1 . From a very early age, some children exhibit better selfcontrol than others. Now, a new study that began with about 1,000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now. They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed. Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “Persistence in reaching goals.” The study led by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1,000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten, later on had the most health problems in their 30s,” Moffitt said, “and they had the worst financial situation. They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.” Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed, and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others, though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence. But good self-control can be set to run in families because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents. But the good news, Moffitt said, is that self-control can be taught by parents, and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.
1. Children with low self-control are more likely to ________．| A．become wealthy in later life |
| B．get good school performance |
| C．have better financial planning |
| D．adopt negative behaviors |
| A．Self-control cannot be taught in schools. |
| B．The study is restricted within few participants. |
| C．It’s never too late to deal with self-control problems. |
| D．Good parenting can improve self-control and life success. |
| A．Child’s Selfcontrol Predicts Future Health, success |
| B．Kids are Encouraged to Take Risks at an Early Age |
| C．Children’s Development Cannot be Changed by Teachers |
| D．How to Teach the Kids a Bit of Self-control in schools |
| A．the research has been carried out for five years |
| B．self-control in kids tends to determine their future |
| C．self-control was assessed by children’s intelligence |
| D．children’s self-control is almost the same at early age |
2 . Our local Community Youth Club is a very popular organization with young people in my town. I have been a member for four years now and I’ve taken part in a lot of interesting projects. These include fun activities such as holiday camps and discos. We have organized sports competitions and we even made a video.
But it isn’t all just enjoyment, we have also started doing social work to help people in our neighbourhood. We have organized activities for small children during the holidays. We have also formed a social support group to help young people stop smoking.
We are particularly proud of the most recent group we have created. It organizes regular visits to the local old people’s home. This idea came from a school visit to an old people’s home. My class spent an afternoon at a home and everyone found the visit very rewarding.
The old people at the home were very excited by our visit. They were very talkative and they told us their personal stories. During our visit, the home was filled with the sound of laughter. We sang songs and played games with the old people and had tea together. But we realized that life wasn’t always easy. Some of them were in poor health and were very unhappy. They couldn’t go outside and the visits by children brought some sunshine into their lives.
Many young people like me do not live with our grandparents and we have very little contact with elderly people. As a result, many young people don’t know what they are like and we have a lot of wrong ideas about them. We have little or no idea of the kind of lives they lead in their homes. After this visit, my friends and I decided we should do something to help improve the quality of their lives.
Since the creation of our visiting group, over twenty volunteers have joined us. Up to now, we have organized three group evenings and a concert.But it is the individual (单独的) visits which are the most important. Club members regularly visit old people and everyone finds the experience rich and rewarding.
1. As for Community Youth Club’s future, the author’s attitude to it is ________.| A．positive | B．negative |
| C．neutral | D．indifferent |
| A．works at an old people’s home |
| B．lives with her grandparents |
| C．lives in an old people’s home |
| D．regularly visits old people |
| A．only organizes fun activities for young people |
| B．has made a video about life in an old people’s home |
| C．has arranged a school visit to the local old people’s home |
| D．mainly does social work |
| A．are not interested in how old people live |
| B．do not want to get to know old people |
| C．have very little contact with old people |
| D．live with their grandparents |
3 . Every country has its heroes. The heroes are the people the nation and especially the young people admire. If you get a list of the heroes of a nation, it will tell you the potential of that nation.
If today in America, you ask the high school students to list their heroes, their choice would probably fall into three groups. The first group of heroes would be the rock stars—the people connected with rock music. There is no doubt that such people do have talent but one wonders if one should hold up rock stars as a model. The rock stars too often are involved with drugs and their personal life is not all that good. The rock stars are rich and wear the latest fashion styles. However, one should seek more in a hero than such things as money and good clothes.
A second type of hero for the American youth is the sports star. Again you have a person who has a great ability in one area—SPORTS. However, too often the personal life of the sports star is a bit of a mess. Too frequently drugs and drinking are a part of life of the sports star.
A third type of hero is the TV or movie star. This person may have lots of acting talent and is quite handsome. However, the personal life of too many actors is quite sad and they should not be held up as a model for young people.
Today, the rock star, the athlete and the actor all have become the models of the youth in America. Really, do you hear a young person say that his hero is a doctor, a teacher, or a scientist? These people are not rich and do not wear fashionable clothes. However, they are talented people who work hard to make the world a better place for everyone.
What is really sad is that the young try to imitate their heroes. They like to wear the same clothes and follow their styles. If the heroes of today for the American youngsters are limited only to rock stars, athletes and actors, the future does not look too bright.
1. Why rock stars shouldn’t be regarded as a model according to this passage?| A．They cannot compose very good music. |
| B．Most of them are not honest persons. |
| C．They care more about themselves than others. |
| D．Often they don’t live a healthy and respectable life. |
| A．They are not clever but are good-looking. |
| B．They are rich but are strict with themselves. |
| C．They are talented in some area but lead a disordered life. |
| D．They are perfect in every way. |
| A．a university professor | B．a popular singer |
| C．a football player | D．a film actress |
| A．who are rich, famous and wear the latest fashionable clothes |
| B．Who are talented and do things that are beneficial to society. |
| C．who plays an important role in a play |
| D．who have a great ability in sports. |
| A．He is understanding. | B．He is critical. |
| C．He is neutral (中立的). | D．He is uninterested. |
4 . Every culture has a recognized (公认的) point when a child becomes an adult, when rules must be followed and tests passed.
In China, although teenagers can get their ID cards at 16, many only see themselves as an adult when they are 18. In the US, where everyone drives, the main step to the freedom of adult life is learning to drive. At 16, American teens take their driving test. When they have their license (执照), they drive into the grown-up world.
“Nobody wants to ride the cheese bus to school,” said Eleanor Fulham. 17. “It’s like you’re not cool if you don’t have a car,” she said.
According to a recent research, 41% of 16 to 19 year-olds in the US own cars, up from 23% in 1985. Although, most of these cars are bought by parents, some teens get part-time jobs to help pay.
Not all families can afford cars for their children. In cities with undergrounds and limited (有限的) parking, some teenagers don’t want them. But in rich areas outside the city, if there are no undergrounds, and bicycles are more for fun than cars, it is strange for a teenager not to have a car.
But police say 16-year olds have almost three times more accidents than 18 and 19 year-olds. This has made many parents stop before letting their kids drive. They need to wait until they are more experienced.
Julie Susiana, of Virginia, decided that her son Chad, 15, will wait until he is 17 to apply for his learner’s permit (许可).
Chad said he has accepted his parents’ decision, although it has caused some laughing from his friends. “They say that I am unlucky,” he said. “But I’d rather be alive than driving, and I don’t really trust my friends on the road either.”
In China as more families get cars, more 18 year-olds learn to drive. Will this become a big step to becoming an adult?
1. Which may NOT be taken into consideration when deciding whether to buy a car?| A．How rich the family is. |
| B．Whether the kid is old enough. |
| C．What traffic condition there is around. |
| D．Whether it’s practically needed. |
| A．an American culture about teenagers’ driving |
| B．a change in the Chinese culture |
| C．a cultural difference between America and China |
| D．the relationship between driving and a person’s development |
| A．Cars Helping You to Grow Up |
| B．Driving into the Grownup World |
| C．Teenagers’ Driving in America |
| D．Recognized Point of Becoming an Adult |
| A．they want to show themselves off |
| B．they are not experienced drivers |
| C．older people always drive better |
| D．they never drive carefully on the road |
Computer Science Career Opportunities
Computer scientists and engineers continue to be in great demand. As businesses everywhere use increasingly sophisticated and complex computer technology in their daily operations, there is a greater need for the expertise of highly-skilled professionals. As a result, there are more jobs created in the U.S. than transferred offshore.
In fact, good jobs — offering a high salary, interesting work and benefits — are plentiful in the computer science field. However, to obtain one, you will need to complete a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in the subject area. Most colleges and universities offer degrees in computer science and computer engineering, and Cabrillo College courses transfer to the majority of them.
Once you have completed your degree in computer science, a typical career path is software development. The U.S. Department of Labor lists software developers among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. The most recent study predicts that software developer jobs will grow by 24.0% nationally in the ten-year period ending in 2026. By comparison, the average job growth rate for all occupations is 7.4% for the same period. In California, jobs for software developers, applications are expected to increase by 40.1%, between 2016 and 2026, far exceeding the average rate for all occupations of 10.7%.
Because of the high demand for job candidates with a computer science background, careers in computer science-related fields are well-remunerated. The average starting salary for a new computer science graduate is over $72,000 per year nationally, while the median salary for all software developers and programmers is over $103,000 annually. By comparison, the median salary for all occupations is $50,516 per year. Thus, as a computer science graduate, you can expect to make more than twice the salary of most occupations.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . What is the connection between violence and sports? Psychologists(心理学家) say that there are many reasons for violence at sports events. One is alcohol(酒精).
David Sampson, a sports sociologist, agrees. “These are often celebratory riots(暴乱)— a large number of very happy people mixed in with large amounts of alcohol. They don’t often seem dangerous in the beginning, but things get violent quickly. ”
Dave Zarifis, head of public safety at Northern Iowa University says, “Some people don’t even come to celebrate.
Social psychologist Dr Sharon Kennedy says that there are a few things officials can do to prevent violence.
| A．They just follow the crowd. |
| B．Many fans drink a lot at games. |
| C．They want to drink hard and make trouble. |
| D．Another reason for violence at sports events is the crowd itself. |
| E．Making sure that an area is not overcrowded is very important. |
| F．Be careful when you are at a stadium because there are cameras there. |
| G．Never follow blindly no matter how many people are doing the same thing. |
7 . Being stuck behind crowds of slow walkers when you’re in a hurry is one of the most annoying things. But now, Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, one of the UK’s largest shopping malls, has introduced its very own fast lane (通道) for shoppers in a hurry, aiming to help impatient shoppers avoid slow walkers and the anger that goes with them.
The Lakeside Shopping Center in Essex has introduced a 720foot “fast lane” reserved for fast walkers only, just in time for the Christmas rush. The center's management team said: “the lane will help the shoppers who know where they want to go quickly and don't want to get caught in behind unhurried shoppers at the busiest time of the year.”
The fast lane was introduced after a MasterCard survey found that 80 percent of consumers found slow walkers their biggest annoyance while shopping. The research also found that the average walking speed slowed down by 21 percent during the Christmas shopping period, as most shoppers spent more time window shopping during this period.
Gary Mortimer, an expert from the Queensland University of Technology, said he wasn’t surprised by the promotion about the launch of the fast lane, and thought the concept would appeal to shoppers all over the world. “Crowded parking lots and busy shopping centers tend to be two of the biggest complaints of shoppers over the festive season，” he said. “I think the fast lanes are a new approach. However, I suspect it will be a bit like fast lanes on the highway, so it might end up being more trouble than its worth.”
The MasterCard survey also identified the four most common types of shoppers. They include “Skaters” —the 31 percent of shoppers who try and make their way through crowds politely, “Dodgers”—the 51 percent of customers who move down the paths to avoid slow walkers, “Bulldozers” —the 11 percent who push their way through crowds, and “Tutters”—the 15 percent who express their frustrations to slow walkers.
1. The fast lane is intended for the shoppers who ________.| A．can't move quickly because of physical disabilities |
| B．buy things on their shopping lists quickly |
| C．take their time to do window shopping |
| D．want to leave the mall quickly |
| A．Supportive. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Critical. | D．Objective. |
| A．Skaters. | B．Dodgers. |
| C．Bulldozers. | D．Tutters. |
| A．Shopping can be annoying sometimes. |
| B．How to avoid “slow walkers” when shopping. |
| C．The problems that shopping centers face during busy holidays. |
| D．The shopping mall creates the fast lane to avoid “slow walkers”． |
8 . As globalization continues to make the world a smaller place, and goods become more accessible across borders, concerns about food safety in the AsiaPacific region have steadily risen over the years. An APEC forum is being held in Beijing, to find ways to better address the problem.
156 participants from 19 APEC economies and 4 nonAPEC members attended the APEC Food Safety Cooperation Forum, which has been actively looking for ways to strengthen food safety standard in the region, without affecting trade.
“As consumers are faced with more varieties of food, the potential food safety risk also becomes bigger.This forum has helped APEC economies to cooperate in supervision(监督), exchange information, and improve the overall food safety standard in the AsiaPacific region,” said director of China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision Wu Qinghai.
For the first time the forum has brought together highlevel regulators, academics, and industry stakeholders to talk about their respective roles in safety supervision.They say governments alone cannot shoulder this heavy duty.
In China, the continuous food safety problems have greatly hurt consumers’ confidence in domestic products; therefore more turned to imports. However, problems related to quality of those imported goods also began to show. In July this year, more than 400 batches (批) of food imported from 35 countries and regions were found substandard by the country’s top quality supervisor.
Governments and industries have been brought closer by this forum.As food moves more freely beyond borders, this forum is hoped to promote safety control cooperation, so APEC members can better benefit from the economic integration(经济一体化).
1. The last but one paragraph tells us that ________.| A．the Chinese customers are more satisfied with their food safety |
| B．food imported from other countries is indeed high in quality |
| C．many Chinese customers would rather buy some foreign food |
| D．there are only 35 countries and regions exporting food to China |
| A．send a letter about | B．deal with | C．deliver a speech on | D．call off |
| A．People can buy foreign food more easily than ever. |
| B．The more varieties of food, the bigger the potential food safety risk. |
| C．Food safety problems have appeared many times before this forum. |
| D．Governments have started their cooperation with academies and industries before this forum. |
| A．It has greatly influenced the economy in the area. |
| B．It has long been able to put every side’s efforts together. |
| C．It helps to bring government regulators and industries together. |
| D．It has found ways to deal with safety problems. |
9 . Although many online personality tests are fun, only a few will really give you insight into who you are and what you are supposed to be doing with your life.
At CareerPlanner.com we believe that each individual (个人)，regardless of (不管)race or religion, has a purpose in life, and until you discover what your purpose is, you will not find true happiness, nor true job satisfaction.
This doesn't mean you won't be successful.It just means you won't be happy until you are moving towards your true purpose.
Unfortunately, our school system does very little to help students discover their true career.This is where online personality tests and career tests can help.
Online personality tests and career tests can help you better understand what type of work you should be doing to achieve job satisfaction, happiness, and success.
Personality tests are most useful in giving you insight into “how” your personality compares to others and “how” you like to work.
In particular, if you frequently experience difficulty working with others, or getting their support and cooperation, a really good personality test would show you how to get along better.
While personality tests are very useful at showing you how you like to work and how you like your work environment, they are not really designed to show you “what” type of work is right for you.
That is where Career Interest Tests come in.Online Career Tests, such as the CareerPlanner.com offers will help you discover what your true interests are, and what type of work you will be passionate about.
But back to personality tests.The most wellestablished personality tests are the MyersBriggs Type Indicator R, and the Enneagram.
1. What will the writer most probably talk about next?| A．The differences between personality tests and career tests. |
| B．The similarities between personality tests and career tests. |
| C．The reasons why personality and career tests are popular. |
| D．The details of the two most wellestablished personality tests. |
| A．theory | B．demand |
| C．understanding | D．term |
| A．find your true purpose in life |
| B．choose the best work |
| C．get along well with others |
| D．adapt to the work environment |
| A．to present some popular online personality tests |
| B．to tell readers about online personality and career tests |
| C．to tell the differences between some popular online tests |
| D．to persuade people to take online personality or career tests |
1.居住环境的变化；
2.出行方式的变化；
3.对中国未来发展的期待。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
