All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand, the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.

Good teachers make the growth of critical (批判性的) thinking easier in their students, only to find that this can lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have reservations about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies of that same government. The rebellions (叛逆的)young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent or not realistic in their demands, but their voices must be heard.

Good parents know that just forbidding particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about he lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.

1.By saying “Revolutions are led by the young”, the author indicates that young people are more     .

A．conventional       B．realistic           C．creative           D．heartbreaking

2.From the second paragraph we know         .

A．teachers’ basic beliefs should be questioned by students

B．schools encourage parents to question their education methods

C．movement is satisfied with the new leaders’ attack on the policies

D．the voice of the rebellious young should be heard by the government

3.In order to educate children well, parents should          .

A．forbid particular behaviors in their daily life

B．know them well and set a good example to them

C．educate them with facts and expect much of them

D．know as much as possible as their children

4.From the passage we can learn that the author prefers         .

A．free parenting                         B．traditional parenting

C．critical parenting                        D．smart parenting

5.What is the best title of the passage?

A．Letting Go – for Children’s Independent Life

B．Parents’ Tasks – in Children’s Development

C．Way of Growth – for the Young Groups

D．Teaching Methods – for Teachers and Schools

 

When we found him, he was a sorry sight. His clothes were torn, his hands bleeding. Before we reached him, we saw him fall. He lay a moment. Then he pulled himself to his feet, walked unsteadily a few yards through the woods and fell again.
After we got him out, we went back to find the gun that he had thrown down. His tracks showed that for two days he had circled in the forest, within 200 yards of the road. His senses were so dulled by fear and tiredness that he did not hear the cars going by or see the lights at night.
We found him just in time.
This man, like others before him, had simply been frightened when he knew he was lost. What had been a near disaster might have turned out as only a pleasant walk, if he had made a few preparations before he stepped from the highway or off a known path.
Whatever sense of direction that a man may have, it’s still largely a question of observation. A skilled woodsman always keeps an eye on his surroundings. He notes the shape of a mountain, the direction water flows through a swamp, and the way a tree leans across a path. With these in mind, he is still likely to turn around many times, but he is seldom lost.
There are exceptions, of course, and once in a while a man does come across some strange problem that puts him into the “lost” situation. A rainstorm or sudden blizzard may catch him without a compass in his pocket. Darkness may find him in a rough area, where travel is dangerous without a light.
When this happens, the normal first reaction is the fear of being laughed at as a result of his poor knowledge in the woods. He may also be concerned about the inconvenience that he will cause his friends when he doesn’t show up. This false pride may lead him to keep on the move in a false effort to find his way against all difficulties.
The person who thinks ahead is seldom in great danger. He’ll be safe if he observes carefully, thinks ahead, and remains calm.
【小题1】The writer suggested that if the man had not been found, he would have ______.

A．been shot by a gun	B．become confused
C．been attacked by wild animals	D．been in great danger

【小题2】According to the text, if a person gets lost in the forest, at the very beginning, he would _____.

A．worry about being laughed at	B．push himself to find his way out
C．feel it is convenient to ask for help from his friends	D．feel sorry that he didn’t study hard enough

【小题3】When a person tries to find his way in the woods, ________ is the most important.

A．intelligence

B．observation

C．direction

D．chance

【小题4】The writer tells the story of the lost man as an example of people who_______.

A．go into the woods by themselves	B．don’t know how to signal for help properly
C．are frightened when they think they are lost	D．keep their head when they are in trouble

What could make Michael Jordon, one of the greatest basketball players in history, shed tears?  It was when he became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11. The hall is in Springfield, Massachusetts and honors the best basketball players, greatest coaches and other contributors to the game. “The game of basketball has been everything to me ,” said Jordan, 46. “It is the place I have always gone when I needed to find comfort and peace.”

  Jordan retired twice in his 15-year career, finishing with 32292 points, the third highest total points in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone. His average of 30.12 points a game is the best in the League.

  “One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,” Jordan said. “Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” (假象) In other words, it was motivation that made Jordan such a success..

  A great career did not mean a smooth one. His high school coach cut him from the team in favor of a taller player when Jordan was in 10^th grade. His college coach wouldn’t allow him on the cover of Sports Illustration in 1981 with North Carolina’s four other players because Jordan was a freshman. In his first NBA All-Star game, older NBA stars wouldn’t throw him the ball because of jealousy.

  “That burned me up,” Jordan said. “But obstacle don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

1. When Jordan became a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame,_____

A. he found something more encouraging .

B. he was so excited that he couldn’t hold his tears back.

C. he was happy and sad at the same time.

D. he felt very comfortable and peaceful.

2.Who scored the highest total points in NBA history?

A. Michael Jordon.                       B. Karl Malone.

C. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.                  D. Kobe Bryant.

3.When in college basketball team, Jordan ______

A. was not experienced enough to be favored by his coach.

B. was the pet of his basketball coach.

C. was the best player in the team

D. was the tallest one of all basketball players.

4. What does the word “obstacle” mean in the passage?

A. Something that makes you feel uncomfortable

B. The coach who thinks you are not suitable for playing basketball.

C. A wall in the basketball court to stop players in training.

D. Something that makes it difficult for you to achieve your goal.

 

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across America’s farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.

   Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No. 1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.

   “There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”

   In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.

   “I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture. “

   The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.

   Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21-year-old Best hopes his message --that this is a new time in agriculture-- will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations (创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in. “

1.What is the new challenge to American agriculture?

   A. Fewer and older farmers.          B. Higher fuel prices.

   C. More natural disasters.           D. Lower agricultural output.

2.Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?

   A. To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention.

   B. To select qualified agriculture graduates.

   C. To clarify a recent blog posting.

   D. To talk more students into farming careers.

3.According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people because ________.

   A. the government will cover production costs

   B. global food supplies will be even lower

   C. investment in agriculture will be profitable

   D. America will increase its food export

4.What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?

   A. To re-analyze the result of the national census.

   B. To increase agricultural production.

   C. To bring down the average age of farmers.

   D. To invest more in agriculture.

 

All her life,my mother wanted busy children.It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house,leave a half-written letter on the dining room table,a magazine open on the chair,and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,”as she explained.
My wife,one of her first visits to my mother’s house,placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink.When she returned,she found the packet had been removed.Confused(疑惑的),she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits,only to return to find that her drink had disappeared.Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks,so as not to make water rings on the end tables.Now she knows better.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family.We were all inclined to(有……的倾向) forgetfulness,and it was common for one of us,upon returning from the bathroom,to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly.“Do you remember what I was doing?”was a question frequently asked,but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows,and my brother does the cleaning in his house,perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet.I try not to think about it too much,but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?

A．She enjoyed removing others’ drinks.

B．She became more and more forgetful.

C．She preferred to do everything by herself.

D．She wanted to keep her house in good order.

【小题2】My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.

A．she had already finished them

B．my mother had taken them away

C．she forgot where she had left them

D．someone in my family was holding them

【小题3】The underlined part in the fifth paragraph suggests that my sister _______.

A．is happy to clean windows

B．loves to clean used windows

C．is fond of clean used windows

D．likes clean windows as my mother did

【小题4】This passage mainly tells us that _______.

A．my mother often made us confused

B．my family members had a poor memory

C．my mother helped us to form a good habit

D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother