At 18, many American young people go off on their own. They go away to college or find full-time jobs, and they often rent their own apartments. Some get married and start families. This independence(独立性)is learned from childhood. From an early age, American children learn responsibility. Children as young as 2 begin to put away their toys and dress themselves. At 3, many children do simple chores like setting the table.
Using money wisely is also taught early. As soon as a child understands the value of money, he or she receives a weekly allowance. This is used for things the child wants, like toys or treats. The child can spend of save it, usually with little guidance(指导) from parents. If the child wants money besides his or her allowance, it must be made by doing extra chores.
Children are taught early in life to think for themselves. They are allowed to make some decisions-and make mistakes. Failure(失败) often teaches more than success.
【小题1】 Many American young people begin to live on themselves _____ .

A．at eighteen years old	B．from childhood
C．after they get married	D．from an early age

【小题2】 An American child learn to _____ at the age of 2 .

A．find a full-time job	B．from childhood
C．put away his or her own clothes	D．do lots of chores

【小题3】The word “allowance” (in paragraph 3 ) means ______ in Chinese.

A．奖品

B．零花钱

C．财产

D．礼物

【小题4】 A child can get some more money by ______.

A．understanding the value of money	B．helping the rich
C．reading many books	D．doing extra chores

【小题5】The passage is mainly about ______ .

A．the independence of American children	B．the value of money
C．the guidance from parents	D．failure and success of American children

As young students, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize; they can also be small, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.
Once you find a dream, what do you do with it? Do you ever try to make your dream real?
Follow Your Heart by Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making our dreams real is life’s biggest challenge. You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects, or that it is impossible for you to become a writer. Those kinds of ideas stop you from realizing your dream, the books says.
In fact, everyone can realize his dream. The first thing you must do is to remember what your dream is. Don’t let it leave your heart. Keep telling yourself what you want every day and then your dream will come true faster. You should know that a big dream is, in fact, made up of many small dreams.
You must also never give up your dream. There will be difficulties on the road to your dreams. But the biggest difficulty comes from yourself. You need to decide what is the most important. Studying instead of watching TV will help you to get better exam results, while saving five yuan instead of buying an ice cream means you can buy a new book.
As you get closer to your dream, it may change a little. This is good as you have the chance to learn something more useful and find new hobbies.
【小题1】Your dreams can be very ____, such as becoming one of the best students in your class.

A．big

B．small

C．high

D．low

【小题2】 Follow Your Heart is a ______ .

A．movie

B．song

C．book

D．dream

【小题3】 What idea stops you from realizing your dream?

A．I can’t be a writer.	B．I am good at some school subjects.
C．I think I am very great	D．I am the best student in our class.

【小题4】Don’t let ____ leave your heart.

A．your idea

B．your decision

C．your dream

D．your book

【小题5】Studying TV will help you to get better exam results ____ watching TV.

A．with

B．instead of

C．without

D．by

In every little girl's toy box. there might be a Barbie Doll. Barbie is 50 years old this, year. It was designed(设计)in 1959 by an American businesswoman named Ruth Handler. She and her husband Elliott started the toy company Mattel. She named the new doll after their daughter Barbara. The first Barbie Doll appeared at the toy fair（交易会）New York on March 9th, 1959. This date is used as Barbie's birthday.
Mattel sold three hundred thousand Barbie Dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars. Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than twenty-seven thousand dollars. Mattel says 90% of the girls in the United States aged from three to ten own at least one Barbie Doll. And girls aged three to six own an average（平均）of about twelve.
When Mattel created Barbie Dolls half a century ago, they never thought this doll would become a legend. Now Barbie Dolls are famous all over the world. They are sold in one hundred and fifty countries, and every second three Barbie Dolls are sold around the world.
【小题1】Who designed the first Barbie Doll in 1959?

A．Mattel.

B．Elliott.

C．Barbara.

D．Ruth Handler.

【小题2】A Barbie D011 cost _______dollars in the first year after it appeared.

A．3

B．50

C．90

D．27,000

【小题3】What does the underlined word “legend” mean in the passage?

A．传播

B．传奇

C．传承

D．传达

【小题4】The writer doesn't tell us _______.

A．Barbie Dolls are very popular with girls	B．Barbie Dolls sell well around the world
C．what the first Barbie Doll was based on	D．the doll Barbie was named after Barbara

【小题5】What's the best title of the passage? ______.

A．Barbie's birthday	B．Barbie Dolls
C．A lovely girl named Barbie	D．Why are Barbies popular

In the past, large numbers of American people liked to use tomorrow’s money. However, since the economic depression(经济萧条), many have learnt to live  16 . Here is a true story about an American girl, Anna. After graduation, she began to live in Los Angeles on her own. She  17  a job in a publishing house(出版社) and earned  18  $30,000 a year. Her parents thought Anna’s life would be  19 , but Anna was able to live on her money and still  20  $5000 in the first year. How could she do so in  21  expensive city?
Cheap living always starts with keeping the  22  cost small. For people, that  23  housing. So Anna chose to share a flat with three other friends. Her next biggest cost was  24 . When she ate  25 , she went to cheap restaurants.  26  she bought a $9.99 whole chicken at a local restaurant. She then took the chicken bones home and made soup out of them. Today young people often  27  a lot of money on entertainment. But Anna loved going to museums and parks as the  28  for these places were free. Did Anna feel poor by cheap living? Not really. She even  29  to take two trips, one to the Netherlands,  30  to Portland.
“Don’t think of saving money as something hard. It’s a kind of game,” said Anna.

【小题1】

A．happily B．luckily C．hopefully D．cheaply

【小题2】

A．found B．gets C．looked for D．makes

【小题3】

A．more than B．less than C．more D．less

【小题4】

A．dangerous B．hard C．easy D．comfortable

【小题5】

A．made B．gave C．took D．saved

【小题6】

A．so an B．such an C．so D．such

【小题7】

A．expensive B．much C．big D．heavy

【小题8】

A．does B．becomes C．helps D．means

【小题9】

A．food B．clothes C．studying D．traveling

【小题10】

A．away B．out C．up D．inside

【小题11】

A．Soon B．Finally C．Once D．Again

【小题12】

A．pay B．spend C．cost D．take

【小题13】

A．tickets B．seats C．exhibition D．tea

【小题14】

A．tried B．had C．needed D．managed

【小题15】

A．another B．the other C．other D．other

As an exchange student, I have been staying in a host family in Beijing for the past five months. The parents are   36  in their mid-30s and the son just turned 5. In exchange for room and board, I teach their son   37 .
Like in many of the other Chinese families, he’s an only child. And though he has   38 plastic trucks and boxes full of crayons, I don’t know   39  he has the time to play. When he’s not in the kindergarten, he’s taking after-school classes. On the weekends, the boy goes to more classes. He has one day off―Sunday.
Compared to his schedule, I feel like my childhood was   40  a waste of time. I learned how to climb trees and draw cartoons. I wasn’t learning Chinese at his age. But he and lots of other children are learning English. Both his parents dream that he will have   41  jobs, higher pay, and bigger houses.
The boy seems to take no interest   42  learning English. He doesn’t need a teacher, but a playmate. He is,   43 , only 5. When I think about my life as a 5-year-old, I know for sure I wasn’t half as   44  as he is.
In the evening, when his parents   45  him to speak with me in English, he gets   46 . He lies on the floors, hides under the table and climbs on the furniture. When he finally stops   47 , and starts talking, it isn’t in English, but it isn’t in Chinese,   48 . He speaks in his own language.
He   49  not be a very good student, but I’m not a great teacher. I just want to be his big brother   50  can speak in gibberish(胡言乱语) with him and help draw trucks, robots or spiders.

【小题1】

A．both B．all C．either D．none

【小题2】

A．drawing B．Chinese C．English D．playing

【小题3】

A．a hundred of B．hundreds of C．hundred of D．hundreds

【小题4】

A．when B．what C．where D．that

【小题5】

A．hardly B．never C．usually D．almost

【小题6】

A．more B．fewer C．better D．worse

【小题7】

A．with B．in C．for D．on

【小题8】

A．after all B．at all C．first of all D．all the time

【小题9】

A．busily B．busiest C．busier D．busy

【小题10】

A．make B．push C．have D．let

【小题11】

A．frustrated B．relaxed C．pleased D．injured

【小题12】

A．move B．to move C．moving D．moved

【小题13】

A．too B．also C．as well D．either

【小题14】

A．can B．may C．must D．need

【小题15】

A．who B．whom C．whose D．which