1 . Strangers Under the Same Roof
Does every dinner with your parents seem to turn into an argument? Have your once warm and open conversations become cold and guarded? Do you feel that you just cannot see eye to eye with them on anything? You are not alone. Heated arguments and cold silences are common between teenagers and their parents.
Teenagers' physical changes may result in such family tensions. You may feel anxious that you are developing at a different rate to your friends, shooting up in height or getting left far behind. You might worry about your changing voice, weight problems or spots（粉刺）.When it all gets too much, your parents are often the first targets of your anger.
It can be a big headache to balance your developing mental needs too. You enter a strange middle ground --- no longer a small child but not quite an adult. You have both a new desire for independence and a continued need for your parents' love and support. You feel ready to be more responsible and make decisions on your own. Unfortunately, your parents do not always agree and that makes you feel unhappy. "Why can't they just let me go?" you may wonder. On the other hand, when you are struggling to control your feelings, you wish they could be more caring and patient---sometimes they forget that growing up is a rough ride. It can be difficult when your parents treat you like a child but expect you to act like an adult. All of this can lead to a breakdown in your relationship.
Although sometimes it may seem impossible to get along as a family, you can take action to improve the situation. The key to keeping the peace is regular and honest communication. When you disagree with your parents，take a minute to calm down and try to understand the situation from their point of view. Perhaps they have experienced something similar and do not want you to go through the same pain. After you have thought it through, explain your actions and feelings calmly, listen carefully，and address their concerns. Through this kind of healthy discussion, you will lean when to back down and when to ask your parents to relax their control.
Just remember that it is completely a common thing to struggle with the stress that parent child tensions create, and that you and your parents can work together to improve your relationship. The good news is that this stormy period will not last. Everything will turn out all right in the end, and the changes and challenges of your teenage years will prepare you for adulthood.
1. The first paragraph is mainly introducing ___________.| A．the importance of close family relationships |
| B．the quarrels between teenagers and their parents |
| C．the wall of trust between parents and their teenagers |
| D．the common conversations between parents and children |
| A．Their parents' attitude towards them. |
| B．Parents' strict control over their teenagers. |
| C．Parents' expectation on their children's development. |
| D．Teenagers' physical changes and their mental needs. |
| A．Parents should let go of the control over their teenagers. |
| B．Teenagers should always follow their parents' points of view. |
| C．Parents and teenagers should always keep open conversations. |
| D．Teenagers should not depend on their parents' love and support. |
| A．normal | B．terrible |
| C．avoidable | D．natural |
2 . There are many things we remember from our childhood—the games we played, the music we listened to, but what about earning pocket money? This was our first ever wage for completing tasks such as tidying our bedroom or sorting the laundry. Our reward was a handful of coins that we safely hid away. But now, it seems parents’ attitude to handing out cash is changing.
There was a time when cash was king—it was the main currency for financial deals. These days, though, using credit or debit cards, or making contactless payments, are the most convenient ways of paying. So where does that leave handing over pocket money? Research has found that 84% of British parents currently give notes and coins to their children— typically an allowance of £7 a week.
But banks predict that by 2028 only one in ten deals will be with cash, and that is something that today’s children will have to deal with. One particular issue is that children may not understand the value of cash because they never see it. Parents face difficult choices too— finding a new way to transfer pocket money, or maybe not bothering to pay it at all.
Giving children lessons about finance at school is important. Children should be provided with financial literacy at an early age. That is vital to ensure proper money management skills later in life, such as setting a realistic budget, responsibly managing credit and debt, saving for unexpected expenses. The UK’s Money and Pensions Service advises parents to get children started with money as young as possible. Sarah Porretta from the service told the BBC that for parents who no longer carry cash, “The trick is to go and get some cash, just so your children have the opportunity to interact with them. Talk about what you are doing with money. If you are paying with a card or with a phone, talk to children about that and link it back to those coins they have handled.”
But, of course, many of the goods that young people want to buy—such as add-ons for a computer game—only allow digital deals. This has led to a number of apps being set up that allow children to track and spend their hard-earned pocket money and parents to transfer money electronically and monitor their child’s spending. Banks also suggest setting up accounts for older children which gives them a cash card to use. But whatever method a parent chooses to adopt, they need to teach their kids that money doesn’t grow on trees!
1. What can you learn from the passage?| A．The custom of giving children pocket money is disappearing. |
| B．Banks predict people will pay most of the deals in cash by 2028. |
| C．It isn’t necessary for children to experience the course of using cash. |
| D．Cash-free payments are convenient ways of purchasing goods these days. |
| A．digital deal |
| B．cash payment |
| C．financial literacy |
| D．pocket money |
| A．offer chances for children to use cash |
| B．no longer carry cash when they go out |
| C．play some tricks with kids using the coins |
| D．play cards and make phone calls with children |
| A．To stress the importance of paying in cash. |
| B．To introduce the development of pocket money. |
| C．To explain why the ways of payment are changing. |
| D．To develop children’s awareness of money management. |
3 . Think Positive and Feel Positive
When you’re in a stressful situation, are you confident or unsafe? Do you react positively or negatively?
For example, the researchers studied 103 freshman college roommates who’d been paired casually.
After only six months, it became clear that thinking patterns and styles can be catching.
But maybe not. Other research has shown that, in general, people are affected by how those around them think.
| A．The answer may depend in part on whom you’re around. |
| B．Now college freshman are in a unique, life changing environment. |
| C．However, think positive and feel positive is quite important for college students. |
| D．Students paired with a negative-thinking roommate “caught” that style and became more depressed themselves. |
| E．They measured each roommate’s cognitive weakness, or tendency to give in to negative thinking and depression. |
| F．So surrounding a negative, depressed person with people who think positively could be a powerful form of treatment. |
| G．But what was to the researchers’ embarrassment was that the subjects never talked with each and stayed apart from each other for most of the time. |
I am writing to ask what has happened to our youth. They are not as polite, hard-working or clever as my generation. I will give you two examples.
Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9.15a.m. It was very busy so there were no free seats. There were some teenagers sitting on the seats nearest me. I didn’t know why they were not at school. They were talking loudly and laughing. It was difficult to read my newspaper with all the noise. A heavily pregnant(怀孕的) woman and her daughter got on at the next stop, with lots of shopping bags. I expected the teenagers to let them sit down. They saw the woman but did nothing. I had to ask them to give her a seat. They reluctantly(勉强地)did so but give me a rude look. I got off at the next stop and was glad that the teenagers didn’t follow me.
Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend’s family. I was expecting to meet his children, who I hadn’t seen for ten years. During dinner, we started talking about world politics. It soon became clear that they didn’t know much. They couldn’t tell me the name of the King of Spain or the President of Italy. All they knew about was the Internet and which singers were the most beautiful. In my day, students knew the kings, queens and presidents of every country in Europe.
I worry about the future of Germany. How could these young people become responsible workers and parents? They sit around Macdonald’s after instead of going to the library like I did at their age. Maybe they have too much money. Perhaps another reader can give us an idea about what to do with this“lost generation”.
Franz Vogts
Hamburg
1. Mr. Vogts writes this letter to the editor to _________.
| A．show how rude the teenagers are |
| B．complain the way some people act |
| C．express his worry about Germany’s future |
| D．show how lazy young people nowadays are |
| A．expected that they would make less noise |
| B．knew there was no hope for him to get a seat |
| C．felt he would meet with some trouble from them |
| D．thought they should have been studying instead of staying there |
| A．he was not politely treated |
| B．the children cared more about singers than him |
| C．the children did not know much about world politics |
| D．he had different opinions about the world from his friend |
| A．the fact that he is angry with young people today. |
| B．the people at his age |
| C．his worry about these young people |
| D．today’s young people |
