For many parents , raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict 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’ 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 quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness 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.
Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.
“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.
“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”
George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.
Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.
Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his formal rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him?
George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.
“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.”
1.George and Richard were ______ at school.
A. roommates B. good friends C. competitors D. booksellers
2.How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?
A. He envied Richard’s marriage.
B. He thought of Richard from time to time.
C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.
D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.
3.George got information about Richard from ______.
A. a dictionary collector in Australia
B. the latter’s rivals Dylans
C. a rare first edition of a dictionary
D. the wrapping paper of a book
4.What happened to George and Richard in the end?
A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.
B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.
C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.
D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I was in the fifth grade in a small town in Utah. At the start of the school year, my friends and I saw a(n) face. It was clear from the start that the newcomer, Ruth, would not be _____ in our social circle.
Her father lived in a neighborhood that was far from fashionable. Every day, she wore the _____ dress and too-big blue sneakers.
There were lots of ____ in our school on Christmas Eve every year. Most people in town ____ the school’s Christmas programmes. While other classes sang songs and performed skits, the ____ was reserved for fifth--graders. The starring roles were Mary and Joseph. One day before Christmas, my friends and I listened ____ as our teacher, Mr. Russon, read from his list. Finally, he said, “Joseph will be ____ by Timothy.”
I was ____ ,but at once tense again. Which of the popular girls would perform with me? “And the ____ of Mary goes to …Ruth.” Ruth? As far as we knew, she hadn’t ____ tried out. If Ruth was going to be Mary, we decided, we’d make this the ____ Christmas play ever.
_____, Ruth had always practiced her song while the rest of us were doing ____ . Her voice cracked as she tried to get a(n) ___ . We laughed harder than ever. Our music teacher the pianist. We were the worst group of fifth-graders ever, the teacher told us. This year there would be play!
Christmas Eve arrived. Students and people crowded the hall. Finally the time ____ for the fifth-grade performance. To our ____ , Mr. Russon said, “One of the fifth-graders will sing a solo.” The curtain opened, and there stood Ruth. She wore a white dress. Her face ___ as she began to sing. A beautiful voice rang through the hall.
1.A. unchanging B. friendly C. serious D. unfamiliar
2.A. protected B. included C. surrounded D. blamed
3.A. formal B. same C. modern D. beautiful
4.A. courses B. songs C. programmes D. speeches
5.A. attended B. discussed C. compared D. disliked
6.A. song B. dance C. story D. play
7.A. anxiously B. curiously C. proudly D. patiently
8.A. replaced B. rescued C. played D. punished
9.A. surprised B. disappointed C. interested D. delighted
10.A. part B. name C. honor D. money
11.A. already B. still C. never D. even
12.A. worst B. best C. longest D. easiest
13.A. Besides B. However C. Therefore D. Still
14.A. everything B. nothing C. something D. anything
15.A. break B. apology C. breath D. chance
16.A. encouraged B. showed C. lost D. stopped
17.A. no B. more C. another D. such
18.A. passed B. came C. saved D. wasted
19.A. surprise B. enjoyment C. regret D. disappointment
20.A. woke up B. lit up C. rose up D. cheered up
—I have been worried about the possible danger of driving on a railway line.
—Do not be afraid. God will______ us.
A. turn over B. watch over C. go over D. look over
It was generally believed that the show was not as successful as expected, but____, I think it was a great success.
A. personally B. directly C. publicly D. secretly
—I’d like to go to see the film with you, Dad.
—Sorry, my son, but only the grown-ups are ____ into the cinema.
A. required B. intended C. admitted D. supposed
