About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy
sat down at the next table. I couldn't help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman
asked, " So, how have you been?" And the boy, who could not have been more than seven or eight years old,
replied, "Frankly, I've been a little depressed lately."
     This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far
as I can remember, my friends and I didn't find out we were "depressed" until we were in high school.
     The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don't seem childlike
anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used
to.
     Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no
longer exists, why?
     Human development is based not only on innate (天生的) biological states, but also on patterns of access
to social knowledge. Movement from one social role (作用) to another usually involves learning the secrets of
the new status. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: we tell sixth graders
things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
     In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been brought in 98 percent of
American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, indiscriminately (不
加區(qū)分地). Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less
challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
     Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social
information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbol that must
be memorized and practiced. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

1. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world ____.

A. through contact with society
B. naturally and by biological instinct (本能)
C. gradually and under guidance
D. through exposure to social information

2. The phenomenon that today's children seem adult like is due to ____.

A. the widespread influence of television
B. the poor arrangement of teaching content
C. the fast pace of human intellectual development
D. the constantly rising standard of living

3. Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?

A. It enables children to gain more social information.
B. It develops children's interest in reading and writing.
C. It helps children to memorize and practice more.
D. It can control what children are to learn.

4. What does the author think of the change in today's children?

A. He feels amused by their premature (早熟) behavior.
B. He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note.
C. He considers it a positive development.
D. He seems to be upset about it.

     In China, more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. Most
students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework
is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don't know how to save time.
They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students
spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up (熬夜) very late. Some students
have to get up early every morning on weekdays to get to school on time by bus or by bike. It can be a long
way from home to school. It will probably make them sleepy (困的) during school hours.
     Schools and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than
nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, they should make the most (best use) of their
time. When they have enough time for sleeping, they will find it much better for both their study and health.

1. According to the passage, who else gives children some homework to do besides their teachers?
    (no more than 2 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________
2. How many hours of sleep is good for students' health? (no more than 4 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________
3. What is most likely to happen to a student who often goes to bed late and gets up early?
    (no more than 7 words)
    _____________________________________________________________________

     Few students would dream of getting a job as a shoe shiner working along the street. College students, in
their own eyes and in the eyes of the public, are expected to get at least a proper job, if not working in a high-
income or white-collar position.
     Cai Yong's decision to work as a shoe shiner shocked not only his parents, who had high hopes for him,
but also his girlfriend.
     "It is right for young graduates to be ambitious (有抱負(fù)的). But they have to start in a solid and down-to-
earth way," Cai said. Cai is not alone in making such a choice. The company has got 12 college students in all.
     "I come for the 800 yuan monthly pay," said Xiao Ji, who is a student from Nanjing University. "I have
grown up and no longer live on my parents," he said.
     "Working as shoe shiners can mean a bright future," Cai said.
     Not everyone can accept this job choice. Cai's girlfriend left him because she felt ashamed to be with a
shoe shiner, and Cai accepted the fact. "This is the price to be paid for a job," he said.
     A former shoe shiner, Zhong Haibo, from a medical college, believes it was a good training for the rest of
his life. "There is nothing I can't do after working as a shoe shiner," Zhong said, meaning that such kind of
experience in early life is helpful in a future job.

1. Cai Yong decided to work as _____.

A. a college teacher
B. a company manager
C. a shoe shiner
D. a medicine maker

2. Why did Cai's girlfriend leave him?

A. They didn't get along well with each other.
B. Her parents didn't like him.
C. She found it a shame to marry a shoe shiner.
D. Cai had got a new girlfriend.

3. Most people think Cai's choice _____.

A. unbelievable
B. nice
C. enjoyable
D. wonderful

4. From the passage we know Zhong Haibo _____.

A. doesn't like college life
B. thinks highly of working as shoe shiners
C. is a middle school student
D. is still a shoe shiner at the moment

     Diana Jacobs thought her family had a workable plan to pay for college for her 21-year-old twin sons:
a combination of savings, income, scholarships, and a modest amount of borrowing. Then her husband
lost his job, and the plan fell apart.
     "I have two kids in college, and I want to say 'come home,' but at the same time I want to provide
them with a good education," says Jacobs.
     The Jacobs family did work out a solution: They asked and received more aid from the schools, and
each son increased his borrowing to the maximum amount through the federal loan (貸款) program. They
will each graduate with $20,000 of debt, but at least they will be able to finish school.
     With unemployment rising, financial aid administrators expect to hear more families like the Jacobs.
More students are applying for aid, and more families expect to need student loans. College administrators
are concerned that they will not have enough aid money to go around.
     At the same time, tuition (學(xué)費(fèi)) continues to rise. A report from the National Center for Public Policy
and Higher Education found that college tuition and fees increased 439% from 1982 to 2007, while average
family income rose just 147%. Student borrowing has more than doubled in the last decade.
      "If we go on this way for another 25years, we won't have an affordable system of higher education,"
says Patrick M. Callan, president of the center. "The middle class families have been financing it through
debt. They will send kids to college whatever it takes, even if that means a huge amount of debt."
     Financial aid administrators have been having a hard time as many companies decide that student loans
are not profitable enough and have stopped making them. The good news, however, is that federal loans
account for about three quarters of student borrowing, and the government says that money will flow
uninterrupted.

1. According to Paragraph 1, why did the plan of Jocobs fail?

A. The twins wasted too much money.
B. The father was out of work.
C. Their saving ran out.
D. The family fell apart.

2. How did the Jacobs manage to solve their problem?

A. They asked their kids to come home.
B. They borrowed $20,000 from the school.
C. They encouraged their twin sons to do part-time jobs.
D. They got help from the school and the federal government.

3. Financial aid administrators believe that _____.

A. more families will face the same problem as the Jacobses
B. the government will receive more letters of complaint
C. college tuition fees will double soon
D. America's unemployment will fall

4. What can we learn about the middle class families from the text?

A. They blamed the government for the tuition increase.
B. Their income remained steady in the last decade.
C. They will try their best to send kids to college.
D. Their debts will be paid off within 25 years.

5. According to the last paragraph, the government will _____.

A. provide most students will scholarships
B. dismiss some financial aid administrators
C. stop the companies from making student loans
D. go on providing financial support for college students

     Technology is the application(應(yīng)用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern
technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New
machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall
output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in
America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television
sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of
modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via
(通過) medical technology.
     Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the
answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as
we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology
depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(統(tǒng)計(jì)) show that the United
States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are
running out of some scarce resources(少的資源) we may well find technological substitutes
(代用品)for many of them through our research programs.
     Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital)
are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people
will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or
inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us
maintain our standard of living.

1. What is the best title for the passage?

A. The definition of technology
B. Modern technology
C. The application of technology
D. The development of technology

2. Which is the main idea of the passage?

A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.
B. The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology.
C. Technology is the response to our needs.
D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.

3. According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______.

A. higher quality of life
B. medical technology
C. modern farming machinery
D. technological substitute

     I've always known my kids use digital communications gear (裝置) 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 hold down a
summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with his 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 says.
     Some experts regret that all that keyboard jabber is making our kids stupid, unable to read
nonverbal 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 of a book called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital
Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes (危害) 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, of easy, 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 messages
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 via text message
and responds with faithfulness and speed.

1. What does the underlined word "distracted" in the fifth paragraph mean?

A. Confused.                          
B. Absentminded.
C. Comfortable.                        
D. Badtempered.

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. Advantages and Disadvantages of Texting            
D. The Effect of Communication

3. What is Mark Bauerlein's attitude towards texting?

A. It is so 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 intelligence.

4. The author's attitude towards texting is ________.

A. suspicious                  
B. opposed
C. supportive                  
D. doubtful

5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages a day.
B. Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens.
C. Parents don't mind teens' texting and talking at the same time.
D. The writer limited his son to sending or receiving text messages at first.

    Someday a stranger will read your email without your permission or scan the websites you've
visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone
bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
    In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you
without your permission? It might be a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a policeman or a
criminal. Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen-the 21st century
equal to being caught naked(裸露的)．
    Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, though it's important to reveal(透露) yourself to
friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. Actually few boundaries remain.
The digital breadcrumbs(面包屑) you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct
who you are, where you are and what you like. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal
what you think, like it or not, increasingly we live_in_a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
    The key question is:Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no"．
    When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it.
A survey found a majority of people are pessimistic about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents
saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me"．
    But people say one thing and do another.  Only a small part of Americans change any  behaviors
in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收費(fèi)亭) to avoid
using the EZPass system that can track(跟蹤) automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket
loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will
submit personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50centsoff
coupon(優(yōu)惠券)．
     But privacy does matter-at least sometimes. It's like health; when you have it, you don't notice it.
     Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it.

1. What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

A. There should be a distance even between friends.
B. There should be fewer quarrels between friends.
C. Friends should always be faithful to each other.
D. Friends should open their hearts to each other.

2. Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret"?

A. There are always people who are curious about others' affairs.
B. Many search engines profit by revealing people's identities.
C. People leave traces around when using modern technology.
D. Modern society has finally developed into an open society.

3. What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protection?

A. They change behaviors that might disclose their identity.
B. They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it.
C. They rely more and more on electronic equipment.
D. They use various loyalty cards for business deals.

4. According to the passage, privacy is like health in that________.

A. its importance is rarely understood
B. it is something that can easily be lost
C. people will make every effort to keep it
D. people don't treasure it until they lose it

    Grammarphobia  is the fear of grammar. This fear attacks almost everybody at one time or another, and it's most likely to strike during English or language arts classes. Even people who love reading and writing
have been known to get feverish and insecure when they are aware of the possibility of turning in
homework with grammar or spelling mistakes. Though writing may be enjoyable, being corrected is
definitely not!
     Grammarphobes, it's time to put your fears behind you.Grammar isn't that dreadful (可怕的). Here's
why. 
     Let's assume you like hearing and telling stories and that you enjoy joking with friends. You probably
also like emailing and instantmessaging.  Well, what do you think makes all these possible? Grammar!
     Grammar is simply the art of putting words together to make sentences. Whenever you use words to
express yourself, you're using grammar. You do this all the time without even thinking.
     So why think about it? Because good grammar helps you convey the ideas you intend. If your words
aren't right, or if they are not in the right order, the person you are talking to might get the wrong idea. This can have embarrassing results.
     Grammar helps us understand each other.  It's like a manual (手冊) for assembling the words in your head. You have to put your words together the right way if you want them to make sense. They can't do
what you want if they aren't put together correctly.
     What if everybody you know had a different manual? How would you agree on what others' words
mean? People with different grammar manuals might be speaking different languages.
     Communicating is similar to playing cards.  To make sense, we have to play the same game, by the
same rules. What are the rules for playing the game of English? You already know most of them without
having to open a book.

1. Grammarphobes refer to people who ________.

A. consider grammar to be boring
B. are worried about grammar homework
C. mind grammar too much in writing
D. are afraid of making grammar mistakes

2. The underlined word "assembling"  in Paragraph 6 may    mean ________.

A. directing                  
B. remembering
C. bringing together        
D. looking for

3. What does playing cards have in common with communicating?

A. Both need standards.
B. Both can be interesting games.
C. Both can be learned easily.
D. Both can make sense for our life.

4. What might be the main idea of the passage?

A. Forgetting grammar when writing.
B. Grammar is not horrible.
C. Improving grammar through writing.
D. What is grammarphobia