Social networking isn't only for the under 40s. More than 25 percent of Americans 50 years and
older stay connected using sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, according to new research.
   "The latest data tells us that more and more social networking is becoming a part of everyday life
for Americans 50 plus," said Kevin Donnellan, the chief communications officer at AARP, which
released the report.
     Nearly a quarter of older Americans are on Facebook and 73 percent said they use it to stay in
touch with relatives, but not just their children and grandchildren. "They are using the Internet to keep
up with the world and the people who are important to them," said Jean Koppen, the author of the
report. She added that older adults are also on Facebook to stay connected, not only with their family,
but with their friends and those in the same age group. Almost 50 percent of older adults were
introduced to the social networking sites by a family member, mainly a child or grandchild. "Just under
one-fifth of adults aged 50 and older say they do not use the Internet," according to the report.
    The findings are based on a telephone survey of 1,863 adults. In addition to keeping up on Facebook
and Twitter older adults are aware of the latest technology. Eighty-three percent had heard about the
Apple iPad and 11 percent intended to buy one.
    Despite the popularity of the Internet among the over 50s, they still mostly go to print newspapers
and magazines for news. Only one percent said they followed blogs.

1. What is the main idea of the text?

A.Social networking isn't for the under 40s in the U.S.A.
B.American old people's way of life is quite fashionable.
C.Social networking is becoming popular among older Americans.
D.Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the most popular websites in the US.

2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A.85% of Americans 50 plus choose the Internet over print media.
B.About 460 people in the telephone survey often use Facebook.
C.About 20% of adults aged 50 plus have access to the Internet.
D.Three quarters of the people surveyed got to know the Internet through their family.

3.From the text, it can be concluded that______.

A.many older Americans are open-minded about new developments
B.Kevin Donnellan approves of this change among older Americans
C.Young people should introduce their elders to new technology
D.In a high tech age it is difficult to avoid social networking

4.Where does the text probably come from?

A. A novel.                          
B. A newspaper.  
C. A technology guide.                
D. A student's research paper

     At Yale University, enrollment in basic Chinese in 2005 grew rapidly, and for the first time
professors can remember, large numbers of freshmen were arriving with enough knowledge of
the Chinese language to start in second- or third-year Chinese language class, rather than basic
Chinese.
    The American interest in China is not just at the university level. In the 2006 school year, high-school
students will be offered an Advanced Placement test, which is one of the national exams American
students take for university admission, in Chinese. This is the first time Chinese is offered in the
Advanced Placement test, which is usually limited to the most important subjects that high school
students take.
    What is surprising is that earlier last year, an organization that tracks university students surveyed
high schools throughout America, asking if they planned to offer the language courses that prepare
students for the language Advanced Placement test. They expected that only a hundred high schools,
mostly in California, New York, and a few other places with large immigrant populations, would show
interest in each of the new language programs. Although that was true for the courses in Italian, Russian
and Japanese, it was not true for the Chinese language course. There were thousands of American
high schools that indicated that they planned to build their Chinese programs to levels where students
could take the Advanced Placement exam for Chinese language. The demand for courses in Chinese is
rising so rapidly that it is rapidly overtaking all other foreign languages except Spanish.

1. According to the passage many freshmen at Yale University today       . 

A. know enough basic Chinese          
B. needn't learn Chinese any more
C. take courses in the Chinese language  
D. go to university to study Chinese

2. For university entrance, the American high-school students       .

A. have to learn Chinese
B. learn more than one foreign language
C. take the Advanced Placement Test
D. used to have a test in Chinese

3. We can learn from the passage that        .

A. Chinese will overtake all foreign languages in American high schools
B. Americans will know more about China 
C. the U.S. government pays much attention to language studies
D. Chinese may take the place of English in American universities

   In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition(學(xué)會)of each new
skill - the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing.
It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous
feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be
forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he
knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much,
or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm(熱情) for life and his desire to
find out new things for himself.
  Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict
in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(準(zhǔn)時(shí)) for meals.
In general, the controls imposed(強(qiáng)加的) represent the needs of the parents and the values of the
community(社區(qū)) as much as the child's own happiness.
  As regards the development of moral standards (道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)))in the growing child, consistency(連貫
性) is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality. Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere
and do not practise what they preach(說教), their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
    A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can
be a dangerous disappointment.

1. Eagerly watching the child's acquisition of new skills_____.

A. should be avoided
B. is universal among parents
C. sets up dangerous states of worry in the child
D. will make him lose interest in learning new things

2. When children are learning new skills, parents should_____.

A. encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read
B. not expect too much of them
C. achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own
D. create as many learning opportunities as possible

3. The second paragraph mainly tells us that _____.

A. parents should be strict with their children
B. parental controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community
C. parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone
D. parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation

4. The underlined word "precept" (in Paragraph 3) probably means "_____".

A. idea  
B. punishment  
C. behavior
D. instruction

5. In moral matters, parents should _____.

A. observe the rules themselves
B. be aware of the marked difference between adults and children
C. forbid things which have no foundation in morality
D. satisfy their children's needs

     Young women are more adventurous than young men when traveling abroad in gap years．One in
three female backpackers visits more than three countries during a year out and travels alone, according
to new research．
     By contrast, the majority of their male counterparts(對手方) visit only one country and tend to travel
in groups, says a survey by the Gap Year company, which provides information and services for students
considering taking a year out．
     More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is to see the world and
experience different cultures．Men were more likely to rank "having fun" higher on their list of priorities．Women were more likely to value the challenge of a foreign trip, and many cited reasons such as learning
a language and meeting new people．
     The more adventurous gap years taken by women seem to work to their benefit; more than three
quarters of those surveyed reported increased confidence, self-reliance and independence, whereas only
half of the men had that experience．
     The research also showed that women were more likely to do voluntary work while travelling, with
more than one in ten helping with teaching or development projects．One of the reasons given for this is
a wish to see the country in an authentic(真正的) light．
     A greater proportion(比率) of women than men faced objections or criticism from their families over
their gapyear plans．Among the men surveyed, lack of money was the main barrier to travel．
     Carolyn Martin, a doctor from London, was a typically confident female traveller．Starting in Cape
Town, she travelled around southern Africa and Australia with a string of unusual and sometimes
dangerous jobs．
     "I had one job chasing elephants off the runway in Africa by banging a stick against a pan," she re
called．"It was OK but one day I did get chased by one．"
     She said that she had travelled alone because "you meet more people"．

1．According to the article, ________．

A．most of the women students will travel abroad during the summer holidays
B．one third of the women students will travel abroad in a year
C．women students are more likely to travel abroad alone in gap years
D．women students are willing to travel abroad in a group

2．More women than men say that their prime reason for taking time off is______ .

A. to make a study of history
B. to have fun
C. to see the world and experience different cultures  
D. to do voluntary work

3．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Men students will travel less during the gap year because of their parttime jobs．
B．Women students will travel more but face more objections．
C．The article suggests that women travelling alone will have dangerous experiences．
D．Men students prefer to travel inside their own country to going abroad．

4．Which of the following would be the main point of the passage?

A．Girls Get the Best out of Gap Years
B．Boys Lack Courage in Gap Years
C．For Fun or for Adventure?
D．Young Women Are More Adventurous