let kids know that it’s OK to feel angry，scared，lonely，or anxious and that other people share those feelings.The passage is mainly written for ________.
| A．parents | B．teachers |
| C．kids | D．doctors |
You can do the following to help reduce children’s stress EXCEPT ________.
| A．making yourself available |
| B．showing interest in kids’ days |
| C．reminding them some stress is OK |
| D．trying to offer more information |
The underlined “cutting back on” in the fourth paragraph probably means ________.
| A．reducing | B．increasing |
| C．creating | D．expecting |
The purpose of the passage is ________.
| A．to find out the sources of stress |
| B．to offer tips on dealing with stress |
| C．to give advice on how to relax |
| D．to explain why stress is harmful |