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.

 

B

By now there were several people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush(灌木丛).

“Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?” some men said.

“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”

“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those who were not going to go away.

“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap(鼓掌), and my mom’s face turned bright pink.

“Thank you very much, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.

“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully.

“No,” she said in a way that surprised me. “I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!” Now this sounded more like my mom, for I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.

She didn’t look quite so pale this time. She got on the bike again and went down the hill. I ran down the hill after her. She had ridden quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Then she gave me a thumbs-up(翘拇指) sign.

“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”

But it was too late. Again.

“Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her in the grass.

This time she was laughing. “Did you see me? I did it! I really did it!” Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, “we did it.”

60. From the passage we can learn that the author ____.

A. was helping his mother learn to ride a bike   

B. went on a picnic with his mother by bike

C. was learning to ride a bike by himself           

D. could ride a bike as well as his mother could

61. Those people were not going to go away because they ____.

A. would wait until the police came                  

B. wanted to see if the author’s mother was OK

C. thought it was a terrible traffic accident

D. worried about the little broken bush

62. The underlined word “it” (in paragraph 8) most probably refers to ____.

A. the ambulance   B. the sweater    

C. the skill of riding a bike   D. the courage to stand up

63. What happened after the author’s mother gave him a thumbs-up sign?

A. She forgot how to ride a bike.               B. She broke one of her legs.

C. She was hit by something.                     D. She fell off the bike.

 

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

By now there were several people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush(灌木丛).

“Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?” some men said.

“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”

“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those who were not going to go away.

“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap(鼓掌), and my mom’s face turned bright pink.

“Thank you very much, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.

“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully.

“No,” she said in a way that surprised me. “I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!” Now this sounded more like my mom, for I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.

She didn’t look quite so pale this time. She got on the bike again and went down the hill. I ran down the hill after her. She had ridden quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Then she gave me a thumbs-up(翘拇指) sign.

“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”

But it was too late. Again.

“Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her in the grass.

This time she was laughing. “Did you see me? I did it! I really did it!” Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, “we did it.”

60. From the passage we can learn that the author ____.

A. was helping his mother learn to ride a bike   

B. went on a picnic with his mother by bike

C. was learning to ride a bike by himself           

D. could ride a bike as well as his mother could

61. Those people were not going to go away because they ____.

A. would wait until the police came                  

B. wanted to see if the author’s mother was OK

C. thought it was a terrible traffic accident

D. worried about the little broken bush

62. The underlined word “it” (in paragraph 8) most probably refers to ____.

A. the ambulance   B. the sweater    

C. the skill of riding a bike   D. the courage to stand up

63. What happened after the author’s mother gave him a thumbs-up sign?

A. She forgot how to ride a bike.               B. She broke one of her legs.

C. She was hit by something.                     D. She fell off the bike.

 

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