Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what “PK” meant.

   “My family has been watching the ‘Super Girl’ singing competition TV programme. My little daughter asked me what ‘PK’ meant, but I had no idea,” explained the puzzled father.

   To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, “PK” is short for “Player Kill”, in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.

   In the case of the “Super Girl” singing competition, “PK” was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking (排名).

   Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students’ compositions using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn’t understand.

   “My ‘GG’ came back this summer from college. He told me I’ve grown up to be a ‘PLMM’. I loved to ‘FB’ with him together; he always took me to the ‘KPM’,” went one composition.

   “GG” means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). “PLMM” refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). “FB” means Fu Bai (corruption). “KPM” is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.

   Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language.

   If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao!

1. By writing the article, the writer tries to ________.

  A. explain some Internet language      B. suggest common Internet language

  C. laugh at the Beijing father          D. draw our attention to Internet language

2.What does the writer think about the term “PK”?

  A. Fathers can’t possibly know it.       B. The daughter should understand it.

  C. Online game players may know it.    D. “Super Girl” shouldn’t have used it.

3. The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons ________.

  A. are used not only online            B. can be understood very well

  C. are welcomed by all the people       D. cause trouble to our mother tongue

4.The underlined word “jargons” probably means  ________.

  A. expressions     B. phrases      C. letters      D. spellings

5. What would be the best title for the passage?

  A. A puzzled father                 B. Do you speak Internet jargons?

  C. Keep away from Internet jargons    D. Kong Long or Qing Wa?

 

Due to the increasing number of violent acts produced in schools all over the world, more and more parents prefer to have their children educated at home rather than at school. This way they can assure their safety and well-being. Teachers and school representatives are trying to improve the situation in schools by increasing the number of the persons charged with the safety of the students.

The main reason for violent acts are the films and cartoons that fill the children’s time. They want to do everything. They watch on TV and never think of the results, and they may hurt a classmate or a teacher.

On the other hand, parents are not fully satisfied with the children’s results obtained in classes and they consider private classes would have better results.

When a teacher has to watch 30 students in class he can’t probably see what each of them is doing, how he is writing, or if he understands the explanations. At home the teacher can explain in detail everything the child doesn’t understand as many times as he considers proper.

And many times, the child grows fond of the teacher at home, who becomes his best friend, and who helps him whenever he needs someone to talk to. 

However, the best solution would be a mixture between the education received at school and that at home, because school makes children communicate and socialize. Keeping a child at home for fear that something bad might happen to him only makes the child’s character weak and prevents him from knowing what real life is. Staying in a glass bowl only does harm to the child.

All in all, schools have been created to help children, not to harm them, so it’s best to keep children in these special places, where they learn, laugh, have fun and make new friends.

1.The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to      .

A．teach parents the ways to keep theft children safe

B．show solutions to developing children’s character

C．explain the main reason for violence acts in schools

D．analyze an education problem and give opinions.

2.What does “a glass bowl” in the passage refer to?

A．A toy that can be used for entertainment．

B．A safe and comfortable environment．

C．An object that is made of crystal．

D．A setback that is hard to overcome．

3.We can infer from the passage that      .

A．violent TV programs have bad effects on children’ behavior

B．the teacher at home is more patient than the teacher at school

C．children today are weak from lack of sense of right and wrong

D．there are too many students in class for a teacher to teach

 

Many of us assume that with such a last name, Peter Buffett, 52, must enjoy a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor (投资人) Warren Buffett definitely doesn’t think so.

   “People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim (受害者) to what my father has called a silver dagger (匕首) in your back,” Buffett told Reuters in an interview. “It leads to a sense of entitlement (特权) and a lack of personal achievement.”

  Entitlement, he believes, is the worst thing ever. “Anybody who acts like they deserve (应得) something ‘just because’ is a disaster,” he said.

  In his new book, Life Is What You Make It: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Buffett says that the only real inheritance (遗产) handed down from his parents was a philosophy (价值观): Forge your own path in life. It is a belief that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap (收获) his own successes.

  Did his father ever want him to go into finance? “It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea,” he told Reuters. But as he grew older, it became clear the financial world “was not speaking to my heart.”

   His father accepted his choice to become a musician. He began his musical career by writing music for TV commercials (广告). He then released his own albums.

   “I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life,” he told Reuters. “This isn’t about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing.”

   Along with the book, Buffett has begun a “Concert & Conversation” tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist (消费主义) culture and damaging the environment.

   “Economic prosperity (繁荣) may come and go; that’s just how it is,” he writes in the book. “But values are the steady currency (硬通货) that earn us the all-important rewards.”

1. What does “It” in the second paragraph refer to?

  A. A life of a top investor.          B. A silver spoon in the mouth.

  C. Being born to a wealthy family.  D. The victim of a silver dagger in the back.

2. What does the article tell us?

  A. Peter Buffett is a born musician.

  B. Peter Buffett enjoys a hugely privileged life.

  C. A wealthy family can benefit a child but also spoil him or her.

  D. Peter Buffett was forced by his parents to take over their business.

3. The article claims that Peter Buffett owes his achievements largely to ______.

  A. his passion for music      B. the good education he received

  C. his great determination        D. the values he learned from his parents

4. Which of the following statements would Peter Buffett probably agree to?

  A. Wealth is there to enjoy to the fullest.

  B. A person’s value lies within.

  C. Many people are fooled by economic prosperity.

  D. Young people should choose their own philosophy, whatever their parents believe in.

 

 

As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.

    Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money to buy more things is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting is one of them.

    Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year. One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs (郊区), leaving their two children with a nanny (保姆). Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock, and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.

    Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm here,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it has been worthy of. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.”

    Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”

1.What do the first two paragraphs tell us?

    A. People seldom work long hours to make money.

    B. People hardly buy more things than necessary.

    C. People are sure everything they own is in the right place.

D. People realize there is more to life than just making money.

2. When Daniel was a reporter he _____.

    A. lived in central London          B. disliked his job

    C. missed his children               D. was well paid

3. Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm _____.

    A. was easy to organize              B. has improved family life

    C. was extremely expensive           D. has been a total success

4. What does the underlined “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

    A. Child-caring.        B. Liz’s advice.   C. Downshifting.   D. Liz’s job.