For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict（冲突）between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part，this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ （青少年）complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrel on unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong，for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.
1.Why does the author compare the parent teen war to a border conflict?
A. Both can continue for generations.
B. Both are about where to draw the line.
C. Neither has any clear winner.
D. Neither can be put to an end.
2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.
B. The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.
C. The teens accuse their parents of misleading them.
D. The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.
3.Parents and teens want to be right because they want to__________.
A. give orders to the other B. know more than the other
C. gain respect from the other D. get the other to behave properly
4.What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A. Causes for the parent-teen conflicts
B. Examples of the parent-teen war
C. Solutions for the parent-teen problems
D. Future of the parent-teen relationship
Read the following directions on a bottle of medicine：
“Take two tablets(药片)with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required, For maximum(最大量) night-time and early morning relief(缓解疼痛), take two tablets at bed - time, Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount for a grownup. For children under six years old, ask for your doctor’s advice.
Reduce the amount if nervousness, restlessness, or sleeplessness occurs,”
1.The directions on this medicine bottle clearly warn the patient not to take more than _____ .
A. twenty-four tablets a day. B. eight tablets a day.
C. six tablets a day. D. three tablets a day.
2.We can infer from the directions that ______ .
A. the medicine could cause some people to feel nervous.
B. children may take the same amount that grown-ups take.
C. one may not take this medicine before going to bed.
D. the medicine is a liquid.
3.If one cannot sleep, it is suggested that he _____ .
A. take two tablets before going to bed.
B. take less than two tablets before going to bed.
C. stop taking the medicine. D. ask advice of a doctor.
4.Obviously the medicine _______ .
A. may be dangerous to small children.
B. cannot be taken by children under twelve years old.
C. may be taken by children but not by grown-ups.
D. may be taken by grown-ups but not by children.
Robert Frost was one of America’s best known and most honored serious writers. But his fame came late in his life.
He was born in San Francisco, California in 1874. He lived in California during his early childhood. He was named after the chief Southern general in America’s Civil War. The general’s name was Robert Edward Lee. The poet was named Robert Lee Frost, because his father wanted to honor the general.
Someone once asked another American writer, Ernest Hemingway, how to become a writer. The best thing, he said, was to have an unhappy childhood. If this is true, Robert Frost’s childhood was unhappy enough to make him a very good writer. Robert Frost’s father was a reporter who wanted to be a politician. He often drank too much wine and became angry. Robert was the victim (受害者) of his anger.
Robert Frost finished high school in 1891. After high school, Robert’s grandfather offered to pay his costs at Dartmouth College. But Robert left the school after a few months. He did not like it. He spent the next few years working at different jobs. At one time, he worked in a factory. Later, he repaired shoes. He was a teacher. He was a reporter. Always, he wrote poetry.
Robert Frost attended Harvard University for two years. After that, he returned to the many jobs he held before. For a while, Frost tried to take care of a farm in the state of New Hampshire. He was not a successful farmer. And he continued to write poetry. He said that until 1930, he earned only about ten dollars a year from writing.
In 1912, he decided to try to make a new start. He took his family to Britain. The cost of living was low. In Britain, Frost found a publisher for his first book of poems. The book was called A Boy’s Will. When it appeared in 1913. Frost received high praise from British readers. Praise was something he had not received in his own country.
Ezra Pound, another American poet living in Britain, read the poems and liked them very much. He wrote a magazine article about Frost. He also helped get Frost’s second book of poems published in America. That book was called North of Boston.
1.The followings are writers EXCEPT ________.
A. Robert Edward Lee B. Robert Lee Frost
C. Ernest Hemingway D. Ezra Pound
2.The passage wrote about Hemingway in order to show that
A. he had great influence on Frost’s poetry and life
B. Frost’ s poetry style was the same as Hemingway’s
C. Frost was unhappy because he was the victim of his father
D. Frost spent his childhood unhappily
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Once Frost’s first book was published he gained great praise in his country.
B. After leaving Harvard University, he began to learn to write poetry.
C. Frost was found lo have a gift in poetry while he studied in high school.
D. Robert Frost’s father was angry and drank a lot because he didn’t realize his dream.
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A. Robert Frost’s unhappy childhood. B. Robert Frost’s first and second book.
C. Robert Frost’s family and jobs. D. Robert Frost’s life and poetry.
A friend is better than fortune. A friend is worse than poison in some cases.
The two sentences above have opposite meanings and seem to be unreasonable, but they can be explained as follows: the first refers to all good friends who drive us towards good while the second all bad ones who lead us into bad ways.
My ideal friend is of course a good friend whose goodness is shown below — he has no bad habits, such as smoking and drinking. He lives in frugality (节俭). He studies hard so as not to waste his golden time. At home he honors his parents and loves his brothers; at school he respects his teachers and shares the feelings of his classmates. He treats those truly who are true to him. In a word, he has all the good characteristics that I don’t have. I can follow him as a model. With his help I can be free from all difficulties.
Indeed, if I have such a person as my friend, I shall never fear difficulty and I shall never know the existence of the word “failure”.
1.This passage tells us ____.
A. how to make friends with others B. how to help friends
C. what kind of person the writer’s friend is
D. what kind of person we should make friends with
2.According to the writer, an ideal friend refers to _______.
A. a friend without bad habits B. a famous man
C. a perfect man D. a respectable man
3.From the passage we can learn that ________.
A. the writer and his ideal friend have a lot to learn from each other
B. the writer has a lot to learn from his ideal friend
C. the writer’s ideal friend has a lot to learn from him
D. the writer has only a little to learn from his ideal friend
4.From the second paragraph, we can infer the writer is sure that _______.
A. friendship means a great deal to him
B. nothing can be done without friends
C. he who does not smoke or drink must be a good friend
D. good friends should always help each other
The Price of a Dream
I grew up poor, living with my wonderful mother. We had little money but plenty of love and attention. I was 36 and energetic. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, he could still 37 a dream.
My dream was to be a sportsman. 38 I was sixteen, I had started playing baseball. I could throw a ninety-mile-per-hour fastball and hit anything that moved on the football field. I was also 39 . My high-school coach was Ollie Jarvis, who not only believed in me, but taught me 40 to believe in myself. He 41 me the difference between having a dream and realizing the dream. One particular 42 with Coach Jarvis changed my life forever.
It was the summer between my junior and senior years, and a friend recommended (推荐) me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket—money for a new bike and new clothes, and the 43 of savings for a house for my mother. Then I realized I would have to 44 summer baseball to deal with the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing.
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as 45 as I expected him to be. “You have your whole life to work,” he said. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t 46 to waste them.” I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the 47 that would explain 48 him why my dream of buying my mom a house and having money in my pocket was worth facing his 49 in me.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he asked. “Three twenty-five an hour,” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3.25 an hour the 50 of a dream?”
That simple question made it 51 to me the difference between 52 something right now and following a dream. I 53 myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was 54 by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play baseball, and was 55 a $20,000 contract. In 2000, I bought my mother the house of my dream!
1.A. happy B. polite C. shy D. honest
2.A. lose B. have C. make D. need
3.A. By the time B. The time C. At one time D. At a time
4.A. right B. popular C. lucky D. confident
5.A. how B. why C. when D. whether
6.A. gave B. taught C. brought D. asked
7.A. accident B. matter C. problem D. experience
8.A. aim B. idea C. start D. purpose
9.A. keep up B. put up C. give up D. pick up
10.A. mad B. happy C. frightened D. shameful
11.A. adopt B. afford C. affect D. effect
12.A. answers B. excuses C. words D. ways
13.A. for B. to C. on D. in
14.A. sadness B. regret C. hopelessness D. disappointment
15.A. source B. prize C. price D. allowance
16.A. direct B. clear C. clean D. straight
17.A. wanting B. changing C. dreaming D. choosing
18.A. provided B. devoted C. headed D. imagined
19.A. worked B. mentioned C. fired D. hired
20.A. paid B. got C. offered D. signed
-- Would you help sweep the floor?
-- _____ I’d rather water the flowers.
A. Not particularly B. Don’t mention it. C. Anything but that. D. With pleasure.
