1 . Most of us travel with our parents as children and teenagers. For some of us, during the travel, our parents are our inspiration. These trips are normally full of rental cars, beaches, and hamburgers. My family would go to Galiano island every summer, and we did a week in Mexico in 1995, and then we did two different trips to Anaheim to experience the magic of Disney, Universal, and Knott’s Berry Farm.
But all of these are childhood experiences and memories. I didn’t really truly travel with my parents until I was an adult when I got the chance to travel with mom and dad.
I was in New Zealand for a study abroad, and invited my parents to come down for a 2-week road trip around the North Island and then 10 days in Fiji. Why not? They said, as if this was something they were invited to do every day. I didn’t really plan anything, but my mom had done some reading and I knew some highlights after living in New Zealand for 5 months.
I had booked a hotel for their first night in Auckland. The only other preparation I had done was to book a rental car. My parents immediately reached an agreement that I should be the driver, for the whole two weeks. The main reason for this, understandably, was that neither of them had ever been in a country where you drive on the left hand side of the road and on the right hand side of the car. This led to me driving my parents around the entire North Island of New Zealand for 2 weeks! But still, everybody had jobs. Dad had the maps, and mom had the guidebook, and I just took them where they told me to go.
Sometimes, I was asked who I was traveling with. When I said “my parents”, the response was, “Ohhh, older people.” Actually, I have some tips on travelling with parents happily.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “inspiration” in Para. 1?| A．Cooks. | B．Guides. | C．Drivers. | D．Translators. |
| A．They were not used to the driving rules. |
| B．They were afraid of the mountain roads. |
| C．They were too old to drive for a long time. |
| D．They were not familiar with the brand of the car. |
| A．Drive on the Way. | B．Travel with Parents. |
| C．Enjoy New Zealand. | D．Recall the Childhood. |
| A．The argument with parents. | B．The memory in Fiji as a child. |
| C．The scenery during the road trip. | D．The advice on outing with parents. |
2 . Parents do not owe (欠) their children a college education, if they can afford it, they can certainly send them to a good university. But they needn’t feel guilty if they can’t. When children grow up and want to get married, their parents do not owe them an apartment. They do not have the duty to look after their grandchildren, either. If they want to do it, it must be considered a favor, not an obligation.
Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.
One of their obligations is to give their children a sense of personal worth. Children who are always made to feel stupid and unworthy, constantly compared with brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins will become so unsure, so afraid of failing that they won’t try at all. Of course, they should be properly corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn from their mistakes by themselves in time. All their parents should do is to trust them, respect them, understand them and give them chances to try and fail. They must learn to stand failure. When criticisms (批评) are really needed, they should be balanced with a smile and a kiss. That is the way children learn.
Parents owe their children a set of solid values around which to build their lives. This means teaching them to respect the rights and opinions of others. Also, it means being respectful to elders, to teachers, and to the law. The best way to teach such values is by deed. A child who is lied to will lie. A child who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have difficulty laughing and loving.
No child asks to be born. If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child something.
1. What does the underlined word “obligation” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Duty | B．Burden | C．Excuse | D．Debt |
| A．Offer help but needn’t feel guilty if they can’t. | B．Look after their grandchildren for their kids. |
| C．Buy their kids a house. | D．Send their children to the university. |
| A．Blame them and tell them not to do that again. |
| B．Give them chances to learn from their mistakes. |
| C．Compare them with brighter brothers or sisters. |
| D．Correct their mistakes directly. |
| A．The reason why children feel stupid and unworthy. |
| B．How to teach children correctly. |
| C．The real duties that parents have to their kids. |
| D．The reason why parents owe their children something. |
3 . The mental health of children is connected to their parents’ mental health. A recent study asked parents to report on their children’s mental and physical (身体的) health as well as their own mental health. One in 14 children aged 0~17 years had a parent who reported poor mental health, and those children were more likely to have poor general health and a mental or developmental disability.
Being mentally healthy during childhood includes reaching developmental milestones, learning healthy social skills and how to solve problems. Mentally healthy children are more likely to have a happy life and are more likely to work well at home, in school, and in their communities.
A child’s healthy development depends on their parents who serve as their first sources(来源) of support in becoming independent and leading healthy and successful lives.
The mental health of parents and children is connected in many ways. Parents who have their own mental health challenges, such as dealing with anxiety (fear or worry), may have more difficulty providing care for their children compared to parents who describe their mental health as good. Caring for children can create challenges for parents, particularly if they lack (缺乏) support, which can have a negative effect on a parent’s mental health. Parents and children may also experience shared risks, such as living in unsafe environments, and the like.
Fathers are important for improving children’s mental health, although they are not as often included in research studies as mothers. The recent study looked at fathers and found similar connections between their mental health and their children’s general and mental health as for mothers. Fathers and mothers need support, which, in turn, can help them support their children’s mental health.
1. What does the study mainly focus on?| A．Some useful social skills. | B．Children’s future life. |
| C．Parent-child mental health. | D．Community’s influence. |
| A．Raising kids without support. | B．Living in a strange place. |
| C．Sharing a common interest. | D．Communicating with each other. |
| A．They are often included in studies. | B．They play a more important part. |
| C．They seldom bear the responsibility. | D．They can influence children’s health. |
| A．In a diary. | B．In a book review. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a children’s story. |
4 . My father was attached to gardening by birth. One of my earliest memories is following Dad barefoot around in the garden with both hands blackened from digging (挖) in the soil. The garden is a wonderland full of possibilities.
As Dad grew older, he still loved gardening. Even when he was diagnosed with cancer, he still planted all sorts of plants. Sometimes, I would come over to visit. and we would walk together in the garden. But then something changed. Like the weeds that took over his garden, the cancer grew rapidly in Dad. I stayed with Dad twenty-four hours a day and I found myself in all kinds of uncomfortable situations with Dad until I promised to look after the garden.
Though I had heard the words of the doctor, what really made me believe that Dad was dying was the state of his garden. That year, he only planted tomatoes. Too tired to weed them, he just tied them with strong strings (绳子) to the fence and let them be. It made me sad to see them ignored, so I would come over and water them once in a while, and remove the weeds. I still remember the day I picked the last tomato from the vine (藤). That day was one of the saddest I had ever experienced in my life.
Three years ago, I decided to plant my own garden. I decided I would start out with a few tomatoes. That morning when I moved to the garden, something caught the corner of my eyes and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, standing barefoot in the soil, happily playing in the soil.
1. Why did the author like his father’s garden when he was a child?| A．It was a field that produced much food. |
| B．It was a wonderful place with unexpected surprise. |
| C．It was a place where he got educated. |
| D．It was a piece of land covered with black soil. |
| A．His son. | B．His illness. | C．His garden. | D．His grandson. |
| A．That the garden wasn’t taken good care of by his father. |
| B．His communication with his father. |
| C．The condition of his father. |
| D．The words of the doctor. |
| A．He remembered his father. | B．He thought of the food he would get. |
| C．His son showed interest in the garden. | D．He could look after his own garden. |
5 . I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My grandfather was the one who taught me and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My grandfather told me to just put my feet on the pedals (脚蹬子) and start cycling. He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn’t.
As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let the bike go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from cycling, and I just wanted to get off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My grandfather kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, I finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.
As soon as I started riding again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. My grandfather decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up brightly and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn’t that afraid of falling anymore.
Although I knew there were a range of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my grandfather’s help. After all, riding a bike was indeed what I wanted to do eagerly.
1. How was the author when he was on the bike first?| A．He thought balancing himself was easy. |
| B．He didn’t know where he would be going. |
| C．He put his feet on the pedals and started cycling. |
| D．He was nervous and didn’t know what to do next. |
| A．Go on to ride a bike. |
| B．Stop practicing bicycling. |
| C．Make the author feel happy. |
| D．Remember what happened this day. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Supportive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Negative. |
| A．The First Time I Got My Own Bike |
| B．The Difficulty I Met with My Grandfather |
| C．The Experience of My First Riding a Bike |
| D．The Happy Moment when I Stayed with My Grandfather |
6 . It was another day of class. As the students practiced parkour (跑酷), a mother and her child walked past. “What are they doing, mum?” the child asked. “They are putting themselves in danger and it is something I will never want you to do,” the mother replied.
I drew back with worry and painful acceptance. What has happened to the natural love of movement in humans, and what will happen to the future generations when technology and convenience are controlling our daily lives?
We recently had a Parkour for Everyone workshop at Bishan. I remember very clearly when Fagan was giving instructions to a group, a young child ran up to a tall pillar (柱子) and started to climb it till a high height with a 2-metre drop. Of course, Fagan called him back due to safety concerns. But deep down, I knew a lot of us were smiling within. Such natural bravery is admired and in my opinion, is a must for achieving success in life.
Parkour is starting to get popular, but many parents do not understand it. Even I hesitate when I tell them I am a parkour coach. I can see their wonder, fear, or dislike. I get tired of explaining its life-changing benefits. Actually, there is a deeper meaning behind why parkour is practised. There is a huge surge of physical and emotional freedom that comes along with its practice.
Fortunately, times are changing. If the parents who do not like this art are positively changed by it, there will be no more doubt in the power that parkour can bring to man. My hope is that the day will come when it is common for parents to put aside electronic products and spend time moving and playing with their children in the open field. Children will grow in imagination and confidence, learning more about the spirit of play.
1. What does the author worry about?| A．Mothers’ pain. | B．Outdoor dangers. |
| C．Children’s growth. | D．Technology development. |
| A．Fangan’s responsibility. | B．The show of expected courage. |
| C．The child’s funny performance. | D．The big success of the workshop. |
| A．Increase. | B．Exchange. | C．Loss. | D．Demand. |
| A．To inspire students. | B．To describe parkour. |
| C．To express the concern. | D．To help parents change. |
7 . As I went down the wooden snowy steps, I held the rough fence with one hand, held my crying daughter Kelly with the other and made my way into the yard. I knew everything would be okay if I located my mother.
Instead of a smile, she greeted me with concern. I knew she had read my face as I’d approached. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
I held the baby out. “I can’t take care of this baby,” I said simply. My mother didn’t take her from my arms as I expected. She smiled slightly, and then replied firmly, “You have to take care of that baby.” This was not the reply I wanted. Couldn’t she hear the baby crying? I wanted her to fix this problem. Instead, she took off her gloves and asked me in for some coffee.
Mom held Kelly while I held the coffee cup. At that moment the baby finally stopped crying. I glanced over at Kelly, content in my mother’s arms. Her tiny blue eyes were fixed on me, as if to ask, “What’s the problem here, Mama?” Her sweet, familiar breath eased the stress in the air. I looked at my mother, feeling foolish but relieved. She stood and placed an arm around my shoulders. “By the time you came along, things were quite the opposite for me. But with your elder brother, you can bet that I often felt helpless.”
The baby showed no signs of our afternoon struggle, while my own hair remained damp and messy from sweat and worry. “Crying is the only way babies have to communicate. Try to listen to her cries and hear them as language. She’s not crying to annoy you; she’s trying to send a message with the only voice she has.”
Once again, her gentle guidance had supported me through a storm and back into clear skies.
1. Why did the author visit her mother in the rough weather?| A．She was concerned about her mother’s safety. |
| B．She was helpless and needed her mother’s help. |
| C．She wanted to learn to care for babies from her mother. |
| D．She intended to borrow some money from her mother. |
| A．Inexperienced but patient. | B．Considerate but impatient. |
| C．Experienced and confident. | D．Thoughtless and unconcerned. |
| A．Taking care of babies was difficult. |
| B．Babies enjoyed annoying their parents. |
| C．The author should let her baby cry more. |
| D．Parents should understand and accept babies’ crying. |
| A．She usually goes shopping with the author. |
| B．She lives a lonely life without her children. |
| C．She often gives advice to the author in trouble. |
| D．She likes to raise small children for young mothers. |
8 . We all know friendship is a good thing. But do you know that friends have a huge influence on your happiness and quality of life? Good friends add special meaning to life. They help you share the good times and get over the difficult ones. Among other things, good friends can:
Improve your mood. Happiness can be infectious(传染的). Spending time with happy and positive friends can raise your emotion as well as your attitude toward life.
Help you reach your goals. Whether you are trying to get fit, give up smoking, or otherwise improve your life, encouragement from a friend can really increase your chances of success.
Reduce your stress and depression. Having an active social life can improve your immune system(免疫系统) and help reduce loneliness.
Support you through hard times. Even if it’s just having someone to share your problems with, friends can help you deal with serious illness, the loss of a job or loved one, the breakup of a relationship, or any other challenges in life.
1. According to the text, good friends can help you ________.| A．keep young | B．contribute more to society |
| C．realize your goals | D．win a fight against another classmates |
| A．Friendship makes people work longer. |
| B．If you want to succeed, you should make more friends. |
| C．With friendship people will be no sadness. |
| D．With friendship people can deal with challenges better. |
| A．Challenges in our life | B．The best way to make friends |
| C．The advantages of friendship | D．The meaning of life |
9 . Both of my parents worked fulltime when I was a little girl，so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price Is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants.
When I got older and started going to school，we couldn’t watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me，though，because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake cakes. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing：she never seemed to need the recipes（食谱）but everything she made tasted delicious.
At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch，even though I didn’t understand what she was doing. As I got older，she let me help with the easy parts，such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs，I felt like I had found complete pleasure.
At last，my parents decided that I could take care of myself，and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking，however，stayed with me. I started baking by myself，and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes，more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes，and whenever I got to a thorny part，I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.
My grandmother passed away ten years ago，but I still think of her every day. Last week，I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies，cookies，and my favorite，lemon pie. As I looked through the pages，I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking，but about life.
1. The passage is mainly developed by .| A．analyzing causes | B．making comparisons |
| C．following the time order | D．examining differences |
| A．found it interesting | B．turned out to be a troublemaker |
| C．hoped to make a living by baking | D．regretted missing the game shows |
| A．Basic. | B．Common. |
| C．Special. | D．Difficult. |
| A．To describe her childhood memories. | B．To show her good baking skills. |
| C．To remember her grandmother. | D．To talk about her happy family life. |
10 . How to Recognize a True Friend
Sometimes it can be hard to recognize a true friend. Hopefully this article will help you recognize which friends are the keepers.
Be able to trust your friends. You should be able to trust true friends and they should return this trust. Do your friends tell you secrets that no one else knows? Ask you for advice?
Think about loyalty(忠诚).
Think about nicknames. A lot of true friends love to give each other nicknames！ If your friend is giving you nicknames, then this is a great sign. Think of the nickname your friend has given you, does it suit you well?
Look at how you fight. Nearly all best friends fight.
| A．Consider comfort. |
| B．Choose your friends carefully. |
| C．True friends are always there for one another. |
| D．Both are sure signs that your friend trusts you. |
| E．If so, this shows your friend must know you quite well. |
| F．So if you and your friend have a little argument, don’t worry! |
| G．An inside joke shows that you share a special connection with your friend. |
