1 . As more people move into their golden years, many families are welcoming their senior parents into their homes. While most seniors claim to prefer to age in their own homes, safety and health concerns don’t always make this possible.
If you are preparing to welcome a senior parent into your home, everyone will have an adjustment period. This type of move will have physical, emotional, and mental influences for the whole family. Here’re a few tips to help you open your heart and home to your senior parents.
You may be excited about having your senior parent move in, but that doesn’t mean they will share your enthusiasm. Being asked to move out of their own home can be very upsetting for your parents. So it’s important to be patient with them and allow them the time to adjust to their new environment.
It’s also important to give your parents a space of their own. Before you decide to bring a senior parent into your home, you need to consider if you have enough space for them.
Then, for adult children, offering a senior parent a safe home is a priority. Before moving, you will need to make some changes around your home to help your parents stay safe. For example, install grab bars in the bathroom, repair all stairways, add anti-slip mats to the kitchen and so on. And arm yourself with knowledge like First Aid courses.
In addition, your senior parent will be used to being in charge of their own home and is likely to feel like a bother as they begin to settle in your home. One effective way is to assign them a household responsibility. Ask your parents to look after the dog or cook a meal to make them feel like an active and important part of the family.
1. Who may be the intended readers of the text?| A．People moving into their golden years. |
| B．People having senior parents to take care of. |
| C．People wanting to age in their own homes. |
| D．Senior people having safety and health concerns. |
| A．Being patient with your parents. |
| B．Giving them enough space. |
| C．Making sure of their safety. |
| D．Assigning them a household responsibility. |
| A．To make them feel like a bother. |
| B．To make them think themselves useful. |
| C．To make them in charge of the family. |
| D．To encourage them to exercise actively. |
| A．Troubles to live with senior parents. |
| B．A good way to age for senior people. |
| C．Take your responsibility to adjust yourself. |
| D．Open your heart and home to your senior parents. |
| A. boom B. enthusiastically C. voiced D. finds E. sharply F. racing G. fortune H. distinctly I. venturing J. deals K. joined |
Eight months ago, Meng Hu, 27, quit her job as a flight attendant in Guangzhou, China. She is now working full-time as a live-streaming host on Taobao.
“I’ve been talking nonstop,” Hu said, laughing. “My throat gets really hoarse. You need to talk a lot, because your mood is contagious (有感染力的). Only when you talk
Hu is part of a rising class of creators in China who are
Even the Chinese government has
Live-stream shopping is a combination of entertainment and e-commerce. Viewers buy goods online from people who show off their latest
Part of the allure(吸引力) of
For people like Hu, the live-stream host in Guangzhou, the ongoing
“Viewers might have doubled, but there’s probably about seven or eight times more new live-streamers now,” she estimated. “So many people like me have
3 . Nowadays, the Internet is usually one of the first places a lonely heart turns to as the following story shows.
A 63-year-old retired woman in Zhengzhou, Henan province made headlines two days after she posted an advertisement on her Wechat page, in which she said she wanted to find a young female companion for a trip to Sanya, China’s Southern Hainan island.
In the advertisement, the Chinese dama (Chinese term for middle-aged and elderly women) surnamed Li said she is in good health, and she is particularly looking forward to a sea trip this winter.
“I have a daughter who works outside, and I don’t want to disturb her. But I’m afraid of traveling alone, so I am looking for a sweet, happy young woman, preferably aged between 19 and 25 to travel with me.”
At the end of the advertisment, dama Li extended her sincerity by saying she would cover all the expenses of the trip, including accommodation（食宿）and air tickets, plus an iPhone 7 as a bonus gift. Li said all she wants is just to find a sweet “daughter” who could help her take a lot of photos. But Li’s recruitment (招募) has also received many online arguments.
1. Why did the retired woman post the advertisement on her Wechat page?| A．To show she was very rich. |
| B．To tell her daughter she was lonely. |
| C．To receive as many likes as possible. |
| D．To hire a young female companion for a trip. |
| A．Some people don’t agree with what the woman has done. |
| B．Many young girls want to be the woman’s companion. |
| C．The woman’s daughter is unwilling to travel with her. |
| D．What the woman did is just for fun. |
| A．The Internet is a good place for people to turn to |
| B．Lonely mother hires “daughter” for a trip |
| C．Traveling alone is not encouraged |
| D．Daughter should care for mother |
4 . We know that bully (欺凌) happens a lot and that it can make people feel miserable. And school violence happens all the time.
Bully is where a person or a group exercise control over another against their will, often leaving the victim feeling powerless and alone. Bullying can take many forms. Children, young people and adults can instigate bullying and be bullied in schools. Bullying is harmful to all involved, not just the person who is bullied, but to those who do the bullying and those who stand by. It can lead to self-doubt, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, self-harm and sometimes even suicide. Children might bully because they may not have been taught that it is wrong to bully.
How does bullying affect people?
New research has found that more than half of young people in the UK have been bullied. Of those who have been bullied, 58 % said it made them want to miss school, 44 % said it made them avoid social events, and 37 % said it had affected their school work.
What can I do to help?
| A．What is bullying? |
| B．What is cyberbullying? |
| C．They may think that it is just a bit of fun. |
| D．You should tell them that they're not alone. |
| E．There's no shame or harm in being different. |
| F．The study also found a big problem with racism. |
| G．There are many things you can do to fight against bullying at school. |
5 . More and more English-educated Chinese Singaporean parents are realizing the importance for their children to be not only good at the all important English language, but also good at Chinese. China has become a great political and economic superpower and they want their children to become bilingual.
It is common knowledge that, to master any language, especially one's mother tongue, one must begin from childhood. But there are challenges and barriers for children of English-speaking homes to succeed in their journey towards bilingualism.
Take my family as an example. While my wife and I are products of English education, we had some foundation(基础）in Chinese which we kept up in our working life. But the language of communication in our home is mainly English.
We are glad that our three children, had between eight and eleven years' Chinese schooling before switching over to English schools. Their foundation in Chinese has become an advantage in their adult life. They can hold their own in the spoken language, but would find it hard to write a business letter in Chinese for lack of usage.
We have a grandson who will be two years old shortly. His parents have given my wife and I the unenviable(令人为难的，令人不愉快的）task of making him bilingual. It is a very tough assignment, as we are with him for only a couple of hours on most days. For the rest of the time, he is being surrounded by English sounds by his busy parents.
Fortunately, our perseverance is paying off. After eight months, he has been used to hearing Chinese sounds, and even he can now quite comfortably identify common everyday objects in Chinese.
1. Why is it becoming necessary for some Chinese Singaporean children to learn Chinese?| A．Because most of the Singaporeans come from China. |
| B．Because their parents are missing their motherland. |
| C．Because China has become a great political and economic superpower. |
| D．Because China is the official language in the UN. |
| A．a person who knows English | B．a person who knows Chinese |
| C．a person who knows only one language | D．a person who knows two languages |
| A．He lives in China now. | B．His children hate learning English. |
| C．He usually speaks English at home. | D．His three children master Chinese very well. |
| A．there are challenges for children of English-speaking homes to learn Chinese |
| B．his foundation in Chinese is a big advantage in teaching his grandson |
| C．he is quite good at teaching little children Chinese |
| D．learning Chinese is very popular in Singapore |
6 . If someone were to ask me what it is like to be a student in today’s society, I would probably answer them something like this: Being a student in today’s society is not always easy.
Adults often tell us that we don’t know what stress (压力) is. But we as teenage students have our own levels of stress. For example, all school activities require you to uphold your grade point to high standards.
Then, getting your homework turned in on time seems simple, but you still hope to have a life outside of school as well. Many students in their high school years start their first job, so now you have school in the mornings and then you’re off to part-time work. By the time you are done there, you are too tired to finish your school work, but you stay up late to try and return to school feeling sleepy the next day. What good is that?
Let’s not forget about peer (同龄人) pressure. All high school students meet with it at some point in their lives. High school can be a place where students are made fun of and pointed at.
My point is, it is more stressful to be a student in high school than adults believe. Our “stress” may not include paying bills or taking care of a family, but I’m sure if the adults in our lives could go back to school today, they would be surprised at how much it has changed.
I know that the world outside of school is often hard and that the responsibilities are serious. That’s exactly why I know that the focus I give to my future is important in leading me to a career (事业) that will allow me to contribute (贡献) to society.
1. What is the text mainly about?| A．The way of dealing with stress of study. |
| B．The stressful life of high school students. |
| C．The role of students in today’s society. |
| D．The differences between teenagers’ and adults’ life. |
| A．He is against it. | B．He feels disappointed at it. |
| C．He thinks it is worth a try. | D．He shows great interest in it. |
| A．Adults are more stressful than students. |
| B．Adults should help students to deal with stress. |
| C．Adults have undervalued students’ stress. |
| D．Adults should go back to school to experience students’ life. |
| A．Society. | B．Study. | C．School. | D．Stress. |
7 . You’ve likely met the humblebrag before —— boasting (吹噓) in a way of a complaint, such as “I’m having such a worrying day. I got two job offers and I don’t know what to do.”
This is a typical example of humblebragging, a term coined by comedic writer Harris Wittels referring to “a specific type of boast that allows the offender to broadcast their achievements without the necessary shame and guilt that should normally accompany such claims.” In simpler terms, it’s a way to disguise a boast with some humility (谦让). Humblebragging comes in two different forms. The first is humility - based, an example being,＂can’t believe I got the highest grade in my class ”. The second type comes mixed with a bit of complaint, for example,＂I can’t believe that shopkeeper asked me for ID. I’m 25!”
People don’t like when others humblebrag because they find they are lacking in sincerity. Sincerity is a critical dimension of social evaluation, which is viewed as fundamental to people’s identity. In fact, people prize sincerity even above competence and warmth in others, according to Dr. Sezer.
If humblebragging doesn’t work, and no one likes it, why do we still do it? We all want to highlight our positive qualities without seeming proud. By speaking in a complaint or an expression of humility, we hope we’ll somehow land on the “sweet spot” of self - presentation: promoting ourselves while also conveying likability. In addition, research suggests that people may experience positive feelings while humblebragging.
Considering that we’re all likely to feel the urge to humblebrag, at least to some extent, the proper response when we hear a friend doing it may be to simply let it go——because ultimately we’re going to do it ourselves, and who really wants to be called out on it?
1. Which of the following remarks is an example of humblebragging| A．How I hate hearing my voice on TV! |
| B．I’m thrilled to be awarded the first prize. |
| C．I’m the only person to get promoted in the firm. |
| D．How I dislike doing the same thing every day! |
| A．Honest | B．Humble. | C．Insincere. | D．Incapable. |
| A．Follow it up | B．Leave it alone. | C．Turn against it | D．Get to the root of it. |
8 . Freedom and Responsibility
Freedom’s challenge in the Digital Age is a serious topic. We are facing today a strange new world and we are all wondering what we are going to do with it.
Some 2,500 years ago Greece discovered freedom. Before that there was no freedom. There were great civilizations, splendid empires, but no freedom anywhere. Egypt and Babylon were both tyrannies, one very powerful man ruling over helpless masses.
In Greece, in Athens, a little city in a little country, there were no helpless masses. And Athenians willingly obeyed the written laws which they themselves passed, and the unwritten, which must be obeyed if free men live together. They must show each other kindness and pity and the many qualities without which life would be very painful unless one chose to live alone in the desert. The Athenians never thought that a man was free if he could do what he wanted. A man was free if he was self-controlled. To make yourself obey what you approved was freedom. They were saved from looking at their lives as their own private affair. Each one felt responsible for the welfare of Athens, not because it was forced on him from the outside, but because the city was his pride and his safety. The essential belief of the first free government in the world was liberty for all men who could control themselves and would take responsibility for the state.
But discovering freedom is not like discovering computers. It cannot be discovered once for all. If people do not prize it, and work for it, it will go. Constant watch is its price. Athens changed. It was a change that took place without being noticed though it was of the extreme importance, a spiritual change which affected the whole state. It had been the Athenian’s pride and joy to give to their city. That they could get material benefits from her never entered their minds. There had to be a complete change of attitude before they could look at the city as an employer who paid her citizens for doing her work. Now instead of men giving to the state, the state was to give to them. What the people wanted was a government which would provide a comfortable life for them; and with this as the primary object, ideas of freedom and self-reliance and responsibinreat wealth in which all citizens had a right to share.
Athens reached the point when the freedom she really wanted was freedom from responsibility. There could be only one result. If men insisted on being free from the burden of self-dependence and responsibility for the common good, they would cease to be free. Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It is to be had on no other terms. Athens, the Athens of Ancient Greece, refused responsibility; she reached the end of freedom and was never to have it again.
But, “the excellent becomes the permanent”, Aristotle said. Athens lost freedom forever, but freedom was not lost forever for the world. A great American, James Madison, referred to “ The capacity (能力) of mankind for self-government." No doubt he had nor an idea that he was speaking Greek. Athens was not in the farthest background of his mind, but once man has a great and good idea, it is never completely lost. The Digital Age cannot destroy it. Somehow in this or that man’s thought such an idea lives though unconsidered by the world of action. One can never be sure that it is not on the point of breaking out into action only sure that it will do so sometime.
1. What does the underlined word “tyrannies” in Paragraph2 refer to?| A．Countries where their people need help. |
| B．Governments ruled with absolute power. |
| C．Splendid empires where people enjoy freedom. |
| D．Powerful states with higher civilization. |
| A．regard their life as their own business |
| B．seek gains as their primary object |
| C．treat others with kindness and pity |
| D．behave within the laws and value systems |
| A．The Athenians refused to take their responsibility. |
| B．The Athenians no longer took pride in the city. |
| C．The Athenians benefited spiritually from the government. |
| D．The Athenians looked on the government as a business. |
| A．The author is hopeful about freedom. |
| B．The author is cautious about self-government. |
| C．The author is skeptical of Greek civilization. |
| D．The author is proud of man’s capacity. |
9 . World’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is suffering a media firestorm over an article in which she blames the middle class for “drinking, or smoking and socializing” rather than working to earn their own fortune. What if she has a point?
Steve Siebold, author of “How Rich People Think”, spent nearly three decades interviewing millionaires around the world to find out what separates them from everyone else. It had little to do with money itself, he told Business Insider. It was about their mentality.
Average people think money is the root of all evil (罪恶). Rich people believe poverty is the root of all evil. “The average person has been brainwashed to believe rich people are lucky or dishonest,” Siebold writes. That’s why there’s a certain shame that comes along with getting rich in lower-income communities. “The rich knows that while having money doesn’t guarantee happiness, it does make your life easier and more enjoyable.”
Average people believe you have to do something to get rich. Rich people believe you have to be something to get rich. “While the masses are attached to the doing and the immediate results of their actions, the great ones are learning and growing from every experience, whether it’s a success or a failure, knowing their true reward is becoming a human success machine that eventually produces outstanding results,” he writes.
Average people would rather be entertained than educated. Rich people would rather be educated than entertained. The rich don’t think it a must to earn their wealth through formal education, and they appreciate the power of learning long after college is over, Siebold says. “Walk into a wealthy person’s home and you often see many books used to educate themselves on how to become more successful,” he writes. “The middle class reads novels, tabloids (小报) and entertainment magazines”.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic of the text. |
| B．To describe the life of the middle class. |
| C．To introduce the richest woman in the world. |
| D．To show readers the supporting details of the article. |
| A．Probably because he succeeds by dishonest means. |
| B．Probably because people are misled by false ideas. |
| C．Probably because he becomes rich by pure chance. |
| D．Probably because people think of him as the root of evil. |
| A．Everyone can go to the library for further education. |
| B．Education should be received through formal ways. |
| C．Learning should last for one’s whole life. |
| D．Novels and tabloids bring people poverty. |
| A．Rich People Think Differently | B．Education or Entertainment? |
| C．Average People Long for Fortune | D．How to Earn Wealth? |
10 . In so many ways, cyberspace (网络空间) mirrors the real world. People ask for information, play games, and share hobby tips. Others buy and sell products. Still others look for friendship, or even love.
Unlike the real world, however, your knowledge about a person is limited to words on a computer screen. Identity (身份) and appearance mean very little in cyberspace. Rather, a person’s thoughts—or at least the thoughts they type—are what really count. So even the shyest person can become a chat-room star.
Usually, this “faceless” communication doesn’t create problems. Identity doesn’t really matter when you’re in a chat room discussing politics or hobbies. In fact, this stress on the ideas themselves makes the Internet a great place for exciting conversation. Where else can so many people come together to chat?
But some Internet users want more than just someone to chat with. They’re looking for serious love relationships. Is cyberspace a good place to find love? That answer depends on whom you ask. Some of these relationships actually succeed. Others fail.
Supporters say that the Internet allows couples lo gel lo know each other intellectually (智力地) first. Personal appearance doesn’t get in the way. Bill others argue that no one can truly know another person in cyberspace. Why? Because the Internet gives users a lot of control over how others view them. Internet users can carefully change their words to fit whatever image (形象) they want to give. In a sense, they’re not really themselves.
All of this may be fine if the relationship stays in cyberspace. But not knowing a person is a big problem in a love relationship. With so many unknowns, it’s easy to let one’s imagination “fill in the blanks.” This unavoidably leads to disappointment when couples meet in person. How someone imagines an online friend is often quite different than the real person.
So, before looking for love in cyberspace, remember the advice of Clifford Stoll: “Life in the real world is far richer than anything you’ll find on a computer screen.”
1. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?| A．It is possible that people can’t find true love online. |
| B．Appearance and identity is of little importance for relationship online. |
| C．A shy person will surely become talkative online. |
| D．Internet users are encouraged to create images in cyberspace. |
| A．Cyberspace mirrors the real world. |
| B．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
| C．Inner beauty is more important than appearance. |
| D．Things are not always what they seem. |
| A．The online friend. | B．One’s imagination. |
| C．Love relationship. | D．The real friend. |
| A．He is against it. | B．He supports it. |
| C．He cares little about it. | D．He is interested in it. |
