Living and dealing with kids can be a hard job these days, but living and dealing with parents can be even harder.
If I have learned anything in my 16 years, it is that communication is very important, both when you disagree and when you get along. With any relationship*, you need to let other person know how you are feeling. If you are not able to communicate*, you can not be close to anyone. When you are mad at your parents, or anyone else, not talking to them doesn’t solve anything.
Communication begins with the care of another. It means that you can’t just come home from school, go up to your room and ignore* everyone. Even if you just say “Hi”, and see how their day was for five minutes, it is better than nothing. To keep a good relationship, you must keep communication strong. Let people know how you feel, even if it’s just by writing a note.
When dealing with parents, you always have to make them feel good about how they are doing as a parent. If you are trying to make them see something as you see it, tell them that you’ll listen to what they have to say, but ask them politely to listen to you. Shouting or walking away only makes the situation worse.
Here is an example: One night, Sophie went to a street party with her friends. She knew she had to be home by midnight after the fireworks, but she didn’t feel she could just ask to go home. That would be rude. After all, they had been nice enough to take her along with them. Needless to say, she was late getting home. Her parents were mad at first, but when Sophie explained why she was late, they weren’t as mad and let the incident*go. Communication is the key factor* here. If Sophie’s parents had not been willing to listen, Sophie would have been in a lot of trouble.
Communication isn’t a one-way deal: it goes both ways. Just remember: if you get into a situation like Sophie’s, telling the other person how you feel--listening is the key factor to communication.
1.In the writer’s opinion, dealing with parents is ________ than with children.
A. easier B. more careless C. more difficult D. more interesting
2.The main idea of the second paragraph is ________.
A. the importance of friendship B. the importance of communication
C. to make your feeling known to others D. the disagreement between parents and children
3.Sophie’s example here is used to show that ____________.
A. Sophie is very polite to her parents
B. It’s OK to come back home late at night.
C. Sophie’s parents are very kind and listen to her
D. communication is the way to solve misunderstanding
4.All the following are TRUE except “________”.
A. Communication is a two-way deal.
B. If you are not able to communicate, walk away.
C. It is better to say “Hi” to others than saying nothing.
D. If you don’t agree with others, you’d better let them know.
5.In addition to (除了) listening, what else do you think is important in dealing with parents? Why?
____________________________________________________________________________________
Have you ever had dreams about building a robot? Or putting together a spaceship? Or even seeing your face made out of chocolate? Done. All you need is a 3-D printer!
The possibilities of 3-D printing seem endless. All the user has to do is to design an object on the computer and choose a material to print in. The printers print in hundreds of different materials including glass, sugar and even skin! When the user presses “print”, the 3-D printer spreads the material layer by layer and like magic the object is produced.
The first 3-D printer was invented in 1986 by an American, Charles Hull. But 3-D printing has only become cheap enough recently for most people to use. Designers now use 3-D printing to create unusual things. The Dutch artist Dirk Vander Kooj prints furniture made from old fridges. And doctors have used 3-D printing to print human body parts! The Telegraph reported in February that scientists from Cornell Medical College even printed a man-made ear.
But like a lot of new technologies, if 3-D printing gets into the wrong hands, it can be dangerous. In 2011 a group of four men in the US used 3-D printing to produce ATM skimmers. These were placed on an ATM and stole over $400,000 from users of the ATM. It is terrible to think that criminals* like them might one day use a 3-D printer to print a gun.
But for better or for worse, 3-D printing has been put into use. In a few years, you’ll probably be wondering how you could ever live without your 3-D printer!
1. invented the first 3-D printer.
A. Charles Hull B. Dirk Vander Kooj C. A doctor called Cornell D. Four men in the US
2.What is the correct order for people to use a 3-D printer?
a.Choose a material. b.Press the print button.
c.The 3-D printer spreads the material. d.Use a computer to design an object.
A. abcd B. dabc C. acdb D. dcba
3.The underlined word “ gets into the wrong hands ” in the fourth paragraph might mean in English.
A. the hands caught by the printer B. to get into trouble
C. the hands used in a wrong place D. to do something illegally
4.What does the writer think of the 3-D printer?
A. It is necessary only for our work. B. It is too expensive for most people.
C. It is helpful but dangerous. D. It is useless in our daily life.
Three months after Shang Hai (not his real name) began studying at an American high school, he received an e-mail of dismissal*. The academic performance*of the Chinese boy was poor–he had got grades C and D (A is the best)
Shang is not alone. In the first half of 2014, the number of Chinese students studying in the US has increased to 275,000. But according to China Youth Daily, about 5 percent of Chinese students in US colleges are unable to graduate.
They are being sent back home because their grades are not good enough (62.1%), they cheat, such as copying other students’ work (21.4%), and they have poor class attendance* (10.9%).
These appear to be not from a lack of intelligence*, but a lack of discipline*, said the report. The situation has been getting worse since more Chinese students are studying in foreign countries at younger ages. According to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the number of Chinese students studying in US private high schools has increased from 65 in 2005 to 23,795 in 2013.
Far away from their parents, some students are said to spend a lot of time chatting with friends, going to parties, and playing online games.
There are also great language problems. Although they have to pass language tests to study abroad, daily communication is still hard for many Chinese overseas students, according to research at Indiana University in 2013.
Because of this, many of them just stick with other Chinese students. They don’t often take part in sporting events or study groups. And some could only catch bits of information during classes, said the research.
1.Some Chinese overseas students spend lots of time ________.
A. playing online games B. doing sports
C. chatting with parents D. visiting American friends
2.Many Chinese overseas students stick with Chinese students because ________.
A. they are too young B. they have language problems
C. they don’t like American lifestyle D. they miss their family in China
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. More Chinese students study in foreign countries at older ages.
B. The number of Chinese students studying in American has fallen since 2013.
C. A lots of Chinese students take part in sporting events while they are studying abroad.
D. About 5% of Chinese students in American colleges may not be able to get the degree.
4.Why were some Chinese overseas students sent back home?
_________________________________________________________________________________
| Do you use WeChat Payment or Alipay to buy things? Now, you have one more choice－Apple Pay. Apple Pay came to China on Feb 18, making China the fifth country to have this service. Apple products, like the iPhone 6 and certain iPads and Apple Watches, support this service. The customers of 19 Chinese banks will be able to link their bank cards to Apple Pay. When they buy things, they just need to place their iPhone in front of the POS machine and put their fingers on the iPhone. |
| Last year, did you find that you kept using words like memeda (a phrase to show cuteness and love) and xiaoxianrou (meaning “young and pretty men”)?If yes, you are not alone. The two words were so popular that they were included in 2015’s “most popular cyber* words and phrases” lists in China. Most of the words and phrases seem funny and playful, but they also show lifestyle changes. The term duoshoudang (meaning “shopping addicts*”) is a good example.Meanwhile, xiasibaobaole (meaning “you scared the pants off me”) is also used for fun. |
| The opening of Shanghai’s new DisneylandPark has been highly expected since construction began in April 2008. It will be finished in June. When it opens, the park will have the biggest castle of any Disneyland and one of the largest lakes too. There are also new special attractions, especially for Chinese visitors. |
1.How many countries can use Apple Pay to buy things?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
2.Which phrase shows the change of lifestyle?
A. memeda B. duoshoudang C. xiaoxianrou D. xiasibaobaole
3.Where might you see the passages above?
A. a dictionary B. a novel C. a newspaper D. a travel guide
Everybody has his own hero in mind and is always trying to copy his behaviors in life. As for______, my grandfather is just that man. My grandfather had a small farm. He also worked in a ______.
One autumn, most of the farmers in the village were all_______, so he promised to help his neighbor harvest the corn as he often did.___________, after harvesting his own corn, Grandpa’s little corn machine broke.What was_______, the factory where Grandpa worked made the workers have extra work. He had to leave the farm_______and didn’t get back until very late. It now seemed_______to help out his neighbor because he really had no free time.
One night, Grandpa________that he wouldn’t let his neighbor’s harvest rot* in the field._______a machine, he’d harvest it by hand.
“I don’t think you’d have time to do it,” said my grandma.“Besides,it would be too dark to do______at night.”
“I know of one night that I could do it!” he________.“There’s still one more full moon in October. _______the weather is clear, I think I can do it.”
A few days later, after a long shift* at the factory, my grandpa went to the _______.The weather was cold but clear. He cut all the corn through the night to keep his word.
Sometimes, when I want to_______responsibilities*, I’d see my grandfather_________corn in the light of the harvest moon. Behind him, row after row of corn stocks* stand at attention in respect for a man who keeps his word.
1.A. I B. my C. me D. mine
2.A. school B. factory C. shop D. cinema
3.A. happy B. free C. busy D. nervous
4.A. Sometimes B. However C. Luckily D. Usually
5.A. worse B. better C. more D. less
6.A. early B. slowly C. quietly D. later
7.A. relaxing B. impossible C. interesting D. dangerous
8.A. wondered B. learned C. thought D. guessed
9.A. In B. With C. Through D. Without
10.A. anything B. something C. nothing D. everything
11.A. lived B. refused C. explained D. realised
12.A. If B. Though C. Before D. After
13.A. factory B. field C. river D. house
14.A. wake up B. look up C. give up D. get up
15.A. eating B. growing C. pulling D. cutting
—-Nobody will become a hero without the help of others.
—-That’s true. __________________.
A. Practice makes perfect. B. Early birds catch the worms.
C. One finger can’t lift a small stone. D. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
