Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the  ‘a(chǎn)fter’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”
41. The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.
A. interest
B. distance
C. difference
D. separation
42. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.
43. The change in today’s parent-child relationship is _________.
A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C.1ess respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents
44. By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘a(chǎn)fter’ side.” the author means that today’s parents _________.
A. follow the trend of the change
B. can set a limit to the change
C. fail to take the change seriously
D. have little difficulty adjusting to the change
45. The purpose of the passage is to _________.
A. describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent—child relationship
C. suggest the ways to handle the parent—child relationship
D. compare today’s parent—child relationship with that in the past

In parts of Africa, the sky is filled with a dark cloud. But this is no rain cloud. It is a living cloud made of billions of locusts that are traveling across the continent eating everything in their path.
And in the battle to stop this disaster, a radio station in Senegal, West Africa, is offering listeners 50 kilograms of rice if they can catch and kill 50 kilograms of locusts. The radio station is in one of Senegal’s worst affected regions.
This is West Africa’s biggest locust disaster in 15 years, and it is moving east, causing huge damage to crops. As they move, they breed, and increase their number and will soon threaten Sudan in the northeast of Africa. Some say it could reach Asia.
Experts say the great damage to crops in areas already suffering from food shortages and war could cause many people to go hungry. Governments in the region are not well equipped to fight the pest.
Although leaders of 12 countries have agreed on a plan, it is not expected to be enough. “We are now treating 6,000 hectares per day with pesticide, but we need to treat 20,000 hectares per day in order to have any hope of controlling this disaster,” said Mohamed Abdallahi Ould Babah, director of locust control in Mauritania.
Requests are being made for international aid, which is the only way to limit the crisis, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warned.
1. The purpose of offering people rice for catching locusts in Senegal is ________.
A. to get more people to eat rice so as to leave less for locusts
B. to get more people involved in the war on the locusts
C. to prevent more people from starvation
D. to get more people to listen to the radio report on locusts
2. Which of the following is not the reason for West Africans going hungry?
A. Locust disaster causes the great damage to crops.
B. Food supply is far from the need of the people.
C. These regions are affected by the war.
D. Governments are unwilling to fight the pest.
3. It can be concluded that, in order to end the locust disaster, ________.
A. leaders of 12 countries in West Africa should call on their people to take action
B. insects experts should be sent to these regions
C. other countries outside Africa should keep close watch on their own lands
D. Help from all over the world is in urgent demand
4. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Food shortage in Africa.              B. International aid to Africa.
C. The insects attack on Africa.          D. Terrible storm in Africa.

Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mom, I can’t peel potatoes. I have only one hand.”
Mom never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes,” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn, I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it. She hugged me, and I saw her “we’ll see about that” look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
“Now, pull up with your right arm,” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other elbow. Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached. I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs, I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed sobbing. I could hear Mom come into my room. “Mom,” I said, weeping, “none of the boys would dance with me.”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat.” Her voice was faint and cracking. I peeked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks. Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
6. Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom’s attitude when she made the child to peel potatoes?
A. Cruel.             B. Serious.             C. Strict.    D. Cold.
7. From the passage, we know monkey bars can help a child train ______.
A. the skill to throw and catch things
B. the speed of one’s hand movement
C. the strength and skill to hang and sway
D. the bodily skill to rotate round a bar
8. What does the sentence “I saw her ‘we’ll see about that’ look” imply?
A. Mom believed every aim could be achieved if you stuck to it.
B. The race across monkey bars was not difficult enough for a child to give up.
C. Mom was determined to prove she herself was better than the teacher.
D. What the child had said brought Mom great attraction and curiosity.
9. When the child looked down at the kids, they were standing with their mouths open because ______.
A. they felt sorry for what they had done before
B. they were afraid the author might fall off and get hurt
C. they wanted to see what the author would do on the bars
D. they were astonished to find the author’s progress
10. The most probable conclusion we can draw after reading the passage is ______.
A. the last incident was sad enough to make Mom weep
B. the child’s experience reminded Mom of that of her own
C. Mom could solve any problem except the one in the last paragraph
D. in fact Mom suffered more in the process of the child’s growth

His eyes nearly in tears from the crush of fellow travelers at Guangzhou's train station, Hong Tao said things were much better on Sunday, after days of waiting for a train to his home in Hubei province.
"I think it's fine today, and everything is going smoothly," the 28-year-old said. "I thought it would be really crowded but it has turned out to be OK."
Chinese authorities say they expect 1.3 million people to travel out of Guangzhou's train station over the next few days, as they rush to get home by Wednesday, the eve of Lunar New Year.
Hong's optimism may have been helped by the blue skies that emerged over Guangzhou on Sunday for the first time in a week.
Last week, a rare winter storm paralyzed China's transportation system as millions tried to get home to celebrate the holiday — the only chance for many migrant workers to see their families all year.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency said Friday that 95 percent of rail traffic had "returned to normal." But Guangzhou's train station remained packed with a backlog of hundreds of thousands of travelers hoping to get home for the holiday.
A young woman was stepped on in a stampede (人群蜂擁) at the train station Friday, and later died of her injuries, according to Xinhua. Video of the situation on Friday showed crowds of people screaming, elbowing each other, in some cases sobbing and collapsing in the rush to get a slot (狹縫，窄孔) on a train.
China Sunday announced it has organized over 300,000 People's Liberation Army forces to southern China in what it described as a "war on winter weather".
The government also announced a $700 million plan to help farmers whose crops have been destroyed.
6. How many days is it from the day this article was made to the Lunar New Year?
A. Two days.         B. Three days.               C. Four days.         D. Five days.
7. What can we know about the weather condition of last week in Guangzhou?
A. Sunny with blue sky.               B. Rainy for a whole week.
C. Heavily snowy.                       D. Rainy first and snowy now.
8. Why are there so many passengers in Guangzhou’s train station?
A. Because the heavy snow stopped the passengers from leaving the station.
B. Because the passengers didn’t hope to leave the station right now.
C. Because the passengers hoped to leave for their hometown.
D. Because the holiday was coming near.
9. Where is Hong Tao from?
A. Shandong province.                B. Hubei province.
C. Guandong province.                      D. Not mentioned.
10. What can we infer from the passage?
A. On Friday, a young man was dead because of crowds’ elbowing, screaming.
B. China’s Government have arranged the PLA forces to help.
C. The government of China have offered money to help farmers enjoy the new year.
D. Many crops have been destroyed by the crowds of people.

The lower East Side is neither rich nor beautiful, but it can be a good place to shop.
On Sundays, its streets are crowded with visitors and shoppers like these. They are trying to find a coat or a pair of shoes at a good price.
Most people prefer to shop in the big department stores like Macy’s, Gimbel’s, or Bloomingdale’s because there they can find clothing, furniture, toys, and food in one store.
Some people like the smaller stores of Greenwich Village or other areas when they are looking for an unusual present.
Some streets have only one kind of stores. Bracelets (手鐲) and rings shine in the windows of Canal Street, and wedding dresses fill the stores of Grant Street. There are streets for furs(皮大衣), and, in one.comarea, there are 600 shops for antiques (古玩)! Fifth Avenue is the most famous place to shop, and it is usually the most expensive. There you can find the latest styles from Paris, Italy, or New York. You can spend thousands of dollars on Fifth Avenue, or you can just window shop and admire the sights for free.
1. How many kinds of shops or stores on the lower East Side are mentioned in the passage?
A. Four.         B. Five.     C. Six.          D. Seven.
2. If you want to buy something fashionable to wear, you’d better go to       .
A. Grant Street      B. the big department stores
C. Fifth Avenue     D. the smaller stores of Greenwich Village
3. Why does the writer say that the lower East Side can be a good place to shop?
A. Because its streets are crowded with visitors.
B. Because there are latest style from Paris, Italy, or New York.
C. Because there are different goods in different stores they can meet the needs of the visitors and shoppers.
D. Because women want very much to go there and buy bracelets and rings.
4. The underlined words window shop in the sentence means “      ”.
A. put all one’s goods in the shop-window
B. look at goods displayed in shop-windows
C. not only look at goods displayed in shop-window but also want to buy something
D. take much interest in the goods and have the idea of buying something
5. The last five words “admire the sights for free” of the passage means “      ”.
A. get pleasure from the sight at no cost
B. buy and sell goods freely
C. look at the sights as much as you like
D. look at the sight with pleasure and buy something as you like

More surprising,perhaps, than the present difficulties of traditional marriage is the fact that marriage itself is alive and thriving.As Skolnick notes,Americans are a marrying people: relative to Europeans, more of us marry and we marry at a younger age. Moreover, after a drop in the early 1915s,the rate of marriage in the United States is now increasing. Even the divorce rate needs to be taken in this pro?marriage context: some 30 percent of divorced individuals remarry. Thus, marriage remains by far the preferred way of life for the vast majority of people in our society.
What has changed more than marriage is the nuclear family. Twenty?five years ago, the typical American family was made up of a husband, a wife, and two or three children.Now,there are many marriages in which couples have decided not to have any children. And there are many marriages where at least some of the children are from the wife’s former marriage, or the husband’s, or both.Sometimes these children spend all of their time with one parent from the former marriage; sometimes they are shared between the two former spouses (配偶).
Thus, one can find every type of family arrangement. There are marriages without children; marriages with children from only the persent marriage;  marriages with “full?time” children from both the present and former marriages; marriages with “full?time” children from the present marriage and “part?time” children from former marriages. There are stepfathers, stepmothers, half?brothers, and half?sisters.It is not all that unusual for a child to have four parents and eight grandparents! These are great changes from the traditional nuclear family.But even so, even in the midst  of all this, there remains one constant: Most Americans spend most of their adult lives married.
13.By calling American marrying people the author means that .      
A.Americans are more traditional than Europeans  
B.Americans expect more out of marriage than Europeans
C.there are more married couples in U.S.A. than in Europe
D.more of Americans,as compared with Europeans, prefer marriage and they accept it at a younger age
14.Divorced Americans        .
A.prefer the way they live 
B.will most likely remarry   
C.have lost faith in marriage          
D.are the vast majority of people in the society
15.Which of the following can be presented as the picture of today’s American families?
A.Many types of family arrangements have become socially acceptable.
B.A typical American family is made up of only a husband and a wife.
C.Americans prefer to have more kids than before.     D.There are no nuclear families any more.
16.“Part time”children        .
A.spend some of their time with their half brothers and some of their time with their half?sisters
B.spend all of their time with one parent from the previous marriage
C.are shared between the two former spouses          D.cannot stay with “full?time” children
17.Even though great changes have taken place in the structure of American families, .
A.the vast majority of Americans still have faith in marriage
B.the functions of marriage remain unchanged      
C.most Americans prefer a second marriage   
D.most divorced Americans would rather not remarry

Brazil has become one. of the developing world’s great successes at reducing population growth but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint ef­forts to reduce birth rates, Brazil had better results without re­ally trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil’s population growth rate dropped from 2. 99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1. 93% a year between 198 land 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2. 7 chil­dren on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas (肥皂劇) and installment (分期付款) plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in low­ering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world’s biggest produc­ers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil’s most popular television net­work, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
Although they have never really tried to work in a mes­sage towards the problems of reproduction, they describe mid­dle and upper class values: not many children, women work­ing, says Martine. They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious (有意識的) of other patterns of behaviour and other values, which were put into a very attrac­tive package.
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. " This led to an enormous change in consumption (消費) patterns and consumption was incom­patible (不相容的) with unlimited reproduction," says Mar­tine.
9. According to the passage, Brazil has lowered its population growth ________.
A. by educating its citizens               B. by careful family planning
C. by developing TV programmes                    D. by chance
10. According to the passage, many Third World countries
A. haven’t given much attention to birth control
B. would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate
C. haven’t yet found an effective measure to control their population
D. haven’t realized the importance of TV plays in family planning
11. Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil’s birth rate be­cause ________.
A. they keep people sitting long hours watching TV
B. they have gradually changed people’s way of life
C. people are drawn to their attractive package
D. they popularize birth control measures
12. What is Martine’s conclusion about Brazil’s population growth?
A. The increase in birth rate will increase consumption.
B. The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.
C. Consumption goes with reproduction.
D. A country ‘s production is limited by its population growth.

Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side-by-side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives—such as in schools, business, and sports—but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side-by-side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspapers.
6. More than 215 million people call America “home” because_______.
A. they buy their houses there              B. they settle there now
C. they get married there                  D. they were born there
7. “Side-by-side” living style means _______.
A. making friends with native people
B. keeping their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas
C. the groups of people who live nearby
D. that they get closer to American society
8. According to the passage, people in the USA ________.
A. share American customs and culture
B. live in a kind of “side-by-side” society
C. keep their own customs and habits firmly
D. make no choice to accept American customs
9. Which of the following statements is true?
A. They always stick to their own customs and habits.
B. “Side-by-side” living style is not suitable.
C. They face the society they are not familiar with.
D. The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.
10. Which title of the following can best take the place of “Different Cultures in America”?
A. Advantages and Disadvantages.       B. Different Customs and Habits.
C. Home for the People.               D. “Side-by-side” Living Style in America.

The impression you make at the beginning of an interview is very important. Employers often decide to hire someone in the first three minutes of the interview. They judge you by your appearance, attitude (態(tài)度) and manners.
A friendly smile when you walk into the room is important. A smile shows a confident (自信的) and positive attitude.
When you introduce yourself, make eyes contact with the interviewer. Some interviewers offer a hand­shake. Others don’t.
Try to be as natural as possible. But pay attention to your body language. The way you sit, walk, gesture, use your voice and show feeling on your face are all parts of your body language. It makes the interviewer know how you feel about yourself and the situation you are in. Are you feeling positive about yourself? Your abilities? Your interest in the job?
Speak clearly and loudly enough. Show interest and enthusiasm in your voice. When you speak, look at the interviewer. Also don’t say negative things about yourself, or former employers.
Listen to questions carefully. If you don’t understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat or explain.
"I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch that."
"I’m not sure exactly what you mean."
Almost everyone is nervous in a job interview. Interviewers know that. They don’t expect you to be totally calm and relaxed. But they expect you to try to control your nervousness. They expect you to show confidence in your ability to do the job.
At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for her or him. It’s a good idea to send a short thank-you letter right after the interview, or deliver it by hand.
Phone the company if you have not heard anything after one week. Ask if they have make a decision about the job.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. you should always put on a smile when meeting the employer
B. you should stand still with respect before the employer
C. the first impression is very important in an interview
D. employers understand and like employees’ nervousness
2. Why should we pay attention to our body language?
A. Because it can help us win the employer’s positive impression.
B. Because it can help us feel about the employer.
C. Because it is needed by our employer.
D. Because we need it to improve our feeling.
3. The main purpose of the passage is ________.
A. to give you some advice on the art of finding a job
B. to tell from wrong about job interviews
C. to explain why we should do something about an interview
D. to suggest not being shy in an interview
4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. A Friendly Smilew。   B. Making a Good Impression
C. Don’t Be Nervousw。D. Sending a Thank-You Letter

When several different people look at the same person, it is not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you alone observe one behavior or one person at two different times, you may see different things. The following are but some of the factors that lead to these varying perceptions:
Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural conditioning, education, and personal experience.
Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what we’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person’s perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by some. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this person; or you may focus primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same yardstick to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.
Sometimes we see only what we want to see what may be obverse to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory information is particularly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore the stimulus—“He’s basically a good boy, so what I saw was not shoplifting.”  We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information—“All kids get into mischief(頑皮). Taking a book from the bookstore isn’t such a big deal.” We call change the meaning of the contradictory information—“It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later.”..
1.While observing a particular person,        .
A.one is likely to take all aspects into consideration
B.one pays more attention to his or her advantages
C.children often differ from gown?ups in perception
D.one tends to choose certain cues to look for
2.Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because         .
A.their yardsticks are not the same
B.either of them may be slow to catch information
C.the time for observations is not long enough
D.each of them uses different language to express his or her impressions
3.The underlined word “ignore” in Paragraph 4 means to         .
A.understand something                          B.try to do something
C.pay no attention to something                   D.know something better
4.The worst thing in selective perception is that         .
A.perceived information runs against your desire
B.facts can be totally ignored and distorted
C.importance of contradictory information can be overrated
D.the same information may not be dealt with in the same way