“How to Train Your Dragon” by British author Cressida Cowell is one of the best pieces of children’s literature. A child can make a whole alternative universe with a vivid imagination and Toothless, the hero’s hunting dragon, thus turning a rainy day into an adventure of a lifetime. However, if you have never read the book but instead choose to see the film version, you might think you were seeing a new-age war movie meant for adults rather than children.
Let’s look at “Where the Wild Things Are” for further discussion. The story centers around a lonely eight-year-old boy named Max, who sails away to an island. Creatures living there declare Max their king.
What an amazing piece of children’s literature! A treasure for every child’s library. Yet, children were crying in the movie theatre. Owls were falling from the sky, chicken’s arms were being torn off, and a child was running around a dark abandoned world fighting evil as the only human. It was almost as if Hollywood could not imagine children enjoying a movie for its basic literature content. Hollywood might be right. But more and more its audiences are complaining that there is an increased amount of violence in children’s stories today than in the past.
While there appears to be a trend in our society to make more violence more accessible to younger children, books and literature are generally an exception. I truly believe that children’s literature has become more vivid, and more colorful. This is a great treasure for the children, and is certainly not violent. What has changed the children’s stories of today is not the writers, but the film industry. In some way, children’s literature is just being strangely twisted. I wonder how much influence the author have over this.
小題1:The Text is mainly about ________.

A．two good books for children

B．how a book is adapted into a film

C．whether children should go to movies

D．whether children’s literature is getting more violent

小題2:It can be inferred that the film “Where the Wild Things Are” is _______.

A．moving

B．frightening

C．interesting

D．a(chǎn)mazing

小題3:According to the text, the author thinks that ________.

A．the film industry’s treatment of children’s literature is wrong

B．writers should provide more colorful works for children

C．there is an increase in violence in children’s literature

D．children should read books rather than see films.

小題4:How does the text mainly develop?

A．By inferring.	B．By giving explanations.
C．By providing examples.	D．By making comparisons.

Online grocery shopping was counted as the next great innovation to make our lives easier. In China more than 3,000 websites offer the service, but none have turned a profit.
Xiang Nian has had a hard day at the office but at least she can skip the trip to the grocery store. A text message on her phone lets her know the order she placed earlier in the day has been delivered to a locker outside her apartment.
"It’s really convenient for an office worker like me. My fresh products are waiting for me when I get home and can start cooking. No need to go to the supermarket any more," Xiang says.
One of the largest online supermarkets in Wuhan is Just-easy Fresh Produce. Over the past 3 years, the company has developed its online retail grocery business by guaranteeing fresh produce and an innovative delivery system. They've installed thousands of lockers in communitieshttp:// / around downtown Wuhan.
"We get an average of 8,000 orders per day. That's the most in China, I'm proud of it. We have placed over 20 thousand lockers in more than half of the communities in Wuhan and we plan to expand to all of them. Many e-commerce giants, like Taobao, are talking about cooperation with us," Jie Xiaofeng, manager of Wuhan Just-easy Agricultural Science & Technology Co., says.
While Just-easy may have thousands of customers, a staff of almost 300 and 40 delivery trucks, it's still operating in the red.
"There are over 3,000 companies selling fresh products online in China. But none is making a profit. It will take them at least 3 years before they make a profit. The major challenge is the cost of delivery. But they do have many advantages. The price of their goods is lower than the supermarkets," professor He Dehua at Huazhong Agricultural University, says.
A number of China's e-commerce giants are making moves into online grocery sales, with Taobao opening an online platform it calls "Cainiao". And traditional retailers(零售店) including Wal-Mart and Carrefour are also looking to start selling their produce online.
Many big B2C e-commerce players usually take fresh farm produce as the last category to add to their offerings. But now more and more large businesses have set their eyes on the industry. They want to prove the fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales.
小題1:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The online grocery shopping is making our life easier.

B．Just-easy Fresh Produce is a pioneer of the online retail grocery business.

C．Conventional retailers are facing challenges.

D．None of the online grocery supermarkets has made a profit.

小題2:The underlined part “it's still operating in the red” probably means _______.

A．the present situation of the company makes them angry

B．the company is not making a profit

C．the company is very popular with customers

D．the staff of the company are aggressive

小題3:What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．The fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales.

B．Fresh farm produce is the last category that people will buy online.

C．Online grocery sales have drawn the attention of e-commerce giants.

D．Traditional retailers choose to sell their produce on Cainiao.

小題4:What’s the author’s attitude towards online grocery shopping?

A．Pessimistic.

B．Indifferent.

C．Objective.

D．Supportive.

It is pretty much a one-way street．While it may“be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world，there is very little traffic in the opposite direction．Pay has always been the biggest deterrent，as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job．For some industrial scientists，however, the attractions of academia（學(xué)術(shù)界）outweigh any financial considerations．
Helen Lee took a 70％cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge．Her main reason for returning to academia halfway was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions．Some areas of research have few chances of a commercial return，and Lee’s is one of them．
The powerful effect of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of an occupation．Guy Grant，now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge，spent two years working for a medicine company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher．He took a 30％salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities．
Higher up the ladder，where a pay cut is usually more significant，the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition（轉(zhuǎn)換）to academia more attractive，according to Lee．Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not，such as how to build a multidisciplinary team，manage budgets and negotiate contracts（合同）．They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate，says Lee，perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development．“Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic occupation．So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent a11 their time on a narrow research project．”
小題1:The underlined word“deterrent”in Paragraph 1 most probably refers to something that

A．helps to move the traffic	B．a(chǎn)ttracts people’s attention
C．keeps someone from taking action	D．brings someone a financtal burden

小題2:What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her j ob halfway?

A．Flexible work hours．	B．Her research interests．
C．Chances of academic accomplishments	D．Her preference for the lifestyle at university

小題3:Why did Guy Grant choose to work as a researcher at Cambridge?

A．To do financially more rewarding work．

B．To raise his status in the academic world．

C．To enjoy better intellectual opportunities．

D．To gain more experience in medical research．

小題4:What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?

A．Suit its research to practical applications．

B．Develop its students’potential in research．

C．Help it obtain financial support from industry．

D．Increase its graduates’competitiveness in the j ob market．

A survey reveals that employees in China say they are not engaged in their jobs. Judging by the survey data, many Chinese workplaces are black holes of misery and despair.
Only 6% of Chinese employees said they are "engaged" in their jobs, according to a global Gallup survey released this month. China's numbers equal the numbers out of war-weary（厭戰(zhàn)的） Iraq.
Workers across all income levels and industries were surveyed by Gallup in China, defined by Gallup to mean they were "psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making positive contributions to their organizations".
Out of 94 countries polled, only six countries scored lower rates of job engagement than China, including Tunisia, Israel and Syria. Unsurprisingly, 0% of Syrians admitted to being engaged at work.
In a related survey, China ranked near the bottom in a poll measuring job satisfaction among 22 Asian countries. Only 49% of Chinese respondents said they were happy in their jobs.
Part of the problem, I suspect, is that very few in China have the luxury to pursue a career that truly interests them.
Even university graduates often feel they have no choice but to choose the positions with the government or state-run enterprises, since those jobs are thought to be stable.
That makes those who are happy at work in China a rare find indeed.
小題1:What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．The people in Israel are not engaged in their jobs.

B．People in Syria are more engaged at work than the Chinese.

C．Most Chinese people are happy in work.

D．China ranked the top in the job engagement.

小題2:What is the meaning of the underlined word “l(fā)uxury” in Paragraph 6?

A．happiness

B．dream

C．willing

D．courage

小題3:According to the author, why most Chinese dislike their jobs?

A．Because they don’t take the jobs they really like

B．Because many Chinese workplaces are full of misery and despair.

C．Because they have no choice but to choose the stable jobs.

D．Because they are not psychologically committed to their jobs.

小題4:Which of the following jobs are the university graduates nowadays more likely to choose?

A．Lawyers	B．Civil Servants (公務(wù)員)
C．self-made men	D．Doctors

The word I'm going to introduce to you today is — phubbing. Let's see the definition of this term：

phubbing n. the act of snubbing(冷落)someone in a social setting by looking at your cell phone instead of paying attention
As you can probably guess，phubbing is a blend of phone and snubbing. The term was coined by a 23—year—old Melbourne resident Alex Haigh. Obviously，he got fed up with how people are always checking Facebook or Twitter on their phones when they are supposed to be interacting with someone face to face. He wanted to put an end to this social phenomenon，therefore he came up with this catchy term.
And it did catch on. The word's earliest media mention dates back to June 2012，and in a little over a year's time，phubbing has already been picked up by almost all the mainstream media outlets one can think of.
Here is a typical example from the British newspaper The Independent. In the article titled The Rise of Phubbing，which was published on August 5，2013，Tom Chatfield writes，there's an uncomfortable truth at the heart of phubbing：other people are easier to handle when seen on screen. They're less likely to demand unreasonable efforts such as undivided attention or clean shirts.
While the term phubbing has undoubtedly taken off，some people question why it is called phubbing instead of phnubbing. Alex Haigh has not personally addressed the issue，but word has it that phubbing sounds more crispy and thus easier to remember.
Phubbing is indeed a universal problem that can no longer be ignored. So why do people keep phubbing each other if they know it's rude? Is there anything we can do to stop it? Or maybe we should just be more kind，because sometimes there are good excuses to phub.
I think there is plenty we can do to try and stop phubbing. For starters，we can join Alex Haigh in his Stop Phubbing campaign. Remind our friends and family that phubbing is not appreciated. We can also make or download some anti—phubbing posters to spread the word in public places. And don't forget that some phubbers simply do not realize the harmful effect their behavior has on others，so be brave enough to stop them，even if you are a total stranger.
小題1:This passage is mainly talking about _______.

A．the rise of phubbing in all the mainstream media outlets

B．a(chǎn) new term “phubbing”and its problem

C．the campaign of keeping phubbing

D．different opinions on phubbing

小題2: The author’s attitude towards the act of phubbing can be described as ___________.

A．bearable

B．unacceptable

C．reasonable

D．understandable

小題3:What can we infer from this passage?

A．People are easier to handle when seen on screen.

B．Alex Haigh doesn’t like the term “phnubbing”

C．More and more people have become phubbers.

D．We can phub if we have proper excuses.

小題4:The write suggests we should _________.

A．stop phubbing in public places

B．not be afraid of the harmful effect

C．be brave to support a stranger phubbing

D．remind our friends of Stop Phubbing campaign

Years ago, if a teenager had some problems in her life, she might go home and write in her diary. Now, a teenager with        problems might go onto the Internet and write about them in a blog (博客). In many ways, a diary and a blog are very        .So, what makes blogging different from writing in     diary?
The biggest difference is that blogging is much more       than a diary. Usually, a teenager treats her diary like a book full of        that she does not want to      .
It’s interesting that someone who writes in a blog      a diary will probably write nearly the same information. I have a little sister, and sometimes I go online to read her          . She writes about things like waking up early for swimming practice and not studying enough for her chemistry test.        I was at her age, I wrote about the same things, but      in my diary. Then, after I had finished writing, I would hide my diary in a secret place because I was        that my sister might read it!
The biggest      with blogging is that anyone can read what you write. If I was angry with a friend during high school and wrote something      about her in my diary, she would never know.        , if my sister ever wrote something bad about a friend, that friend        read her blog and get angry.
There are also      to blogging, of course. If I was feeling sad one day and wrote in my diary, “Nobody cares about me.”        would know about it. However, if my sister wrote the same sentence in her blog, her best friends would      respond and tell her how much they        her. Blogs help people stay in      with their friends and to hear what the people around them are doing.                            

小題1:	A．the same B．troublesome C．difficult D．daily

小題2:	A．familiar B．special C．similar D．different

小題3:	A．a(chǎn) personal B．a(chǎn)n ordinary C．a(chǎn) common D．a(chǎn) traditional

小題4:	A．a(chǎn)ttractive B．public C．convenient D．quick

小題5:	A．thoughts B．puzzles C．mysteries D．secrets

小題6:	A．tell B．share C．publish D．solve

小題7:	A．instead of B．a(chǎn)s well as C．in favour of D．in spite of

小題8:	A．blog B．diary C．report D．web

小題9:	A．Although B．Since C．When D．Because

小題10:

A．only B．a(chǎn)lready C．still D．never

小題11:

A．a(chǎn)ngry B．hopeless C．glad D．worried

小題12:

A．problem B．doubt C．trouble D．mistake

小題13:

A．hard B．wrong C．mean D．funny

小題14:

A．Besides B．However C．Therefore D．Then

小題15:

A．should B．will C．must D．might

小題16:

A．reasons B．disadvantages C．shortcomings D．a(chǎn)dvantages

小題17:

A．everyone B．no one C．a(chǎn)nyone D．someone

小題18:

A．happily B．especially C．quickly D．immediately

小題19:

A．like B．miss C．need D．help

小題20:

A．friendship B．touch C．debate D．mind

Travel Unaccompanied
Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone．
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents．
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen. It is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone．It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own．
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year．He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He said he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person,” said the 30-year-old．
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”, which “makes you a more confident person that was ready to deal with anything”. He said: “The feeling of having conquered something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I’m dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19th century explorer John Muir once said: “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”
小題1:Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?

A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone.

B．It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries.

C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend.

D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things.

小題2:Traveling alone is challenging because        .

A．it will finally build your character

B．you have to make things on your own

C．you depend on yourself whatever happens

D．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others

小題3:What can we infer about Chris Richardson?

A．He started traveling at an early age．	B．He was once shot in the arm.
C．His website inspires others a lot.	D．He used to work as a salesman．

Are you carrying too much on your back at school? I’m sure lots of children of your age will say “Yes”. Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United States also have heavy school bags.
Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them.
“It’s hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it’s so heavy,” said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student it the US.
Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps(帶子)to carry them, but many other students choose rolling(有滾輪的)bags.
But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight(重量).
Scott Batch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10%. But it is also important that older children don’t stay with over 15%, because their bodies are still growing.“
Children are losing their balance(平衡)and falling down with their school bags,” he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all!
小題1:From the passage we can know that     .

A．only children in China carry too heavy school bags

B．children in other countries don’t carry too heavy bags

C．both children in China and the US carry too heavy school bags

D．only children in the US carry too heavy school bags

小題2:Children feel it hard for them to go upstairs because      .

A．they are too young

B．their school bags are too heavy

C．they don’t know how to go upstairs

D．their parents don’t always go upstairs with them together

小題3:If a child carries a heavy school bag,      .

A．his back and neck will be hurt	B．his head and arms will be hurt
C．his hands will be hurt	D．his feet will be hurt

小題4:According to the doctor, Scott Batch, if a child in Grade 5 weighs(重)about 30 kilos, the school bag he carries should not be over      .

A．5 kilos

B．3 kilos

C．5.5 kilos

D．4.5 kilos

小題5:Some students think the best answer to this problem is that     .

A．they should have a little homework to do after they get home

B．their teachers had better not ask them to do any homework

C．they should only take home library books they will read that night

D．they should use thin workbooks instead of think ones

I once had a house guest from Cuba. During his visit, I happened to throw an old broken blender (攪拌機) in the trash. The next day it was sitting on my counter – in working order. In his world, people simply cannot afford to replace an item which doesn't work properly. They take the time and figure out how to fix it. In Cuba, they are still driving cars from the 1960’s, mainly because they do not have a choice. 
In contrast, the U.S. is a “throw-away society.” Statistics show that each American produces six pounds of trash per day. I believe a combination of factors has contributed to this phenomenon.
“Planned obsolescence(廢棄)” is not a secret. It is a manufacturing (制造業(yè)) philosophy developed in the 1920’s and 1930’s, when mass production became popular. The goal is to make a product or part that will fail, or become less desirable over time or after a certain amount of use. This pressures the consumer to buy again. 
Planned obsolescence does keep costs down. Instead of making an expensive product that will last a long time, businesses produce more affordable, disposable(一次性的) items. Some electronic items have become so inexpensive that it is cheaper to replace them than to repair them.
Busy people often value their time and convenience more than money. If a car starts to have mechanical problems, replacing it with a newer, more reliable model may be more appealing than tolerating it being in the garage for a week.
In addition, advertising trains consumers to want what is new and improved. It convinces them that the more they have, the happier they will be. 
Unlike people in many developing countries, we live in a world of abundance. A study by Dr. Timothy Jones of the University of Arizona also found that in the U.S., 40-50 percent of all food ready for harvest is wasted. Abundance and waste soon became closely associated in the American way of life.
小題1:In Cuba, people usually fix a broken item instead of buying a new one because __________.

A．wasting is prohibited there	B．they are poor
C．they are interested in fixing things	D．they live a low-carbon life

小題2:According to the article, planned obsolescence ___________.

A．began before mass production became popular

B．is intended to encourage consumers to buy more things

C．results in higher prices of items

D．requires factories to produce high-quality products

小題3:Which of the following is NOT true about the “throw-away society” in the U.S.?

A．People prefer to buy a new blender rather than repair the broken one.

B．A large quantity of food has been wasted.

C．People believe that the more they have, the happier they will be.

D．People all hold the belief that money comes first.

小題4:What may be the writer’s attitude towards a throw-away society?

A．Supportive.

B．Critical.

C．Tolerant.

D．Optimistic.

I have always known my kids use digital communications equipment a lot. But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention. My son had come up to nearly 2,000 incoming text messages, and had sent nearly as many. Of course, he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance. Nevertheless, he found time to keep a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with thumb.
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. "Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average, " Nielsen Mobile said.
Some experts regret  that all  that  keyboard jabber(鍵盤閑聊) is making our  kids stupid, unable to read non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude. Unlike phones, text messaging doesn't even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses, says Mark Bauerlein, author called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that,  though,  I'm not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend.  I' ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids' texting. But over time, I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects, and he gains a big benefit, continuing contact with others.
I don't think texting make kids stupid. It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you at the same time. And it may make them distracted. when buzzing text message interrupt efforts to noodle out a math problem or finish reading for school.
But I don't see texting harming teens' ability to communicate. My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family. I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance. because he is constantly available by means of text  message and responds with faithfulness and speed.
小題1:What is Mark Bauerlein ' s attitude to texting?

A．It is convenient for teens to communicate with others.

B．It is likely to cause trouble in understanding each other.

C．It is convenient for teens to text and call at the same time.

D．It will cause damage to the development of teens' intelligence.

小題2:What would be the best title for this passage?

A．For Teens, Texting Instead of Talking

B．For Parents, Caring Much for Their Kids

C．Disadvantages of Texting

D．The Effect of Communication

小題3:What does the underlined word "distracted" in the fifth paragraph mean?

A．Confused.	B．Absent-minded.
C．Comfortable.	D．Bad-tempered.

小題4: The author's attitude to texting is ___________ .

A．objective

B．opposed

C．supportive

D．doubtful

小題5:According to the passage,  which of the statements is NOT true?

A．It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages per day.

B．Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens.

C．The writer limited his son to send or receive messages at first.

D．When texting, teens don't mind talking with you.