Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to thumb rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to be refused when you call a friend and ask for a ride. But with Twitter, you just look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, so many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends when asking on Twitter just like me, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
“I think the digital connection of young people is really important, because younger generations grew up sharing things on line, sharing files, photos, music, etc, so they’ve been very used to sharing,” said Juliet Schor, a sociology professor at Boston College.
The sharing economy got big during the recession (经济衰退), allowing people to access more goods, services using technology and even to share costs. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom, like what my friend Earl says, “The symbol of freedom isn’t the car any more because there’s technology out there connecting you to a car.”
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license compared to six in ten today. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license but an iPhone.
“Driving, for young people, does mean they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passage side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus.” Schor continued.
To me, another plus is that ridesharing represents something, something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.
1.The American teens prefer to possess an iPhone as a birthday gift because ______.
A. it is most fashionable and cool B. they are bored with driving cars
C. they are fond of being connected D. it is much cheaper than a car
2.We can learn from the text that ______.
A. Twitter is a website for teens to make friends and achieve goals
B. ridesharing can be seen as a sign that people still count on each other
C. drwing cars for teens means a plus and connecting with technology
D. having a car and cost-sharing symbolize more freedom for the author’s mother
3.Professor Juliet would agree that ______.
A. young people will sit waiting to be contacted by reading a passage
B. sharing economy is bound to be responsible for the recession
C. young people tend to share a car with strangers by means of Twitter
D. being connected via technology comes first for young people
4.The best title for the passage is probably ______.
A. Twitter, an Awesome Website B. Cars or iPhone
C. Teens Use Twitter to Thumb Rides D. Cool Teens on the Go
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people．Puppy love（早恋）may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression (沮丧，抑郁）. The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all．
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”．According to the study，even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”，this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions．They won’t tell that to their parents．
Dr Marianm Kaufman，an expert on young people problems，says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression．She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up，it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self．She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family．
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes—and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age．Love will always make us feel young，but only maturity （成熟） gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects．
1.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Romance is a double-edged sword for adults.
B. Parents should forbid their children’s love.
C. Puppy love may bring young people depression.
D. Romance is good for young people.
2.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A. Careless parents whose children are deep in love.
B. Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness.
C. Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.
D. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.
B. The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.
C. Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.
D. Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A. disapproving B. confused
C. neutral D. scared
When I was young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the shiny box on the wall. But I was too little to reach it. I could only listen to my mother talk on it.
I discovered that inside the-wonderful box lived an amazing person whose name was Information Please. There was nothing she did not know.
One day my mother went out. I accidentally hurt my finger when I was playing with a hammer. I walked around the house sucking my finger, finally seeing the telephone. Quickly I dragged a chair over and climbed up.
“Information Please, ”I spoke into the receiver. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. “Information.”
“I hurt my finger…”I cried into the phone.
“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.
“Nobody’s home but me.” I sobbed.
“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.
“No,” I replied, “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”
“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could.
“Then take a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.” said the voice.
After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me her name was Sally.
Then, there was the time my pet canary（金丝雀）died. I called “Information Please” and told Sally the sad story. “Why is it that birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a pile of feathers?” She listened, then said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow, I felt better.
One day when I called “Information Please” again, a different voice answered “Information.”
I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said.
“Yes,” I answered.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “She died five days ago.” Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Sally left a message for you. The note said, ‘Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.’” I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
1.When the author hurt his finger, he rang because __________.
A. he believed that the telephone knew everything
B. the telephone could tell him a doctor’s number
C. his mother was on the other end of the telephone
D. he was once told to ask for help in this way
2.Through the help from Sally, it can be inferred that __________.
A. Sally was a geography teacher
B. Sally was the author’s friend
C. Sally was a considerate person
D. Sally was an imaginary person
3.What did Sally really mean by her message?
A. She was sure that she could sing in other worlds.
B. She didn’t want Paul to be sad about her death.
C. Singing helped Paul to face death more easily.
D. There was no need for Paul to call her anymore.
4.What is the best title for this passage?
A. My Pet’s Death
B. An Amazing Woman
C. A Healing Message
D. My Magic Box
假如你是李华，是华文中学的学生会主席。为了丰富同学们的业余生活，提高同学们的英语水平，学生会 组织了ー个English club，请你写封邀请信，邀请同学们参加。内容应包括：
1. English club设立的目的；
2. English club要开展的活动；
3.邀请大家参加English club。
注意：开头和结尾已给出；
字数 80-120；
auditorium礼堂
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I was in the band at Davis Air Force Base,North Dakota. Our group required to play for all the general who reached the base. So, one morning, when our commanding officer heard on the radio what General Frost was expected just after noon, he sent us hurried to the airport with our instrument. It turned out that one of the musicians had also heard on the radio announcement that morning. He takes the commanding officer aside for a whispered talk. When they turned, the officer told them the performance was canceled. There was no arrived general — we had almost played for the weather forecast.
This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out oi his home to admire his new truck. To his 1. ( puzzle), his three-year-old son was 2.(happy) hammering dents (凹痕) into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy’s hands into pulp(果浆汁) as 3. (punish). When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.
4. the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to cut the fingers from both the boy’s hands. When the boy 5. (wake) up from the operation and saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, “Daddy, I’m sorry about your truck.” Then he asked, “6. when are my fingers going to grow back?”
The father went home and committed suicide.
Think about this story 7. next time someone steps on your feet or you wish to take revenge. Think first 8. you lose your patience with someone you love. Trucks can 9. (repair). Broken bones and hurt feelings often can’t. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is 10. (great) than revenge.
People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will impress us forever.
