1 . Having too much confidence is not good. And now, a new study has proved this by finding that overconfident teenage students can stunt crucial（决定性的）reading skills.

The study shows a clear connection between overconfident students and low reading comprehension.

“While some self-confidence is helpful, overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average (平均水平) readers in all 34 countries we studied, ” says Ming Ming Chiu, the lead author of the study.

“In contrast, under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be above-average readers in all 34 countries, ”the expert added.

The difference lies in a student’s ability to exactly assess (估计) and evaluate his or her own reading level, according to Chiu. Those who can accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses are usually in a better position to identify realistic goals and achieve them.

“If an overconfident student chooses a book that is too hard—such as The Lord of the Rings rather than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone—he or she might stop reading after a few pages and let it sit on a bookshelf,”says Chiu.

“In contrast, a more self-aware student is more likely to finish an easier book and continue reading more books, ”the expert added.

1. The underlined word “stunt” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by                    

A．improve

B．help

C．prevent

D．find

2. Which of the following is true?

A．Under-confident 15-year-olds are less likely to be above-average readers.

B．Overconfident 15-year-olds are often below-average readers.

C．Under-confident 15-year-olds are more likely to be below average readers.

D．Overconfident 15-year-olds are often above-average readers.

3. People who can exactly assess their strengths and weaknesses can              

A．choose a better book	B．gain more money
C．have realistic goals and achieve them	D．have a great improvement in their marks

4. A more self-aware student is more likely to                  

A．stop reading after a few pages	B．put the book on a bookshelf
C．finish an easier book	D．write books

2 . Influenced by their families and society, many youths are infatuated with expensive famous brands. But not every youth is as rich as a millionaire and people are getting worried about this.

According to a recent survey, one out of five pupils wears clothes of well-known brands, including a belt worth 560 Yuan, more than an ordinary worker’s salary. Among the 100 middle school students surveyed, as many as 70 own famous-brand clothes, 60 have famous-brand watches and 45 possess famous-brand bicycles. Two of them even wear over 1500 Yuan worth of suits.

Most young people who come from ordinary families will try to steal money to have better food and clothing if their parents don’t satisfy their needs. A boy named Chen even killed another boy simply for 500 Yuan and was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.

People wonder how these teenagers can be independent in the future, while parents are calling for help from schools, governments and the society.

1. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A．More than 50 percent of the students surveyed possess things of famous brands.

B．An ordinary worker owns less than 560 Yuan each month.

C．Suits may cost as much as 1500 Yuan.

D．Young people now are as rich as millionaires.

2. What does “be infatuated with” mean according to the context?

A．be anxious about

B．be filled with a strong unreasonable feeling of love for

C．have a strange and unusual way of

D．be low in spirits; sad for

3. As a result, the boy mentioned in the passage will____.

A．steal money for better food and clothing

B．kill another boy for 500 Yuan

C．stay in prison for nine years

D．ask his parents to satisfy his needs

4. The best title for the passage would be____.

A．Youths Run After Famous Brands.

B．Youths Should Own More Money

C．Youths As Rich As Millionaires

D．Youths Must Be Taken Good Care of