1 . Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16 - year - old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.

“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”

Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.

Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent - child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.

No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”

But family experts warm that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There's still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”

Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.

“My parents were on the "before' side of that change, but today's parents, the 40 - year - olds, were on the ‘after’' side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It's not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.”

1. The underlined word gulf in Para. 3 most probably means ________ .

A．interest	B．distance
C．difference	D．separation

2. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?

A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities

B．Parents put more trust in their children's abilities

C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs

D．Parents share more interests with their children.

3. By saying “today's parents, be 40 - year - olds, were on the ‘after’ side.” the author means that today's parents _________ .

A．follow the trend of the change	B．can set a limit to the change
C．fail to take the change seriously	D．have difficulty adjusting to the change

4. The purpose of the passage is to _________ .

A．describe the difficulties today's parents have met with

B．discuss the development of the parent - child relationship

C．suggest the ways to handle the parent - child relationship

D．compare today’s parent - child relationship with that in the past

2 . If the law punished addiction, we would all be in prison because we are addicted to our phones.

We’re hopelessly ______ by them, helplessly devoted to them, Our hands and minds are ______: texting, tweeting, liking, emailing, sharing. We find ourselves ______ stimulated (刺激).

My iphone is the last thing I look at when I go to bed and the first thing I look at when I ______, When it’s not there I feel its ______ like an amputee (被截肢者) still feeling a(n)______ leg. It is my entry to culture and fun. I love it. You love yours.

But the comment on this enormous ______ in our behavior has been completely ______. The central claim is that technology makes us ______ what we already know about life, and it ______ us developing fully independent selves. And the quality of human relationships is said to have ______. Parents are distracted by work emails at the dinner table and in the playground; children cry for ______ until they finally get an iPad for Christmas. Gatherings of old friends can’t do a couple of hours ______ checking their Gmail every 10 minutes. Technology sucks the life out of us, and takes our souls in ______ for the convenience of not having to learn how to read maps properly.

I simply do not ______ the idea that we aren’t folly whole due to our phones, just because we can talk to our friends whenever we want, without any ______ for the limitations that space and ______ used to set on us. This helps us to get ______. It doesn’t set us apart.

____, we will film. We will photograph. We will edit. We will ______, like, love and envy. Finally, in our own strange way, we will control our heavily doctored lives.

1.

A．distracted

B．surprised

C．frightened

D．punished

2.

A．lost

B．occupied

C．vacant

D．awkward

3.

A．commonly

B．constantly

C．usually

D．ordinarily

4.

A．get home

B．have dinner

C．wake up

D．go out

5.

A．reference

B．confidence

C．appearance

D．absence

6.

A．healthy

B．remaining

C．artificial

D．missing

7.

A．shift

B．Interest

C．challenge

D．consequence

8.

A．changeable

B．negative

C．consistent

D．inspiring

9.

A．rebuild

B．review

C．forget

D．forgive

10.

A．prevents

B．keeps

C．suggests

D．finds

11.

A．benefited

B．balanced

C．improved

D．suffered

12.

A．happiness

B．discipline

C．attention

D．freedom

13.

A．after

B．without

C．by

D．upon

14.

A．request

B．exchange

C．preparation

D．search

15.

A．have

B．know

C．buy

D．refuse

16.

A．consideration

B．anxiety

C．demand

D．eagerness

17.

A．time

B．chance

C．energy

D．effort

18.

A．stronger

B．smarter

C．greater

D．closer

19.

A．Therefore

B．However

C．Moreover

D．Meanwhile

20.

A．publish

B．share

C．ignore

D．delete

3 . Sorry seems to be the hardest word. So sang Elton John on one of his biggest 1970s hits——but not every public figure seems to find it so tough to let out that powerful five-letter word.

In recent months varieties of public figures, from politicians, to Hollywood actors and You Tube stars have all publicly expressed regrets.

But with floods of regrets on the airwaves, just how can we tell a forced apology from a heartfelt expression?

In its purest form, saying sorry should be an “act of regrets, a realization that something you have said or done has hurt someone and you want to repair it”, says psychologist Geraldine Joaquim.

Made early, a sincere apology can be hugely beneficial and can “relieve the tension and takes the wind out of an accusers sails”, she says.

A need to say sorry can arise in someone’s public life and equally at home with their family and friends but, whatever the environment, how well it is received depends on how personalized it feels.

From businesses, governments and organizations, a scripted response will fail to resonate (引起共鸣) as it will not convey empathy (同理心) and sympathy.

Whether online or in person, the timing and choice of language in an apology are decisive factors.

“It is important to show that you understand and sympathize,” says Martin Stone, of PR agency Tank, “It is vital that any business or individual making an apology understands the focus- is it sorry for the way it’s acted or is it sorry that the complainant feels the way they do?” Performed apologies always have a sense of being “acted out, and are often accompanied by too many theatrical gestures. If sincere, the person making the apology will be looking for listening clues to see if they are being understood, such as eye contact and facial expressions. They will provide “humbling (谦卑的) signals”, such as a lowered head, to indicate regrets.

It is also important to avoid irresponsible statements or promises that can’t be kept. “Don’t say that you’ll ensure that this will not happen again if you’re not confident it won’t. It could come back to bite you,” Stone explains.

Equally, the use of “but” can hugely change the tone of an apology.

As Stone points out. ‘I’m sorry but... It sounds like you are making excuses and aren’t actually taking any form of responsibility. It may be three letters but it can instantly make an apology seem hollow,”

Passage outline	Detailed information
Does sorry seem to be the most difficult word?	For some, it seems to be a     1     nut to crack while for others, it is just a piece of cake.
Is it a heartfelt apology?	• There being a storm of regrets on the airwaves, it is hard to make a     2     between a sincere apology or a forced one. • In its purest form, apology means offering regrets, which can be hugely beneficial if     3     early. • A scripted apology from business, governments and organizations doesn’t resonate, thus being     4     to convey empathy and sympathy. • Whatever the environment is, the     5     to which an apology is received depends on how personalized it feels.
How can we make a heartfelt apology?	•     6     you say sorry is one decisive factor. The earlier you say sorry, the sooner the complainant will feel it. • The choice of your     7     language is the other decisive factor. You’re not     8     out the apology. You should provide humbling signals to indicate regrets. • Be     9     for the statements or promises you make. Don’t say anything that can’t be kept. • Never find     10     for your wrong behaviors with “but”.