A

For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?

Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. 

In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the dilemma. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is — politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg — the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority — someone who actually knows something — and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.

1.Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

A．Both can continue for generations.

B．Both are about where to draw the line.

C．Neither has any clear winner.

D．Neither can be put to an end.

2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.

B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.

C．The teens accuse their parents of misleading them.

D．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.

3.Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________.

A．give orders to the other                  B．know more than the other

C．gain respect from the other               D．get the other to behave properly

4.What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A．Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.

B．Examples of the parent-teen war.

C．Solutions for the parent-teen problems.

D．Future of the parent-teen relationship.

5.Where do you think this passage can be found?

A．In a report.                            B．In a letter.

C．In a novel.                             D．In a textbook.

 

C

To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地) motivated to do it．

Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving．The natural tendency is to postpone．Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book．The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit．So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals? 

Here are some tips on how to get moving:

Decide what you want．It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind．Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it．Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming．（势不可挡）

Keep track of your progress．Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished．Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead．

Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight．It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for．It makes it attainable and realistic．Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need．    

Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result．If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing．

Make it a habit．Once you have accomplished your objective, e．g．becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore．

64．According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________．

       A．they don’t have enough desire

       B．their life is filled with routine work

       C．they benefit from the force of habit

       D．they naturally put off forming new habits

65．It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________．

       A．self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal

       B．in modern society people tend to become forgetful

       C．when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless

       D．we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result

66．To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________．

       A．keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal

       B．make self-improvement your second nature

       C．forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans

       D．support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house

67．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

     A．Set Goals in Your Life    B．Get Yourself Motivated

     C．Get into Good Habits      D．Do Not Postpone

B

       On the last day of his life, my dog Otto spent that morning of spring napping in the garden．This was always one of his favorite things to do, even before the days when he was too old and too weak to get out of a car by himself．

       I probably would have started crying over Otto right then, if my two other little dogs hadn't suddenly raced past．Larry, who was a puppy, got knocked into Otto, then licked Otto's ear, and that got Otto excited, and Otto barked and tried to stand up again, but it was hard for him．

       Soon it was time for me to drive to see Steve, our vet．

       When Steve gave Otto the first shot, it made him woozy （眩晕的）．Otto wandered over to where Steve and I were sitting and settled down between us．He has always liked to touch everyone in his pack, if possible, while he sleeps．

       After Steve gave him the last shot and Otto stopped breathing, he didn't look like Otto anymore．He looked like an old gray-brown piece of beat-up carpet, and I suddenly realized what bad shape he'd been in for a long, long time．I wondered if he'd been in much more pain than I knew．Wondering made me feel even worse．

       The week after Otto died was not good．Every morning when I walked Larry and Sticky in the neighborhood, somebody would come up and say they had heard about Otto and they were sorry．They were all Otto's friends and some of them cried．Others, like Debbie who lives on my street, reminded me about how, even at the end．Otto would stand between her twins' stroller （婴儿车） and the street when the garbage truck went by．"Like it was his job to protect them," she marveled．

       Otto has left us, but his memory lives on．

60．How did the author feel when Otto was napping in the garden?

       A．She felt like crying．                B．She thought life was beautiful．         

       C．She found spring was wonderful．       D．She was relieved．

61．According to the passage, how did the dog die?

       A．He had an accident on the street．        B．He died naturally．    

       C．He was made to die by a vet．     D．He starved．

62．What can we know about Otto?

       A．He was already too old to bark．   B．He liked people to keep him company．   

       C．He died a very painful death．           D．He was protected by the neighbours．

63．We can see from the passage that Sticky is a ______．

       A．cat                B．dog       C．child           D．Neighbour

 

C

To be able to motivate oneself, or self-motivate, occurs when a person has the willingness to do something and is internally(内在地) motivated to do it.

Sometimes it’s very difficult to get ourselves moving. The natural tendency is to postpone. Life just seems to get in the way! There is a job to go to, groceries to do, television to watch—whoops! I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses to escape getting started on goals like an exercise routine or reading a new book. The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit. So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish our goals? 

Here are some tips on how to get moving:

Decide what you want. It’s hard to motivate an aimless mind. Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it. Then break it down into smaller sections so it’s easier to handle and less overwhelming.（势不可挡）

Keep track of your progress. Keep a log or journal where you can measure how much you have accomplished. Looking at it can also motivate you to keep pushing ahead.

Post motivating pictures or slogans within your sight. It is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you’re going for. It makes it attainable and realistic. Likewise, little slogans like “go for it” or “just do it” can give you the little support you need.     

Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to be revitalized (激活) and focus on the end result. If you remind yourself to go for the desired promotion, it will re-establish why you are doing what you’re doing.

Make it a habit. Once you have accomplished your objective, e.g. becoming an early riser, keep it up so that it’s second nature to you and you don’t have to think about it anymore.

64. According to the author, some people fail to achieve their goals because ________.

A. they don’t have enough desire

B. their life is filled with routine work

C. they benefit from the force of habit

D. they naturally put off forming new habits

65. It can be inferred from the underlined sentence that ________.

A. self-motivation needs repeated self-reminding of one’s goal

B. in modern society people tend to become forgetful

C. when we forget our goal, our life becomes meaningless

D. we can achieve our goal only by focusing on the end result

66. To get moving on your goal, you can do the following EXCEPT ________.

A. keep a diary to clearly judge your distance to your goal

B. make self-improvement your second nature

C. forget your aim and revitalize yourself with slogans

D. support yourself by hanging inspiring pictures in your house

67. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   A. Set Goals in Your Life                             B. Get Yourself Motivated

   C. Get into Good Habits                              D. Do Not Postpone

                               A  

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.

As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.

However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.

That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信贷紧缩) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.

This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.

In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.

56. The passage mainly tells us something about ______.

A. the past and present of British pubs           

B. the decline of British pubs

C. the long history of British pubs        

D. the importance of British pubs

57. Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A. The credit crunch.                           B. The present closing time.

C. The ban of smoking.                              D. Having no spare money.

58. We can infer from the passage that ______.      

A. British people used to like drinking slowly

B. closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C. binge drinking means drinking less beer

D. British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

59. We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.

  A. is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

  B. holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

  C. thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

  D. thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need