5 . For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?

Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.

In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.

1. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

A．Both are about where to draw the line.

B．Both can continue for generations.

C．Neither has any clear winner.

D．Neither can be put to an end.

2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.

B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.

C．The teens cause their parents of misleading them.

D．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.

3. Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ______.

A．give orders to the other

B．know more than the other

C．gain respect from the other

D．get the other to behave properly

4. What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A．Solutions for the parent-teen problems.

B．Examples of the parent-teen war.

C．Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.

D．Future of the parent-teen relationship.

6 . Rainbow -coloured rubbish is the colourful waste created by a Swedish city with a unique recycling system. Like many cities in Sweden, Eskilstuna has an impressive recycling record. It met the EU’ s 2020 target of recycling 50％ of waste many years ago. But almost everyone who lives here follows a strict recycling policy at home. People are expected to sort their household waste into seven separate categories, including food, textiles, cartons and metal. But what really makes the system stand out is the bright colour code.

The reason for this becomes clear at the city’ s recycling plant. The bags arrive all jumbled up because they’ re collected altogether, once a fortnight from outside people’ s houses. But thanks to those bright colours, scanners can select the bags and separate them efficiently. The food waste in green bags is processed on site into slurry(浆) to make biogas, which powers the city’ s buses. One of the benefits of this method of recycling is that there is less cross-pollution,so more of the recycled waste can actually be used to make new things.

Like the rest of Sweden, Eskilstuna is committed to sending zero waste from its citizens to landfill(垃圾堆) . Waste that cannot be recycled is incinerated at a local plant to generate electricity. This reduces reliance on fossil fuels, but does create greenhouse gases. As countries a-round the world try to improve their recycling rates, some may look to Eskilstuna as an example to follow— as long as they think they can persuade their citizens to get busy sorting at home.

1. How do people deal with their household waste in Eskilstuna？

A．Sorting and putting it in colourful bags.

B．Dyeing it with different colours.

C．Processing and recycling it at home.

D．Sorting and taking it out every week.

2. What is the advantage of the bright colour code？

A．It avoids cross － pollution entirely.

B．The waste can be stored in a fixed site.

C．It’ s easier to classify the bags of rubbish.

D．The city takes on a colorful look.

3. What does the underlined word “ incinerated” mean in the last paragraph？

A．Burnt	B．Broken
C．Reused	D．Washed

4. Which of the following is the best title of the text？

A．Tips on Sorting of Household Waste.

B．A Swedish City’ s Recycling Efforts.

C．A Unique Waste Recycling Plan.

D．A New Policy for Conservation.

7 . “You’ll get square eyes!” my mother used to say as I sat for hour after hour glued to the TV. I ignored her, of course. Past-forward a few decades and now I’m the parent. My 5-year-old lives in a world where screens aren’t fixed pieces of furniture. You can’t even avoid them by going outside. Screens are not only in our pockets; they’re everywhere.

The concerns have grown with the screens. In the past decade, we have heard that they will damage our mental health. Many of us feel more distracted by them, feeling guiltier and more tired as a result.

The apps and websites we can access on our phones have also sparked widespread concern. Big tech companies are also good at making use of our need for social recognition, hooking us on likes, retweets and follower counts. Social media has created a culture of mass narcissism (自恋), which has led many to worry about the emotional stresses on teenagers. A quick online search brings up dozens of papers linking screen use or social media with harmful effects on mental health, including depression and suicide.

Such statements are alarming. They are also widely believed, thanks to popular books like iGen by Jean Twenge, which claims that digital technology has ruined a generation. Yet, Amy Orben at the University of Oxford, who studies the impact of digital technology and social media in particular on mental health, holds different views. She claims that the underlying data can be used to tell different stories. She also spotted shortcomings in several large studies that claimed to show correlations (相关性) between the use of devices with screens and depression in users.

Twenge stands by her own finding, pointing in turn to what she considers flaws in Orben’s research methods. For David Max, at Royal College of Child Health in London, the effect of screen time and social media use on mental health remains speculative. “We cannot regard social media overall as good or bad,” says Davie. “We don’t know whether in individual cases social media is not responsible,” he says.

The explosion of mobile phone use has revolutionized our lives. I can download movies, write articles, communicate with my family and broadcast to the world all at the push of a button. Rather than impose constraints (限制), we should take a look at our use of screens and ask how they fit with the activities and lifestyle.

Every new technology with widespread impact has given rise to new fears. So the best bet may simply be to ask yourself what level of screen use makes you and those around you happy and try to stick to it. If you find yourself over addictive, don’t panic—and certainly don’t feel guilty. Nobody knows anything worth getting scared about.

1. According to the passage, people give likes, retweet or count followers to __________.

A．share one’s lifestyles	B．show respect for others
C．seek social recognition	D．relieve emotional stresses

2. The underlined word “speculative” probably means “__________”.

A．doubtful	B．specific
C．important	D．abstract

3. What can be learned from the passage?

A．Teenagers are more affected by screen use both physically and mentally.

B．Orben claims it is far too early to blame screen use for ruining a generation.

C．Big tech companies help to produce many research papers on mental health.

D．Twenge mainly introduces the overall benefits of digital technology in her books.

4. The passage is written to __________.

A．encourage readers to reduce the time of screen use

B．share different opinions on the effects of screen use

C．explain why screen use may have negative effects on people

D．relieve people’s concerns and worries about the use of screens

8 . Captain Henry, a 98-year-old American retired fisherman, has become a first-time author, having written and published his autobiography In a Fisherman's Language after learning to read at the age of 91.

Mr.Henry spent most of his life without even his closest family members knowing he was illiterate. Forced to quit school in the third grade to take odd jobs, he kept the secret close to his chest, only telling his late wife. Henry's granddaughter, Marlisa, told reporters how he used tricks, like waiting for others to order at restaurants first, to avoid the issue.

A family argument in his 90s, she said, aroused his desire for education.“He signed a document he could not read about where he was going to live, Marlisa said. Starting with his name, he eventually moved on to the ABC's and children's books. He put them down since his wife fell ill. After the tragic loss of his wife, he went back to reading and began to log (记录) his life. He wrote about his family's voyage from Portugal to the US, how he went on to captain a boat, and his many journeys at sea.

His life stories have become so popular that nearly 800 copies were sold in the first two weeks after the book's release. One thousand more have since been printed as requests for the book flood in from as far as Germany. And now even Hollywood producers have approached Mr. Henry about buying the rights to his life story for a big screen adaptation.

The family also now has a book agent and a deal in the works to publish a second edition. Meanwhile, the family says they are reconnecting and closer than ever as a result of Henry's late-life efforts.“Everyone has a story,” Marlisa said, “It teaches that when you're down and out, never give up.”

1. When did Henry begin writing his life story?

A．When he was 91 years old.	B．After his wife passed away.
C．When he was 98 years old.	D．After he retired from work.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?

A．A Hollywood producer wishes to make a movie out of Henry's book.

B．Henry never told anyone that he couldn't read or write.

C．Henry began his reading with some famous novels.

D．Henry's book was well-received only by Americans.

3. How did Henry's family benefit from his writing?

A．The family got more money from the 2nd edition.

B．The family ties were rebuilt and strengthened.

C．His family moved from Portugal to the US.

D．His family story has been made into a movie.

4. What message can Henry's story give us?

A．An idle youth, a needy age.	B．Every coin has two sides.
C．Practice makes perfect.	D．It is never too old to learn.

9 . Life on the street is a constant struggle for homeless people. In times of extreme weather conditions, that struggle becomes even more difficult. Recently, homeless people across Chicago faced freezing to death if they couldn't find shelter for the night.

Thankfully, one local woman refused to let that happen. On January 30，2018, 34-year-old Candice Payne, a local managing broker, was lucky enough to have shelter from the dangerous conditions.

“It was - 20℃, and I knew they were going to be sleeping on ice and I had to do something,” said Payne. Payne started brainstorming different ways she could possibly help. Finally， she decided to see if there were any rooms available at local inns and hotels that she could get to help those stuck on the street.

For Payne, her mission was   personal. According to Payne, her husband, Carlos Callahan， had lived on the streets at one point in his life. Based on his experiences, Payne knew that the homeless people still out on the street desperately needed help and that if she didn't step up to help, no one likely would.

However, when Payne explained what she was trying to do，many of the local hotels refused to allow her to pay for the rooms as they didn't want homeless people to stay in their rooms. “No one wanted them, but one hotel, the Amber Inn, was nice enough to allow me to buy the rooms,” said Payne.

Payne's selfless act made news across the country. However, she insisted she had never done it for attention. “I am a regular person, ” said Payne, who spent thousands of dollars of her own money to help complete strangers.“It all sounded like a rich person did this, but I’m just a little black girl from the South Side. ”

1. What does the underlined word “ that” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Locals living on the street‘

B．The homeless freezing to death.

C．The extreme weather.

D．The shelter for the homeless.

2. How did Candice Payne help the homeless people?

A．By drawing public attention.

B．By giving them money directly.

C．By taking them to her own house.

D．By buying hotel rooms for them.

3. What may contribute to Payne’s nice act?

A．Her husband's past experiences.

B．The requests from the homeless.

C．Her desire to become famous.

D．The coldness of local hotels.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A Black Fighter Changes the World

B．A Woman’s Curiosity Brings a Reward

C．A Regular Woman Makes a Difference

D．A Couple's Brave Act Moves the Country

10 . Three boys were enjoying themselves in their hometown of Bovina, Mississippi. However, their lives were turned upside down when they discovered the jawbone of a Mastodon (齿乳象).

Brothers Shawn and Caid Sellers and cousin Michael Mahalitc found the prehistoric bone in a piece of earth that was recently plowed (犁、耕). “I thought it was a log,” Caid said. “I tried to pick it up and it was really heavy and I saw teeth on it.” The bone weighed about 50 pounds. They eventually got the bone to their home and fitted it in their tub (浴盆), but it took their collective strength, might and a golf cart, to carry the large Mastodon bone.

“They didn’t expect to find that,” Michael’s mom said. “Now that they have, I believe that they will be more aware of their surroundings and what they’re digging up when they are digging and playing.”

“We’ve gotten a lot of petrified (石化的) wood and Civil War relics from the area and that’s what I thought it was,” the brothers’ mother said. “This is our first set of teeth we’ve found. So we thought it was their imagination. We were quite surprised to see that it was not their imagination.”

They were exploring near the brothers’ home. Lo and behold (真想不到), they saw what they thought resembled a fossil. It was the curator of paleontology (古生物负责人) of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, George Phillips, who first identified the bone as a “very mature individual.”

The Mastodon was a mammal who lived during the prehistoric times. They had long tusks and trunks, like elephants. They were clearly different from their modern-day counterparts, as well as woolly mammoths (猛犸).

1. How did they find the jawbone of a Mastodon?

A．With great efforts.	B．By chance.
C．Instructed by an expert.	D．Through imagination.

2. At first the brothers’ mother thought the jawbone was________.

A．from people who died in the Civil War	B．the bone from a very mature individual
C．like a log or something	D．the prehistoric bone

3. The discovery of the jawbone of a Mastodon is important mainly because it________.

A．helps people to know more about the Civil War

B．teaches kids to be more aware of their surroundings

C．promotes the research on more prehistoric creatures

D．attracts the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the article?

A．Prehistoric Bones Recently Found in Mississippi

B．Not Petrified Wood Nor Civil War Relics

C．First Identifying Bone as a “Very Mature Individual”

D．Unexpectedly Discovering Mastodon Jawbone