In this age of Internet chat，videogames and reality television，there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied．Yet，despite the competition，my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories．She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest，a competition she won last year．
As a writer I know about winning contests，and about losing them．I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher．I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories．What if she doesn.t win the contest again？That’s the strange thing about being a parent．So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface．
A revelation（啟示）came last week when l asked her，”Don’t you want to win again？” “No,” she replied，“I just want to tell the story of an angel（天使）going to first grade．”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自發(fā)地）told them．Telling myself that l was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall. I offered suggestions for characters，conflicts and endings for her tales．The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly“guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson．I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it．
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks．Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade，I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience．
While stepping back was difficult for me，it was certainly a good first step that l will quickly follow with more steps，putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked．All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment，grow and find their own voices．
【小題1】What did the author say about her own writing experience？

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (啟示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自發(fā)地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
【小題1】What do we learn from the first paragraph?

It turns out that being voted “Most likely to succeed” in high school might actually be a good predictor of one’s financial and educational success in the future.

      According to a University of Illinois professor who studies the sociology of education, high school sophomores who were rated by their teachers as having good social skills and work habits, and who participated in extracurricular activities in high school, made more money and completed higher levels of education 10 years later than their classmates who had similar standardized test scores but were less socially adroit(熟練的)and participated in fewer extracurricular activities.

     Christy Lleras, a professor of human and community development, says that “soft skills” such as sociability, punctuality, conscientiousness(負(fù)責(zé)任) and an ability to get along well with others, along with participation in extracurricular activities, are better predictors of earnings and higher educational achievement later in life than having good grades and high standardized test scores.

       “That’s not tosay that academic achiecement in high school doesn’t matter—it does,”Lleras said. “But if we only look at standardized test scores, we’re only considering part of the equation for success as an adult in a global marketplace. Academic achievement is part of the story, but it’s not the whole story. You’ve got to have the social skills and work habits to back those achievements up.”

       With the generational shift from a manufacturing-hased economy to a service-and-information-based one, employers value workers who can not only boast about their GPAs and SAT scores, but are also able to get along well with the public and co-workers, Lleras.

      “I think we’ve known this intuitively for a long time that employers are looking for something beyond cognitive (認(rèn)知的)skills” Lleras said. “Leadership now is not an individual thing , it’s how well you get along in a team and get people organized.”

1. Which of the following is NOT considered as a “soft skill”?

A.Being able to make others at ease in a group.

 B Being able to get to an appointment on time.

CAlways ticking to one’s own opinion.

D Being willing to take responsibility.

2.. Now employers would prfe to hire someone who ________？

A earned high scores in standardized test in high school

B can work independently

C has high cognitive skills

D can cooperat well with other teammates

3..Christy Lleras would agree that a high school student should____.

A spend more time in extracurricular activities

B omit classes to take part in extracurricular activities

C pay more attention to standardized test scores

D keep a good balance between learning and relaxation

Eat your vegetables. Wash your hands. Always say “please" and“thank you". We are full of advice for our children, but when it comes to money, we often have little to say. As a result, our children may grow up with clean hands and good manners, but without any idea how to manage their money.
Here are some basics that will help guide them their entire lives：
Show them the future. If your 13-year-old girl were to save＄1,000，invest（投資）it at 8%and add＄100 every month，by the time she's 65，she would have＄980,983！
Be careful of credit（信用）．Credit cards can help you buy necessary things and build a credit history，but they must be used responsibly, which means paying off your debt in time. Explain to your children that when you buy something using a credit card，you can easily end up paying two or three times what you would have paid if you used cash.
Teach patience. Suppose your child wants a new bicycle that costs $150. Rather than paying the cash，give him some regular pocket money and explain that by putting aside，say ＄15 each week，he will be able to buy it for himself in only ten weeks.
Provide incentive. Tell your children the importance of saving.“For every dollar he or she agrees to save and invest rather than spend, you agree to add another dollar to the pot,”says Cathy Pareto, expert in money planning.
Explain your values. Values and money are deeply intertwined, says Eilleen Gallo, co-author of The Financially Intelligent Parent. When your child demands that you buy something, explain why you really don’t want to buy it.“You might say,‘I'd rather save that money for your education,”，advises Gallo. Every time you spend or don't spend money，you have a chance to share your values.
64. The underlined word“incentive" in paragraph 6 means _____.
A. honor          B. praise         C. excitement      D. encouragement
65. What leads the writer to write this article?
A. Parents want to know how to educate their children.
B. He wants to share his good ideas about money matters.
C. He thinks money management the most important for children.
D. Parents care little about their children's management of money.
66. The writer gives some basics to help __________ in a proper way.
A. parents teach their children how to deal with money 
B. children follow their parents' instructions
C. children manage their money                   
D. parents save their money

On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets __36___ and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were __37__ to go home. Some battled to __38__a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the ___39___ bravely, walking miles to get to work.
I ___40__ to be one of people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most _41__ had stopped. After making my way __42__ crowds of people. I finally found a subway line that was __43___. Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to __44__ the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the ___45__. So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switched back to the downtown train. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train __46__ my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I got to my office, I was _47___ through, exhausted and __48__.
My co-workers and I spend most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer __49__I received an email from Garth, my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and __50__ reported to work. It is always reassuring (令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly show their _51__ _to their jobs. Thank you.
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that ___52__ message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of __53__ can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic __54___ had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately __55____ me and put a smile back on my face.
36. A. break        B. flood        C. sink          D, crash
37. A. forced       B. refused      C. adjusted      D. gathered
38. A. order        B. pay         C. call          D. search
39. A. climate      B. scenery     C. storm         D. burden
40. A. used        B. promised    C. deserved      D. happened
41. practice        B. routine      C. process       D. service
42. A. to          B. through      C. over          D. for
43. A. operating    B. cycling      C. turning        D. rushing
44. A. check       B. carry       C. find           D. board
45. A. street       B. ground       C. floor          D. platform
46. A. paused      B. crossed      C. reached        D. parked
47. A. wet        B. weak         C. sick            D. hurt
48. A. ashamed    B. discouraged    C. surprised       D. puzzled
49. A, while       B. when         C. where          D. after
50. A. hardly      B. casually       C. absolutely      D. eventually
51. A. devotion    B. donation       C. connection      D. reaction
52. A, accurate    B. urgent        C. brief          D. humorous
53. A. promise     B. appreciate      C. advice        D. guidance
54. A. troubles     B. signals        C. rules          D. signs
55. A. corrected     B. supported      C. amazed        D. refreshed