1 . How to Make Friends at Community College
Making friends in community college is a bit trickier than in four-year schools in some cases. Students don’t typically dorm at community colleges, so there isn’t always a shared living environment.
Get hired on campus
While working part-time, most initial engagement involves assisting students with their needs. For example, if you work in the bookstore, the conversational icebreaker usually focuses on finding out what the other students need to find. Previously, you may have only had opportunities to socialize with other students in your classes.
Attend events
College work will occupy most of your day. Your health, for one, is something you may start to neglect as you throw yourself fully into college life. Needless to say, ignoring your health is absolutely unacceptable.
| A．Work out with a partner |
| B．Find a job in your gym |
| C．You may start to see some new faces at your job though. |
| D．However, that doesn’t mean opportunities aren’t available |
| E．Community colleges offer programs that are two years long |
| F．Community colleges do hold a variety of activities throughout the year |
| G．Finding yourself an exercise buddy will help encourage you to become more active |
2 . As countless unmade beds and unfinished homework assignments prove, kids need rules. Yet how parents make demands can powerfully influence a child’s social skills, psychologists at the University of Virginia recently found after the conclusion on a study investigating the transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Initially 184 13-year-olds filled out multiple surveys, including one to assess how often their parents employed psychologically controlling strategies, such as threatening to withdraw affection. The kids rated, for example how typical it would be for Dad to suggest that “if I really cared for him, I would not do things that caused him to worry” or for Mom to become “less friendly when I did not see things her way.”
The researchers followed up with the subjects at ages 18 and 21, asking the young adults to bring along a close friend. These pairs were asked to answer questions that were purposefully written to cause a difference of opinion. “We wanted to see whether they could handle a disagreement in a healthy way,” says study leader Barbara Oudekerk, now at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Statistics.
In the October issue of Child Development, Oudekerk and her colleagues report that the 13-year-olds who had highly controlling parents floundered in friendly disagreements at age 18. They had difficulty stating their opinions in a confident, reasoned manner in comparison to the kids without controlling parents. And when they did speak up, they often failed to express themselves in warm and productive ways.
The researchers suspect that controlling parents affect their child’s ability to learn how to argue his or her own viewpoint in other relationships. Although parents do need to set boundaries， dominating strategies imply that any disagreement will damage the bond itself. Separate findings suggest that parents who explain the reasons behind their rules and turn disagreements into conversations leave youngsters better prepared for future disagreements.
The consequences of tense or dominating relationships appear to worsen with time. This study also found that social difficulties at 18 predicted even poorer communication abilities at age 21. Psychologist Shmuel Shulman of Bar-llan University in Israel, who did not participate in the work, thinks these conclusions convincingly reveal how relationship patterns “carry forward” into new friendships.
1. What did the researchers from the University of Virginia do in their research?| A．They asked kids about how they got along with their parents. |
| B．They surveyed some parents about what rules kids needed. |
| C．They inquired into what the kids’ friends thought of them. |
| D．They traced their subjects for nearly eight years. |
| A．struggled with | B．dealt with | C．looked over | D．took over |
| A．Shmuel Shulman thinks more evidence is needed for the new research. |
| B．Controlling parents’ influence on their kids gets stronger as time goes by. |
| C．21-year-olds are more eager to be free of parents’ control than 18-year-olds. |
| D．Kids can handle disagreement better if their parents get along well with each other. |
| A．Pushy parents could harm their kids’ social skills. |
| B．Kids should learn what friendly disagreements are. |
| C．Parents; affection matters in terms of kids; personality. |
| D．Few parents explain the reasons why they set boundaries. |
3 . When I was a teenager growing up in Russia, I felt studying very boring. I wanted to leave school and have my own life. There were only two ways for me to do this-working in the toy factory in my town, or getting married. I chose the first one. I was nervous when I told my father that I wanted to leave school. I thought he would say, “No! You are going to college.” Instead, he took me by surprise when he said, “OK. We'll go to the toy factory.”
Two days later, he took me to the factory. I had a very romantic idea of working in a factory. I had imagined everyone to be friendly working together and having fun. I even imagined there would be music and singing. I guess I had watched too many movies as a teenager.
When we arrived at the factory gates, my father spoke to the guard and one minute later we went inside. My father said, “Take your time. Look around. ” I walked around the factory, looking at the buildings, the workers, and listening to the noise. It was terrible. I ran back to my father and said, “I want to go home. ”
He asked me, “What do you think of the factory?”
“It's terrible, ”I replied.
“And you have another choice, but I think getting married is even worse!” he said.
I went back to school the next day. From then on, I studied as hard as I could. Finally I got into a good college. I enjoyed studying English so I decided to major in languages at college. Thanks to my father and our trip to the factory, I now work at the United Nations and my father is very proud of me. I married a very good man and my life is much better than it would have been working in the factory!
1. The writer lived in __________ when she was a teenager.| A．Japan | B．Russia | C．China | D．England |
| A．more terrible | B．more colorful | C．busier | D．more boring |
| A．decided to work there | B．wanted to get married |
| C．changed her romantic idea | D．argued with her father |
| A．The writer studied languages after she went into the college. |
| B．The writer now works at the United Nations. |
| C．The writer's father used a special way to let his daughter go back to school. |
| D．The writer's father is proud because his daughter married a good man. |
4 . Conflict (冲突) between teenagers and parents happens for a lot of reasons. Sometimes conflict happens between teenagers and parents just because conflict happens between human beings anyway. Humans have different needs, different feelings, different opinions about what they want, and the relationship with people can be really difficult. However, teenagers can cause further conflict because of the hormonal (生理的) changes that are happening and the stage of life that they're in.
Teenagers and parents have different understanding about rules and at times they find it difficult to look into the future. So parents and teenagers will often experience conflict about many things, do chores, homework, whether teenagers speak respectfully or not and about what they're allowed to do.
Before we think about rule boundaries (界线) for teenagers, we need to make sure that we have a really good relationship base. There's no point saying “From now on, you have to listen to me”: if you don't have a positive relationship with your teenager. We need to go back and make sure there is some degree of shared respect, and some degree of positive communication and enjoyment being together. you do that first, it means that rule boundaries are a lot easier to set up.
Often we're dealing with conflict on the fly. This is not the right time to be dealing with it. We really want parents and teenagers to sit down and think about the kinds of things that may happen in the house before the problems come. The more detailed your rule boundaries are for teenagers, the more likely it is that they are going to follow them. So this means we don't have rule boundaries like “Have the bathroom cleaned”. It needs to be “The floors mopped, nothing on the countertop and the mirrors cleaned by ten o'clock every Saturday”: Rule boundaries need to be written down, and set out ahead of time so the teenager knows exactly what's expected.
1. What's important to set up a rule boundary easily for teenagers?| A．Being strict from the start. | B．Developing a good relationship with them first. |
| C．Saying"No" to their requirements. | D．Avoiding close talks with them. |
| A．Doing some housework. | B．Having a good reading habit. |
| C．Cleaning the bathroom. | D．Finishing your homework by five. |
| A．In a hurry. | B．On the plane. | C．By oneself. | D．Another day. |
| A．Growing Pains | B．Teenage Problems |
| C．Parent-Child Conflict and Solutions | D．Knowing the Conflict |
5 . When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was her. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, “This is Mrs. Tan”.
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he doesn’t send me check, already two weeks late.” And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there redfaced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1. From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was ________.| A．good at pretending |
| B．rude to the stockbroker |
| C．ready to help her mother |
| D．unwilling to phone for her mother |
| A．they forgave the stockbroker |
| B．they failed to get the check |
| C．they went to New York immediately |
| D．they spoke to their boss at once |
| A．It confuses her. |
| B．It embarrasses her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. |
| D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
6 . If you want to improve your relationship with Mom or Dad, try listening to them, just like you would listen to a friend.
Now, it may seem kind of strange to treat your parents as if they were normal people and all, but it’s worth trying. We’re always saying to our parents, “
They have pressures, too, you know? While you’re worrying about your friends and your upcoming history test, they’re worrying about their bosses and how they’re going to pay for your education. Like you, sometimes they get offended at work and go in the restroom to cry.
| A．You don’t understand me. |
| B．Hey, parents are people, too. |
| C．It’s important to get on well with your parents. |
| D．So how can you better understand your parents? |
| E．Jump into their shoes and think from their point of view. |
| F．They have days when they don’t know how they will pay the bills. |
| G．If you take time to listen to your parents, two wonderful things will happen. |
7 . The past two years, instead of my favourite maple-frosted donut (枫糖霜甜甜圈) cake, I had one birthday request from my family — hiking (远足) and a picnic together. Thankfully, it was my special day, so they only rolled their eyes and sighed once and then agreed to come along — exploring new places and discovering hidden waterfalls.
That was the past two years. That’s not today.
Today is my birthday, and I’m on the other side of the world. I wish that I could hang out with my family and friends in the US. Just for today — on my birthday.
We are “lonely internationals.” It’s hard. I won’t pretend (假装) it’s not.
My mother, “Nana” to my four boys, tells me regularly how she has missed almost all of her grandsons’ birthday celebrations. She intentionally (有意地) connects with them through texts and FaceTime on their birthdays so that she can join us for the time of singing “Happy Birthday” and SEE the kids blow out their candles.
However, that is not the same as “being there” physically — together. She feels like she misses our major life milestones called “birthdays.”
Today, I’m okay. My mother had made an e-card for me, sent to my email box early this morning. She never forgets. My in-laws, my sister and her family, my sweet friend in France, and my dear friends here in Spain and over there in the US have already wished me “Happy Birthday” online. Some even mailed me cards and gifts across the sea.
The only “gifts” I’m missing are maple-frosted donuts for a birthday cake. My mother tried to bring them to me in Europe when she travelled to visit me. However, after a 20-hour trip across the sea, they weren’t so fresh anymore.
Tonight, we will have a special dinner outside on our back porch in the cool, evening air. I will blow out A LOT of candles on my birthday cake.
I am happy. I have breath, life, a heartbeat, and deep inner joy from the love of my family and friends around the world.
1. How has the author celebrated her birthday for the past two years?| A．By hanging out with her friends. |
| B．By eating her favourite birthday cake. |
| C．By travelling to new places on her own. |
| D．By hiking and picnicking with her family. |
| A．Singing “Happy Birthday”. |
| B．Feeling far away on one’s birthdays. |
| C．Celebrating others’ birthdays online. |
| D．Connecting with people through texts. |
| A．She sent her an e-card. |
| B．She made her a hand-written card. |
| C．She travelled long hours to visit her. |
| D．She sent her some maple-frosted donuts. |
| A．It was full of surprises. |
| B．It brought more sadness than happiness. |
| C．It made her feel loved and remembered. |
| D．It was a sign of being far away from those she loves. |
8 . We have met, but just not in person. I work in the bank and I usually do my work over the phone and computer. This lady is a borrower of my bank, one of the people I serve. We have had several conversations about her borrowings. She is neither a woman that is of my mother’s age, nor a grandmotherly type of client, because men or women of that age are always very loving and they remind me what I should do. This woman is of my age.
We have never met in person. She lives in New Jersey and I live in California. Her borrowings turned out great, and I didn’t worry even a little bit. To be honest, I think I just worked normally to finish my service. But every couple of months, she would email me a little note, telling me how I made a difference to her life, and how thankful she was for what I had done. I never expected that.
I have a busy and stressful job. Every day, I meet many people and I offer the same service to them. I also keep a working relationship, with many. No one has done that for me. I don’t think I have done something different or helped her much. She just used her time and the most shining part in her heart to send me emails. I saw the beauty inside her.
Everyone can be tired and lonely right now. The same is true of the woman. Take a moment in your day to do one little nice thing for somebody, even if it’s for someone you do not know. You can make a little difference to their life and also to yours. It feds good to say I feel a little love today and that I find myself showing it to somebody else.
1. What can we know about the author and the woman?| A．The woman was bad at managing her money. |
| B．They usually discussed their work face to face. |
| C．The author got some useful advice from the woman. |
| D．They knew each other through the banking business. |
| A．Funny. | B．Unnecessary. |
| C．Surprising. | D．Embarrassing. |
| A．He did something special for the woman’s borrowings. |
| B．The woman was a sincere and thoughtful stranger. |
| C．He was able and responsible in his work. |
| D．The woman felt tired and lonely in life. |
| A．Be friendly to our workmates. |
| B．Create a plan to be a better self. |
| C．Take some time to think about life. |
| D．Pass on kindness to those around us. |
9 . When parents discover their children have lied to them for the first time, it can often come as a shock to find their children are capable of such a trick. But new research has suggested many parents may not even notice many of the lies their children tell them.
Psychologists have discovered that most parents are overconfident about their children’s honesty and this may impair their ability to discover a lie. The findings may help to explain why some parents seem to be willing to let their children get away with almost anything even in the face of evidence. They say parents suffer from a “truth bias (偏见)” with their own youngsters, but when faced with lies from other people’s children, they have less difficulty telling whether a statement is true or not.
Dr Angela Evans, a psychologist at Brock University in Canada, said, “The close relationship that parents share with their own children may lead to parents’ failing to detect their children’s lies. Parents’ truth bias may result in parents’ being less doubtful about their children, allowing the children to successfully cheat them.” Most children are thought to start lying as early as two years old but start telling more believable lies at around the age of four years old. Learning how to lie is considered as a key part of cognitive (认知的) and social development in children. But many parents are shocked when their children start lying to them. In their study, Dr Evans and her colleagues filmed 108 children aged between 8 and 16 as they performed a test after being asked not to look at the answers. They were asked afterwards if they had looked, with 50 truthfully denying looking, 49 lying about looking and 9 admitting to looking.
Videos of those denying looking were then shown to 152 parents of children aged 8 to 16, 80 of whom had children who had taken part in the test. The researchers found that the parents were less able to spot lies told by their own children than by other people’s children.
1. What does the underlined word “impair” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Show. | B．Develop. | C．Damage. | D．Recognize. |
| A．They aren’t prepared for the lies. |
| B．They pretend not to discover the lies. |
| C．Their children know how to lie to them. |
| D．Their children are very good at hiding their lies. |
| A．What makes parents lose trust in their children. |
| B．What causes children to tell lies to their parents. |
| C．What affects children’s relations with their parents. |
| D．What makes parents fail to detect their children’s lies. |
| A．Parents tend to protect their own children. |
| B．Lying is a part of children’s development. |
| C．Children aged 8 to 16 are likely to tell lies. |
| D．Parents can judge lies told by children of others more easily. |
10 . He was already asleep. His bag stood ready by the backdoor. His pencil box was filled with freshly sharpened (削尖的) pencils. A big day lay ahead. My eyes filled with tears (泪水) as I thought about his new journey in the morning. My baby was off to high school.
I thought back to his first day of kindergarten (幼儿园). How he ran in excitement to the bus as my heart broke, how his smiling face in the window caused my tears to flow. I thought about how hard it was to let go of his hand and let him fly on his own for the first time. But this time, I found it was even harder.
Kindergarten is paper and glue sticks. High school is computer projects and technology you don't understand. Kindergarten is Mother's Day gifts made with handprints.High school is a funny card and a “Love you, Ma.” Kindergarten is emails to the teacher about his difficulty with math. High school is depending on him to ask for help in class. Kindergarten is afternoons at the park. High school is keys to the car.Kindergarten is exciting talk about his day. High school is just “My day was fine, Ma.”
Kindergarten is the beginning.High school is the beginning of the end. You know that your time with him at home will become less and less. The moments where your family will always feel complete at the end of the day are coming to an end. I've raised him to leave us. I've raised him to be independent (独立的), and I'm watching him pull away, one day at a time.
As I watched him board the bus to high school, my eyes filled with tears again and my heart ached more deeply than it did on his first day of kindergarten. The bus pulled away, and my eyes met his. He gave a quick wave (挥手) and mouthed, “Love you.” And then he made a silly face, and he wanted his mom to go back into the house now and set her mind at rest. I waved back and laughed. High school, here we come.
1. How did the author find sending her son to high school?| A．It was more difficult than sending him to kindergarten. |
| B．It would allow her more free time to enjoy life. |
| C．It was much easier than she had expected. |
| D．It would steal his love for her. |
| A．To tell interesting stories of her son. |
| B．To describe her feelings about her son. |
| C．To compare kindergarten and high school. |
| D．To show it's important for kids to be independent. |
| A．Her son is going to college. |
| B．Her son will leave her someday. |
| C．Her son has completed middle school. |
| D．Her son must spend more time at school. |
| A．To stop the author from worrying about him. |
| B．To make himself less nervous about high school. |
| C．To keep the tears in his eyes secret from the author. |
| D．To show his excitement about going to high school. |
