The Best of Friends
The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families.But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents,which is the opposite of the popularly-held image(形象) 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 has ever been in the past.“We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,”said one member of the research team.“They’re expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) 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(商议) 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 it.”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 only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled.The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”
1.What is the popular image of teenagers today?
A.They worry about school.
B.They dislike living with their parents.
C.They have to be locked in to avoid troubles.
D.They quarrel a lot with other family members.
2.The study shows that teenagers don’t want to _______.
A.share family responsibility
B.cause trouble in their families
C.go boating with their family
D.make family decisions
3.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.care less about their children’s life
D.give their children more freedom
4.According to the author,teenage rebellion _______.
A.may be a false belief
B.is common nowadays
C.existed only in the 1960s
D.resulted from changes in families
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Negotiation in family. B.Education in family.
C.Harmony in family. D.Teenage trouble in family.
Lying in the sun on a rock,the cougar(美洲狮) saw Jeb and his son,Tom,before they saw it.Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands,making himself look big to the cougar.It worked.The cougar hesitated,ready to attack Jeb,but ready to forget the whole thing,too.
Jeb let go of his jacket,grasped Tom and held him across his body,making a cross.Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger,and it rose up,ready to move away,but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb.
“Tom，no!”shouted his father.
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar.The second Tom broke free,Jeb threw himself on the cougar,just as it jumped from the rock.They hit each other in mid-air and both fell.The cougar was on Jeb in a flash,forgetting about Tom,which was what Jeb wanted.
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance,even with just his fists.As the cougar’s claws(爪子) got into his left shoulder.Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard.The animal howled(吼叫) and put its head back.Jeb followed up with his other fist.Then out of the corner of his eye.Jeb saw Tom.The boy was running back to help his father.
“Knife,Tom,”shouted Jeb.
The boy ran to his father’s bag,while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting,to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom.Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb.The cougar was moving its head in and out,trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms.Tom swung with the knife,into the cougar’s back.It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains.
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds.
1.Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
A.To get ready to fight. B.To frighten it away.
C.To protect the boy. D.To cool down.
2.What do we know about cougars?
A.They are afraid of noises.
B.They hesitate before they hit.
C.They are bigger than we think.
D.They like to attack running people.
3.How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
A.By keeping shouting and hitting.
B.By making a wall out of his arms.
C.By throwing himself on the cougar.
D.By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes.
4.Which of the following happened first?
A.The cougar jumped from the rock.
B.Tom struggled free of his father.
C.Jeb asked Tom to get the knife.
D.Jeb held Tom across his body.
The Book of Life
So far,scientists have named about 1.8 million living species(物种)，and that’s just a small number of what probably exists on Earth.With so many plants,animals,and other living things covering the planet,it can be tough to figure out what type of grass is growing by the roadside or what kind of bird just flew by.
A soon-to-be-started Web site might help.An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia(百科全书) of Life(EoL).The project aims to list every species on Earth in a single,easy-to-use reference guide.
To get the encyclopedia started,the creators will use information from scientific databases(数据库) that already exist.And eventually,in special sections of the site,non-scientists with specialized knowledge will come to help.Bird-watchers,for example,will be able to input what birds they’ve seen and where.To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate,scientists will review much of the information added to it.
As the EoL develops,you might find it useful for school projects.The site will feature(以……为特色)_____special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods.Another convenient feature of the EoL is that you’ll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interests,age,and knowledge.
It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species.The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new fool will speed up that process.
1.The Web based EoL aims to _______.
A.find out what covers the earth
B.list all living things on Earth
C.work out the number of birds
D.save the existing plants
2.One characteristic of the EoL is that _______.
A.it is run by school students
B.it focuses on different types of grass
C.it provides different levels of information
D.it allows non-scientists to review its data
3.In the last paragraph,“that process”means _______.
A.analyzing species B.creating a new tool
C.collecting data D.describing species
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1.What is ROM?
A.A piece of exercise equipment.
B.A club membership card.
C.A commercial health club.
D.An electric wheelchair.
2.How many people bought ROM after trying it out?
A.92%. B.88%. C.97%. D.90%.
3.One selling point of ROM is that _______.
A.it makes full body exercise possible in 4 minutes
B.it can kill back and shoulder pains in 10 minutes
C.it needs no repair in the first 20 years
D.it is sold on a 3-month trial basis
4.The advertisement is made believable by _______.
A.telling stories B.using figures
C.making comparisons D.asking questions
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Ban the Band(乐队)？
Every year,our school has a dance for all the students.It’s a little funny seeing friends in clean shoes and trousers or colorful 1,instead of the usual school uniform.
Most of us think the dance is great 2—even the teachers enjoy being there. 3,two weeks ago someone said that there would be no 4band this year—only CDs.
“I don’t 5it!”Amy cried out during the lunch break.
“Someone said the school couldn’t 6a band,and they think it’s too noisy anyway,”added Daniel.
“Well,I don’t think it’s 7enough without a band!”declared Angela,“and I’m going to see what can be done.”
Angela was as good as her 8.In the afternoon she went to see the school headmaster who agreed to give the 9some more thought.And he suggested that one 10for having a band was to increase the price of each ticket from $5 to $10.Angela had to 11out whether the students would like to do that.
“I need all of you to help me,”she 12to our group before school the next day.“Mr.Berry gave me a list of all the names,and suggested we ask each one their 13about the band and the extra cost.”
14the day we asked around as Angela suggested,and wrote down people’s feelings about the band and the cost.We were amazed how much 15there was for the band and everyone agreed to pay the extra $5.
“I’m surprised,”smiled Mr. Berry,when we gave him the 16.“I really thought that only a few people 17their band and that the cost would be too high.OK,Angela,your next 18is to find a good band and line them up for the dance.”
Angela was all smiles and 19the news to Amy and Daniel.“You’re 20,”smiled Daniel to Angela as he thought how close they came to having a less than perfect dance.
1.A.shapes B.dresses C.flowers D.pictures
2.A.fun B.work C.effort D.progress
3.A.Besides B.Otherwise C.However D.Therefore
4.A.new B.live C.foreign D.marching
5.A.mean B.need C.accept D.believe
6.A.lead B.serve C.afford D.form
7.A.good B.clear C.useful D.easy
8.A.look B.behavior C.mind D.word
9.A.schedule B.situation C.view D.action
10.A.possibility B.concern C.decision D.chance
11.A.call B.find C.carry D.point
12.A.admitted B.replied C.apologized D.announced
13.A.knowledge B.instruction C.opinion D.information
14.A.On B.For C.By D.During
15.A.trust B.money C.support D.care
16.A.results B.notices C.questions D.examples
17.A.welcomed B.wanted C.defended D.invited
18.A.task B.business C.exercise D.duty
19.A.showed B.wrote C.broke D.read
20.A.amusing B.interesting C.exciting D.amazing
—It was really very kind of you to give me a lift home.
—Oh,don’t mention it.I _______ past your house anyway.
A.was coming B.will come
C.had come D.have come
