I'm usually fairly skeptical about any research that concludes that people are either happier or unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck by a report which concluded that today's children are significantly more anxious than children in the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America's kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical isolation(隔离) brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other things and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Considering that we can't turn the clock back, adults can still do plenty to help the next generation.
At the top of the list is nurturing(培育) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against stress.
To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers. Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for facetoface relationships, and they will get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual(虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It's not just video games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended Harvard or Yale.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn't have to ruin your life.
1.According to the analysis, compared with normal children today, children treated as mentally ill 50 years ago ________.
A. probably suffered less from anxiety
B. were considered less individualistic
C. were less isolated physically
D. were probably less selfcentered
2.What does the author mean by saying "we can't turn the clock back" in the third paragraph?
A. It's impossible to forget the past.
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be forgotten.
C. It's impossible to slow down the pace of change.
D. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
3.The author thinks that the conclusions of any research about people's state of mind are ________.
A. illogical B. confusing
C. surprising D. questionable
4.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. To children, anxiety is completely avoidable.
B. TV and computer play an important role in isolating children from the real world.
C. Exercise does not help to lessen children's anxiety.
D. Sometimes local news about crime and murder also affects children a little.
5.The first and most important thing parents should do to help their children is________.
A. to lower their expectations for them
B. to set a good model for them to follow
C. to get them more involved socially
D. to improve them with a safer environment
Job Interviews
You have the education and the work experience; now all you need is the job. Most people spend more time getting ready for an evening out than they do preparing for a job interview. There are several things you can do to have a successful job interview. Here are some of them:
1. Know about the company where you are trying to get a job. Find out what the company does and who their competitors(竞争者) are.
2. Know yourself. Most interviewers will ask a question related to your strengths and weaknesses. Before the interview, examine the job you are applying for and determine the top skills needed for that position. For instance, if you are applying for a job as a telephone operator, it’s more important that you have strong communication skills than that you are tidy.
3. Have proof. It’s easy to say you have good organization skills. But if you can tell the interviewer about a time you organized an event, it makes the claim much more solid.
4. Prepare questions to ask about the company and the job.
An interview is a stressful event. When you are under pressure, it can be difficult to think straight. Preparing before the interview will make it easier to give answers to those tough questions. But you can’t think of every question they might ask. So relax and be confident. Remember, first impressions are lasting.
1.A good skill for a telephone operator to have is ________.
A. the ability to smile
B. tidiness
C. good communication skills
D. proof of past experience
2.Which of the following is TRUE?
A. The job interview should be conducted over the telephone.
B. The first time the interviewer sees you is important.
C. You shouldn’t ask questions about the company.
D. You shouldn’t give examples of things you have done in the past.
3.This article is about ________.
A. how to get a job interview
B. how to communicate at work
C. how to prepare for a job interview.
D. how to interview people
For many people around the world, a subway journey means speeding from one dull station to the next，surrounded by too many uncomfortable, impatient people. But on the Moscow Metro, taking the subway is like walking through a national heritage site. Depending on where you get off，you'll receive a brief course in architectural movements and face colorful glass windows, marble(大理石)columns, gilded (鎏金的）mosaics and painted scenes from Russian history.
“These extraordinarily beautiful places are unlike any metro station I've ever seen，" says Vancouver-based photographer David Burdeny.
When Burdeny, who himself has a master's degree in architecture, first found out about Moscow’s metro stations, he was struck by the work of art. In all, he has photographed 20 of the most beautiful stations.
Burdeny had originally planned to focus on Russian stations more generally, taking photos of examples in both St. Petersburg and Moscow.
“But when I saw the stations in Moscow, they just completely blew away the St. Petersburg ones，"he says.
Shooting in the subway sounds simple, but it is not without challenges. For one thing, Burdeny had to figure out a way to access them between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., when the stations were closed.
In the end, he settled on Arbatskaya Metro Station, whose vaulted (拱顶的） arches he found the most beautiful. But it also represented a challenge he was not sure he was able to overcome: conveying the hugeness of the spaces. The Arbatskaya platform, for example, stretches 820 feet.“Some of the arches are quite long，” he says. “When you enter them, they' re just so completely grand."
1. We can learn from the text that David Burdeny_.
A. is a world-famous architect
B. is studying Russian history
C. took the subway to and from work
D. took photos of Moscow subway stations
2.What Burdeny found challenging was __.
A. when to take photos of Moscow subway stations
B. whether to work in St. Petersburg or Moscow
C. how to photograph the long arches at Arbatskaya Station
D. where to get off to study the Moscow metro system
3.What does the underlined word “shooting” mean in Paragraph 6?
A. Firing bullets from a gun.
B. Taking photographs.
C. Making movies.
D. Throwing the ball at the basket.
书面表达
假设你是新华中学的学生李华，你的美国朋友Tom一周前给你发电子邮件，询问你暑假里的打算，但你因准备期末考试未能及时回复。请根据以下要点给他回封邮件：
1.未及时回信的原因；
2.你假期的打算（如做兼职、旅行、做志愿者等）。
注意：
1．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
2．词数：120左右。
Dear Tom,
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。作文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏子符号（∧）并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When I was a child, I hoped to live in the city. I think I would be happy there. Now I am living in a city, but I miss my home in countryside. There the air is clean or the mountains are green. Unfortunately, on the development of industrialization, the environment has been polluted. Lots of studies have been shown that global warming has already become a very seriously problem. The airs we breathe in is getting dirtier and dirtier. Much rare animals are dying out. We must found ways to protect your environment. If we fail to do so, we’ll live to regret it.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?
In 1969, the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio. It 1. (be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it 2. (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of 3. most outstanding examples of environmental cleanup.
But the river wasn’t changed in a few days 4. even a few months. It took years of work 5. (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is 6. (clean) than ever.
Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit 7. is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?
While there are 8. (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the 9. (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be 10. (patience).
