We live in a noisy world. Young and old alike are troubled by sounds over which we may have little or no control: car and house alarms, motorcycles, loudspeakers, even movie previews.

We attend rock concerts, weddings, parties and sports events at which the music is so loud that you can hardly hear the person sitting next to you. At home, televisions, stereos and computer games are often turned up so loud that listeners cannot hear a doorbell or a telephone.

As if environmental noise were not enough, now we surround children with noisy toys and personal listening devices that can permanently damage their hearing. A series of studies conducted in 2002 indicated that even moderate (缓和的) background noise can interfere with how they learn language. In fact, children in classrooms on the noisy side of a school had lower reading scores than those whose classes were on the quiet side.

Noise-induced (噪音诱发的) hearing loss can come about in two ways: from a brief exposure to a very loud noise or from consistent exposure to moderate-level noise. Thus, there is much concern about the lasting effects of MP3 players that are turned up loud enough to block out surrounding sound, like street noise. An MP3 player at maximum volume produces about 105 decibels（分贝）— 100 times as severe as 85 decibels, where hearing damage begins.

So, before buying noise-making toys, parents would do well to listen to how loud they are. If the item comes with a volume control, monitor its use to make sure it is kept near the lowest level. Consider returning gifts that make loud noises, or disable the noise-making function. Children who play computer games and stereo equipment should be warned to keep the volume down. Most iPads have a control that allows parents to set a maximum volume.

Avoid taking children to loud action movies. If you do go and the sound seems deafening, ask the management to turn down the volume or insist on your money back.

The League for the Hard of Hearing urges parents to encourage participation in quiet activities, like reading, doing puzzles, making things with construction toys, playing educational computer games, drawing and painting, and visiting libraries and museums.

    The picture show eighteen – year- old Katy Ross in Nepal, small country in north India. Katy1  school 8 months ago and soon she will go to university. She loves traveling and decided to visit Asia  2  she goes to university.

    Katy is living with a family in the capital of Nepal. She has  3  a lot about the country since she arrived 4 months ago. The family has two children but many uncles and cousins live with  4  in their big house. They have taken Katy to many parties.

    Katy teaches for four hours a day at small  5  . All the classes are in English and the pupils have spoken English since the  6  of six. The older children speak English very  7  . Katy has taught writing, grammar and art, all in English. She enjoys art the most. And she thinks the children like the lessons best, too.

    Katy has not a lot of time to  8   Nepal, but soon she will stop teaching and travel around Nepal   9  a friend. “After that” Katy says, “we will visit more countries in Asia. We’re not 10  which ones yet.”

1. A. left                    B. found                       C. visited                      D. reached

2. before                     B. when                       C. after                        D. while

3. A. used                   B. taught                      C. made                       D. learnt

4. A. us                      B. him                          C. her                          D. them

5. A. shop                   B. cinema                     C. school                      D. factory

6. A. life                     B. age                          C. number                    D. amount

7. A. had                    B. good                        C. fine                          D. well

8. A. see                            B. hear                         C. look                         D. smell

9. A. of                      B. on                            C. with                         D. in

10. A. tired                   B. sure                         C. afraid                       D. happy

The house ________ we live is very old.

A. which

B. that

C. whom

D. in which

Emily Urich 18 years old Canada
A lot of teens aren’t responsible（有责任感的），and that’s where I’m different. Not just about school but everyday things like being able to pay my own credit card（信用卡）bills on time. 
The first time I got a cartoon book was on my third birthday. From then on , I fell in deep love with it. And can you guess how many cartoon books I’ve read? I don’t really know the exact number. But I have three full boxes of them under my bed. I also like drawing cartoons and wish to be an art teacher in a sch001. 
Joe Miller 16 year’s old America
I’m proud of doing things my own way. So whether somebody wants me to do something or whatever it is , I feel like they’re all other people’s thoughts , not really mine. But like others , I love reading , too. When I first took skiing lessons , I found it exciting. For ski racing，there’s no question I’m better shape than most guys（小伙子）. I think it’s fun. I mean，it is a challenge（挑战）. It’s where I picked up the idea of needing a challenge always in my life. In order to improve my skiing skills，I have read many books and magazines about it. No doubt it’s my dream to win gold medals in the Olympic Games. 
An Oi 15 years old China
I’m different because I prefer to drop out of the world to create my own world. I’d like to build a house on a mountain. And I choose to live without electricity, a telephone，or even indoor plumbing（室内卫生设备）. I have many hobbies such as traveling，reading , writing and spending time with children. I love children because they are smart and creative. They always have many strange ideas. It makes me excited. I want to do something for Hope Project and become a country school teacher .

1. 1.

   Who wants to be teacher?

   1. A.
      Emily and Joe.
   2. B.
      Joe and An Qi.
   3. C.
      Emily and An Qi.
   4. D.
      Only An Qi.
2. 2.

   Which hobby do the three students all have?

   1. A.
      Writing.
   2. B.
      Skiing.
   3. C.
      Travelling.
   4. D.
      Reading.
3. 3.

   According to Emily, we can infer（推断）that        . 

   1. A.
      people around trust her
   2. B.
      she does sports at weekends
   3. C.
      she laughs at other people
   4. D.
      she gets up late on Sundays
4. 4.

   We know that Joe Miller        .

   1. A.
      doesn’t like to follow others
   2. B.
      thinks skiing is too dangerous
   3. C.
      does well in drawing cartoons
   4. D.
      Enjoys living somewhere quiet
5. 5.

   Why does An Qi want to be a country schoolteacher?

   1. A.
      Because she wants to travel.
   2. B.
      Because her parents are teachers.
   3. C.
      Because she loves children very much.
   4. D.
      Because she comes from the countryside.