Nowadays the problem of the generation gap is becoming more and more serious. Poor relationship between parents and their children are very common.
Whether we like it or not, our parents are responsible for us at least until we’re out of high school. So rather than get upset about that fact, maybe we should focus on some ways to make our relationship better. The best way, in my opinion, is to learn to really communicate with my parents.
When I find myself arguing with my mom and dad, I try to stop. If I can manage to stop myself from talking, I usually find that I can calm down quickly. I guess I’m usually acting out of emotion rather than logic(逻辑). But if I can stop arguing for a minute, it seems that my opinion changes and I start to realize that I’m a bit childish. Emotionally I may still be upset, but logically I understand that yelling(大叫大嚷) and fighting surely won’t make things better.
Once I’ve stopped arguing, I look at my parents in the eye. You’d be amazed at how much easier it is to communicate with your parents when you’ve actually looking at them. Looking away doesn’t do much of anything except for giving them the impression that I’m not listening or that I don’t care. It’s much easier to see things eye to eye when you’re physically seeing them eye to eye.
Finally, I listen to what they’re saying (or at least I try). Communication can’t happen unless both sides hear and listen to each other. There is nothing wrong with my hearing, but that doesn’t mean I always listen to the sounds that people are making. When I argue with my parents, I can physically hear what they’re saying without mentally listening to it.
Whether I admit it or not, my parents’ experience can actually help them give me some pretty sound advice at times. I don’t always agree with them, but I think it’s safe to say that it has truly helped our relationship in the long run

1. 1.

   What can we learn from the passage?

   1. A.
      Listening is better than yelling and fighting
   2. B.
      It is impolite to see your parents eye to eye
   3. C.
      Be careful when you take your parents’ advice
   4. D.
      Parents are sometimes easy to get upset
2. 2.

   Parents and children can communicate only when_______

   1. A.
      both sides stop yelling and fighting
   2. B.
      both sides start thinking what to say next
   3. C.
      both sides agree with each other
   4. D.
      both sides can listen to each other
3. 3.

   Which of the following advice is NOT mentioned in the passage?

   1. A.
      Looking
   2. B.
      Smiling warmly
   3. C.
      Listening
   4. D.
      Stopping arguing
4. 4.

   The author thinks we should first _______ when arguing with our parents

   1. A.
      look at their eyes
   2. B.
      fight for the truth
   3. C.
      stop arguing
   4. D.
      talk in a low voice

Either out of confusion or discomfort we sometimes express our feelings in an unclear way. One key to making your feelings clear is to realize that you most often can shorten them in a few words: hurt, glad, confused, excited, angry, and so on. In the same way, with a little thought you can probably describe very briefly any reasons you have for feeling a certain way.

       In addition to avoiding too long expressions, a second way to prevent confusion is to avoid downplaying your feelings by saying“I’m a little unhappy”or“I’m pretty excited”.Of course, not all feelings are strong ones. We do feel degrees of sadness and joy, for example, but some communicators have a tendency to downplay almost every feeling. Do you?

       A third danger to avoid is expressing feelings in an indirect or coded manner. This happened most often when the sender is uncomfortable about showing his or her feeling in question. Some codes are verbal ones, as when the sender hints more or less subtly at the message. For example, an indirect way to say“I’m feeling lonely”might be“I guess there isn’t much happening this weekend, so if you’re not busy, why don’t you drop by?”such a message is so indirect that the chances that you real feeling will be recognized are small. For this reason, people who send coded messages stand less of a chance of having their feeling understood and their need met.

       Finally, you can express yourself clearly by making sure that both you and your partner understand that your feeling is centered in a specific（特定）set of environments rather than being indicative of the whole relationship. Instead of saying“I hate you”,say“I hate you when you don’t keep your promises”. Rather than“I’m bored with you”, say“I’m bored when you talk about your money.”

1．According to the first sentence, we sometimes express our feelings in an unclear way because

              .

       A．we are not clear what it is                    

       B．we have just get rid of a discomfort

       C．we are in a very bad feeling                 

       D．we do not want to tell anyone about it

2．We downplay our feeling if       .

       A．we don’t like it and try to hold it from anyone

       B．we control our anger without letting it out

       C．we use weak words to express a strong feeling

       D．we are confused an feel uncomfortable about it

3．The writer points out that if we express our feelings in a coded manner       .

       A．we will make them harder to be understood                          

       B．we will feel all the more confused

       C．we will feel uncomfortable                   

       D．we will make the listener uncomfortable

4．If you use very general words to express your feelings       .

       A．you tend to be downplaying them         

       B．you tend to be strengthening them

       C．you will make yourself well understood 

       D．your listener will not understand you well

5．According to the writer,“I’m bored with you”is an expression       .

       A．that strengthens our feelings                 B．that downplays our feelings

       C．that will make our listener confused       D．that is made in a coded manner

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook from scratch? Have yon been doing internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can't you be bothered to do?

       A study into how lazy British people are has found men than half of adults are so lazy they'd catch the lift rather than climb two fights of stairs.

       Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health．Britain’s largest health charity. The results were astonishing．

       About one in six people surveyed said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up.

       More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus．Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them.

       This led the report to conclude that it'8 no wonder that one in six children m the UK are classified as obese （very fat） before they start school．

       Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said: "People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake．but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too.

       “If we don’t start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks.”

       And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the mo．t inactive city in the UK, with 75% surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, follow．d closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%．

       The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady crease for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year．

1．What causes children in the UK to be, obese?

       A．Eating ready meal                          B．Watching TV

      C．Doing Internet shopping                   D．Being lazy

2．What can be inferred from the passage?

       A．British people are too lazy to do anything．

       B．internet shopping will do harm to your health．

       C．Many people would not run to catch a bus in Britain．

       D．People should be more active and take regular exercise to keep fit．

3．Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?

       A．One sixth of British people use remote control when watching TV．

       B．People will benefit not only themselves but their families by getting fit．

       C．Fatness can cause diseases such as heart disease and cancer．

       D．More people get obesity-related illnesses now than 40 years ago．

4．What does the underlined word rudimentary most probably mean?

       A．basic                B．serious               C．vital                   D．hard

5．All the following are among the most lazy cities in the UK except _____．

       A．Glasgow          B．Birmingham        C．Nuffield           D．Southampton

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook from scratch? Have you been doing internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can't you be bothered to do?
A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of adults are so lazy they'd catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs．
Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health charity．The results were astonishing．
About one in six people surveyed said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up．
More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus．Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them．
This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese （very fat） before they start school．
Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said: "People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too．
"If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most rudimentary of tasks．"
And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most inactive city in the UK, with 75% surveyed admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%．
The results cause serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year．
【小题1】What causes children in the UK to be obese?

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook by yourself? Have you been doing Internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can't you be bothered to do?

         A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of the adults are so idle (懒散的) that they'd catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs.

         Just over 2000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain's largest health center. The results were extremely surprising.

         About one in six people questioned said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up.

         More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus. Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them.

         This led the report to conclude that it's no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese (very fat) before they start school.

         Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said, “People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently their pets too.”

         “If we don't start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most fundamental tasks.”

         And Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most idle city in the UK, with 75% questioned admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%.

         The results bring serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year.

1.How many people questioned don't play with their children?

         A．1280.                           B．More than 333.

         C．654.                            D．About 420.

2.The study leads us to believe that      .

         A．the pets in the UK will be in trouble if their owners keep their way of life

         B．Glasgow people feel ashamed because they don't get enough exercise

         C．British people are the laziest around the world

         D．five sixths of the British children are healthy

3.How does the author convince the readers?

         A．By presenting the results of a study.         B．By providing answers to questions.

         C．By interviewing some experts.                    D．By telling a story.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

         A．A study of British people's laziness. B． A study of British people's lifestyles.

         C．The health service in the UK.                       D．The obesity problem in the UK.