13 October

Dear Editor,

    I am writing to ask what has happened to the young. They are not as polite, hardworking or clever as my generation(一代人). I'll give you an example.

    Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9:15 a.m. it was very busy so there were no free seats. There were some teenagers(青少年) sitting on the seats near me. I don't know why they were not at school. They were talking loudly and laughing. It was difficult to read my newspaper with all the noise. A heavily pregnant(怀孕的) woman and her daughter got on at the next stop, with lots of shopping bags. I expected the teenagers to let them sit down. They slowly did so but gave me an impolite look. I took off at the next stop and was glad that the teenagers didn't follow me.

    I worried about the future of our country. How could these young people become responsible (有责任心的)workers and parents? They sit around McDonald's after School instead of going to the library like I did at their age. Maybe they have too much money. Perhaps another reader can give us an idea about what to do with this "lost generation ".

                                                               Franz Johnson

                                                                  20 October

Dear Editor,

I read Mr. Johnson’s letter about the problem of today’s young people with much interest.

He described teenagers on a train not giving seat to a pregnant woman and her daughter. I was the woman. We must have seen things differently. I found the teenagers helpful and kind. Did Mr.

Johnson see the teenagers help me off the train? Did he see them carry me shopping bags to a taxi for me? Did he see them friendly to my daughter? Obviously(明显地) not.

"Older" people often say today's youth isn't as good as their generation. Their parents said that about them. Mr Johnson must accept(接受.) that the world is changing and young people are changing with it. I find today's young people are changing with it. I found today's young people mostly kind and more fun than my generation.

Perhaps Mr. Johnson should really try to get to know some young people before he calls them the "lost generation".

                                                               Linda  Black                                                                                                     1. Mr. Johnson wrote the letter to          .                              

   A. ask for help from the newspaper          B. find the way to solve the problem

   C. show his worry towards the young        D. teach the young people a lesson

2. When Mr. Johnson was young, he usually          after school.

    A. went to the library                        B. read newspaper

    C. went to McDonald' s                      D. helped people in trouble   

3. In the second letter, Mrs. Black         .

     A. discussed the problem with the old

     B. told another story about the young people 

     C. wanted to show her thanks to the young people

     D. wanted the "older" to understand the young

4. Which of the following is the correct order of what happened?

    ①Mrs. Black wrote to the newspaper.

 ②Mrs. Black took a taxi With her daughter.

③Mrs. Black got on the train with her daughter.

    ④Mr. Johnson asked the young to give her seat.

    ⑤Mr. Johnson thought the young might follow him.           

    A. ②③④⑤①    B. ③②④⑤①       C. ③④⑤②①    D. ⑤③①④②

5. From the two letters we can learn that             .

      A. Mrs. Black didn't like the old like Johnson 

      B. people have different ideas about the young 

      C. older people are more helpful than the youth  

      D. people should talk more about the same story

Katie wrote a letter to her Chinese teacher and got a reply from him. Read their letters and answer the questions.

Dear Mr. Hu,

My family moved here from England three months ago. I can’t speak Chinese well, and it’s difficult for people to understand me. I’m losing confidence.

Could you please tell me what I should do?

Katie

Dear Katie,

I’m glad that you let me know about your problem. Here are some things you can do：

1. Your class is going to have a Story Time this month. All of you should tell stories. You should tell one, too. I’m sure you can learn a lot from doing so.

2. Try to practise speaking with your teachers and classmates. Don’t be afraid.

3. Talk to Nanako and Yu­kim. Nanako is from Japan，and Yu­kim is from Korea. They might be able to give you some advice.

4. Some foreign students told me that watching Happy Times on TV can help. The language is easy.

Please try these ideas and see if you can do better. Don’t worry too much. I have confidence in you.

Mr. Hu

36. Katie’s family has been here for ________.

A. 3 years              B. 3 months                C. 6 years            D. 6 months

37. What is Katie’s problem?

A. She misses her parents.   B. She can’t speak Chinese well.  

C. She is taking too many classes.  D. She thinks the teachers are too serious.

38. Happy Times can help students with their ________.

A. Chinese               B. English            C. Japanese          D. Korean

39. Which is NOT Mr. Hu’s suggestion in his letter?

A. Telling stories in class.                B. Watching a TV program.

C. Writing a letter every day.                 D. Talking to other foreign students.

40. From the letter we know that ________.

A. Mr. Hu is Katie’s English teacher  B. Katie’s family came from Australia

C. Katie's going to have a Story Time next month   D. Mr. Hu tries to help Katie to learn Chinese well