The relationship between parents and children has always been a hot topic. Many students may feel 1. (stress) because of their parents. Most parents have good intentions, 2. some of them aren’t very helpful with the problems their sons and daughters have in 3. (adjust) to college, and a few of them seem to go out of their way to add to their children’s 4. (difficulty).
For one thing, parents are often not aware of the kinds of problems their children face. They don’t realize that the 5. (compete) is stronger, that the required standards of work are 6. (high), and that their children may not be prepared for 7. change. They may be upset by their children’s poor grades. At their kindest, they may 8. (gentle) ask why John or Mary isn’t doing better, whether he or she is trying as hard as he or she could, and so on. At their worst, they may threaten 9. (take) their children out of college or cut off living expenses.
Sometimes parents think it right and natural that they determine 10. their children should do with their lives. They forget that everyone is different and that each person must develop in his or her own way.
Every New Year's Eve in the past, we had breakfast at Aunt Dot's house. My most vivid
____of the meal was the centerpiece（中心装饰品）that Aunt Dot always ______ on her kitchen table-seven sets of salt and pepper shakers. It wasn't until years later that I finally asked Aunt Dot about the unusual centerpiece.
She was then 87 but she______invited us to the last breakfast of the year. I had ______early that morning to help with the meal______．Though weak, Aunt Dot was______stirring（搅拌）pancake batter(糊状物)as she______my question. "You know I arra
nge those salt and pepper shakers on the table every single year.”
“I know," I said,_______plates on the table. "But______do you always do that on New Year's Eve morning?"
“It helps to remind me that_______the holidays are over, there's another whole year of them coming," Aunt Dot said thoughtfully.
I nodded________,"1 guess that makes sense. "
"Let me tell you something more," she said.“I’ve learned over my many Tears that nothing really______; every ending in life is really just another new______. " She pointed at me with the batter-covered spoon. "_______ that, my dear. "
"I will," I told her.
In the spring of that year, after a short illness, Aunt Dot passed away. To my_____, I got the holiday salt and pepper shakers which I thought would be given to her own children. I_______Aunt Dot wanted to make sure I remembered her philosophy.
I continued Aunt Dot's breakfast_____ at my own apartment with the salt and pepper shakers centerpiece______. The pancakes are never as delicious as Aunt Dot's,______the center of the table is covered with those old salt and pepper shakers,______us all that every ending is really just another beginning.
1.A. dream B. memory C. mind D. worry
2.A. changed B. listed C. arranged D. cooked
3.A. still B. even C. ever D. just
4.A. come through B. come up C. come over D. come across
5.A. orders B. purchases C. shares D. preparations
6.A. enthusiastically B. nervously C. sadly D. bravely
7.A. went through B. figured out C. replied to D. made out
8.A. removing B. appreciating C. washing D. setting
9.A. when B. why C. what D. where
10.A. now that B. in case C. as though D. even if'
11.A. in vain B. in doubt C. in agreement D. in demand
12.A. ignores B. stops C. requires D. lives
13.A. beginning B. surviving C. challenging D. escaping
14.A. Remember B. Forgive C. Forget D. Experience
15.A. disappointment B. surprise C. sadness D. relief
16.A. find B. decide C. guess D. notice
17.A. principle B. method C. law D. tradition
18.A. under control B. broken C. changed D. in place
19.A. but B. so C. and D. for
20.A. announcing B. reminding C. persuading D. suggesting
If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was hard or inconvenient. 1.“There are only two creatures,” says a proverb, “who can surmount(越过) the pyramids — the eagle and the snail.”
If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention. I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. 2. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begin early enough. I often hear grown-up people say, “I could not fix my attention on the lecture or book, although I wished to do so,” and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.
If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage. “Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage, nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice (怯懦),” says a wise author. 3.The fear of ill exceeds(超过) the ill we fear. Dangers will arise in any career, but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them.4.
If I were a boy again, I would look on the cheerful side. Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, it smiles back upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similar look in return. Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that come in contact with it.
5.I might write pages on the importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand straight and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.
Finally, instead of trying hard to be happy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would, if I were a boy again, try still harder to make others happy.
A. If we want light, we must conquer darkness.
B. If I were a boy again, I would school myself to say “No” oftener.
C. We too often borrow trouble, and expect that may never appear.
D. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.
E. If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends and indeed towards strangers as well.
F. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results.
G. Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be feared.
Children who spend more time outdoors may have a lower risk of becoming nearsighted, new research suggests.
In the study, researchers looked at about 1,900 schoolchildren. The scientists found that the kids who had been instructed to spend more time outdoors over three years were 23 percent less likely to develop nearsightedness during this time than those who had not been instructed to spend more time outdoors. Moreover, among the kids who did become nearsighted during the study, the degree to which their eyesight worsened was slightly smaller among those who spent more time outdoors.
The researchers selected six schools and required the children, whose average age was 7 at the start of the study, to attend one additional 60-minute class of outdoor activities during each school day for three years. The parents of these children were also encouraged to engage their children in outdoor activities after school, especially during weekends and holidays. The other half of the children, from another six schools, continued their usual activity patterns. After three years, 30.4 percent of the kids in the intervention(干预) group had become nearsighted, compared with 38.5 percent of the kids in the other group.
It is not clear exactly why spending more time outside would benefit children’s eyesight, the researchers said. However, some research has suggested that the higher levels of light intensity found outdoors may increase the release of the chemical dopamine(多巴胺) of the eye. In turn, dopamine is known to restrain（抑制） the type of growth in the eye that is associated with nearsightedness.
Based on the new results, the researchers recommend that children spend more time outdoors because of the potential benefits to their eyesight. However, it’s important to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light, which can be damaging.
1.What did the children in the intervention group do during each school day?
A. Attend an extra class of outdoor activities.
B. Continue to do their usual activities.
C. Spend one hour in doing eye exercises.
D. Participate in outdoor activities with parents.
2.What can be inferred about the chemical dopamine?
A. It can contribute to poor sight.
B. It can damage people’s brain.
C. It is beneficial to eyesight.
D. It means low levels of light intensity.
3.What may be discussed in the following paragraph?
A. How to design outdoor activities for kids.
B. How to prevent kids becoming nearsighted.
C. How to protect kids’ skin and eyes from UV light.
D. How to encourage kids to join in outdoor activities.
4.Which can serve as the best title for the passage?
A. The More Time Outdoors, the Better
B. Kids May See Better if They Play Outside
C. It’s Time to Engage Kids in Outdoor Activities
D. Researchers Found a Cure for Nearsightedness
Lions are opportunists. They prefer to eat without having to do too much work. When resting in the shade, they are also watching the sky to see what is flying by, and even in the heat of the day they will
suddenly start up and run a mile across the plains to find out what is going on. If another animal has made a kill, they will drive it off and take the dill for themselves. A grown lion can easily eat 60 pounds of meat at a single feeding. Often they eat until it seems painful for them to lie down.
The lionesses (母狮) , being thinner and faster, are better hunters (猎手) than the males (雄狮). But the males don’t mind. After the kill they move in and take the test share.
Most kills are made at night or just before daybreak. We have seen many, many daylight attempts but only ten kills. Roughly, it’s about twenty daytime attempts for one kill.
When lions are hiding for an attack by a water hole, they wait patiently and can charge at any second. The kill is the exciting moment in the day-to-day life of the lion, since these great animals spend most of their time, about 20 hours a day, sleeping and resting.
Lions are social cats, and when they are having a rest, they love to touch each other. After drinking at a water hole, a lioness rests her head on another’s back. When walking, young lions often touch faces with older ones, an act of close ties among members of the group.
1.By describing lions as “opportunists” in the first paragraph, the author means to say that lions _______.
A. are cruel animals
B. are clever animals
C. like to take advantage of other animals
D. like to take every chance to eat
2.According to the text, which of the following is true?
A. Lions make most kills in the daytime.
B. Males care more about eating than active killing.
C. Lions are curious about things happening around them.
D. It doesn’t take lions too much time to make a kill.
3.How can we know that lions are social animals?[
A. They depend on each other.
B. They look after each other well.
C. They readily share what they have.
D. They enjoy each other’s company.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Powerful Lions
B. Lions at Work and Play
C. Lions, Social Cats
D. Lions, Skilled Hunters
How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success —you can’t
follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet & Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological(心理的) tool.”
1.What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?
A. Difficulties influenced his career.
B. Specialists offered him medical advice.
C. Training helped him defeat his disease.
D. He overcame the shadow of illness to win.
2.What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?
A. Her achievements.
B. Her daily happenings.
C. Her training schedule.
D. Her sports career.
3.According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?
A. Courage.
B. Devotion.
C. Hard work.
D. Self-confidence.
