阅读理解。
Parents are creating an “I want it now” generation by indulging children’s every demand at Christmas，say experts.Youngsters are becoming increasingly selfish，claim the education analysts.
Consumersavvy children are forcing their families into racking up huge debts and risk becoming spoilt and dissatisfied in the future.
Behavioural consultant Chris Calland said，“Parents are desperate to make Christmas into a magical fairy tale for their kids.There’s nothing wrong with that as such.The problem arises when it means always giving into all our children’s demands—even if they are beyond our price range or not ageappropriate.”
Ms Calland，who runs “Santa Says No” style sessions with colleague Nicky Hutchinson，added，“Many of us go into so much debt providing the gifts our children want that we spend the rest of the year paying off the bills.Yet so often the parcels we’ve carefully wrapped，once opened，are just pushed away because the very thing our little boy or girl was once so desperate for，they have now lost interest in.”
Ms Calland and Ms Hutchinson have drawn up a list of guidelines to help parents manage their offspring’s Christmas lists this year.They say that adults can actually improve their relationships with their children by resisting “pester (纠缠) power”．
Ms Calland said，“All too often we say yes because we want an easier life when the fact is that we’re only building up problems for the future.We are helping create a generation of youngsters who are blind to the needs of others and the necessity of hard work.”
“Children learn fast—if we sometimes change our mind，they quickly realise it might be worth lying on the floor and screaming for it.Make sure you and your partner are working together on this.Be consistent.And try not to get caught up in competition with other families or friends.”
1.What is the main problem with the “I want it now” generation?
A．They are quite selfcentered.
B．They like to live in fairy tales.
C．They waste a lot of money on gifts.
D．They can’t keep their interest in gifts.
2.What is probably the aim of “Santa Says No” style sessions?
A．To advise on how to wrap gifts properly.
B．To keep children’s interest in the gifts.
C．To tell parents how to say no to children’s demands.
D．To advise parents on what gifts to buy for children.
3.According to the passage，we can infer that Ms Calland intends to ________.
A．analyze children’s behavior
B．give advice to parents
C．introduce a new generation
D．give her support to parents
4.Ms Calland would agree that parents should________.
A．buy nothing for children at Christmas
B．choose gifts carefully for children
C．let children choose their own gifts
D．avoid competing with others
阅读理解。
One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension.The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed.I urged the elephant deeper into the forest.We sounded like a forest fire — crackling, snapping, trailblazing.But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry.The elephant stopped and we heard it again — the telltale call of a spotted deer.
I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest.Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork (交错) of green plants and shadowswithinshadows would make tiger stripes (条纹) look more attractive.Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant's stomach, the forest was silent.
Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies.The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into her mouth.I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant's neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.
This was my fourth time to_sense_the_aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end.Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts (出没处), a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity.Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear.If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo.After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.
1.Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?
A.The elephant stopped.
B.A spotted deer called.
C.The elephant seized a branch.
D.The forest was silent for a while.
2.The author begins his account of the tour in the forest mainly by________.
A.describing various sounds
B.comparing different animals
C.listing different activities
D.introducing various plants
3.What does the underlined part “to sense the aura” in Para.4 most probably mean?
A.To see the diversity.
B.To enjoy the scenery.
C.To feel the atmosphere.
D.To experience the freedom.
4.How does the author feel after several visits to Corbett?
A.Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling.
B.It is very timeconsuming to travel in Corbett.
C.It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett.
D.The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing.
阅读理解。
Eight days for just ￥12,000
Departure time：May，October 2012
Includes：
● Return flights from 6 China’s airports to Naples
● Return airport to hotel transport
● Seven nights’ accommodation at the 3star Hotel Nice
● Breakfast
● The service of guides
● Government taxes
Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of the Europe’s most wonderful corners—Naples in Italy if you want to have a nice time in a beautiful small quiet place.The ancient Romans called the city “happy land” with attractive coastline，colorful towns，splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea.Your best choice for a truly memorable holiday!
Choose between the peaceful traditional villages of Sant’ Agata，setting on a hillside six miles away from Sorrento，or the more lively and wellknown international resort town of Sorrento，with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples.
Breathtaking scenery，famous sights and European restaurants everywhere.From the mysterious Isle of Capri to the hunting ruins of Pompeii，and from the unforgettable “Amalfi Drive” to the delightful resorts(度假胜地) of Positano，Sorrento and Ravello，the area is a feast for the eyes！Join us，and you won’t be disappointed!
Price based on two tourists sharing a double room at the Hotel Nice.A single room，another ￥2,000.A group of ten college students，￥10,000 for each.
Like to know more？Telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd.on：0845 226 7788(All calls charge at local rates)．
1.All the following are included in the price of ￥12,000 EXCEPT________.
A．transport between airport and hotel
B．telephone calls made by tourists
C．the service of guides to tourists
D．a double room for every two tourists
2.If you don’t like sharing a room with others，you have to pay________.
A．￥12,000 B．￥10,000
C．￥2,000 D．￥14,000
3.If you like to visit historical sites，which of the following is your best choice?
A．Amalfi. B．Sant’ Agata.
C．Pompeii. D．Sorrento.
4.Who is the advertisement intended for?
A．Potential tourists. B．College students.
C．Government officers. D Old people
阅读理解。
One afternoon last week, I saw three tearful children from my son's school being comforted by teachers.That morning, my 11yearold son had stomach pains, retching (干呕) into a bowl.Talking to other mothers later, I heard about other children with stomachache or difficulty sleeping the night before.
What caused so much pain? Sports day.Sports day might be necessary at a highlycompetitive independent school, but not at a village primary school.For the children who can fly like the wind, sports day causes no problem.For those who are overweight or just not good at sport, it is a nightmare (噩梦).Even for those who enjoy running but fall halfway down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disaster.
Why do we put our children through this annual suffering? Some may say competition is character building; or it's taking part, not winning, that's important；or that it is a tradition of school life.I just felt great pity for those children in tears or in pain.
Team games at the end of sports day produced some close races, wild enthusiasm, lots of shouting — and were fun to watch.More importantly, the children who were not so fast or quick at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone's eyes.Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.
I wish that sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other lesscompetitive event.Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch.
1.What can we learn about the author's son from Paragraph 1?
A.He talked with some mothers.
B.He comforted his classmates.
C.He had difficulty in sleeping.
D.He suffered from stomachache.
2.Sports day is still an annual event in this school probably because________.
A.this is an independent school
B.it is a tradition of the school
C.it helps children lose weight
D.children enjoy watching sports
3.What does the author think about team games?
A.They should include more stressful races.
B.They are acceptable to different children.
C.They should be abandoned at primary schools.
D.They are less fun for those who love running.
4.What is the author's attitude towards sports day?
A.Critical. B.Neutral.
C.Positive. D.Ambiguous.
阅读理解。
“One City One Book” is a generic name (通称) for a community reading program that attempts to get everyone in a city to read and discuss the same book.Popular book picks have been Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird，Ernest Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying，and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.
“One City One Book” programs take the idea of a localized book discussion club and expand it to cover a whole city.The first such program was “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” in 1998，started by Nancy Pearl at Seattle Public Library’s Washington Center for the Book.The book chosen for the program was The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks，written in 1991.Other cities copied the idea，and the Library of Congress listed 404 programs occurring in 2007.
Each city’s program has its own goals；these typically include building a sense of community and promoting literacy.Nancy Pearl warns against expecting too much from a program：“Keep in mind that this is a library program，it’s not an exercise in civics，and that it’s not intended to have literature cure the racial divide.This is about a work of literature.”
Programs typically involve more than having everyone read the same book.Some other activities that have been included are：book discussion sessions，scholarly lectures on the book or related topics，a visit by the author，exhibits，related arts programming (especially showing a movie of the book if there is one)，and integration into school curricula.In Boston the “One City One Story” program used shorter stories and distributed tens of thousands of free copies of the story over the course of a month.
American Library Association puts out a detailed stepbystep guide on how to organize a local program，including the critical step of picking the one book.The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress tracks all known programs and the books they have used.
1.“One City One Book” programs ________.
A．ask everyone in a city to donate one book
B．can rid a city of racial divide through reading
C．choose short stories for people to read
D．encourage everyone in a city to read and discuss the same book
2.We know from the second paragraph that “One City One Book” programs ________.
A．became popular very quickly
B．have been held more than 400 times in Seattle
C．were sponsored by the Library of Congress
D．reached its peak in 2007
3.We can infer from the third paragraph that Nancy Pearl ________.
A．expects much from the programs
B．didn’t expect that the programs would run so well
C．has a practical attitude towards the programs
D．believes the programs will push forward community building
4.What kind of role does American Library Association play in the programs?
A．It picks out the city which runs the programs well.
B．It gives free books to the host city.
C．It gives a practical guide to the programs.
D．It keeps a record of all known programs.
阅读理解。
I sat with a friend a few weeks ago as she scrolled through photos of her college freshman daughter on her phone. She asked me, “Doesn't she look happy? She looks OK, right？” Her daughter had recently had a difficult time, which was now over, but her mother — like all mothers would — still worried, sometimes, that something might be wrong.
For generations of parents, sending children off to college meant knowing little to nothing about how their children were doing. Other than the occasional letter or call from a dorm room phone, children who had left home were mostly unseen and heard from infrequently. College kids could get into all kinds of trouble and their parents would know nothing about it until Christmas vacation or summer break.
Now, of course, that's not at all how it is. Parents of college students can spend hour upon hour examining photos on Instagram or Facebook of their children. They look for hints of sadness in their eyes, the way their clothes fit, whether they're really smiling or just sort of smiling.
However, I don't think it's necessary. College is a time of intense personal growth. Pain is a necessary lesson for the emotional leap from childhood to adulthood. Mothers shouldn't be able to see photos in real time that capture their children when they're at their worst — whether because of too much alcohol or too little happiness.
The blessing of social media is the ability to connect at any time with your child, no matter where he or she may be in the world. Facebook, Instagram and the rest are keeping our helicopters flying long after they should have landed. Maybe it would be better for all of us to be a little less aware of the state of our children's lives once they leave home. Better for the children, and certainly better for the parents.
1.That friend scrolled through photos on her phone most probably because she ________.
A．was bored and wanted to kill the time
B．wanted to make sure her daughter was alright
C．wanted to help her daughter through the difficulty
D．was sure something was wrong with her daughter
2.What does Paragraph 2 tell us about parents of college students in the past?
A．They were often worried about their children.
B．They usually let their children do whatever they liked.
C．They were usually too busy to care about their children.
D．They lacked means of knowing about their children's situation.
3.What does the writer think of children's experiencing pain at college?
A．It is helpless.B．It is necessary.
C．It is nonsense.D．It should be prevented.
4.The passage is written to show that ________.
A．children don't really have freedom at college
B．social media make our life much easier than before
C．today's parents contact their children more frequently
D．parents shouldn't follow their children at college through social media
