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 what the topic is –politics. The taws 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 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
【小題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

【小題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 acouse their parents of misleading them

D．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents

【小題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

【小題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

Grown-ups are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practiced ever since. A man who has not had a chance to go swimming for years can still swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after many years and still ride away. He can play catch and hit a ball as well as his son. A mother who has not thought about the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or remember the story of Cinderella or Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
One explanation is the law of overlearning, which can be stated as follows: Once we have learned something, additional learning trials(嘗試) increase the length of time we will remember it.
In childhood we usually continue to practice such skills as swimming, bicycle riding, and playing baseball long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and remind ourselves of words such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella and Goldilocks. We not only learn but overlearn.
The multiplication tables(乘法口訣表) are an exception to the general rule that we forget rather quickly the things that we learn in school, because they are another of the things we overlearn in childhood.
The law of overlearning explains why cramming(突擊學(xué)習(xí))for an examination, though it may result in a passing grade, is not a satisfactory way to learn a college course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little overlearning, on the other hand, is really necessary for one's future development.
【小題1】What the main idea of Paragraph 1

A．People remember well what they learned in childhood.

B．Children have a better memory than grown-ups.

C．Poem reading is a good way to learn words.“

D．Stories for children are easy to remember.

【小題2】The author explains the law of overlearning by

A．presenting research findings

B．setting down general rules

C．making a comparison

D．using examples

【小題3】According to the author, being able to use multiplication tables is

A．a(chǎn) result of overlearning

B．a(chǎn) special case of cramming

C．a(chǎn) skill to deal with math problems

D．a(chǎn) basic step towards advanced studies

【小題4】What is the author's opinion on cramming?

A．It leads to failure in college exams.

B．It's helpful only in a limited way.

C．It's possible to result in poor memory.

D．It increases students' learning interest.

Educating Girls Is a Real Lifesaver
Clare Short knows it. Every developing economist knows it. The World Bank knows it. The education of girls is the surest way to reduce poverty.
The reason is simple. All the evidence shows that taking girls out of the fields and homes, and putting them behind desks, raises economic productivity, lowers infant and maternal(產(chǎn)婦) death rates, reduces birth rates, and improves environmental management.
Why, then, are 90 million primary school-age girls around the world not in school? For the same reason that when Charles Dickens was writing David Copperfield 150 years ago girls were absent from the British education system: Men in power mostly prefer it that way, or are not interested enough in changing the situation to commit energy and money to doing so.
The countries with the poorest record for having women in positions of power or influence have the worst figures for girls’ education. High-profile intervention(介入) by organizations such as the World Bank has begun successfully with several countries, and more of the same will probably be needed to bring change in conservative, male-run states.
Even if there were no development payoff from gender equality in schools, the education of girls would still be a cause worth fighting for. Education is a human right, and the denial of it to girls is a scar on the community in the twenty-first century.
To be born a girl in a rural area in Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco, Togo, or Sudan — half a dozen of the most shameful performers — means being condemned to a life without school, education, or clean water, marriage and babies coming too early, too many births, children who die of preventable diseases, backbreaking work in the fields, subordination(從屬) to husband and his family, and an early death.
Every year, almost 12 million children under the age of five needlessly die of infectious diseases associated with poverty. But each additional year spent by their mothers in primary school lowers the risk of premature child deaths by about 8 percent. In Pakistan, an extra year of school for 1,000 girls could prevent sixty infant deaths.
With women and girls being the main farmers in Africa and southern Asia, their education offers a chance to develop more efficient farming practices, improve output, and raise awareness of the ecological needs of the land with tree planting and farming. Therefore, the world community cannot afford to ignore this avenue of change.
【小題1】Which is Not the reason why educating girls reduces poverty?

A．It improves environmental management.

B．It raises economic productivity.

C．It creates more children.

D．It lowers maternal death rates.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The poor economy at that time.

B．Girls’ absence from school.

C．Energy and money.

D．The education of girls.

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The countries where women have great influence and are in power always do worse in girls’ education.

B．Some organizations such as the World Bank haven’t taken the lead in girls’ education.

C．Some girls in Sudan and Indonesia are bound to live a life without education when they are born.

D．Each extra year of school for girls has nothing to do with the birthrate and maternal deaths.

【小題4】How many more infants will survive when 100 girls stay in school for another year?

A．5

B．6

C．8

D．12

【小題5】What does the author think of girls’ education?

A．essential	B．terrible
C．indifferent	D．helpless

As the new semester begins，millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper-or，more likely，how best to delay that paper．
Procrastination is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it．They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space，eating snacks，surfing the Internet，watching videos and looking at their pretty peers sitting around them，who，most likely，are doing nothing either．
Paralyzed by their habit to procrastinate，they write micro blogs about their fears，asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue．But this does nothing to solve their problems．
According to a recent report by the BBC，95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are procrastinators，complicating their lives with their continual delaying of tasks．
Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior，but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong．Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure．Pelling says this is nonsense，as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time．
She says the behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel flustered and ashamed，inconveniences others，and annoys loved ones．
Fortunately，social seientists have made tireless efforts to understand this behavioral shortcoming and offer strategies to control it．Piers Steel，a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation，believes humankind is“designed”to procrastinate．Nevertheless，he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand．
The first one is obvious：Break the task down into small pieces and work your way through them methodically．
The second is clever：Give a trusted friend a sum of money and tell them that if you don’t complete the task you have undertaken by a specific time，they can keep it or donate it to a cause you hate.
【小題1】．What does the underlined word“Procrastination” in the second paragraph refer to?

A．A bad habit of putting work or tasks off．

B．A thief who steals time and money in college.

C．A college student who learns nothing．

D．A study way of doing nothing in the library.

【小題2】．Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A．College students can have their papers written if they delay them．

B．Many students don’t know what to do in the library．

C．Students can’t solve their procrastination by writing micro blogs．

D．20％of the procrastinators make their life complicated．

【小題3】．According to Rowan Pelling，we can learn that procrastinators ____________.

A．can find reasonable excuses for their behavior

B．a(chǎn)re able to work best under pressure

C．a(chǎn)re more likely to avoid mistakes at work

D．may upset themselves and their loved ones more frequently

【小題4】．Which of the following may Piers Steel support?

A．Human beings are not born to be procrastinators．

B．Complete your tasks or work step by step．

C．Give your trusted friend money and ask him to help you finish your tasks．

D．You can’t control procrastination but you can avoid it．

【小題5】．What’s the best title of the text?

A．Who steals my time?

B．The solutions to procrastination

C．I’ll do it tomorrow，I swear!

D．Don’t do nothing!

Students in many countries are learning English. Some of these students are small children. Others are teenagers. Many are adults. Some learn at school, others by themselves. A few learn English by learning the language over the radio, on TV, or in film. One must work hard to learn another language.            
Why do all these people want to learn English? It is difficult to answer this question. Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects required for study. They study their own language and English. Some people learn it because it is useful for their work. Many people learn English for their work. Many people learn English for their higher studies, because at college or university some of their books are in English. Other people learn English because they want to read newspapers or magazines in English.
【小題1】People learn English _______.

A．a(chǎn)t school	B．over the radio
C．on TV	D．not all in the same way

【小題2】Different kinds of people want to learn English _______.

A．together with other subjects	B．for different reasons
C．for their work	D．for higher studies at colleges

【小題3】From this passage we know that _______.

A．we can learn English easily

B．English is very difficult to learn

C．English is learned by most people in the world

D．English is a useful language but one must work hard to learn

【小題4】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．We don't need to learn any foreign languages.

B．We can do well in all our work without English.

C．English is the most important subject in schools.

D．We should learn English because we need to face the world.

【小題1】_ But by using a college admissions consultant (咨詢員), you can greatly increase your chances of getting accepted into the first college on your list. These consultants are people who are expert at getting people just like you into the college of their dreams.【小題2】They can make a difference in your college admission quest.
Help finding schools. Perhaps you don’t know where you want to go or only have an unclear idea as to where you would like to go. Your consultant can give you many ideas as to which schools would be fit for you and then you can go from there.
Help with applications.【小題3】They will be able to review your application before it is sent off to the college you are applying to and be able to tell you if there is anything that needs to be added or taken away. Imagine how terrible it would be to get refused by the college of your choice only because of some small mistakes.
Help with student loans (貸款). It may be necessary for you to get student loans in your college. 【小題4】 Your consultant will know exactly where to look and can even help you determine what type of aid you can get. They can even give you some ideas of specific scholarships for you.
It is true that it costs money to hire a college admissions consultant. If they can provide you with ideas for your need, the money is good for the value【小題5】 I think it is necessary to get into the school you want with the consultants’ help.

A．After all, you are only going to go to college once.

B．You may be puzzled by so many kinds of applications.

C．But you may have no idea where to begin your search.

D．They know how to do with the scholarship at the college.

E. They know all the ins and outs (細(xì)節(jié)) of the college admissions.
F. Getting accepted into the college of your choice is sometimes a difficult thing.
G. They know exactly what schools do and don’t want to see on applications.

Scott Langteau has this message for kids：Spend less time playing video games.
It's a message that many a mom and dad has tried to impress upon many a youngster(and some not?so?youngsters)who spends perhaps a bit too much time with game controllers in hand.
But the 40?year?old Langteau isn't a parent.He's experienced at video games－one who played producer on three “Medal of Honor” games and co?founded his own game development company.
Langteau has just published a children's book called“Sofa Boy”，which tells the story of a kid who spends too much time sitting on the couch with controllers held in hand and the rather dire consequences that follow.
It's a fairy tale picked straight from Langteau's own experiences as a lad with a fondness for video games and his painful struggle against game addiction.But first，Langteau would like make one thing clear：I'm not saying that you shouldn't play video games.I think video games are great.I think they do great things for kids.Instead，Langteau says his book is all about a little something called“moderation(克制)”．
“It's about being well rounded，”he says.“Just like with anything else，we all need to make sure that there's a variety in what we do.”
Video gamers can be rather bad?tempered when it comes to accepting criticism about their favorite entertainment.And understandably so.After all，most people who go around talking about the dangers of playing video games tend to be outsiders－people who don't play video games and certainly don't understand that they can be a valuable and healthy form of entertainment.
But Langteau and“Sofa Boy”seem to be in a unique position to deliver a message of gaming moderation that the young game masses might actually listen to.After all，this is a man who understands what it means to be a kid with a passion for games.His early experience has taught him a lesson.
【小題1】Scott Langteau published “Sofa Boy” to ________.

A．share his great skills on games

B．warn kids against game addiction

C．tell about his fairy tale as a kid

D．deliver a message for games

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE of the book“Sofa Boy”？

A．The book tells of the writer's own story.

B．The book describes an experienced gamer.

C．The boy in the book wins a medal for games.

D．The boy in the book is not an addict on games.

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

A．Langteau advises the young to play games within limits

B．Langteau advises the young not to play games

C．playing video games ruins the future of kids

D．playing video games is of no benefit to kids

【小題4】．By saying “It's about being well rounded” Langteau thinks ________.

A．games do great things for kids

B．gamers are usually fat and round

C．games should be viewed from all sides

D．gamers are to blame for their behaviors

In the fall of 1985. I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere. Twenty-one years later I am later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell.
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.
【小題1】  When the author went to Howard University, her dream was tobe

A．a(chǎn) writer

B．a(chǎn) teacher

C．a(chǎn) judge

D．a(chǎn) doctor

【小題2】. Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

A．She wanted to study by herself.

B．She fell in love and got married.

C．She suffered from a serious illness.

D．She decided to look after her grandma.

【小題3】  What can we learn about the author from Paragraphs 4 and 5?
She was busy yet happy with her family life.
She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons.
She wanted to remain a full-time housewife.
She was too confused to make a correct choice.
【小題4】  What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?
Failure is the mother of success.
Little by little, one goes far.
Every coin has two sides.
Well begun, half done.
【小題5】 Which of the following can best describe the author?
Caring and determine.
Honest and responsible.
Ambitious and sensitive.
Innocent and single-minded.

Thousands of teenagers will be able to transfer to a new wave of “studio schools” at the age of 14 to improve their chances of finding a job in UK. A dozen new-style schools are designed to act as a bridge to the workplace and cut the number of NEETs--young people not in education, employment or training.
Under plans, schools will operate longer days and work outside standard academic terms.
Each pupil will be expected to spend between four hours and two days a week on work placements with businesses linked to the school and teenagers will be assigned a personal coach to act as an academic “l(fā)ine manager”.
The reforms are put forward due to the fears that too many teenagers are now finishing full-time education lacking the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. According to a recent report, more than two-thirds of employers believe school and college leavers lack important “employability skills” such as customer awareness, while 55 per cent say they are unable to manage their time or daily tasks. And the number of NEETs has hit a record high, with almost one-in-five young people being left without a job or training place.
The Department for Education will announce the establishment of 12 studio schools -- meeting the need of around 3,600 teenagers -- in areas such as Liverpool, Stevenage, Stoke-on-Trent and Fulham, west London. Each one, opening in 2012, will be linked to a series of local employers. Under plans, pupils will be able to transfer out of ordinary schools to attend them between the age of 14 and 19.
The Government said all subjects would be taught “through projects, often designed with employers” -- with disciplines such as science being linked directly to local engineering firms or hospitals. Schools will operate a longer day to give pupils a better understanding of the demands of the workplace. Along with their studies, pupils will carry out work placements for four hours a week, rising to two days a week of paid work for those aged 16 to 19. They will also get the chance to take professional qualifications linked directly to the needs of local employers.
【小題1】According to the passage, the NEETs are referred to those who ________.

A．often miss classes from school

B．refuse to take any kind of part-time jobs after school

C．depend on their parents to find jobs after they graduate

D．have no jobs without accepting education and work training

【小題2】 Compared to ordinary schools, studio schools will offer the young more ________.

A．interesting and lovely cartoons to make study easier

B．chances to get future jobs with expert job training

C．possibilities to make friends without going outside

D．lessons helping them to be admitted to universities

【小題3】What makes the government decide to found studio schools?

A．The determination to solve the problem of lacking workers.

B．The doubt about whether full-time education is perfect.

C．The worry about educated people lacking working skills.

D．The increasing number of teens who drop out early.

【小題4】 What may most probably attract senior high school students at studio school?

A．They can find suitable jobs earlier with good qualification.

B．They will be admitted to top companies with received training.

C．They needn’t go to university thanks to received training here.

D．They may have more free time to find part-time jobs after school.

Living in a foreign culture there are many times when I realize that my perspective (觀點(diǎn)) on life is drastically different from those Koreans I interact (相互影響) with on a daily basis. This past week I have been greatly challenged to change my perspective and here is why.
My dream in life is to become a doctor, one who changes the world. But last week I opened an email from UBC that contained the words “regrets”, no interview. I didn’t get an interview to medical school, thus will not be entering school for September 2009. My immediate reaction was one of extreme disappointment and anger—mostly directed at myself for not working hard enough, for not seeking out the opportunities necessary to have a good application, for simply not being good enough. My mind was full of hopelessness and despair that left me with no desire to further seek for the dream that I’ve held for quite a time now.
During the past week two things happened. At church our pastor mentioned perspective in a section of his sermon (說教). He stated that when we take our eyes off ourselves and realize God’s greatness, our circumstances will be seen through a new perspective.
The second thing that reminded me to look at perspective was reading a book. The Mitford Series is so good if you are looking for books to read. So last night I was reading and one of the main characters (who is a priest) is trying to figure out what to say at church. His sermon ended up saying “In everything we give thanks.” It is easy to give thanks when we feel successful in life. It is easy to give thanks when we receive a blessing. But seriously, who in their right mind says thanks for the financial problems I have?
【小題1】Where does the author probably live now?
A. In the USA.             B. In Britain.              C. In China.                 D. In Korea.
【小題2】How did she feel when the author received the email from UBC?

A．Surprised.

B．Disappointed.

C．Excited.

D．Pleased.

【小題3】In the first pastor’s view, when we face disappointment or despair, we should _________.

A．turn to God for help	B．say thanks to it
C．see it in another way	D．praise others for it

【小題4】What can we infer from the passage?

A．The author can’t really free from the disappointment.

B．The author thinks the second sermon is wiser.

C．The author still wants to be a doctor.

D．The author thanks God for not being admitted by the university.