Each year, millions of people go abroad to work, study, or travel. It's a great way to find out what life is
like in another part of the world! You're probably hoping to make new friends and learn about the culture in
your host country everything from attitudes and beliefs to social customs and popular foods. But constantly
having to deal with new situations can be frustrating (挫折), even stressful.
     Homesickness, stress, fear, and confusion are all symptoms of "culture shock". At first, you may feel like
getting on the plane and heading home. It's OK to have those feelings,but the following are some tips to help
you handle the challenges that you will face.
     Don't expect to be perfect. You may feel frustrated that you have culture shock, especially since you
probably spent so much time preparing for your trip. No matter how much information you read, or how
well you speak the host language, it is natural to feel over-whelmed sometimes. If you give yourself some
time, things will gradually get easier.
     Have an open mind. While it's certainly OK to feel frustration or confusion in your new surroundings,
try not to form an opinion about the new culture too soon. Don't think of the host as better or worse, just
different-you'll be more willing to try new things.
     Participate. This is obvious, but everybody needs to be reminded. Just watching life go on around you
isn't good enough. You really need to try things for yourself. Don't worry about making a mistake; people
in your host country will generally be very understanding and willing to help if you have question. Your
study abroad experience is fl unique and special time in your life,one that you'll never forget. If you follow
our suggestions, you'll be able to handle it well, and have a wonderful time. Good luck!

1. What is culture shock?

A. Something you feel surprised at.
B. The problems you have when you go to another country.
C. The frightening feelings you have.
D. Something different from your own culture.

2. What should you do when you feel depressed?

A. Go back to your own homeland.
B. Talk to someone about your problem.
C. Give yourself some time to get used to it.
D. Stop thinking of it.

3. Which of the following statements is WRONG?

A. It is natural to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
B. Not everything is perfect.
C. Try to form the opinion about the new culture as soon as possible.
D. Tell others about your problems.

4. What is the main idea of this article? 

A. How to overcome culture shock.
B. Why do people have culture shock.
C. Who might have culture shock.
D. When will you have culture shock.

     For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear
winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries:
Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
    Both sides want peace,  but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because
neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it .From the parents' point of view, the only cause
of their fight is their adolescents' complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly
the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.
    In this article, I'll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents
and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things.
Examples include the color of the teen's hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of
clothing ,the child's failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on
the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad
attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn' t matter whether
the topic is politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg ;the point of these arguments
is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong for both wish to be considered an
authority-someone who actually knows something-and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as
long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they'll continue to fight
these battles forever and never make any real progress.

1.Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

A. Both can continue for generations.    
B. Both are about where to draw the line. 
C. Neither has any clear winner.        
D. Neither can be put to an end.

2. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.
B. The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict.
C. The teens cause their parents of misleading them.
D. The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents.

3. Parents and teens want to be right because they want to_________.

A. give orders to the other            
B. know more than the other
C. gain respect from the other          
D. get the other to behave properly

4. what will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A. Causes for the parent-teen conflicts.
B. Examples of the parent-teen war
C. Solutions for the parent-teen problems.
D. Future of the parent-teen relationship.

     Many American women are earning money outside their homes today. Among women who are eighteen
to sixty-four years old, more than fifty per cent have jobs.
     In general, working women have had more education then those who stay at home. Of those who work,
thirty-two per cent have attended college, compared with twenty per cent of those who do not have jobs.
     Among women with jobs, eight out of ten drive a car to work, and eight per cent took a vacation a way
from home during the past year. Much of their traveling was by air.
     These figures come from a report which was written for advertisers. The report gives advertisers a new
picture of women today. For instance, it tells advertisers that fifty-one per cent of all American women have
traveled by air-along with fifty-nine per cent of all American men.
     The lesson for American business is that many women now have other interests in addition to their homes.
They like advertisements which show women in office, planes, and cars.

1. The chief purpose of this selection is _____.

A. to argue that women are superior to men
B. to convince women that they should spend more time at home
C. to convince women that they should spend more time at work
D. to supply information which might be useful

2. The writer's personal opinion of American women _____.

A. is very favorable
B. is unfavorable
C. is not stated in this selection
D. is approving (支持的)

3. The selection offers the least practical (實(shí)用的) help to _____.

A. personnel managers, who hire new employees
B. advertising agencies responsible for encouraging people to buy
C. travel agencies D. accountants (會計師)

4. All the statements are true except _____.

A. More than 50% of women ages 18 to 64 have jobs.
B. 18% of working women took a vacation away from home last year.
C. 32% of working women have college education.
D. 80% of working women drive a car to work.

1. Who will be most likely to use the foot-controlled mouse?

A. Those who are lazy.  
B. Those who are left-handed.
C. Those who have disability in hands.  
D. Those who are poor in study.

2. According to the passage we can infer the dirty water filter _____________.  

A. has been on the market
B. is popular with young people
C. is only designed for the people in the earthquake
D. can be useful when some kinds of natural disasters happen

3. Tranfus can't be on the market soon because ______________.

A. there are no companies showing interest in it
B. there are no companies offering to invest in it
C. it is only a crazy idea and has no scientific theory to support it
D. it is too small to be a car and too big to be a luggage carrier

1. In which way do most Chinese children seem to be spoiled?

A. They can be supported by their parents
B. They can play whenever they want
C. They need not behave themselves
D. Their demand can always be satisfied

2. In the author's opinion, the life of a Chinese child is         .

A. rather hard                    
B. rather easy        
C. independent                    
D. colorful

3. The author thinks western children appear spoiled because         .

A. they can manage time by themselves  
B. they can have the freedom to play
C. they can take piano lessons          
D. they may have expensive toys

4. The best title of the passage could be         .

A. Chinese children's early education  
B. How to develop kids' imagination
C. What is the real love for children    
D. The imagination and creativity

     Even with hit shows such as "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," ABC is tightening its
belt as it weathers the U.S. economic downturn and tries to remain relevant in an industry challenged by
digital entertainment.
     "We are in one of worst economies in 70 years. We are looking at everything we can possibly do to
be more efficient and more effective," ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson told reporters on
Friday.
     "We have to look at everything across the board from cost cutting to (using) other platforms for
smart ways to broker our efforts. It is an ongoing process. It is not a one time thing."
     McPherson, attending the networks' semi-annual presentation to critics, said last year's five month
strike by Hollywood screenwriters had "really hurt everybody" in the traditional television industry, and
he acknowledged the networks had lost viewers to other forms of entertainment.
     "The world has changed under these businesses and we need to be incredibly diligent and confident
in what we do, otherwise we will be left by the wayside." he said. "Tomorrow is here, now, and we really
need to figure it out now and move forward."
     ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co, has lost about 9.7 percent of its prime time audience in the 2008-9
season compared with the same stage last year.
     With the exception of current ratings leader CBS, the other two major U.S. networks Fox and NBC
have also lost similar percentages since the 2008-9 season started last September.
     McPherson said he hoped ABC would continue to "take chances" on shows such as "Lost" and
"Dancing with the Stars" that were seen as daring when they were shown for the first time. But recent
new entries, such as "Pushing Daisies," "Eli Stone" and "Dirty Sexy Money," failed to resonate with
viewers and were canceled.
     Despite the growing trend of watching television on iPods, on the Internet and on mobile phones,
McPherson said ABC's main focus remained on broadcast.
     "We are still a broadcast network and that is where our profits come from. The other platforms are
important. But people ask "Would we do a show that would be successful on the Internet as opposed
to on broadcast? ... and those are always secondary thoughts," he added.  

1. The main idea of the passage is about__________.

A. the strike of Hollywood screenwriters
B. the decline of ABC's prime time audience
C. ABC's feeling economic, digital pressure 
D. ABC's main focus on broadcast

2. The 3rd paragraph suggests to us that__________.

A. cutting cost is the best way to recover from economic downturn
B. the economic situation is so serious that it will last long
C. using other smart way can develop the ongoing process
D. sparing no effort can complete the ongoing process

3 .McPherson's attitude towards ABC's future is full of__________.

A. doubt  
B. confidence  
C. worry  
D. hope

     Everyone's at it, even my neighbors. I thought I might be the only person left in the world who hadn't
done an eBay deal. So I decided to try my hand at online auction (網(wǎng)上拍賣).
     Buying for beginners: Sign up on www.eBay.co.uk. Most items (e.g. tables, computers, and books)
ready for auction will come with a picture and a short description; others may be marked with "Buy It
Now" and have a fixed price. You can buy these right away.
     If the item is being auctioned, you offer the highest price you are prepared to pay and eBay bids(出
價)for you .The bid will be increased little by little until it goes beyond your highest bid, then you are
emailed and asked if you would like to bid again. Auctions last up to 10 days, and when they finish you
get an e-mail telling you whether you have won the item.
     How to pay: Sellers decide how they would like to be paid and you need to check this before placing
a bid as you might not want to post a cheque or postal orders. The easiest way is through PayPal, an
online payment system that takes the money away from your credit card(信用卡).
     Selling made simple: If you plan to sell on eBay, it helps to include a picture of the item. I followed my
friends' advice and put up the items I wanted to sell for a 10-day auction, starting on a Thursday. This
way buyers had two weekends to bid.
     The big things in life: It's easy to post a small item, but furniture is a big part of eBay and this has to be
collected or sent by deliverymen. Check the ways of delivery before you bid.

1. What is the passage mainly about?        

A. How to make payment online.
B. Ways of making delivery online.
C. How to use an online-auction system.
D. Advantages of an online auction system.

2. After bidding for an item, a buyer_________.

A. can't buy other items any more
B. should make payment immediately
C. must give your credit card to the seller
D. has chances to make higher bids

3. You should           if the item is being auctioned.

A. make loud noises
B. offer the highest price you are ready to pay
C. ask the other people's price
D. get the others not to bid

4. The easiest way of making payment mentioned in the passage is________.

A. through a local bank system
B. through an online payment system
C. by sending the money to the seller
D. by paying the delivery man directly

     Faced with a life-changing tragedy, it would be easy for Martha Clements to focus on the negative.
But that's not her way. Five years after losing her vision, Clements is back doing what she loves.
     "It is long, Kathy," Clements says, running her hands down the length of her client's hair. Kathy Braga
is letting it grow. It now hangs below her shoulders and down her back, and all she wants is a trim(修剪), so she asks Clements to show her how much an inch would be. Clements pulls a ruler from a drawer and
holds it up to Braga's hair in front near her face. "Right here. An inch will be right here at your chin."
     Clements was in this career for about 10 years before losing her vision. Now, when she begins cutting,
it's easy to forget that Clements is completely blind. She carefully compares the length of each strand of
hair. Though confident of her sense of touch, she at times asks her client to be her eyes and check her
work.
     After a careful inspection, Braga gives her approval. And after Clements blows her hair dry, she
remarks, "You made me younger. I love it."
     Clements had been doing Braga's hair for years before she became blind. Braga is proud to say she
was Clements' first customer after she lost her vision.
     "She sat me in the kitchen. It was dark, and she said ,' Are you ready?' I said, 'I'm ready.' And that is
when she took this thing, and she said, ' Look and see if there is hair on the ground,' and I said ,' Yes,
there is .' And she said, 'Okay, I have the right end of the thing."
     Clements was 42 years old when she suffered a pulmonary embolism (肺栓塞) that cost her sight.
"I was dead for 20 minutes first and then half an hour, and the lack of oxygen killed my optical(視覺的)
nerve." The last thing Clements remembered that day was the ambulance coming to get her. "I couldn't
breathe.   The next thing I remembered was waking up three days later, blind, in the hospital."
     Her ribs(肋骨)had been broken, when they treated her. Her shoulder was dislocated. She had to
undergo nine months of physical treatment.
     "It was the hardest time in my life," she says. "Everything changed in my life: distance, smell, and
sound. My kids didn't sound the same. My husband didn't sound the same too. I didn't know my home.
It took me three months to find the coffee table."
     Once a month, a teacher from the Virginia Center for the Blind came to her home in Woodbridge,
about 40 kilometers from Washington. But Clements was eager to learn more. So in 2008, she left her
husband and sons, to go to the Virginia School for the Blind in Richmond for a nine-month program. "My
plan was to be able to do for my family again, to do what I like to do, cook, clean, make phone calls."
     She learned basic skills like how to walk with a cane, how to listen and how to eat different foods.
There were classes in Braille, computer skills and using different gadgets designed for the blind.
Graduates of the program are expected to leave with not only life skills, but a marketable skill as well.
     "My teacher asked me why I wouldn't do hair. I said, ' Hello. Blind. No, no, no.' I was scared  to
think I could even do it."
     But gradually, Clements gained confidence and by the time she graduated, had styled 100 heads of
hair at the school. "People from headquarters came, people from the library, students, secretaries,
teachers, and friends came. Everybody came and let me do their hair," Clements says.
     Three days a week she leaves home to volunteer at the House of Mercy, a Catholic service
organization that provides clothing, food and other support to the poor.
     Kellie Ross, executive director of the House of Mercy, remembered when Clements first showed up
with her friend, Kathy Braga, to offer her help.
     At first, she had no idea Clements was blind. "As she started to walk I realized she couldn't see, "
Ross recalls. "She could have taken that tragic experience of losing her sight and gone inward, but
instead she used that experience to help other people who are suffering."
     Clements says she feels blessed to day, five years after her brush with death. "I thank the Lord every
day for my blindness, because I'm alive," she says. "I could have been dead. I'm alive. I'm healthy, and
that is what matters."

1. What was Clements before she lost her sight?

A. A teacher.
B. A hairstylist.
C. An engineer.
D. A volunteer.

2. To judge the length of the hair of her clients, Clements mainly depends on _______.

A. some handy tools
B. their detailed descriptions
C. her sense of touch
D. Kathy Braga's guidance

3. What can we learn about Kathy Braga?

A. She used to be a regular client of Clements.
B. She follows Clements to do volunteering work every week.
C. She was the first to encourage Clements to try hairstyling.
D. She always pretends to be satisfied with Clements' skill.

4. When she lost her sight, Clements found that _________.

A. her family became hopeless and discouraged
B. her other senses had also been affected
C. her kids and husband began to treat her differently
D. she lost interest in speaking to her family members

5. What would be the best title of the passage?

A. Brave woman expresses her gratitude for life.
B. After going blind, hairstylist returns to work.
C. Programs for the blind give them new hope for life.
D. Blind hairstylist finds pleasure in volunteering work.