1 . Do you compare yourself to other people? Perhaps your best friend receives something you really want, or you’re not allowed to go to a concert but your brother or sister is. Even though comparisons are common and can sometimes be helpful, focusing(专注) on your own progress is important for your happiness.
“We often compare ourselves to others who are doing better or not as well as ourselves.” says Dr. Jack. “But I suggest comparing yourself to your past self and your future self. This can make you feel proud of what you’ve achieved and excited about what you might do. Focusing on your own purposes is more worthwhile than always trying to come out on top.”
Comparing yourself to those around you is natural and we often do it without realizing it. It can help us to be clear about our achievements and to form friendships with new people who have similar interests. However, it’s important to remember that nobody is perfect in real life. It’s also important to take note of how the comparison is making you feel. “If you begin to feel quite low, focus on your own strengths.” says Jack. In other words, you can ask yourself questions like “What can I do well in?”, which can help you trust yourself.
Maybe here you are wondering “What if all my friends are better than me?”. Dr. White says that jealousy(妒忌) is not bad but focusing on bettering your own work can help you feel just as successful. He also mentions that learning to celebrate your friends’ success can not only help to cheer your friends up but also help you feel good. It will encourage you to build each other up.
1. What does the writer tell us in Paragraph 1?| A．We should compare with others. | B．We should share things with brothers. |
| C．We should enjoy concerts with sisters. | D．We should focus on our own progress. |
| A．To care about others. | B．To change your purposes. |
| C．To increase your excitement. | D．To be proud of your achievements. |
| A．what you’re good at | B．what you’ve understood |
| C．what you’re crazy about | D．what you’ve experienced |
| A．Trusting your friends. | B．Cheering on tiny success. |
| C．Celebrating others’ success. | D．Forming a deep friendship. |
| A．Plan Your Own Future | B．Enjoy Your Own Happiness |
| C．Run Your Own Race | D．Follow Your Own Dream |
2 . Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don’t know as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other(相互打架) and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.
It is very important for teenagers to have some good friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication (交际) is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to say to their family members.
However (然而), parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their friends.
Have you ever thought of the following questions?
(1) Who choose your friends?
(2) Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
(3) Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like? Your answers are welcome.
1. Many teenagers think that ________ can understand them better .| A．friends | B．brothers | C．sisters | D．parents |
| A．To make friends | B．Communication | C．To stop meeting friends | D．Both A and B |
| A．stay alone at home | B．fight with their friends |
| C．discuss it with their friends | D．go to their brothers or sisters for help |
| A．You are welcome to discuss the questions with us | B．We have no idea, so your answers are welcome |
| C．Your answers are always right | D．You can give us all the right answers |
| A．Parents should choose friends for their children. |
| B．Children should choose everything they like. |
| C．Parents should understand (理解) their children. |
| D．Teenagers should only go to their friends for help. |
3 . Recently, China Youth Daily did a survey on 2,001 people. They found that half of them stayed alone at home during the epidemic（流行病）, and 66.5 percent of them felt that it was good to be alone. Students had different opinions on the benefits（益处）of being alone.
Wang Yidi, a high school student in Hefei, said, “Staying alone gives us a chance to live our own life, instead of having to care about others’ feelings. It can help us realize what we want, and will make us more likely to make real friends.” And another student named Chen Shuting also thought being alone helped her a lot. Once she gave up trying some exciting rides in an amusement park because her friends were afraid. But later she went back to the park by herself and did everything she could. She said it was wonderful.
However, there were also students who didn’t agree. Li Xingyi thought that staying alone couldn’t help people solve their problems. She said people would get more benefits（利益）by joining groups. Ji Hengyi also said that it might be hard for a person to stay positive for such a long time. At first, it felt good to do something he liked, but after a few days, he couldn’t stand such a boring life and wanted to communicate with his friends and do some social activities.
1. There were about ________ people who felt good about staying at home during the epidemic in the survey.| A．2, 001 | B．1, 000 | C．1, 330 | D．665 |
| A．Wang Yidi always cares about others’ feelings. |
| B．Being alone makes Wang Yidi know what she is really afraid of. |
| C．Chen Shuting didn’t like to play with her friends in the amusement park. |
| D．Chen Shuting did what she wanted by being alone. |
| A．She thought it may not help people solve problems. |
| B．She would feel lonely when she was alone. |
| C．She couldn’t stand the boring life. |
| D．The epidemic made her lose interest in everything. |
| A．How to live alone during the epidemic. | B．How to stay alone in daily life. |
| C．Different opinions on being alone. | D．The benefits of being alone. |
4 . Mobile phones(手机) have become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have stopped students from carrying mobile phones during school hours. The mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students will want them.
Mary, a teacher, said the mobile phone use is a distraction(分心) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classmates. Teachers also said that sometimes students might use phone message to copy during exams. She said some school tried to stop mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at the school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school, they were easy to lose and were a distraction for studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
1. Some middle schools in Australia have stopped students from carrying mobile phones ___________.| A．because they are students | B．when they are free |
| C．when they are at school | D．because they are children |
| A．the makers and sellers | B．the teachers |
| C．their parents and friends | D．some mobile phone users |
| A．use their mobile phones |
| B．leave their mobile phones at the school office |
| C．help the teachers with their work |
| D．get in touch with their children |
| A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except（除……外）some special reasons |
| B．it is impossible to stop students from using mobile phones at school |
| C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school |
| D．parents should teach children how to use mobile phones during school hours |
5 .
Advertisements are everywhere! They’re on the radio and TV, in the newspapers and magazines, and on buses，and buildings. Companies have advertised their products by giving their products to film stars, pop stars and sports stars to wear or use since a few years ago so that fans will buy them in order to copy the stars.
But this kind of advertisements are no longer special, as a result they aren’t working anymore. We don’t like advertisements, so we try not to see them. We turn off the advertisements on our computers, we refuse to watch them on TV, or read them in magazines. We don’t copy the stars because we know maybe they don’t really like the things they advertise.
This means advertisement companies need a new way to sell their products. They can’t make their products “cool” by advertising. Teenagers won’t buy things in advertisements just because the advertisements say they are fashionable. The newest way to advertise is not to advertise.
Instead of using stars, more and more companies are using teenagers. They pay them to tell their friends about new products. Teenagers don’t want to dress like everyone else and buy the things that everyone else has. They want to look different and create their own styles. Teenagers don’t think it cool to copy the stars or buy things they’ve seen in advertisements.
Getting people to talk about the products is the best way to advertise. When the teenager talk about products,the interest of their friend in the products will be raised, and they are more likely to buy them.
Advertisement | |
| Advertisements can | |
The old ways to advertise | ◎Traditionally, companies provide the stars with their products to ◎ |
The new ways to advertise | ◎Using teenagers is getting its ◎Having people talk about the products works fine, too. For the more the products are talked about, |
6 . Spending more than two hours a night doing homework leads to better results in English, math and science, according to a major study (by Pam Sammons, England) which has tracked (跟踪）the progress of 3,000 children over the past 15 years.
Spending any time doing homework showed advantages, but the influence was greater for the students who put in two to three hours a night, according to the study published by the Department for Education in England.
The scientists who did the research say their study emphasizes (强调）what students actually do rather than how much work the school has set.
Pam Sammons, a professor of education at Oxford University, said that time spent on homework showed the influence of the school—if children were expected to do homework and if
they enjoy their subjects. “That’s one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better. They put more time in it.” he added.
It’s also reported that students who enjoyed school got better results. “Schools could make sure children had a better experience by improving the school environment, making school work interesting and making children feel supported by teachers." Sammons said.
It is suggested that children aged 5 to 7 should be set one-hour homework a week, half an hour a night for 7 to 11-year-olds. Secondary schools were encouraged to set up two hours a night for 14 to 16-year-olds.
“Headteachers should make their own homework policy,” the government says.
1. Where can we probably read this passage?| A．In a poster. | B．In a magazine. | C．In a storybook. | D．In an advertisement. |
| A．half an hour | B．an hour | C．over two hours | D．less than two hours |
| A．公布 | B．印刷 | C．出版 | D．发现 |
| A．Schools could make sure children had a better experience. |
| B．Children aged 14-16 should spend an hour a night on homework. |
| C．The study was published by the Department for Education in China. |
| D．Chinese and Indian children do worse in schoolwork from Pam Sammons. |
| A．Students should become interested in their results. |
| B．Students should do homework as much as possible. |
| C．Parents should encourage their children to do more homework. |
| D．It’s headteachers’ duty to make their students’ own homework policy. |
7 . “How are you?” is a nice question. It’s a friendly way that people in the USA greet each other. But “How are you?” is also a very unusual question. It’s a question that often doesn’t need an answer. The person who asks “How are you?” hopes to hear the answer “Fine”, even if the person’s friend isn’t fine. The reason is that “How are you?” isn’t really a question and “Fine” isn’t really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying “Hello” or “Hi”.
Sometimes, people don’t say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks “Do you agree?”, the other person might think, “No, I disagree. I think you’re wrong...” But it isn’t very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say “I’m not sure.” It’s a nicer way to say that you don’t agree with someone.
People don’t say exactly what they are thinking when they want to finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says “I’ve to go now.” Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse: “Someone’s at the door.” “Something is burning on the stove.” The excuses might be real, or not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn’t want to talk any more, but it isn’t polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn’t hurt the other person.
Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don’t say exactly what they are thinking. It’s an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it’s part of the game of language.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。
1. When a person in America asks“How are you?”, he or she wants to hear“ ________ ”
| A．How are you? | B．Hello. | C．I don't know. | D．Fine. |
| A．You are wrong. I disagree. | B．I'm not sure. |
| C．I’m sure I disagree. | D．I don’t agree with you. |
| A．You have to go now. | B．I want to hang up. |
| C．I have to go now. | D．I don't want to talk any more. |
| A．giving an excuse | B．hurting someone’s feelings |
| C．talking to a person at the door | D．going to another place |
| A．“Always say what you mean.” | B．“Don’t disagree with people.” |
| C．“Never say exactly what you’re thinking.” | D．“Be polite.” |
●When I get out of school, I must text my mom; once on the school bus, text her again; then call her when I get home.
●Show them everything in my schoolbag (and all tests) every day.
●I shower at 8:00 till 8:30 or they will come in and turn the water off.
●I must be asleep by 10:00 (It’s 3:10 a.m. now). If I'm caught awake they will check on me every two hours to make sure I am asleep.
● I must be downstairs for “family time” for at least two hours every weekend.
●Mom chooses what I wear at all times.
● I must walk the dog with Mom. If I go alone, send a video every ten minutes.
● I must ask permission (准许) before watching a movie.
● I must ask my mom if I can be friends with someone before becoming friends.
I have to do what they say, or I'll be a disappointment. But the rules make my life really boring. Today I read a poem by Kahlil Gibran, which says:
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts.
For they have their own thoughts.
...
Is it a good idea to show this poem to my parents tomorrow?
1. How many times must Ella communicate with her mom from school to home?
| A．Once. | B．Twice. |
| C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
| A．20 minutes | B．half an hour |
| C．40 minutes | D．an hour |
| A．Go to bed after 10:00. |
| B．Walk the dog alone. |
| C．Watch a TV show. |
| D．Make a new friend. |
| A．She wants to tell them the rules are unfair. |
| B．She hopes they can explain the poem to her. |
| C．She needs to share a poem for “family time”. |
| D．She knows they are interested in Kahlil Gibran. |
Confidence is very important in daily life. It can help you to develop a healthy attitude. A study shows that the people who are more confident are much happier. They can have more chances to make themselves successful. But how to be more confident. Here are some suggestions:
Speak loudly. When you are not confident, you can’t do well what you want to do. You speak in a voice so low that other people can’t hear you. Try to speak aloud enough so that people can hear you clearly. The high voice can help you become more confident.
Play sports. Physical exercise makes you tired but completely relaxed. When you are athletic, you will be full of confidence.
Encourage yourself. Write down a list of things you did during the day and see how many things you have done well. Did you finish your homework? Did you tell a joke that made everybody laugh? Give yourself praise for the good things you’ve done.
Get rid of (消除) fear. Fear comes along with failure (失败). But it’s easy to get over if you know that failure is a part of your life. Don’t hide your head just because you said something foolish last time. Try to start again and believe you can do better.
Pick up a hobby. If you like singing, singing as much as you can. In some ways, a hobby can make you outstanding. And it will make you happy and confident.
1. Confidence can help .| A．to develop a healthy attitude |
| B．to get completely successful |
| C．to play sports |
| D．to have a hobby |
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．six |
| A．Finish my homework. |
| B．Make everybody laugh. |
| C．Tell a joke. |
| D．Give myself praise for the good things I’ve done. |
| A．When you are confident, you can’t do well what you want to do. |
| B．Physical exercise makes you tired but not relaxed. |
| C．Fear is easy to get over if you know that failure is a part of your life. |
| D．A hobby can make you outstanding, but it won’t make you happy or confident. |
| A．Encourage yourself |
| B．How to be more confident |
| C．Pick up a hobby |
| D．Get rid of fear |
1. When did Tom come?
____________________________________________________
2. What does the writer think of his brother?
____________________________________________________
3. Does the writer’s brother do a lot of things he would like to do?
____________________________________________________
