You say you’re old enough to stay out late on weekends while they say you have to be home early. You say you want to see that new film while they say you can’t see it. You say you’ve met some nice kids and you’d like to go out with them, but they say they’d like to see your friends first.

When you’re a teenager, it seems that every time you say “I want to”, they will certainly answer “No, you can’t.” Also, no part of your life is safe from the “prying eyes” of your parents. 15-year-old Debbie says, “My dad always wants to know where I am, what time I’m going to be home. Most parents do that. Do they have to know everything?  62 ”

 63  When something goes wrong, most parents just don’t believe in their children. Without asking why, they think their kids are wrong. And not many parents would allow their kids to choose for themselves.

 64  But remember that not too long ago you were really a child. Your parents still remember the childish mistakes you used to make. They want to protect you though you do not want them to do so. And when something seems to threaten your well-being, they worry.

So, if you want to get more freedom, please try to understand your parents and do not just lie.  65  If you want them to allow you to stay out late, don’t just say, “All the other kids can stay out late. ” Tell them as much as you can about what you want to do and where you’ll be and why it’s important for you to stay out later ..., they might just say yes.

A. Yes, it is true that your parents sometimes treat you like a small child.

B. No one likes being troubled.

C. They should give us more freedom.

D. Try a more friendly way.

E. Young people further complain that their parents do not respect them.

Almost no young people today know who the cartoon character Oswald the Rabbit is, but they certainly recognize his successor, Bugs Bunny. Oswald, Bugs, and hundreds of other characters were created by Walt Disney, perhaps the most famous cartoonist in history.

Born in Chicago in 1901, Walt Disney always wanted to be an artist. After returning from World War I, in which he drove an ambulance, Disney worked as a commercial artist. He enjoyed drawing cartoons more than anything else, and decided to try his hand at a technology that was new at the time, moving pictures.

In the 1920’s, he produced several films where he made cartoon characters move as if by magic. The technique Disney used was painstaking. He made hundreds or even thousands of repeated drawings of the same character. In each drawing, the character was changed just a bit. A film was taken of the series of drawings, and when it was shown, the characters appeared to move. The process, called animation, is still used today, although computers have made the process much easier.

In 1928, Disney created his most famous character, Mortimer Mouse, who we know today as Mickey. The mouse starred in a cartoon called Steamboat Willie, which was unusual because it involved the use of a sound track. Within the next few years, Disney invented many of his other characters.

The list of Disney’s animation successes is long and memorable. It includes Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. Perhaps his most remarkable animated film is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Created in 1937, it was an immediate success. Today, more than fifty years later, it is still one of the most popular films for children.

56. What is one of the chief differences between animation today and in Walt Disney’s early years?

A. More people like animated movies.    B. Fewer people like animated movies.

C. Computers have made the job easier. D. Computers have made the job harder.

57. Which of these words best describes Walt Disney?

A. Creative.     B. Athletic.                     C. Exciting.                    D. Quiet.

58. What makes the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so remarkable?

A. It was a little success when created.

B. It took more than a year to make it.

C. It was made at a time when there were no computers.

D. It has remained popular for more than fifty years.

59. The author of this passage would probably agree that ______.

A. Oswald the Rabbit is well-known today

B. Walt Disney is a remarkable person

C. animation is an easy technique

D. cartoons move by magic

60. What does the underlined word “painstaking” (in Paragraph 3) probably mean?

A. Something that hurts because it involves hard work.

B. Taking a long time and involving much hard work.

C. Requiring a lot of effort, like running a marathon.

D. Requiring many fine tools, such as pens and pencils.

61. The secret of animation is to _______.

A. make drawings that are exactly the same, then film them

B. choose names for characters that make people remember them

C. combine music, voices, and sound effects with pictures

D. make a film of many drawings that change just a little

Sumo wrestlers (相撲選手) are usually big, heavy men. The biggest sumo wrestler of all the time is Koni-shiki, who now  36  about 230 kg. Born in Hawaii, he was  37  a big boy. When he was a teenager, some people  38  he go to Japan and become a sumo wrestler.

Although he took their advice, at first it was a  39  life. “I had to clean the toilets and  40  the rubbish (垃圾),” Konishiki remembered, “I knew I had to  41  to life in Japan. I said to myself, ‘I  42  learn Japanese.’ Soon I could  43  it quite well.”

Konishiki’s career started  44 , and he was soon upgraded to a higher rank. But despite his  45  he soon had health problems. The doctors told him that he should  46  some weight. “I started dieting. I  47  to do it. But I did it too  48 ,” he said, “I lost some of my strength, too.”

He lost a lot of fights, and then his parents got  49  in a car crash. “I must go and  50  them,” he thought. Though it was only three days  51  a big tournament (錦標(biāo)賽), he flew back to Hawaii. Despite his  52  , they were not badly injured.

When he returned, he knew that he had to do well. The newspapers said, “Konishiki must win,  53  he will go down in rank.”

Though he had many problems, Konishiki won 14 of his 15 fights, and won the Emperor’s Cup. He was so  54  that he cried. “You ought not to show your feelings,” he said, “but I couldn’t  55  it.”

The person in charge of the meeting asked the people present to sit ______ together and listen _______.

A. closely; close                           B. close; closely  

C. close; close                             D. closely; closely

How about the two of us ______ to the newly-opened theme park in our city this afternoon？ 

A. going               B. to go         C. go                    D. will go

I stood in the middle of the room, staring at the toys, and in my imagination, the toys _________.

A. got close to life                       B. brought back to life  

C. came to life                            D. were close to life

A new amusement park in our city has opened with ______ computer techniques.

A. up-to-date                                      B. man-made        

C. near-sighted                                   D. peace-loving