1 . Family is the most important thing in the world. Sometimes it can be hard to get along with family members but you love them. How can you have a better relationship with your family members?
●Spend more time together.
Think about how much time you spend with your family already. Is it enough?
●Improve yourself.
Perhaps they complain about your grades, your attitude or your lack of goals; don’t assume it’s all nagging. Some of what they are saying is most likely for your own good, and they’re trying to protect you from life’s hardships and encourage you to be the best you can be.
●Be as independent as you can.
For example, don’t ask your father to wake you up in the morning.
If your parents come home late at night after work, try to make a simple dinner for them, instead of making your mother cook for you again. If your brother or sister is not doing well at school, show him or her how to succeed with the subjects.
| A．Be helpful. |
| B．Make dinners yourself. |
| C．Here are a few tips you can follow. |
| D．Instead, set an alarm clock beside your table. |
| E．You should understand why they complain about your performance. |
| F．Improve your attitude and work on the things that family members comment on. |
| G．If not, what can you do to improve things and find more time to spend together? |
2 . The black cloud rising every day at sunset in the Chihuahuan Desert went largely ignored for thousands of years. Native Americans noticed it, but did not track its source. Cowboys thought the cloud was smoke pouring from the earth, and avoided it.
In June of 1901, however, a teenage cowboy named Jim White happened to see the large, black cloud. He was curious and went to investigate. Instead of finding a volcano, as he had imagined, he discovered something equally amazing. It was a big mass of bats. Two days later, he returned with a lantern to explore further. It took him so long that his lantern went out. He managed to refill it with just enough oil to find his way back to the entrance.
The next time Jim White went to the cave, he brought a friend and supplies. They explored for three days and returned with descriptions that were so fantastic that few people believed them. The cowboys on nearby farms and the people in the tiny town of Carlsbad treated Jim’s stories as tall tales and nothing more.
After years of exploring the caves and finding no one to believe his stories, Jim White decided to create his own tourist attraction. He established trails (路线) along the paths he had found. One day in 1915, two men asked Jim for a tour. After seeing the caves, the men returned with a professional photographer named Ray V. Davis. Local doubts were finally put to rest by the photographs of the hidden beauty that Jim had discovered. All 13 locals of Carlsbad finally took a tour of the caves, which came to be known as Carlsbad Caverns.
In 1923, the government sent an official named Robert Holly to tour the caves. Later that year, the caves were stated a national monument (古迹), and in 1930 they became a national park. Jim White lived to see the Carlsbad Caverns become world-famous. Today, tourists can hike to and tour some of the 100 known caves in this huge natural wonder, thanks to the cowboy from New Mexico.
1. What do we know about the black cloud?| A．It was discovered in 1901. | B．It was noticed by accident. |
| C．It was actually a mass of bats. | D．It was smoke from the earth. |
| A．Jim’s friend. | B．A photographer. |
| C．Robert Holly. | D．13 locals of Carlsbad. |
| A．It made Jim White rich. | B．It was an easy process. |
| C．It happened before 1915. | D．It came true thanks to the photos. |
| A．A Brave Cowboy | B．A Hidden Wonder |
| C．A Worthwhile Invention | D．A Nationwide Contribution |
3 . What to Expect from Your Fresh Year of High School
Welcome to your fresh year of high school! Junior high is now behind you, and now you enter a whole new world. Then what should you expect from your fresh year of high school? Knowing this can help you reduce the stress and anxiety.
Be confident about yourself.
Seniors seem really big. The seniors will walk in with a swagger (趾高气扬). They have an understanding of the school that you don’t, and you can see it in their confidence and excitement about being at the top of the high school ladder. However, there are two things to remember. They were once where you were and one day you will be one of those seniors.
Learn to learn.
Your coursework will increase significantly, and expectations from your teachers will be much greater. You’ll have more homework, more papers, and harder exams. Learning how to study well is very important in high school.
Catch as many opportunities as possible.
One of the great things about high school is that there are so many opportunities to get involved in activities that interest you. Getting involved in after-school activities allows you to meet new people, find out what you’re interested in, and explore more of who you are.
Be more organized.
With all the new opportunities, you will need to be more organized during your fresh year. It’s not always easy to balance homework, tests, papers, after-school activities, chores, and more. If you start learning how to balance it all now, you’ll be in a better position when you get to college and adulthood.
1. What can we know about the seniors in high school?| A．They are much stronger than the freshmen. |
| B．They have known the best about the high school. |
| C．They seem very excited about coming graduation. |
| D．They are confident about where they are at school. |
| A．Increased coursework. | B．Interesting opportunities. |
| C．Well-organized activities. | D．Greater expectations from the teachers. |
| A．Taking a balance can help you be way ahead of others. |
| B．Seniors can help you with your confidence in your fresh year. |
| C．Interesting after-school activities can help you explore yourself. |
| D．Learning to learn well can hardly be achieved after high school. |
