Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions,manage their environment,and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson,a Year One student,“operates under the theory of what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine,” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers (剑). Later,I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”
“Examine the extended family,and you'll probably find a bossy grandparent,aunt,uncle or cousin in every generation. It's an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley,a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance (支配地位) when they sense their parents are weak,hesitant,or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it's inborn nature or developed character at work,too much control in the hands of the young isn't healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior,says family psychologist John Taylor. Children,he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation,“have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe.” It's the parents' role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn't learn limits at home,the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches,for example,or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley,who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don't want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids,in turn,feel more anxious.”
1.Bossy children like Stephen Jackson_________.
A. make good decisions B. show self-centeredness
C. lack care from others D. have little sense of fear
2.The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means ___________.
A. inborn nature B. developed character
C. accepted theory D. particular environment
3.The study on bossy behavior implies that parents_________.
A. should give more power to their children
B. should be strict with their children
C. should not be so anxious about their children
D. should not set limits for their children
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. How bossy behavior can be controlled.
B. How we can get along with bossy children.
C. What leads to children's bossy behavior.
D. What effect bossy behavior brings about.
Lee Humberg, district manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is the man in charge of figuring out how to remove the flocks (群) of 15,000 to 20,000 Canada geese(大雁) that could strike planes flying in and out of the New York area. The Port Authority, the agency that manages airport in New York and New Jersey, estimates that there have been as many as 315 bird strikes annually in the past 30 years.
Bird strikes have been a hot topic since a US Airways jet suffered a “double strike” and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009. All 155 passengers were rescued safely and the flight was called “Miracle on the Hudson”. The plane finally ended up at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. The next major bird strike may not have such a happy ending.
To thin the flocks, Humberg and his team have tracked down goose nests and killed eggs with corn oil. They’ve also terrified the birds with dogs, remote-controlled boats and kites that look like eagles. But the only method that effectively decreases the goose population is the one that angers animal lovers the most: gassing hundreds at a time.
“If all you are doing is goose harassment (骚扰) every day, it’s very frustrating, because you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds,” Humberg told New York magazine. “It’s basically an arms race to come up with the tools to deal with them.”
Now New York City plans to send the geese captured to Pennsylvania to be cooked and distributed at food banks as meals for the poor. That might just be a fate better than flying into a 747 engine.
1.What can we learn form Humberg?
A. He does research on geese’s living conditions.
B. He makes efforts to protect wild birds.
C. He deals with the danger of birds at airports.
D. He tries to find newer and safer airlines.
2.Why was the flight called “Miracle on the Hudson”?
A. It suffered a “double strike”. B. It arrived at a plane museum.
C. It only caused a few deaths. D. It succeeded in landing on a river.
3.By saying “you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds”, Humberg means ______.
A. It’s interesting to fight with the birds
B. It’s a skill-needed race against the birds
C. you can’t defeat the bird in the end
D. you should live with birds peacefully
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. Canada geese can fly as high as planes
B. New York airlines are in poor management
C. bird strikes happen once a week on average
D. the poor may also benefit from Humberg’s work
If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified(增强) in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.
1.The first sentence in Para. 1 implies that ______. A. one may be angered by media reports and wants to avoid them
B. the media invented the term “Road Rage” only a few months ago C. Road Rage has received much media coverage in the last few months D. people not interested in the media know little about recent happenings
2.The underlined word “spell” in Para. 3 means ________.
A. relieve B. cause C. spread D. prevent
3.Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving?
A. Talking while driving. B. Driving at high speed.
C. Sounding the horn when passing. D. Shouting at another driver.
4.The last paragraph is intended to _________.
A. tell people how to deal with Road Rage
B. inform people how aggressive drivers could be
C. show people how to control themselves when angry
D. warn people against eye contact with another driver
Andy loved the first grade. He loved his teacher,Mrs.Parks. He loved playing games on the playground. He loved learning about dinosaurs and the solar system (恐龙和太阳系).
Every morning Andy’s mother dropped him off in front of his school on South Street. One foggy morning,the traffic was so bad on South Street that she decided to drop him off behind the school. Andy walked for about ten minutes and got to the gate. He held the icy handle,but it didn’t move!Using both hands,he tried his hardest and finally the gate opened.
After Andy closed the gate behind him,he looked in the direction of the teaching building. But all he could see was fog. He got to the spot where the slide had always been,but it was not there.“The slide is gone!” he cried. He walked a little more to look for the swings,but they were not where they had always been.“The swings are gone!” he cried again.
Andy kept walking. He was so anxious to see the school that he fell and landed on the ground. He still couldn’t see the school. A terrible thought appeared in his head.“The school is gone!” he cried sadly. No more games with Jennie,Angel and Dillon,he thought. No more reading about dinosaurs. No more watching videos on the solar system...
Suddenly the boy saw something up ahead.“It’s Jennie!”he shouted. Then he saw the outline of a school building. His school was still there!He was full of excitement!
“Hi,Jennie!” he stood up and caught up with the girl.“I couldn’t see the school. I thought it was gone.” Jennie just laughed.“You’re so silly.” “What happened to the slide and the swings?” Andy asked.
“We will have new playground equipment today,” Jennie answered.“The old equipment was taken away last night. Don’t you remember Mrs. Parks telling us about it yesterday?” “I guess I forgot,” Andy said,smiling.“Anyway,I’m glad the school is here.”
1.It can be concluded from the passage that________.
A.Andy’s mother might feel sorry for her son
B.Andy was a boy who loved school very much
C.many students would be late for school on that foggy day
D.Jennie did well in learning and was interested in nature
2.Andy cried the second time probably because________.
A.he couldn’t play on the slide any more
B.he carelessly fell down on the ground
C.it was too cold for him to walk a long way
D.he didn’t find the swings where they had been
3.Why didn’t Andy see the school building before he met Jennie?
A.Because his eyesight was not very good.
B.Because he went in the wrong direction.
C.Because there was heavy fog that morning.
D.Because he was not concentrated then.
4.According to the passage,when Andy began his class that day he would________.
A.still feel confused B.have a nice day
C.miss his mother D.behave badly
One night, as Diaz stepped off the train and onto a nearly empty platform, a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.
“He wanted my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, ‘Here you go ’” Diaz says.
As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, “Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you’re going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm.”
The robber looked at him puzzled, saying, “Why are you doing this?”
Diaz replied, “If you’re willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me…..”
Diaz says he and the teen went into a diner and sat in a booth.
“The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi,” Diaz says.
The kid said, “You know everybody here. Do you own this place?”
“No, I just eat here a lot,” Dias said. “But you’re even nice to the dishwasher,” he said.
Diaz replied, “Well, haven’t you been taught you should be nice to everybody?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t think people actually behaved that way,” the teen said.
When the bill arrived, Diaz said, “You’re going to have to pay for this bill because you have my money and I can’t pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I’ll gladly treat you.”
The teen returned it immediately. “I gave him $20…. I figure maybe it’ll help him.” Diaz says he asked for something in return--- the teen’s knife--- “and he gave it to me.”
Afterwards, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, “You’re the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch.”
“I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It’s as simple as it gets in this complicated world.”
1.What did Diaz do to the teen?
A. He gave the teen a new wallet B. He treated the teen to dinner
C. He gave his coat to the teen D. He bought the teen’s knife
2.From the passage we can infer that the boy _______.
A. expressed his gratitude for Diaz’s kindness
B. gave up the idea of robbing in the end
C. wasn’t taught how to be nice to everybody
D. gave the knife to Diaz in return for his forgiveness
3.As for what Diaz did, his mother showed an attitude of _______.
A. anger B. concern C. criticism D. praise
4.By telling the story of Diaz, the author intends to tell us ______.
A. to keep calm in danger B. not to go out alone at night
C. to treat others kindly D. not to harm others on purpose
A Love Note to My Mom
When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled (T台展示) for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role modeling 36 in your life. Little did I know you were 37 every penny you earned to go to 38 school.
I cannot thank you enough for 39 you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing my homework, I wandered into the dining room where you were buried 40 piles of law books. I was 41 . Why were you doing what I do—memorizing textbooks and studying for 42 ? When you said you were in law school, I was more puzzled. I didn’t know Moms 43 be lawyers too. You smiled and said, “In life, you can do anything you want to do.”
As young as I was, that statement kept 44 in my ears. I watched as you faced the 45 of completing your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a 46 and a Mom of five kids. I was exhausted just watching you 47 . With your words of wisdom in my 48 mind, I suddenly felt unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world 49 . I set out to live my life filled with 50 , seeing endless possibilities for personal and professional achievements.
Your words became my motto. I 51 found myself in the unique position of being either the first (woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) 52 one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I gained strength every time I said, “Yes, I’ll try that.”
Encouraged by your 53 , I have forged ahead(毅然前行) with my life’s journey, less afraid to make mistakes, and 54 meeting each challenge. You did it, and now I’m 55 it. Sorry, got to run. So much to do, so many dreams to live.
1.A. found B. played C. kept D. provided
2.A. saving B. making C. donating D. receiving
3.A. business B. fashion C. law D. medical
4.A. what B. that C. which D. where
5.A. at B. to C. upon D. under
6.A. amused B. worried C. puzzled D. disappointed
7.A. roles B. tests C. positions D. shows
8.A. must B. ought to C. need D. could
9.A. ringing B. blowing C. falling D. beating
10.A. choices B. chances C. challenges D. changes
11.A. professor B. doctor C. reporter D. model
12.A. in danger B. in action C. in trouble D. in charge
13.A. weak B. powerful C. youthful D. empty
14.A. came back B. closed down C. went by D. opened up
15.A. hope B. hardship C. harmony D. sadness
16.A. constantly B. shortly C. hardly D. nearly
17.A. and B. but C. or D. for
18.A. description B. statement C. praise D. introduction
19.A. secretly B. curiously C. carelessly D. eagerly
20.A. doing B. considering C. correcting D. reading