1 . Rich and Famous

Twenty years ago the most common ambition of American children was to be a teacher, followed by working in banking and finance, and then medicine. But today’s situation is quite different.     1     Instead they most commonly say they want to be a sports star, a pop star, or an actor-in other words, they hope to become a celebrity .

According to experts, young people desire these jobs largely because of the wealth and the fame.     2     Let’s take athletes and singers as an example. Their careers are short-lived. Many athletes’ best time only lasts a few years and singers can have a very limited career. The field that was once the focus of their lives becomes something they have little or no involvement in. As a result, they’ll have a feeling of worthlessness and a lack of control.     3     The truth is quite simple: they have been so far removed from it for so long.

In spite of these disadvantages, there is greater ambition than ever among young people to achieve that status. They are not satisfied just making a living-they want to be rich and famous. Globally, more and more TV shows provide talent competitions where winners can achieve their goals in just a few weeks or months.     4     They unrealistically believe that this lifestyle is easily obtained and leads to great satisfaction.

While many people argue that there is nothing wrong with having such ambitions, others feel that this trend will finally lead to dissatisfaction as more and more people are unable to reach their goals.     5     That means they ignore the simple fact that great effort is needed before success. As a result, many people won’t realize their childhood dreams, which could have a negative effect on their happiness.

A．The younger generation don’t favor these professions any more.

B．In many ways this has been brought about by the celebrity culture.

C．Unfortunately, they do not always have a positive effect on people’s life.

D．Besides, it can be difficult for them to adapt back to a normal everyday life.

E．People no longer have a sense of satisfaction once their goals have been achieved.

F．This quick way of gaining wealth and fame creates a celebrity culture among people.

G．The reason is that they don’t realize it takes talent and hard work to be rich and famous.

3 . Twenty-five years ago, most young Britons wanted a career in law, to be a doctor, or, if they were creative enough, to take up singing. But today, things stand differently.

According to a survey by Tesco Mobile, a UK company, the “dream job” of young people aged between 16 and 25 in the UK is a video blogger (写博客的人), or “vlogger (视频博主)”．The survey, carried out among 1,002 people, found that as many as 40 percent of them put vloggers as their number one choice on a list of ideal careers.

This change is undoubtedly as a result of the Internet and social media.They have made it so much easier to reach the audience of the world, without having to enter a career in show business in the traditional way.

In the past, the biggest stars were trained by the Hollywood studios; now, anyone with a computer camera can become a star. Vloggers are the big stars of today because they are normal people interacting (交流) with their fans about everyday life.

However, what people see is only the bright side of being a vlogger and they fail to notice the fact that only those who are successful earn fame (名声) and fortune. For every success there are hundreds of others who never get off the starting line. There are the dreams that come true and the dreams that remain dreams forever.

Although being vloggers is popular, some young people choose to follow careers that don’t necessarily earn them fame, but allow them to make good use of the Internet to share their hobbies.Young Israeli David Leshaw, for example, runs a business called the Finishers Club.It’s an online platform for runners to keep a record of their races.His job allows him to express his enthusiasm, and is always a learning experience.And that’s enough for him．

1. Why do more and more young Britons choose to be vloggers?

A．Vloggers can earn little fame and money on the Internet.

B．There is too much competition in the traditional show business.

C．The Internet makes it convenient to become vloggers.

D．Anyone with a computer will surely become a star.

2. What can we infer from the fifth paragraph?

A．Only a few vloggers can be successful.	B．A vlogger can not earn fame or fortune.
C．Being a vlogger is not a good career.	D．Dreams will come true one day.

3. What do some young people like David do on the Internet?

A．Learn from others.	B．Become an online hit.
C．Hold running races.	D．Mix jobs with hobbies.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Most young Britons choose to be vloggers as their jobs.

B．The Internet is influencing young Britons’ career choice.

C．The Internet is taking the place of traditional studios.

D．Young Britons can not find jobs without the Internet.

4 . Have you felt annoyed when a cellphone rings during the class? Something must be done to stop this. Now in New York City, USA, a rule is carried out in schools. Students can't even bring cellphones to school. Is it a good thing or not?

Anxious parents say that cellphones are an important tool in holding New York City's families together.

“I worry about it，” said Elizabeth Lorris Ritter, a mother of a middle school kid. “It's necessary in our everyday life. We have a washing machine. We have running water, and we have cellphones.”

Many American parents think they can contact their children on buses, getting out from subways, or walking through unknown places.

“I have her call me when she gets out of school，” said Lindsay Walt, a schoolgirl's mother. “ No one in New York is going to let their child go to school without a cellphone.”

What about the cellphone owners, the students? Most of the students say cellphones are essential and that they are like extra (额外的) hands or feet for them.

“I feel so empty，” said May Chom，14. “There is also no way to listen to music on the way to school without my phone. It will be a really, really boring trip.”

1. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Many American parents don't think cellphones are necessary for the students.

B．Cellphones only bring troubles to the school life.

C．Cellphones connect children with their families when they are outside.

D．Cellphones can help students learn better.

2. What does the underlined word “essential” mean?

A．Popular.	B．Necessary.
C．Smart.	D．Expensive.

3. What may students do by using a cellphone according to the passage?

A．To enjoy listening to music.	B．To make phone calls to their teachers.
C．To listen to some uptodate news.	D．To guide themselves to school.

4. What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．The problems caused by using cellphones.

B．Parents' concern over students' study.

C．The debate about forbidding students to use phones in school.

D．The importance of using phones in school for children.

5 . Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager. “I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’ ” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.” Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits (轨道).

Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as pop culture and sex would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent-child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue into adulthood.

But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”

Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and at more democratic (民主的) process that encourages everyone to have a say. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now,” explains Mr. Ballmer.

1. What doesn’t the underlined word “gulf” means in the first paragraph?

A．difference.

B．argument.

C．balance.

D．achievement.

2. What is the change in today’s parent-child relationship?

A．There is less parent-child activities.

B．There is more respect for parents from children.

C．There is a new equality between parents and children.

D．There is more strictness and authority on the part of parents.

3. Which word best describes Kerrie’s attitude to the change of the parent-child relationship?

A．Interested.

B．Supportive.

C．Indifferent.

D．Concerned.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with.

B．To discuss the development of the parent-child relationship.

C．To suggest the ways to handle the parent-child relationship.

D．To solve the problem of the parent-child relationship.

8 . Singapore uses about two billion liters of water every day-a number it expects could double in the next four decades.

That kind of consumption is adding pressure to the Asian city state to address growing concerns about global water shortage. So it's building new technology to prepare itself for a future where obtaining clean water will be even more difficult. "Singapore truly has become a global water center,"said Shane Snyder,executive director of the Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. “But as it stands, it imports approximately 40% of its water today. And with climate change,that water has become far less dependable.”

Singapore, meanwhile, is home to more than five million people and is covered in fountains,reservoirs and other water features-including the world's tallest indoor waterfall, The Rain Vortex that pumps about 45,000 liters of water per minute. But it has no natural water sources of its own,instead relying heavily on recycled water and imports from its neighbors.

Snyder's research facility is one of several places developing solutions for Singapore's water dependency. The hope is to create projects that could be used across the city. "What we have become used to as reliable water may quickly change-so we have to be prepared,and we have to be thinking about the basic facilities in advance. " Snyder said. " There's a big drive to become water independent-to control our own future -and that is largely dependent on the technologies we're developing. "

Another company,Wateroam, is already taking innovation from Singapore to the rest of the region. Founded in 2014,Wateroam says it has developed a lightweight,portable filtration（过滤）device that has already provided clean drinking water to more than 75,000 people across Southeast Asia. Wateroam CEO David Pong said one of the most innovative aspects of the product is its simplicity. The water filtration device is no bigger than a bicycle pump,yet it can provide clean water to villages of 100 people for up to two years.

"We've been very blessed to have access to clean drinking water," Pong said. It's necessary to bring the privilege to the rest of the region, and advocate that clean water is an essential aspect for life on Earth,according to him.

1. What worsens the water shortage problem in Singapore?

A．More water imports.	B．The lack of technology.
C．The increasing population.	D．Double water consumption.

2. How can water crisis in Singapore be eased?

A．Searching for natural water sources.

B．Controlling the increase of population.

C．Importing water from more neighbors.

D．Using technologies to provide clean water.

3. What do we know about the filtration device from Paragraph 5?

A．It is easy to carry and use.

B．It is larger than a bicycle pump.

C．It has already been used across Asia.

D．It has already been in use for two years.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Clean water is an essential aspect for life on Earth.

B．Technology can help Singapore out with its water shortage.

C．The increasing water consumption is adding pressure to Singapore.

D．Singapore's filtration device has provided many people with clean water.

9 . Food safety is a problem in all places around the world and people in different areas of the world prepare foods in different ways. The WHO released five simple rules for preparing food in a safe way.     1    

Key 1: Keep clean.

The first key tells about the importance of washing. People should wash their hands often—before touching food, while they are preparing food, and any time after they go to the toilet. People should wash all surfaces and equipment used for preparing food.     2    

Key 2：    3    

People should separate raw, or uncooked foods from foods that are already cooked and foods that will not be cooked. People should store raw meat, chicken, and fish in containers, or in separate areas. Raw foods should not touch prepared foods.

Key 3：Cook completely.

People should cook eggs and meat, like birds, seafood, and animals, especially carefully. These foods may carry more micro­organisms than other foods. Food like soup must be boiled for at least a minute to make it be cooked completely. It is also important that people re­heat cooked food completely.

Key 4：Keep food at safe temperatures.

When people are finished with eating, they should keep the left food in a refrigerator below 5℃ and shouldn’t store it for too long. At room temperature, about 20℃, the amount of micro­organisms can increase very quickly.     4     They cannot grow as quickly in a very hot or very cold environment.

Key 5：Use safe water and raw materials.

    5     Damaged or old food may develop harmful chemicals as it gets older.

A．Separate raw and cooked foods.

B．Eat cooked food immediately while it is still hot.

C．They call these rules the “Five Keys to Safer Food”.

D．People should use safe water and choose fresh foods.

E．Keeping everything clean helps people to avoid micro­organisms.

F．People should also protect cooking areas and food from insects and animals.

G．But temperatures above 60℃ or below 5℃ control the growth of micro­organisms.

10 . With the development of our society, cellphones have become a common part in our lives. Have you ever run into a careless cellphone user in the street? Maybe they were busy talking, texting or checking updates on WeChat without looking at what was going on around them. As the number of this new "species" of human has kept rising, they have been given a new name—phubbers (低头族).

Recently a cartoon created by students from China Central Academy of Fine Arts put this group of people under the spotlight. In the short film, phubbers with various social identities bury themselves in their phones. A doctor plays with his cellphone while letting his patient die. A pretty woman takes a selfie (自拍) in front of a car accident site. And a father loses his child without knowing about it while using his mobile phone. A chain of similar events will finally lead to the destruction(毁灭) of the world.

Although the ending of the film sounds unrealistic, the damage phubbing can bring is real. Your health is the first to bear the effect and the result of it. "Always bending your head to check your cellphone could damage your neck," Guangming Daily quoted doctors' words. "The neck is like a rope that breaks after long-term stretching." Also, staring at cellphones for a long time will damage your eyesight gradually, according to the report.

But that's not all. Being a phubber could also damage your social skills and drive you away from your friends and family. When getting together with family or friends, many people prefer to play their cellphones while others are chatting happily with each other and this creates a strange atmosphere, Qilu Evening News reported.

It can also cost your life. There have been lots of reports on phubbers who fell to their death, suffered accidents, and were robbed of their cellphones in broad daylight.

1. Why does the author give the example of a cartoon in Paragraph 2?

A．To suggest phubbers will destroy the world.

B．To call for people to go walking without phones.

C．To tell people the bad effects of phubbing.

D．To advise students to create more cartoons like this.

2. According to the passage, what risks may a phubber have?
① Destructing the world.
② Affecting his social skills.
③ Damaging his neck and eyesight.
④ Getting separated from his friends and family.

A．①②④

B．②③④

C．①③④

D．①②③④

3. What's the author's attitude towards phubbing?

A．Supportive.

B．Confident.

C．Disapproving.

D．Unconcerned.

4. What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．Ways to avoid the risks of phubbing.	B．Bad effects of phubbing.
C．Daily life of phubbers.	D．Behaviours of phubbers.