I used to hate my mother because she worked a lot and didn’t spend much time with me. Then one Friday morning I took part in a three-day self-help program for teenagers. Whether you believe it or not, that weekend changed my life.
About 100 other teenagers were there. During the first two days I met a lot of great people. I was glad because I made so many friends there.
On Sunday, the leader did an interesting exercise called “Chocolate or Toys”. He asked a girl which she liked better, chocolate or toys. She chose chocolate. Then he asked her to choose again between chocolate and chocolate. Of course, she didn’t have a choice.
This exercise told us that sometimes we don’t have a choice in life, and that sometimes we have to accept something, rather than complaining(抱怨).
A girl stood up and started talking about her mom who was a drug addict (吸毒者)and how much she hated her mother.
“I want a new mom,” she cried.
“Unluckily, you can’t have one,” the leader replied.
“You have to accept the mother that you have.”
This hit me hard. I realized that, for better or worse, my mom was my mom. I couldn’t choose another mom, but I could try to make the best of the situation.
1.The writer used to hate his mother because ________.
A. she didn’t care for him.
B. she had no time to be with him
C. she was a drug addict.
D. she was too strict with him.
2.The self-help program for teenagers lasted ___________.
A. a week B. two days
C. three days D. only one day
3.The writer started to change his thinking ___________.
A. during the first two days of the program
B. after the exercise named “Chocolate or Toys”
C. as soon as he came to the program
D. after he left the program some time
4.From the end of the passage, we can know that ____________.
A. the writer used to love his mom for years
B. the writer’s mom is a very bad person
C. the writer’s mom loves her son very much
D. the writer will try to get along with his mother
5.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Choices can be made as we like
B. Everyone should take part in a self-help program
C. Chocolate can influence one’s attitude toward things.
D. We should try to accept things instead of complaining about them.
Have you ever heard of Weifang, Shangdong Province? What is it known for? There is an international kite festival every April in Weifang that is a modern city with many traditions. People from all over the world compete in the kite flying. There are also competitions for the best kites. The kites in the competition are all made by hand.
Most people have flown a kite. It makes people happy. It’s easy to make it. It’s made of bamboo and paper. But not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese made and flew kites even before they could write.
A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed and they made strange sounds in wind. Men who were at war against them would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky.
The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings and hooks(钩子) to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.
The Chinese use sticks, string and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees and others look like houses.
1.Chinese made and flew kites ___________.
A. two thousand years ago B. before they could write
C. after they write D. three thousand years ago
2.The main idea of the first paragraph is “____________”.
A. the city Weifang B. the international kite festival
C. how to make a kite D. how to fly a kite
3.In ancient China kites could be used for __________.
A. helping people fly B. playing games
C. watering crops D. catching fish
4.The ancient Chinese used kites in wars because the kites __________.
A. could bring good luck
B. looked like animals.
C. could make strange sounds and help them in a war.
D. could brought light in the dark for them.
5. _________ are used for making kites by the Chinese.
A. Paper and plastic B. String and paper
C. Sticks, string and paper D. String and hooks
A new language exchange program is helping Brazilian students practice their English and it helps cheer up the lonely lives of elderly American retirees(退休人员).
FCB Brazil developed the Speaking Exchange Project and CAN school in Brazil, put it into practice . They help the students have conversations with the retirees in Chicago . Chatting on the Internet about their families, hobbies, futures make them form special friendship in the process.
To help the students improve their English, the video conversations are recorded, allowing students to review them and improve. One heart-warming conversation in the video is between an old lady and a girl talking about travel.
“Are you planning some day to go to Brazil?” The girl asks the lady. “Oh, I would love to!” She says. The girl then tells her,“ You can stay in my home if you want, ”making the lady laugh happily. At the end of their conversation, the girl expresses her grattitude(感激) for her help in improving her language skills.“ I want to thank you for this exchange of experience, ”she says . The lady put her hand to her heart and says, “Girl, if you were here, I’d give you a big hug.”
1.The students in Brazil chat online with the students in America.
2.FCB Brazil developed the Exchange Project to help students to improve their English..
3.The conversations between the students and the retirees aren’t allowed to recorded.
4.The old lady invites the girl to live with her.
5.The girl expresses her thanks to the lady for improving her English by chatting .
完形填空（每小题1.5分，共15分）
For this month’s Young World magazine, I interviewed 19-year-old pop star Candy Wang. Candy told me that she used to be really shy and took up singing to deal with her . As she got better, she dared to sing in front of her class, and then for the whole school. Now she’s not shy any more and singing in front of crowds.
I asked Candy how life was different she became famous. She explained that there are many good things, like being able to travel and meet new people all the time. “I didn’t use to be popular in school, but now I get tons of everywhere I go.” However, too much attention can also be a bad thing. “I always have to worry about how I appear to others and I have to be very careful about what to say or do. And I don’t have much private time anymore. Hanging out with friends is almost for me now because there are always guards around me.”
What does Candy have to say to all those young people who want to become famous? “Well,” she begins slowly, “you have to be prepared to your normal life. You can never imagine how the road to success is. Many times I thought about giving up, I fought on. You really require a lot of talent and hard work to succeed. Only people make it to the top.
1.A.Asia B. Asian C. America D. Africa
2.A.shyness B. illness C. sadness D. happiness
3.A. refuses B. dislikes C. minds D. loves
4.A. after B. before C. since D. until
5.A. money B. chance C. attention D. introduction
6.A. possible B. possibly C. impossible D. impossibly
7.A. give up B. give in C. give out D. give away
8.A. exciting B. easy C. important D. difficult
9.A. and B. but C. so D. for
10.A.the number of B. a large number of C. a small number of D. a number of
When we need to get a book, it’s more polite to say,“______________”
A. Daisy, pass me the book quickly!
B. Daisy, give me a book!
C. Daisy, I wonder if you can pass me the book.
D. Daisy, could you please pass me the book?
—I used to play tennis, but now I’m more interested in playing the piano.
—_______________.
A. I agree B. Me too
C. Good idea D. Don’t mention it.
