Winners Club
You choose to be a winner！
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account（交易賬戶）where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7—that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers：
No account keeping fees！
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transacting fees!
Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits（儲(chǔ)蓄）without talking them out in a month.
Convenient
Teenagers are busy—we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet. You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key-card) but it is easy. We can’t wait to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!
【小題1】 The Winners Club is a bank account intended for _________.

A．parents

B．teenagers

C．winners

D．a(chǎn)dults

【小題2】The Winners Club provides magazines which ________.

A．encourage spending

B．a(chǎn)re free to all teenagers

C．a(chǎn)re full of adventure stories

D．help to make more of your money

【小題3】If you want to be a member of the Club, you must _________.

A．be an Internet user	B．be permitted by your parent
C．has a big sum of money	D．be in your twenties

【小題4】What is the purpose of this text?

A．To set up a club.	B．To provide part-time jobs.
C．To organize key-cards.	D．To introduce a new banking service.

When something goes wrong, it can be very satisfying to say, “Well, it’s so-and-so’s fault.” or “I know I’m late, but it’s not my fault; the car broke down.” It is probably not your fault, but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation, you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However, you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to remedy the situation. This is the winner’s key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don’t rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
Being a winner is all about creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don’t have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on “whose fault it is.” Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stones for success.
【小題1】According to the passage, winners        .

A．deal with problems rather than blame others

B．meet with fewer difficulties in their lives

C．have responsible and able colleagues

D．blame themselves rather than others

【小題2】The underlined word remedy in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to        .

A．a(chǎn)void

B．a(chǎn)ccept

C．improve

D．consider

【小題3】When your colleague brings about a problem, you should        .

A．blame him for his lack of responsibility

B．find a better way to handle the problem

C．tell him to find the cause of the problem

D．a(chǎn)sk a more able colleague for help

【小題4】When problems occur, winners take them as        .

A．excuses for their failures

B．barriers to greater power

C．challenges to their colleagues

D．chances for self-development

【小題5】Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．A Winner’s Secret	B．A Winner’s Problem
C．A Winner’s Opportunity	D．A Winner’s Achievement

Aggressive pedestrians are in fact as dangerous as careless drivers. They cause traffic accidents, injury and death. These dangerous walkers can be seen in any big city all over the world. About 69% of last year’s pedestrian deaths in the US occurred in urban areas. They cross streets ignoring “DON’T WALK” signals, suddenly appear without warning from behind parked vehicles, walk slowly at crossroads with cell phones attached to heads, blocking traffic.
These pedestrians and drivers share a common disregard for the rules of the road, both for selfish reasons. The drivers believe in the power of their machines. If their machines can go faster, they believe they have the right to go faster. If their machines are bigger, they believe they have the right to push smaller vehicles aside. Aggressive pedestrians, on the other hand, believe in the primacy(首位) of the individual, the idea that they are first in any environment, under any circumstances, even when they are on foot in a roaring tide of steel and rubber.
Last year, an estimated 5,220 pedestrians died in traffic accidents. Some 69,000 pedestrians were injured. On average, that worked out to one pedestrian killed in a traffic crash every 101 minutes, and one injured every eight minutes.
The good news is that the accident rate is dropping. For example, the number of pedestrians killed last year was 24 percent less than the number killed in traffic accidents a decade earlier. The bad news is that the basic causes of pedestrian deaths remain pretty much the same----disregard for traffic signals, inattention and crossing roads under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Alcohol, in fact, was involved in 46 percent of the traffic accidents that resulted in pedestrian deaths. Of those, 31 percent of the pedestrians were found to be drunk.
The bottom line is that the pedestrians must do more to protect their lives as well as the lives of other road users. They can start by obeying traffic signals, using marked cross-walks and calling a cab when they’ve had too much to drink.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about _____.

A．what the traffic rules of the road about pedestrians were

B．why so many Americans were killed on roads last year

C．how aggressive pedestrians cause traffic accidents

D．who are to blame for pedestrian deaths, drunk drivers or the aggressive pedestrians

【小題2】What is the pedestrians’ selfish reason for traffic jams?

A．They believe individuals are always first.

B．They know all drivers are skilled and with great care.

C．They think traffic rules have nothing to do with them.

D．They guess all vehicles will slow down at crossroads.

【小題3】What was NOT the basic cause of pedestrian deaths in the US a decade ago?

A．Disregard for traffic signals

B．Paying no attention to surroundings.

C．Overspeeding driving.

D．Crossing roads drunk.

【小題4】What word can best describe the author’s attitude to the traffic accidents caused by pedestrians?

A．Excited.

B．Cold.

C．Unconnected.

D．Concerned

Fans of US television dramas watch their favorite series for different reasons: some want to improve their English skills, others just want to kill time.
Some TV series are more than pure entertainment―they have a certain depth. Mad Men, which returned with a sixth season recently; Monday Mornings, which just finished its first season; and Modern Family, which sweeps the awards every year, are just a few examples.
Why do these shows stand out among so many similar ones? TV critics Raymond Zhou will give you an idea of why some shows are better than others.
Period drama—More than time travel
Period dramas are intended to capture the ambience (氣氛) of a particular era. Directors must therefore attract audiences as much by their recreation of a historical setting as by an interesting storyline.www.zxxk.com
Mad Men is an excellent example of this balance being struck. Set in New York during the 1960s, it accurately shows US attitudes in the workplace through the alcoholism and chain-smoking common of the time, and places an absorbing plot right in its center.
But rather than merely presenting a past decade, Mad Men’s subtle (微妙的) description of the struggles of white-collar workers at the time, both male and female, makes it stand out.
“The series’ attention to detail is superb,” Raymond Zhou said. “For example, creator Matthew Weiner makes Don Draper―the leading role of the series―drive a Buick instead of a Cadillac, because Weiner thinks the ad man lacks the self-pride to buy a luxury car. It’s this kind of attentiveness that raises the show’s artistic value.”
Critics also recommend
Another period drama that works is Broadwalk Empire, set during the prohibition period of the 1920s and 1930s in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Heather Havrilesky at Salon magazine noted how the show “revels in the oddities(怪事) of its time, peeling back the layers of polite society to reveal a shadow world of criminals and politicians working together to keep the liquor flowing.”www.zxxk.com
Why does it appeal to viewers? Because they know that the “l(fā)iquor” is a metaphor (暗喻) for today’s political scandals (丑聞).www.zxxk.com
【小題1】 How many US TV series are mentioned in this passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

【小題2】 The following statements are the reasons why many people are attracted by US television dramas EXCEPT that __________.

A．US television dramas merely present a past decade

B．directors recreate a historical setting and adopt interesting storylines

C．the dramas can improve their English skills, and help people kill time

D．some TV series are more than pure entertainment, and they have a certain depth

【小題3】 According to Raymond Zhou, Don Draper’s driving a Buick instead of a Cadillac shows __________.

A．Mad Men attaches much importance to details

B．Mad Men places an absorbing plot right in its center

C．the director wants to raise the show’s artistic value

D．Mad Men’s description of the struggling white-collar workers makes it stand out

【小題4】 What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Directors of US dramas.	B．US dramas and their storylines.
C．US period dramas to kill time.	D．US dramas and their magic touch.

Earlier this year I traveled to Turkana in Kenya. I was there to take pictures of the “broken food system”.
As a special visitor, I was greeted with songs and dances. The locals used to sing and dance all the time but now Turkana is silent and has been for some years. No one is singing or dancing any more because they have no food, nothing to celebrate. Many of them are surviving on a little corn a day and water, which they can get just every two days.
I met Tede Lokapelo, a local farmer who described the experience of a six-year drought(干旱). Tede used to have 200 goats, but now he has only seven left. He told me that this drought has taught him a hard lesson: It is too difficult to keep animals. He lives on animals. His traditional way of life has been completely destroyed now. Without the food aid(援助) they got, Tede is certain that they would starve because there are no other ways to feed themselves left.
Sadly, the same can be heard in almost any developing country around the world. Almost one billion people go to bed hungry each night. The food system is broken. In Turkana, not enough rain has fallen since 2005. They measure(測(cè)量) rainfall not in days or weeks but in minutes. More and more people are being forced to rely on food aid, but people like Tede don’t want food aid. They want to work and develop their country. It’s our responsibility(責(zé)任) to change the situation so that they can support themselves.
Drought is impossible to avoid but famine(饑荒) is manmade, and unless enough money is provided to develop a basic infrastructure(基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施) for people in the area, thousands more lives are sure to be lost.
【小題1】 Why do people in Turkana no longer sing or dance any more?

A．Because they have no time.

B．Because they are tired of them.

C．Because they are always hungry.

D．Because they have other interesting things to do.

【小題2】During the drought Tede had experienced, ______of his goats were killed.

A．200

B．193

C．7

D．6

【小題3】 Which of the following is NOT true about Tede Lokapelo?

A．He was a farmer in Kenya.

B．He has never received any food aid.

C．His traditional way of life ha s been changed.

D．He found it hard to raise animals after the drought.

【小題4】What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show drought is serious in the world.

B．To tell readers the serious situation of food shortage(短缺).

C．To ask more people to give food aid to people in Kenya.

D．To make it clear what is the right way to help people suffering from drought.

Friendships can be difficult — because often people aren't as honest and open as they should be. Sometimes, people finally get hurt.
Most problems with friendships come up because people are just too selfish to care about the things that their friends need. They care about their own needs much more, which makes it hard for friendships to work. However, being selfish is part of human nature. A person is put together in order to take care of themselves and their own needs, not necessarily those needs of other people. Even though being selfish is something that all humans are born with, it is something that everyone should be against.
The best thing to remember when you are a friend to anyone is that you need to treat your friends the same way that you'd like to be treated(對(duì)待). This is wonderful advice for a friendship, because it is really the only way to make sure that you are giving your friends everything you would want to be given in a friendship. Whenever you have a question about how you should treat a friend, it is easy to find an answer simply by asking yourself what you would like your friend to do for you, if he or she was in your shoes.
Even if you're always thinking about how you'd like to be treated, and your friends are too, there are problems that come up from time to time in each friendship, and it is important to understand how to deal with these problems so that you can build stronger and healthier friendships. Problems like friends getting boyfriends or girlfriends and not spending enough time with their friends, or even friends finding new friends and leaving old friends behind are problems that will probably come up with one or more of your friendships. It is important to know how to deal with these friend problems so that you can keep your friends and make new ones. No one wants to have a broken friendship.
【小題1】This passage mainly talks about ________.

A．the importance of friendship

B．the advantages(益處) of friendship

C．the problems of friendship

D．the disadvantages(劣勢(shì)) of friendship

【小題2】According to the writer, problems with friendship may appear when ________.

A．one is honest

B．one is selfish

C．one is open

D．one is kind

【小題3】According to the passage, the first and most important thing to be other people's friend is ________.

A．to treat your friend as you like to be

B．to give your friends whatever you have

C．not to hurt your friends' feelings

D．not to think of your own need any more

【小題4】What's the purpose of understanding how to deal with friendship problems?

A．To have a comfortable life.

B．To build stronger and healthier friendships.

C．To be treated the way you want.

D．To get a boyfriend or girlfriend more quickly.

Your youngest son or daughter has just graduated from high school, and soon he or she will trade his or her bedroom in your home for a college residence hall. You’re starting to worry about the coming silence in your home and are wondering how you will fill the hours that you previously spent with your son or daughter attending his or her school and sporting events.
Take heart — the empty nest “is often worse in anticipation (預(yù)料) than in day-to-day practice”, says psychologist Bert Hayslip Jr.
Hayslip, who has studied retirement adjustment (調(diào)整) and other aging problems, such as aging sleeplessness, for many years, points out that, more often than not, children who leave do not completely cut off contact with their parents. He advises parents to think of it as a series of life events, instead of a sudden change. He also says an empty nest can cause bigger problems to surface “if a couple hasn’t looked after their marriage while raising their children”. According to Hayslip, some couples may find they no longer have anything in common once the children are out of the house.
Thinking of an empty nest as the loss of children makes the adjustment more difficult. “With the empty-nest syndrome (綜合癥), parents actually need to deal with the loss of the parenting control over children, not with having really lost their children,” Hayslip says. “They just have to find a new way to get along with their children.”
“Relating to their college-age children in this new way will come easily to parents as the months pass. As with many things, the passage of time heals the pain of loss,” Hayslip says.
【小題1】What does the “empty nest” mean?

A．Children’s cutting off contact with their parents.

B．Children’s not liking spending time with their parents.

C．Children’s growing up and leaving home.

D．Children’s not accepting parents’ care and love.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refer to?

A．Retirement adjustment.	B．Aging problem.
C．Sleeplessness.	D．The reality of empty nest.

【小題3】Why do many parents find it hard to adjust to the empty-nest life？

A．Because they think they have actually lost their children.

B．Because they often disagree with their children on many things.

C．Because their children completely cut off contact with them.

D．Because these parents don’t have anything in common.

【小題4】According to Hayslip, what parents actually lose in an “empty nest” is _______.

A．their children’s love for them

B．their control over children

C．their interest in life

D．their contact with children

Newspapers in Great Britain vary greatly in their ways of carrying the news. There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad. There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment to information.
The London newspaper that is best known outside Great Britain is probably the Times. It began in 1785, and is well accepted for believable news and serious opinions on the news. It calls itself an independent paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party. Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper.
Letters to the editor are printed in the newspaper. These parts of the Times are always interesting. Most of the letters are serious subjects. But from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion of dress, or the bad manners of the young people, compared with manners of thirty years ago.
【小題1】 If you want to get pleasure, please buy yourself         .

A．a(chǎn) serious newspaper	B．foreign newspaper
C．a(chǎn)ny independent paper	D．a(chǎn) popular newspaper

【小題2】The Times is an independent paper because        .

A．it supports no political parties zxxk

B．it is not controlled by the British Government

C．it gives special support to all the political parties.

D．the editor’s opinions are not examined by the owners of the paper

【小題3】 The underlined word “vary” in the passage probably means “       ”.

A．improve	B．compete with each other
C．a(chǎn)re different	D．keep in touch with each other

Everyone wants to have a healthy heart. Still, heart diseases affect more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States. The good news is that some simple, everyday habits can make a big difference in your ability to live a healthy lifestyle. Here are some worst habits for your heart, and how to avoid them.
Watching TV
Sitting for hours on end increases your risk of heart attack and stroke(中風(fēng)),“some exercise doesn’t make up for the time you sit,”says Harmony R. Reynolds, Why? The lack of movement may affect blood levels of fats and sugars. Dr. Reynolds advises walking around regularly and, if you’re at work, standing up to talk on the phone.
Leaving hostility and depression unchecked
Are you feeling stressed or sad? It can do harm to your heart. While everyone feels this way some of the time, how you handle these emotions can affect your heart health.“Those with stress are in greater danger; research has shown a benefit to laughter and social support,” Dr. Reynolds says. “And it’s helpful to be able to go to someone and talk about your problems.”
Cutting off from the world
It's no secret that on some days, other human beings can seem annoying and too difficult to get along with.
However, it makes sense to strengthen your connections to the ones you actually like. People with stronger connections to family, friends, and society in general tend to live longer, healthier lives.
Everyone needs alone time, but you should still reach out to others and keep in touch whenever you can.
Drinking (too much) alcohol
Sure, studies suggest a small amount of alcohol may be good for your heart. However, too many of us drink over. Too much alcohol is linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats, and heart failure.
【小題1】Watching TV for a long time may ______________.

A．help you live a healthy life	B．lead to heart attack
C．make up for the time you sit	D．make you feel stressed

【小題2】Which of the following is bad for those with stress and sadness?

A．Laughing a lot	B．Talking about their own problems.
C．Getting social support	D．Leaving these emotions alone.

【小題3】If you want a long healthy life, you should____________.

A．cut off from the world	B．get along well with others
C．stay alone as much as possible	D．drink no alcohol

【小題4】From the passage we can infer that _____________.

A．some everyday habits can help avoid heart attacks

B．standing up to talk on the phone is not a good idea

C．it’s easy to strengthen your connections to others

D．too much alcohol is not linked to heart failure

A new study suggests that the round­the­clock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may take a toll on family life. The study，which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life—and，in turn，less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially(本質(zhì)上)means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking job­related calls at home，for instance—or family issues may start to take up work time. For example，a child may call mum at work，telling her “microwave exploded”，explained Noelle Chesley，an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin­Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing for even more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women，the study found. Among men，consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep (潛入)into family time. But for women，the spillover tended to go in both directions. Being “connected” meant that work cut into home time，and family issues came into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover，according to Chesley. Employers, she said，could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are “reasonable”．For their part，employees could decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.
【小題1】What does the underlined phrase “take a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?

A．explaining.

B．founding.

C．extending

D．damaging.

【小題2】According to Chesley，what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?

A．Separate work hours from family time.

B．Refuse to use cell phones.

C．Ignore coming calls during family time.

D．Encourage women to stay at home.

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．cell phones affect men as much as women

B．cell phones seem to be convenient to families

C．cell phones make the line between work and home unclear

D．we can do nothing to solve the problem

【小題4】What is the main idea of the passage?

A． How to control the negative spillover caused by cell phones.

B．How work life invades home life.

C．Consistent use of cell phones makes people feel less satisfied with their work.

D． Cell phones cause negative "spillover" between work life and home life.