16．In the United States，sixteen，eighteen and twentyone are important ages in a person's life．There are no special celebrations for these birthdays，but each is a time when a person can do new things．That shows how she is no longer a child and has made the transition to adulthood． In the United States，after turning sixteen a person can work，get a driver's license，and leave home．Sometimes the laws don't seem to make sense（表明）：at eighteen people in the United States can have a vote and join the army．But people are prohibited（禁止） from going into many nightclubs，buying drinks like beer or wine until they are twentyone． In many Latin American countries，a young woman's fifteenth birthday is important．At this age，she is no longer considered to be a girl，but rather a woman．To mark this special day，families with fifteenyearold daughters have a celebration．The day begins with the young woman and her family going to church．Later，there is a party and many guests are invited． In Japan，boys and girls are considered to be adults at the age of twenty．At this age，they are allowed by law to vote，drink wine，and smoke．The second Monday in January is a national holiday called"Coming of Age Day"．On this day，twentyyearolds celebrate by first going to a shrine（神庙） with their families．Later，they listen to speeches given by city and school leaders．After that，many get together with family late into the night． In some countries，birthday celebrations continue throughout adulthood．Some people celebrate their fortieth and fiftieth birthdays，or the year when they retire，with a big party．
66．What does the word transition mean in Chinese？B A．结束 B．转变 C．开始 D．增加 67．In the USA，at which age can a person be allowed to drink wine？D A．Sixteen B．Eighteen C．Twenty D．Twentyone． 68．Where do people regard a 15yearold girl as a woman？A A．In Latin America B．In Japan． C．In the United States D．In Europe． 69．Which of the following activities is NOT mentioned on Coming of Age Day？C A．Going to a shrine B．Listening to speeches． C．Going to church D．Getting together with family． 70．What's the main idea of the passage？D A．The age of adulthood is too young in some places but too old in others． B．All over the world，people celebrate their each birthday till they retire． C．There are special celebrations for 16th，18th and 21st birthdays in every country． D．There are special ages and celebrations that show a person is growing older．
17．Last week，my granddaughter started kindergarten（幼儿园），and certainly I wished her success．I was saying something that is not true．What I actually wish for her is failure．I believe in the importance of failure． Success is boring．Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do，or do something correctly the first time，which can often be a problem for the future．First-time success is usually a fluke（侥幸）．First-time failure，in fact，is the natural order of things． Failure means how we learn．I have been told of an African phrase（短语） describing a good cook as"she who has broken many bowls"．If you've spent enough time in the kitchen and have broken a lot of bowls，probably you know a lot about cooking．I once had a dinner with a group of cooks，and they spent time comparing knife wounds and burn scars．They knew how much their failures gave them． My younger daughter is a dancer．She spent three years getting ready for an act．She did it successfully for years．There was no reason for her to change the act-but she did anyway．She said she was no longer learning anything new and she was bored； and if she was bored，she couldn't play well．So she changed the act．She risked failure in order to feed her heart． My granddaughter is a perfectionist．But I will also，I hope，remind her of what she learned，and how she can do whatever it is better next time．I probably won't tell her that failure is a good thing，because that's not a lesson you can learn when you're five．I hope I can tell her，though，that it's not the end of the world．Indeed，with luck，it is the beginning．
48．What did the writer really wish for her granddaughter in the kindergarten？B A．Success． B．Failure． C．Kindness． D．Care． 49．The third paragraph mainly tells usD． A．what"a good cook"means B．a cook should often cook C．a cook must break many bowls D．failure means how we learn 50．Why did the younger daughter change the act？C A．Because she didn't do well in it． B．Because she was asked to change it． C．Because she wanted to feed her heart． D．Because she wanted to try a failure． 51．What does the writer hope to tell the granddaughter？C A．Failure is a good thing． B．She can't fail any more． C．Failure is not the end of the world． D．Success is the end of the world．
