Combining families with kids can be tough and offers even more unexpected problems. You just don’t know how things will shake out until everyone is under one roof, trying on new roles with name that start with “step”. This is what happened to Sheila and Will, and Sheila’s 8-year-old daughter Ashley. After the couple got married, and Will became the member of the new family, things got worse than expected. How did they make it work? Read the full version of the story here.
Shelia’s Turn: When Shelia and Will were dating, he seemed like kids, especially Ashley. He’d bring her presents, play games with her. But after the wedding, things took a turn. Will suddenly became a super strict stepfather, scolding Ashley for watching too much cartoons, constantly picking fights and punishing her for offenses as small as spilling milk. Shelia’s thought about leaving Will, but soon after they married, they had a son, Billy. Will adores his well-behaved boy, but Ashley hates him. Shelia doesn’t know what to do--- her daughter is miserable, but leaving her husband might mean losing her son.
Will’s turn: Will was so excited to be a male role model in Ashley’s life. He didn’t just want to be a guy living in her house; he wanted to treat her like his own daughter, which, to Will, meant giving Ashley more rules and help her learn responsibility. He’d always felt that Shelia let Ashley loose on everything. But after the wedding, Will was surprised that Shelia didn’t want him to do that. If Will takes away Ashley’s TV privileges or tells her to clean up her room, Shelia just lets Ashley do what she likes and does it herself. Will was tired of this and he’d rather take his son and go.
The advisor’s turn: The counselor(顧問) quickly recognized their conflict as a classic case of unspoken, hidden expectations. Before the wedding, when it was just Shelia and Will, everything was easy. But now, everyone in their big family is competing for attention, and the couple never sat down and discussed the biggest issue---their child-upbringing philosophies(育兒經(jīng)). The counselor suggested Shelia allow Will to give some rules on Ashley but Will’s punishments couldn’t be extreme. Once Ashley saw that her mom and stepdad had become a united front, she cooperated more.
【小題1】The text is most likely to be found in a book about______.

A．popular science	B．historical events
C．social problems	D．political systems

【小題2】The reasons for Ashley’s dislike of Will are as follows except_____?

A．Will often picked fights with Ashley.

B．Ashley often spilled milk on the floor.

C．Will always punished her for bad behaviors.

D．Ashley was stopped watching too many cartoons.

【小題3】What can we know about Will?

A．Will has a good intention.

B．Will does not love children

C．Will does not love Shelia any more

D．Will’s way of parenting is very perfect.

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that the advisor’s attitude to their problem?

A．Negative

B．Objective

C．Critical

D．. Subjective

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa，you probably wish there was a bit more space．You are not alone．Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property，a report reveals today．
Twenty—nine percent say ‘their property is too small to fit the size of their family’—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under．One in four children is ‘forced to share’ a bedroom，according to the Finda Property，com website．Property analyst Samantha Baden said：“Afford ability remains a key issue for families，with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000．”Very few can afford to buy—or to rent—a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in，according to Miss Baden．
A recent report，from investment firm LV，also found that many‘ space—starved parents’ are pushed into a two—bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple，but has no space for three or so children．Grown—up children who cannot afford to leave home are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's ‘big squeeze’．
For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded，parents must have their own bedroom．Children under ten can share, as well as same—sex children between ten and 20．Anyone over 21 also needs their own room．
The report comes as official figures，published yesterday by the Land Registry，revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London．The worst—hit area is the North East，where, average house prices have fallen to below￡100,000 for the first time in seven years. However，they remain unaffordable for millions．
【小題1】According to Paragraph 1，the report reveals          .

A．some families can't afford a bigger property

B．children like to do homework in the kitchen

C．only a few families have housing problem

D．people are satisfied with their living condition

【小題2】What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means            .

A．most families don't have enough money yet

B．no family could afford a three—bedroom home

C．it is common to live in a three—bedroom home

D．the price of a bigger property is still acceptable

【小題3】The report from the investment firm LV shows            .

A．young couples should live in a two—bedroom home

B．families with three or so children couldn't afford a home

C．parents should buy houses for their grown—up children

D．some grown—up children couldn't afford a separate home

【小題4】According to the passage，the right size for a home means           .

A．parents should have a bedroom of their own

B．a(chǎn)nyone over 21 needs to live in their own home

C．children under ten should share parents’ bedroom

D．children under 20 should have their own bedroom

【小題5】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．House prices are falling down everywhere．

B．People are able to buy a home of correct size．

C．The North East is now all area．suitable to live in．

D．The house prices in London has not fallen down．

Kids will often ignore your requests for them to shut off the TV, start their chores (雜事), or do their homework as a way to avoid following your directions. Before you know it, you’ve started to sound like a broken record as you repeatedly ask them to do their assignments, clean their room, or take out the trash. Rather than saying, “Do your chores now,” you’ll be more effective if you set a target time for when the chores have to be completed. So instead of arguing about starting chores, just say, “If chores aren’t done by 4 p. m., here are the consequences.” Then it’s up to your child to complete the chores. Put the ball back in their court. Don’t argue or fight with them, just say, “That’s the way it’s going to be.” It shouldn’t be punitive (懲罰性的) as much as it should be persuasive. “If your chores aren’t done by 4 p. m., then no video game time until chores are done. And if finishing those chores runs into homework time, that’s going to be your loss.” On the other hand, when dealing with homework, keep it very simple. Have a time when homework starts, and at that time, all electronics go off and do not go back on until you see that their homework is done. If your child says they have no homework, then they should use that time to study or read. Either way, there should be a time set aside when the electronics are off.
When a kid wears his iPod or headphones when you’re trying to talk to him, make no bones about it；he is not ignoring you, he is disrespecting you. At that point, everything else should stop until he takes the earplugs out of his ears. Don’t try to communicate with him when he’s wearing headphones—even if he tells you he can hear you. Wearing them while you’re talking to him is a sign of disrespect. Parents should be very tough about this kind of thing. Remember, mutual respect becomes more important as children mature.
【小題1】According to the passage, it seldom happens that________.

A．kids turn a deaf ear to their parents’ requests

B．parents’ directions sound like a broken record

C．children are ready to follow their parents’ directions

D．parents are unaware of what they are repeating to their kids

【小題2】Parents will be able to deal with their child more effectively if they ________.

A．a(chǎn)void direct ways of punishment

B．make him do things at their request

C．a(chǎn)rgue and fight with their child

D．a(chǎn)llow their child to behave in his own way

【小題3】When the kid is doing his homework, parents________.

A．should provide him with a good learning environment

B．can do whatever they like

C．can stay aside watching TV

D．must switch off the power

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．parents should take off their headphones when trying to have a talk with their child

B．it will make no difference that a kid is wearing his earplugs while talking to his parents

C．parents shouldn’t give in to their kid when he shows no sign of respect

D．kids’ purposely talking to their parents with iPod gives them a sense of power and control

【小題5】The main idea of the passage is________.

A．that respecting each other is more important than anything else

B．how kids behave to ignore and disrespect their parents

C．that children should make choices and decisions on their own

D．how parents can deal with their kid’s behavior effectively

Across the planet there are millions of people who engage in some type of meditation, the practice of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace, at least a semi-regular basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, this is part and parcel of their religious practice.
For others, particularly in Western cultures, meditation tends to be a response to stress. With the world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their home, it’s a way for people to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being.
For those interested in taking up the practice, instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in literally thousands of sources.
One of the most popular styles of mediation in the West, with classes offered in most major cities, is called Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark.
Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals. As a general principle, it might be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness that is different to our ordinary state of awareness. They attempt to train people to clear their minds and achieve a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but of the huge number of people experiment with meditation, very few are able to maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due to frustration over the inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects.
This is quite a sad state of affairs, that so few these days are willing or equipped to persist in something that doesn’t provide immediate life-changing results. It reflects a culture in which demands for discipline and sustained effort are considered unnecessary or even unfair. It is no surprise therefore that many people abandon their efforts at meditation before they have a chance to bear fruit.
But for anyone who does decide to take up this worthwhile practice, please remember. You must clear your mind, relax and “take it as it comes”. Maintain the practice with a sense of discipline and devotion, and eventually benefits of inner peace and calm will be yours.
【小題1】The underlined part “part and parcel of” in paragraph 1 is nearest in meaning to ________.

A．closely associated with	B．very different to
C．usually sent from	D．a(chǎn)n important element of

【小題2】The goal of meditation is ________.

A．to clear the mind	B．to practice a religion
C．to develop a technique	D．to carry out an experiment

【小題3】What can we infer about meditation from the passage?

A．It has two main types.

B．It is practiced by many famous artists.

C．Its benefits are not immediately obvious.

D．Most people find it a very good way to relax.

【小題4】According to the writer, what has attracted many Western people to meditation practices in recent years?

A．Their improved understanding of foreign culture.

B．The need to fill in their growing free time.

C．Increasing employment instability.

D．Migration from countries in which meditation is traditional.

【小題5】Who is the probable audience for this article?

A．Experienced meditation practitioners.

B．People interested in starting to learn meditation.

C．Buddhists and Hindus.

D．People who are very religious.

Watching television makes it easier for toddlers（學(xué)走路的孩子）to kick and scream, according to a U.S. study. Children under two should not watch any TV. The longer they sit in front of the box, the worse their behavior becomes.
Just having the TV on in the background, even if the child wasn’t watching it, was also connected to troublemaking behavior although the relationship wasn’t as strong, said the researchers.
“Parents should be smart about TV use,” researcher Jennifer Manganello from the University at Albany, New York, said.
“They should limit the time that children use TV, pay attention to the content of TV programs, and consider how TV is used throughout the home.”
The study looked at 3,128 women from 20 U.S. cities who had a child between 2005 and 2008.
While there was some diversity（差異）of education among the women, one-third hadn’t graduated from high school.
Two-thirds of the mothers said their three-year-old watched more than two hours of TV a day, and the average（平均的）viewing time for children was around three hours. On average, the TV was on for about five additional hours on a common day.
After accounting for factors（因素）such as living in a violent neighborhood, scientists also found watching TV was strongly connected to behavior such as hitting others, having angry moods, being disobedient（不服從的）, and screaming a lot.
The researchers thought that children may see violence on TV, and spend less time on positive development tasks such as reading or playing.
The American Academy of Paediatrics suggests no TV at all for children at two and younger, and two hours a day or less for older kids.
【小題1】what is the main idea of the passage?

A．Children should choose positive programs.

B．Children should keep away from TV.

C．Watching TV can make children violent.

D．Parents should watch less TV.

【小題2】what do we know from Paragraph 2?

A．Children can watch good programs.

B．Children will be affected as long as the TV is on.

C．It’s OK that the TV is on if children don’t watch it.

D．Children’s troublemaking behavior is mainly caused by watching TV.

【小題3】what can be learned about the study between 2005~2008 from the passage?

A．The TV was on for about three hours.

B．The women studied have different jobs.

C．The study included men and women.

D．Most women allowed their child to watch TV.

【小題4】Children who spend much time watching TV will ________.

A．not be hit by others

B．be influenced by others

C．become angry easily

D．know more about the neighborhood

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(發(fā)起) the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市長) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小題1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

【小題2】According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity.

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

【小題3】The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean      .

A．exchanged ideas with each other

B．discussed the meaning of a word

C．gained life experience

D．used the same language

【小題4】According to Nancy, the degree of success of the project is judged by       .

A．the careful selection of a proper book

B．the growing popularity of the writers

C．the number of people who benefit from reading

D．the number of books that each person reads

People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions--and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
"We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions," Jack said. "Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect the mouth."
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Whites and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than Westerners did. "The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions," Jack said. "Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less."
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
【小題1】The discovery shows that Westerners __

A．pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth

B．consider facial expressions universally reliable

C．observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways

D．have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions

【小題2】What were the people asked to do in the study?

A．To make a face at each other.

B．To get their faces impressive.

C．To classify some face pictures.

D．To observe the researchers' faces.

【小題3】What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 6 refer to?

A．The participants in the study.

B．The researchers of the study.

C．The errors made during the study.

D．The data collected from the study.

【小題4】In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to __

A．do translation more successfully

B．study the mouth more frequently

C．examine the eyes more attentively

D．read facial expressions more correctly

【小題5】What can be the best title for the passage?

A．The Eye as the Window to the Soul

B．Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions

C．Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills

D．How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding

The Loss of Innocence（純真）
Innocence is such a precious gift. It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing. Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt-free mind. Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood.
What would the world be like if innocence were never lost? One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred （仇恨） among the world. During youth, there may be an occasional argument, even a little physical fight, but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being. And children are blind towards the racial differences of others. A kid will hang out with any other kid. It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise. Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure. With very little if any time at all for fun, the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults. If innocence were kept alive, these ambitions would never depart from our lives.
However, other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting for ever. They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general. A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn, work, and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive. Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence, people would not have the desire to succeed, get a good job in life, or provide income for their families, which would hurt the lives of children.
The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy. As long as innocence is kept alive, no one would be terribly angry at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace, resulting in a strong decline（減少） in production and quality of needed goods.
Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence. It sure is a nice thought, though. Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost. It was god's will to make things the way they are, and there is a good purpose for everything. All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts.
【小題1】The author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be______.

A．a(chǎn)voided

B．criticized

C．a(chǎn)ccepted

D．encouraged

【小題2】Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that__________.

A．proper education would be provided

B．there would be no racial discrimination

C．there would be more happy families

D．people would realize their childhood dreams

【小題3】 According to the author, people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of____ .

A．motivational will

B．mental ability

C．a(chǎn)dventurous ambitions

D．needed goods

【小題4】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

CP：Central Point           P：Point            Sp:（次要點(diǎn)）C：Conclusion

For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub. Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved. Many of them have become historic sites. The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called “The Old Trip to Jerusalem”, which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society. On a cold night, the pub’s landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire. There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drink available at an affordable price.
That’s how things used to be. Things are beginning to change. It is said that the credit crunch(信貸緊縮) is causing 39 British pubs a week to go out of business. People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer. Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 1l pm. Previously, with 1l pm as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly. The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as “binge drinking”, and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market. British pubs now offer something for everyone. A lot of pubs used to be “Working Men's Clubs”, meaning that women could not usually enter. Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems. Perhaps things are changing for the better after all.
【小題1】The passage mainly tells us something about ______.

A．the past and present of British pubs

B．the decline of British pubs

C．the long history of British pubs

D．the importance of British pubs

【小題2】Which may not be the cause of the decline of British pubs?

A．The credit crunch.

B．The present closing time.

C．The ban of smoking.

D．Having no spare money.

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that ______.      

A．British people used to like drinking slowly

B．closing the pubs early will reduce social problems

C．binge drinking means drinking less beer

D．British government aims to discourage people from binge drinking

【小題4】We can see from the last paragraph that the author _______.

A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs

B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the British pubs

C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems

D．thinks that British pubs should offer everything you need

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 headmaster 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 attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside 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 in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it at high volume. It’s hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
【小題1】The main idea about “l(fā)atchkey children” is that they _______.

A．a(chǎn)re growing in numbers

B．a(chǎn)re also found in middle-class neighborhoods

C．watch too much television during the day

D．suffer problems from being left alone

【小題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．I was constantly telling them to put inside their shirts.

D．They were house keys.

【小題3】The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is _______.

A．tiredness

B．freedom

C．loneliness

D．fear

【小題4】We may draw a conclusion that _______.

A．latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone

B．latchkey children try to hide their feeling

C．latchkey children often watch TV with their parents

D．it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are