Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low you can see their underwear? What do you
think of that? Fashionable? Some of today's teenagers are big fans of such a look. But recently this trend has
been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools. The headmaster of a school in central Italy has
asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came
after a class trip,when he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide to his feet. He pointed out that this way of
dressing is not suitable for school. But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused
a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students'
freedom-or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual. A parents' group praised the move in favor of good
taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings. "We do not
want to kick fashion out," the headmaster explained, "but extremes of fashion like this are not right in school."
Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers. Most students
have simply ignored the request. Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear
in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect
the request, simply for practical reasons. "I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans," said Sarah
Lattanzi, "in winter,when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache."

1. What led to the argument in Italian middle schools?

A. Students' craze for fashions.
B. Clothes that are too exposing.
C. Students' ignoring dressing .
D. Students' underwear.

2. Which of the following supports the headmaster's request?

A. Fashion should be taken seriously.
B. Fashion should not be followed in school.
C. Students should have their freedom in choosing what they wear.
D. Students should be encouraged to have good taste in clothes.

3. The argument against the headmaster's request is that _____.

A. schools should pay attention to things more important than students' clothes
B. fashion should not be followed in school
C. dress in Italian schools is too casual
D. low-rise jeans can do harm to youngster's health

4. The purpose of this story is to _____.

A. show Chinese students that wearing fashionable clothes in school is under attack in other countries, too
B. show that dress code is necessary even in a country like Italy
C. tell us that a debate started in Italian middle schools over the way students dress in school
D. let us see that Italian students react differently to schools' requests

     Daniel stays home on workdays. He starts his personal computer in order to connect with the office
which is about three hundred miles away in another city. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches
a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Daniel doesn't talk
to any other human beings, and he doesn't see any people except the ones on television. Daniel is imaginary,
but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact
with our fellow human beings.
     The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that
many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as
office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals (終端) in their own
homes. They would never have to actually see the people they're dealing with. In addition, the way employees
are paid will change. Workers' salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper
checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking
will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts. Many
companies and consumers have already changed the way they sell or buy products. E-commerce, or business
done on the Internet, is becoming more and more popular. This, therefore, makes it possible for people to do
shopping without going out of their homes.
     Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for example, was once a group experience.
People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music
is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living-rooms, they wear headphones to
build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing as well. Movies used to be social events.
Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on
television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch
movies in their own living-rooms.

1. After work, Daniel likes to _____.

A. listen to music at the concert hall
B. watch a movie in his living-room
C. chat with his friends on the net
D. play baseball with his workmates

2. The underlined sentence "Daniel is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible" means _____.

A. Daniel is a person full of imagination and he can make his life colourful.
B. Daniel is not a real person but the lifestyle of his kind does exist.
C. Daniel is only an ordinary person but he has his own way of living.
D. Daniel is a model who makes full use of modern technology in life.

3. What will the writer most probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A. Games and sports
B. Personal banking
C. Music and films
D. International business

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. We may no longer need to communicate wit other human beings.
B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.
C. We may no longer need to work in the office.
D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.

     A new research shows that in Britain more and more people are returning to the old tradition that the whole
family have a meal at table. Worrying about the obesity and breakdown of a family, people change their eating
habits so greatly, according to analysis. They find the number of the family having a meal together increases by
5% from 2002 to 2004, and most people who have meals with their family come from the rich social class.
     The new discovery makes doctors and the people struggling against obesity extremely excited. Giving up the
tradition that the whole family have a meal together is exactly one of the reasons for a series of problems
including children's overweight. If a child has a meal in front of the television or the computer alone, he will
often eat some fast food.
     Jason Collins is one of the persons returning to the old tradition. Collins is a manager of a bake (烘面包)
house. He finds after he gets used to having a meal at home with his child, the child becomes much more
obedient (聽話的). Dr. Jin is a child psychologist, and she expresses welcome to this result of the study. She
says it can make parents have a very good chance to chat with the child when the whole family have a meal
together.

1. What makes people change their eating habit back to the old tradition in Britain?

A. Worrying about their children.
B. Worrying about some social problems.
C. Worrying about the living expense.
D. Worrying about health and family problems.

2. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. people's eating habit has much effect on their family
B. most rich people have meals with their family
C. most children have the problem of overweight
D. most children don't like having dinner with the parents

3. How do the people who hope to lose weight feel about the new discovery?

A. They feel glad.
B. They feel surprised.
C. They feel sorry.
D. They feel disappointed.

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

A. The child having dinner with his parents doesn't like watching TV.
B. Children become overweight all because of having dinner alone.
C. The family having dinner together is more united and friendly.
D. The reason a child has dinner alone is that he likes fast food.

     They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories (配飾). Yet these are not girls in their
teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies. A generation which would once only wear old-
fashioned clothes is now favouring the same high street looks worn by those half their age.
     Professor Julia Twigg, a social policy expert, said, "Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more
frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s. In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was
a serious matter. It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years-now you
can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to. Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of
things more quickly."
     Professor Twigg analysed family expenditure (支出) data and found that while the percentage of spending
on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same-at 5 or 6 per cent of spending-the amount of
clothes bought had risen sharply.
     The professor said, "Clothes are now 70 per cent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge
expansion of production in the Far East. In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and
that was where most of the clothes came from, but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere.
Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them."
     Fashion designer Angela Barnard, who runs her own fashion business in London, said older women were
much more affected by celebrity (名流) style than in previous years.
     She said, "When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable
in their sixties, they want to follow them. Older women are much more aware of celebrities. There's also the
boom in TV programmes showing people how they can change their look, and many of my older customers
do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties. When I started my business a few years ago, my older customers
tended to be very rich, but now they are what I would call ordinary women. My own mother is 61 and she
wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago."

1. Professor Twigg found that, compared with the 1960s, _____.

A. the price of clothes has generally fallen by 70%
B. the spending on clothes has increased by 5% or 6%
C. people spend 30% less than they did on clothes
D. the amount of clothes bought has risen by 5% or 6%

2. What can we learn about old women in temps of fashion?

A. They are often ignored by fashion designers.
B. They are now more easily influenced by stars.
C. They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion.
D. They are more interested in clothes because of their old age.

3. It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because _____.

A. they get tired of things more quickly
B. TV shows teach them how to change their look
C. they are in much better shape now
D. clothes are much cheaper than before

4. Which is the best possible title of the passage?

A. Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans
B. The More Fashionable, the Less Expensive
C. Unexpected Changes in Fashion
D. Boom of the British Fashion Industry

     For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty
house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in
common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They're children who look
after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.
     Lynette Long was once the headmistress of an elementary school. She said, "We had a school rule against
wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys fastened. I was constantly telling them
to put them inside their shirts. There were so many keys. It never came to my mind what they meant." Slowly,
she learned they were house keys.
     She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact (影響)
working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children
at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had
nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
     The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall,
under a bed, or in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volume. It's hard to get statistics (情
況) on latchkey children, the longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.

1. The main idea about "latchkey" children is that they _____.

A. are growing in numbers
B. suffer problems from being left alone
C. watch too much television during the day
D. are also found in middle-class neighborhoods

2. Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?

A. We had a school rule against wearing jewelry.
B. A lot of kids had chains around their necks.
C. They were house keys.
D. I was constantly telling them to put them inside their shirts.

3. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is _____.

A. tiredness
B. freedom
C. loneliness
D. fear

4. We may draw a conclusion that _____.

A. it's difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are
B. latchkey children try to hide their feelings
C. latchkey children often watch TV with their parents
D. latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone

     About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy
sat down at the next table, I couldn't help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman
asked, "So, how have you been?" And the boy-who could not have been more than seven or eight years old-
replied. "Frankly, I've been feeling a little depressed lately."
     This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed (確認) my growing belief that children are changing.
As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn't find out we were "depressed", that is, in low spirits, until
we were in high school.
     Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don't seem childlike
anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used
to.
     Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no
longer exists. Why?
     Human development is depended not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social
knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social
positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth
graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
     In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been equipped in 98 percent of
American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are
children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation (誘惑), many children turn their attention from printed texts
to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures.
     Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social
information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.

1. According to the author, feeling depressed is _____.

A. a sure sign of a mental problem in a child
B. a mental state present in all humans, including children
C. something that cannot be avoided in children's mental development
D. something hardly to be expected in a young child

2. Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _____.

A. through connection with society
B. gradually and under guidance
C. naturally without being taught
D. through watching television

3. According to the author, that today's children seem adultlike results from _____.

A. the widespread influence of television
B. the poor arrangement of teaching content
C. the fast pace of human scientific development
D. the rising standard of living

4. What does the author think of communication through print for children?

A. It enables children to gain more social information.
B. It develops children's interest in reading and writing.
C. It helps children to read and write well.
D. It can control what children are to learn.

5. What does the author think of the change in today's children?

A. He feels their adultlike behavior is so funny.
B. He thinks people should pay attention to the change.
C. He considers it a rapid development.
D. He seems to be upset about it.

      Many countries such as Iraq, Uganda, Guatemala, and many others have been known to abduct (誘拐)
children and force them to serve in the army. The reason is that the enemy isn't likely to suspect children as
a real threat. Many non-government organizations are also known to abduct and force children into being
child soldiers. Below we have some quotes from former child soldiers. 
      "The army was a nightmare. We suffered greatly from the cruel treatment we received. We were often
beaten, mostly for no reason at all, just to keep us in a state of terror. I still have a scar on my lip and sharp
pains in my stomach from being violently kicked by the older soldiers. The food was not enough, and they
made us walk with heavy loads, much too heavy for our small bodies. They forced me to learn how to fight
the enemy." 
                                                                                                                                      — Emilio, 14
       They gave me pills that made me crazy. When the craziness got in my head, I beat people on their heads
and hurt them until they bled. When the craziness got out of my head, I felt guilty. If I remembered the person,
I went to them and apologized. If they did not accept my apology, I felt bad. 
                                                                                                                                      — Michael, 13
       As seen in the quotes, the army is not very friendly toward children. Forced to act like adults, kill like
adults, and carry an adult's load, these children sometimes die from exhaustion (筋疲力盡). Below are some
facts about child soldiers.
       Today, as many as 300,000 children under the age of 18 serve in government forces or armed rebel
groups. Some are as young as eight years old. Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they have
no money to buy food and clothes. Many children join armed groups because of economic or social pressure,
or because children believe that the group will offer food or safety. Child soldiers are used all over the world.
Here is a list of where child soldiers are used.

1. Many countries force children to serve in the army because ______.

A. children are brave and strong
B. the enemy doesn't consider children as a threat
C. there aren't enough adults to join the army
D. they think children are very easy to control

2. Which of the following words can best describe Emilio's feeling about his army life?

A. Adventurous
B. Happy
C. Boring
D. Terrible

3. When Michael became crazy, he would ______.

A. try to kill people
B. apologize to people
C. beat people violently
D. feel guilty about himself

4. According to the passage, many children who become child soldiers ______.

A .are very poor
B. have lost their parents
C. are loyal to their country
D. are braver than other children

     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
schoo1. Is it a good thing or not?
     Anxious parents say that cellphones are an important tool (工具) 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 cellphones connect them to their children on buses, getting out from subways,
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 said cellphones were essential and
the cellphone was like all extra (額外的) hand or foot 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. You will get _____ when you hear a cellphone ring in class.

A. sad
B. upset
C. excited
D. happy

2. Students often use a cellphone _____ according to the passage.

A. to enjoy listening to music
B. to make phone calls to their teachers
C. to work as running water
D. to work as a washing machine

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

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.

4. What does the underlined word "essential"mean in Chinese?

A. 時髦的
B. 必要的
C. 多余的
D. 昂貴的

5. This article is about the _____ in carrying out the rule-not to use a cellphone in school.

A. happiness
B. interest
C. problem
D. expense (費用)

     Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing?
Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk
about interests both enjoy, such as 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.
     Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on
subjects such as sex and drugs 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.
     No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, "To my mother, my best friend."
     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 a more democratic process that
encourages everyone to have a say.
     "My parents were on the 'before' side of that change, but today's parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the
'after' side," explains Mr. Ballmer. "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."

1. The underlined word "gulf" in Para.3 most probably means _____.

A. interest
B. distance
C. difference
D. separation

2. Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?

A. Parents help their children develop interests in more activities.
B. Parents put more trust in their children's abilities.
C. Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs.
D. Parents share more interests with their children.

3. The change in today's parent-child relationship is _____.

A. more confusion among parents
B. new equality between parents and children
C. less respect for parents from children
D. more strictness and authority on the part of parents

4. By saying "today's parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the 'after' side", the author means that today's
    parents _____.

A. follow the trend of the change
B. can set a limit to the change
C. fail to take the change seriously
D. have little difficulty adjusting to change

5. The purpose of the passage is to _____.

A. describe the difficulties today's parents have met with
B. discuss the development of the parent-child relationship
C. suggested the ways to handle the parent-child relationship
D. compare today's parent-child relationship with that in the past