1 . Today's world is not an easy adjustment for young adults. Key skill set for success is persistence (毅力), a characteristic that researchers say is heavily influenced by fathers. Researchers from Brigham Young University discovered that fathers are in a unique position to help their adolescent children learn persistence.

BYU professors Laura Padilla-Walker and Randal Day arrived at these findings after following 325 American families over several years. And over time，the persistence gained through fathers led to higher achievement in school.

"There are relatively few studies that stress the unique role of fathers，"Padilla-Walker said. "This research also helps to prove that characteristics such as persistence-which can be taught-are key to a child's life success.”

Researchers determined that dads need to practice an "authoritative" parenting style. Authoritative parenting is not authoritarian:rigid，demanding or controlling. Rather，an authoritative parenting style includes some of the following characteristics:children feel warmth and love from their father；responsibility and the reasons behind rules are stressed children are given an appropriate level of autonomy(自主权).

In the study，about 52 percent of the dads exhibited above-average levels of authoritative parenting. A key finding is that over time，children raised by an authoritative father were significantly more likely to develop persistence，which leads to better outcomes in school.

This particular study examined 11 to 14-year-olds living in two-parent homes. Yet the researchers suggest that single parents still may play a role in teaching the benefits of persistence，which is an avenue of future research.

1. What is special about the BYU professors' study?

A．It centered on fathers' role in parenting.

B．It was based on a number of large families.

C．It analyzed different kinds of parenting styles.

D．It aimed to improve kids' achievement in school.

2. What would an authoritative father do when raising his children?

A．Ignore their demands.	B．Make decisions for them.
C．Control their behaviors.	D．Explain the rules to them.

3. Which group can be a focus of future studies according to the researchers?

A．Single parents.

B．Children aged from 11 to 14.

C．Authoritarian fathers.

D．Mothers in two-parent homes.

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

A．Three Characteristics of Authoritative Fathers.

B．Key Skills for Young Adults to Succeed in Future.

C．Children Tend to Learn Determination from Father.

D．Family Relationship Influences School Performance.

3 . The jobs of the future have not yet been invented.     1     By helping them develop classic skills that will serve them well no matter what the future holds.

1. Curiosity

Your children need to be deeply curious.     2     Ask kids, “What ingredients (配料) can we add to make these pancakes even better next time?” and then try them out. Did those ingredients make the pancakes better? What could we try next time?

2. Creativity

True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it.     3     There are a dozen different things you can do with them. Experimenting with materials to create something new can go a long way in helping them develop their creativity.

3. Interpersonal Skills

Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what’s going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions.     4     “Why do you think she’s crying?” “Can you tell how that man is feeling by looking at his face? If someone were to do that to you, how would you feel?”

4. Self-expression

    5     There are many ways to express thoughts and ideas — music, acting, drawing, building, photography. You may find that your child is attracted by one more than another.

A．Encourage kids to cook with you.

B．And we can’t forget science education.

C．We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways.

D．So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist?

E．Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill.

F．We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories.

G．Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill.

4 . Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the most popular of modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L’Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist’s showman qualities.

The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.

The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities   (无限). “From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras,” explains the Pompidou Centre.

The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作) with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg.

1. Which of the following best describe Dali according to Paragraph 1?

A．Optimistic.	B．Productive.
C．Generous.	D．Traditional.

2. What is Dali’s The Persistence of Memory considered to be?

A．One of his masterworks.	B．A successful screen adaptation.
C．An artistic creation for the stage.	D．One of the beat TV programmes.

3. How are the exhibits arranged at the World of Dali?

A．By popularity.	B．By importance.
C．By size and shape.	D．By time and subject.

4. What does the word “contributions” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Artworks.	B．Projects.
C．Donations.	D．Documents.

6 . We love letters. Just as John Donne, a poet, _________ it, “Letters, to me and my friends mean _________ greetings; they get souls together. Thanks to letters, friends who are _________ speak.” He wrote these words nearly 400 years ago. Today, in the age of instant text message, social media, and email, they _________ ring truer than ever, because writing or receiving a letter has become such a _________ event.

A UK-wide survey undertaken by Sunday Times suggests that one in four of us has not _________ a letter for at least 10 years. That’s ten years without the bitter-sweet _________ of pacing the floor waiting for the _________; ten years without recognizing the handwriting on the envelope and eagerly _________ the letter to read its content.

We ____________ not get them any more, but we still love handwritten letters. In the same survey, one third of ____________ people interviewed say that they ____________ the content of sentimental (充满情感的) letters. Shouldn’t we make ____________ to give our friends and families what they will treasure forever? Ann Bickley went online in 2013 and offered to handwrite a letter to anyone who ____________ her. Her website received 50,000 ____________ in its first three months. Five years later, she is still the main ____________ behind one-million-lovely-letter.com and has personally written 4,000 letters offering hope and ____________ to strangers.

The thought behind a letter ____________ as much as its contents. “I never tell anyone that ____________ is going to be OK,” Ann Bickley says, “I am letting someone know that there is someone in the world who ____________ them.”

Who wouldn’t love to receive a letter like that? Let’s get writing!

1.

A．made

B．put

C．helped

D．managed

2.

A．rather than

B．less than

C．more than

D．other than

3.

A．absent

B．active

C．amused

D．admirable

4.

A．also

B．yet

C．already

D．still

5.

A．popular

B．common

C．rare

D．simple

6.

A．received

B．sent

C．written

D．rejected

7.

A．success

B．pleasure

C．concern

D．calmness

8.

A．engineer

B．doctor

C．police

D．postman

9.

A．seizing

B．tearing

C．hiding

D．carrying

10.

A．can

B．must

C．may

D．shall

11.

A．American

B．Chinese

C．Australian

D．British

12.

A．forget

B．change

C．remember

D．notice

13.

A．money

B．room

C．history

D．time

14.

A．contacted

B．interviewed

C．consulted

D．admired

15.

A．guests

B．visitors

C．friends

D．partners

16.

A．force

B．strength

C．source

D．energy

17.

A．effort

B．comfort

C．surprise

D．experience

18.

A．educates

B．guides

C．matters

D．rewards

19.

A．nothing

B．anything

C．something

D．everything

20.

A．looks after

B．cares about

C．struggles for

D．agrees with

8 . “What’s the story of your piano?” a friend asked over dinner. My piano just _________ in the corner of my living room. “It has a story?” I doubted.

“All pianos have stories,” she replied. Suddenly my piano’s story came _________ out of me as if I’d always had this tale to tell.

I’ve loved _________ since childhood. I started with the recorder and moved on to the violin and guitar. Playing the piano had always been my _________ which my family couldn’t afford. I grew up in a poor immigrant family in Toronto. My father _________ tables in a restaurant and my mother worked in a laundry. Though our childhood was _________, my brothers and I were always fed with     _________. I can’t remember which birthday it was when my mother _________ some money to buy me a doll. By then I’d outgrown wanting dolls but she worked too hard to know that and I never told her. I _________ accepted it.

So it was finally with my ____________. It was in my last year of high school. I took piano lessons for about a year before university forced me to ____________. I had to make a decision: to pursue（追求） a more ____________ goal of medical school or my love for music. The realist in me ____________ and I had to give up piano lessons ____________ as with my doll it was too late to learn to play the way I wanted. I ____________ the piano around with me over the next decade until my son was born. He showed an early ____________ in music so I put him in piano lessons. I played that piano through my son although guitar ____________ became his choice.

I gradually realized that I’d let all my pleasures ____________ for my job. I figured I’d get back to playing the piano when I retire. Maybe it’s time to get that piano tuned again before it’s too late to     ____________. Maybe that’s something we should do right now.

Sometimes a ____________ question can open a path of thinking and discovery. So what’s the story of your piano?

1.

A．hides

B．sits

C．rises

D．appears

2.

A．flooding

B．jumping

C．spreading

D．breaking

3.

A．dolls

B．medicine

C．performances

D．music

4.

A．life

B．goal

C．dream

D．choice

5.

A．reserved

B．decorated

C．waited

D．made

6.

A．difficult

B．lonely

C．fantastic

D．happy

7.

A．food

B．love

C．confidence

D．hardship

8.

A．collected

B．changed

C．borrowed

D．spared

9.

A．gratefully

B．quietly

C．eagerly

D．actively

10.

A．decision

B．belief

C．piano

D．opinion

11.

A．consider

B．continue

C．refuse

D．stop

12.

A．perfect

B．practical

C．successful

D．necessary

13.

A．compromised

B．failed

C．agreed

D．won

14.

A．unless

B．till

C．because

D．before

15.

A．found

B．played

C．abandoned

D．moved

16.

A．desire

B．interest

C．ambition

D．plan

17.

A．eventually

B．gradually

C．unexpectedly

D．obviously

18.

A．fall away

B．light up

C．give out

D．show off

19.

A．experience

B．enjoy

C．learn

D．fix

20.

A．serious

B．doubtful

C．single

D．private

9 . I was in a big hurry today, I had to be somewhere before noon and the traffic was terrible. As I was making my way through the traffic, I saw an old man standing on one leg and trying to _______ to the passing cars, with the _______ that one of them would stop. No one stopped. He looked very sweaty and I felt so _______ that he had to stand like that in the terrible _______. I decided to help him. As soon as I _______ him, I put my hazard lights on and pulled over. He was _______ to see a woman, and hesitated to come into my car.

I called out to him, “Why don’t you get inside. It’s so hot for you.”

He _______ seemed a little shocked but he opened the door and got into the seat, I _______ the air conditioning for him and then we started our _______.

He kept thanking me and blessing me all the way. He was a ________ army officer and he said he had been ________ for over three hours.

I thanked him for his blessings and asked him where I should drop him off. He said, “I am sure you are a busy lady, ________ let me get down here. It will be ________ for me to get a taxi in this area.” I ________ him a taxi and he got down to bid me good bye, thanking me and blessing me again.

I then rushed on to where I had to be. As soon as I got in, I got a ________ from my husband saying his company had ________ a big contract. This was a very big ________ because my husband’s company was brand new. I was so happy. I ________ that I had done one small kind thing and ________ we had got so much.

I took my husband shopping that day to ________. My husband has asked me to buy something to someone to share some of our good luck.

1.

A．reply

B．point

C．gesture

D．come

2.

A．mistake

B．disappointment

C．anger

D．hope

3.

A．amusing

B．normal

C．sorry

D．embarrassing

4.

A．clothes

B．heat

C．coldness

D．smoke

5.

A．left

B．called

C．directed

D．approached

6.

A．surprised

B．proud

C．depressed

D．funny

7.

A．only

B．still

C．also

D．never

8.

A．bought

B．repaired

C．showed

D．adjusted

9.

A．interview

B．journey

C．lecture

D．work

10.

A．present

B．lazy

C．retired

D．future

11.

A．speaking

B．quarrelling

C．waiting

D．sitting

12.

A．so

B．but

C．if

D．because

13.

A．necessary

B．easy

C．unfair

D．silly

14.

A．refused

B．promised

C．drove

D．found

15.

A．notice

B．call

C．bless

D．invitation

16.

A．won

B．met

C．lost

D．prepared

17.

A．damage

B．error

C．achievement

D．discovery

18.

A．regretted

B．joked

C．complained

D．hoped

19.

A．in return

B．in total

C．on purpose

D．in short

20.

A．research

B．escape

C．save

D．celebrate