More than ever, kids today have given up reading for activities like watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Internet, but recently a new trend (趋势) has been catching on that will hopefully change that.

In fact, book clubs are becoming more popular among American kids. 11-year-old Kenya Debarros read about singer Lena Horne. “It was just amazing to see a black woman as the star and not just a mammy or a maid,” she says. But did all these kids come enthusiastically (热情地)? No, not exactly.

“I like book club, uh, I don’t know, but I am just trying it out. My mom didn’t make me, but I just tried it out,” says 16-year-old Antonio Nash.

And if they’ll try it, the experts say, there are ways to get them to come back. Make it fun, serve pizza, serve chocolate cakes and have door prizes (门票对号奖). It also helps to connect books to the real world. They talk about things that are happening in the community, so they can relate whatever they’ve read in the book to what’s happening now.

Here they have long talks about the books they have selected, which most kids don’t get to do when they’re in school, and these kids say, in book clubs they’re learning to love books and love reading.

“I feel like I’m actually in the book and doing what the actual main character is doing,” says 13-year-

-old Justin Woodard.

16-year-old Antonia McManus says reading gives her a nice break from the day, “Sitting down and reading a book gives me some time to get away from the world, and get my mind straight.”

52. What does the underlined phrase “catching on” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A. Happening.              B. Realizing.    C. Becoming popular.   D. Bringing in.

53. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Book clubs develop very fast in America.

B. Book clubs are popular among American kids.

C. American kids’ habits are changing towards reading.

D. A new trend helps change children in America.

54. It can be known from the passage that ______.

A. book clubs are designed to improve kids’ study

B. book clubs are mainly to help kids forget the reality

C. kids like to go there for the silent surroundings

D. kids may get unexpected rewards in book clubs

55. Why does Antonia McManus like going to the book club?

A. She finds reading restful.

B. She could get some sound sleep.

C. She likes the noisy conditions there.

D. She can deal with her problems there.

 

Being safe in your everyday life needs knowledge(知识)．If you remember the following information，your life will be much safer．

  Always notice the environment around you．You shouldn’t walk alone outside．Make sure where the public phones are．If anything dangerous happens，you can find them easily．

 Your bag should be carried towards the front of your body instead of putting it on your back．When a bus is full of people, it is easy enough for a thief to take away the things in the bag on your back．

  If you are followed by someone whom you don’t know, cross the street and go to the other way，let the person understand that you know he or she is after you．Next，don’t go home at once．You are safer in the street than you are alone in your home or in a lift(电梯)．

   If you have to take a bus to a place far away, try to get to the stop a few minutes earlier before the bus leaves．This stops other people from studying you．On the bus，don’t sit alone．Sit behind the driver or with other people．Don’t sleep．

1.Which of the following is NOT safe when you are out?

A．Go home alone late at night．

B．Make sure where the public phones are．

C．Don’t get to the bus stop too early．

D．Always notice the environment around you．

2.When you are followed by someone on your way home，you should   to make yourself safe．

A．run home

B．find a lift and go in

C．turn back and walk towards him or her at once

D．cross the street and go to the other way

3.What can you learn from the text?

A．How to notice the environment around you.

B．How to be safe in your everyday life.

C．How to cross the street.

D．How to use the public phones.

 

More than half of rich Americans have not shown their full wealth to their children, a new survey showed last Tuesday.
The survey, published by the Bank of America, studied the rich with＄3 million or more in possessions. It found that “surprisingly few of those surveyed have well-developed plans to preserve and pass on their possessions to their children”.
The majority of the 457 people surveyed are self-made, first-generation rich. Fifty-two percent of parents have not chosen not to tell their children just how wealthy they are，and 15 percent have given away nothing about the family wealth. One in three parents said they had never thought to do it.
They are worried that their children would become lazy, spend money freely，make bad decisions and even become a target for attractive women who use their looks to get money from rich men.
Only 34 percent strongly agreed that their children would be able to handle any inheritance（遗产）they plan to leave them.
“There is an expectation about the wealthy parents that they have a responsibility to pass down their fortune to the next generation,” said Sallie Krawcheck，president of the Global Wealth and Investment Management of the Bank of America. “Our research, however, uncovered changing views of what one generation owes the next.”
The trend is led by the world’s richest man Bill Gates, who promised in 2008 that he would leave his $58 billion fortune to the charity started by him and his wife, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation（基金会），and not to his children.
“ We want to give it back to society in the way that it will have the most positive effect,” he said.
Of his plans for his children , Gates said: “I will give the kids some money but not a meaningful percentage… they will need to work but they will feel reasonably taken care of.”
【小题1】We can learn from the passage that              .

A．rich parents may not know how to manage their inheritance

B．rich parents don’t equal rich kids, at least in the US

C．American children don’t get to inherit their parents’ wealth

D．poor children don’t expect themselves to be as rich as their parents

【小题2】According to the survey, most rich Americans                   ．

A．think they owe their children nothing

B．think it best to give their money back to society

C．doubt their children’s ability to handle wealth

D．are confident of their children’s ability to handle wealth

【小题3】The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 6 refers to                 ．

A．responsible children

B．Bill Gates and his wife

C．first-generation rich

D．rich parents

【小题4】From the last paragraph，we can see that Bill Gates wants to show              .

A．the trend of leaving no inheritance to children

B．the positive effect of charity on society

C．the way of giving back to society

D．the importance of independence for children

Most summer camps for teens center around sports, or music and arts, or just for having fun． But some girls in the Washington suburb of Arlington County, Virginia, went to camp to get a taste of what its like to be a firefighter．

This is not a typical summer camp． But Michelle Pawlaw is glad she signed up for it． "Getting to experience the fires hands-on is really cool and something that most people don't get to do," she said．

Michelle and eight other teenage girls are participating in the three-day camp offered by the Arlington County Fire Department located just outside of Washington．

“The purpose is to try to get young women interested in considering the fire service as a career” said firefighter Clare Burley, who is in charge of the program．

The free of charge, overnight camp is designed to let the girls experience what firefighters do in the line of duty to protect the community．

They take classes and learn how to climb the ladder on a fire truck, operate emergency tools and rescue on injured person． They also do their share of cleaning the firehouse and the equipment Firefighting is still a male-dominated （男性主导） service． Clare joined the department seven years ago, saying "We do everything that the guys do to the same standarD．We are tested to the same standarD．We are expected to operate at the same standard．"

Most of the girls say they had never thought about becoming a firefighter, but the camp was a great learning experience．

"I think it is definitely not a job that only men can do. Women can do it just as well as men can," said Michelle Pawlaw．

'I think I can help other people if they need help and know what to do in case I am at a fire myself," said Kayla Ehrlich．

         "I think it's fantastic; I could consider taking it as a career some day．" said Monica Bartorsh．

         And, the girls say, by spending three days together, they also made new friends and had a lot of fun．

1.____might become a firefighter in the future．

A．Monica                       B．Kayla

C．Michelle                   D．Clare

2.What can be inferred from the text?

A．The camp offers classes on curing the injured

B．Teenage girls will become volunteer firefighters

C．Women can perform as well as men in firefighting

D．Firefighting will soon be a female-dominated service

3.What do we know about Clare Burley from the passage?

A．She has served the department for 7 years

B．She doesn't like her career as a firefighter

C．She is the designer of the camp program

D．She does better in firefighting than men

4.The purpose of the text is____．

A．to attract more campers

B．to introduce a new type of camp

C．to praise women firefighters

D．to gain support from government

 

My dad has been driving a truck for almost his entire life. He’s usually  1.  all the weekdays and comes home only at weekends. Sometimes he stays ___2.__for two weeks at a time. __3._I don't get to see him as often as I wish, we remain very __4.___.

My dad is the type of person who doesn't let you __5.__ up anything that you start. When I was eleven, my father bought me a piano. At first I was so __6.__ about it that I would spend hours and hours learning how to play. Then it got _7._. I was so tired of it that I asked if I could stop. Much as I tried, he __8.__me to go on. Now I have been playing for almost five years. I love it and I' m glad I __9._my dad's advice.

My dad is _10.__talented, for he has been playing the guitar for over 20 years. Under his influence, I also like 11.    now. Sometimes my dad can be my biggest  12.  . He makes me smile even when I lose in a talent show13.  . Sometimes he can be my biggest critic(批评家). He   14.  ignore the small mistakes I make. He encourages me never to lose   15.  , because he thinks that all my efforts will   16.   one day.

My dad is generous. Every Thursday night, he    17.   to read to the children at a children’s club. When he reads, their   18.   light up with curiosity about what will happen next. I feel   19.   of having a person in my family who cares enough to volunteer to   20. .

I love Dad with all my heart. He’s a hero in my heart and the most wonderful person in the world.

21. 

A．on

B．with

C．out

D．in

22.

A．away

B．home

C．inside

D．alone

23.

A．In case

B．Even though

C．If only

D．As if

24.

A．polite

B．kind

C．different

D．close

25.

A．give

B．put

C．take

D．speed

26.

A．nervous

B．anxious

C．crazy

D．familiar

27.

A．rough

B．difficult

C．disappointing

D．boring

28. 

A．promised

B．persuaded

C．reminded

D．suggested

29.

A．received

B．challenged

C．took

D．listened

30. 

A．physically

B．typically

C．musically

D．exactly

31. 

A．chatting

B．dancing

C．writing

D．drawing

32.

A．director

B．supporter

C．scholar

D．sponsor

33.

A．however

B．so

C．and

D．still

34.

A．ever

B．often

C．never

D．even

35.

A．aim

B．dream

C．strength

D．heart

36. 

A．come true

B．take risks

C．pay off

D．let out

37.

A．agrees

B．likes

C．intends

D．offers

38.

A．bodies

B．arms

C．hands

D．faces

39.

A．jealous

B．optimistic

C．proud

D．happy

40.

A．help

B．read

C．work

D．drive