Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their
family members, and in particular their parents, don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families,
it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice.
     It is very important for teenagers to have one or a circle of friends. Even when they are not with their
friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very
important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family
members.
    However, parents often try to choose their children's friends for them. Some parents may even stop their
children from meeting their good friends. The question of "choice" is an interesting one. Have you ever
thought of the following questions?
    Who chooses your friends? Do you choose your friends or do your friends choose you? Have you got a
good friend your parents don't like? Your answers are welcome.

1. Many teenagers think their ________ know them better than their parents do.

A. friends
B. brothers and sisters
C. family members
D. mother

2. When teenagers stay alone, the usual way of communication is ________.

A. to go to their friends'
B. to talk with their parents
C. to discuss with their family
D. to talk with their friends on the phone

3. Which of the following is different in meaning from the sentence "Some parents may even
   stop their children from meeting their good friends."?

A. Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends.
B. Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends.
C. Some may even let their children meet their good friends.
D. Some parents may want their children to stop to meet their good friends.

4. Which of the following sentences is RIGHT according to the passage?

A. Parents should like everything their children enjoy.
B. In all families, children can choose everything they like.
C. Parents should try their best to understand their children better.
D. Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.

5. Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Only Parents Can Decide
B. Teenagers Need Friends
C. Parents and Children
D. A Strange Question

     These days, more and more young people wish to be more beautiful, So they turn to plastic surgery (整形
手術(shù)) for help. They spend thousands of yuan on these painful surgeries to fix (修整) their nose, to change
their eyelids (眼皮) or to take off weight from their stomachs.
    In fact, most people are not pleased with the way they look. Even the most beautiful actresses often wish
they could change something about their looks. Should we live our whole lives believing we are ugly? Why
can't we raise our head high and believe that we are as beautiful as others? A smile is beautiful on any face,
whether fat, oily or hairy. And a kind heart is much more beautiful than a pretty look.
    So, let's feel grateful (感激的) that we all have beautiful and healthy bodies that do not need surgeries!
Today, I call on you to make an easy change:hold your head high! smile and be kind to others. If you do these,
you will be full of confidence (自信), beauty, and warmth everywhere you go.

1. _______  are more and more interested in plastic surgeries.

A. Old people
B. Young people
C. Men
D. Women

2. What do people think they can do to make their dreams come true?

A. Sleep more.
B. Eat less.
C. Do sports.
D. Have surgery.

3. How can we feel great about ourselves according to the writer?

A. Hold your head up.
B. Smile.
C. Be kind.
D. A, B and C.

4. The writer suggests we should believe we are as _______ as others.

A. confident
B. good
C. beautiful
D. clever

5. Which is Not true according to the passage?

A. Actresses never worry about their looks.
B. It costs a lot of money to have plastic surgeries.
C. We only need to make a small change to feel beautiful enough.
D. A good look is less important than a kind heart.

     Mobile homes, pulled by specially designed (設(shè)計(jì)) trucks have been increasing in numbers all over the
United States. Often, driving along, you can see some mobile homes high on a hill. Some stand under trees
along a river or a lake. They're wonderfully built homes. Sometimes they're as much as 40 feet long, with
two to five rooms, and you can find many things you need in them. When you park your mobile home,
water, electricity power and telephones are connected, and you can enjoy yourself there.
     The fact that these homes can be moved doesn't mean that they do move all the time. Sometimes their
owners stay for years in one place, plant gardens, build walls and so on. These homes are often quite
expensive. Some even cost $ 20,000.
     Why does a family choose to live in such a home? Well, it's comfortable, easy to keep clean, easy to
keep warm, no need to paint. What's more, the fast increase of mobile homes in numbers has something
to do with the job uncertainty (不穩(wěn)定性). Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. If a factory closes
down, you may be trapped with the house you can't sell. However, if you have a mobile home, you can
move on easily.
     The greatest selling attraction of these mobile homes is that they can be improved every year. If you're
doing well, you may change a new model just as you do with a car. There is a ready market for used ones,
so the price of the mobile homes is higher than that of automobiles (汽車).

1. From the passage, we know that mobile homes _______.

A. can be built better than our homes
B. need to move all the time
C. can provide something people need
D. must stand only high on a hill

2. _______ is one of the reasons for people to choose mobile homes.

A. The job uncertainty
B. The strange design
C. The low price
D. The high speed

3. Which of the following may NOT attract people to buy mobile homes?

A. The new model appears every year.
B. Walls can be easily built around them.
C. They don't need to be painted.
D. They can be moved here and there.

4. We can infer that the increase of the mobile homes shows_______. 

A. great changes in people's living style (方式)
B. great interest in developing new things
C. some problems in people's life
D. people's hope for new jobs

5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. How to Choose a Mobile Home
B. The Developing Mobile Homes
C. The Uses of Mobile Homes
D. Mobile Homes Are Popular in the US

     The British are known as people who love to stand in line, but a new research (調(diào)查) shows that the
British are only about average (平均數(shù)) at waiting politely in a queue. The French are the best. It's the
Germans who don't have a good habit (習(xí)慣) of standing in line. They can't stand to wait for anything. They
begin to shout loudly and noisily if the line doesn't seem to be moving fast enough. Sadly it never moves fast
enough for them.
     The experts studied 940 people across Europe. They watched secretly as they waited in line-to get tickets,
to order fast food and to wait for the bus. They found people who are good at forming (排成) queues feel that
they move along faster. For example, in Britain, the average waiting at a queue needs about three and a half
minutes. In Germany or Sweden people hate waiting in line. In fact, people spend double the time as the British
in queues. They get to the front of the queue without thinking about others, so they waste others' time.
     The expert who did the research had asked a person to break into a queue to see what people would do.
In Britain, people shouted loudly at him, but when he said," I' m terribly sorry. I didn't realize there was a
queue. Do go before me." People smiled and said."Oh, that's all right, one more won't matter much."It was
also found in France, where 80％ of the people didn't mind standing in line. only if they were treated politely.
While in Germany everyone was angry and wore an unhappy face. The expert said,"If only they could learn
from the British and the French to think of queuing as an exercise in making the best of an unhappy thing,
they might find that the queue then moves faster."

1. The research shows that the people in _______ are the most polite in standing in line.

A. Sweden
B. Britain
C. France
D. Germany

2. The Germans spend more time than the British in queues because they _______.

A. always talk a lot with others
B. like waiting in line
C. don't follow the rule of queuing
D. don't know the rule of queuing

3. According to the research, which of the following is TRUE?

A. The British didn't care about the queue jumper.
B. The Germans were angry with the queue jumper.
C. The French treated the queue jumper badly.
D. The Swedish enjoyed themselves while queuing.

4. From the last sentence we know the expert wished the Germans could _______.

A. have a good habit of standing in line
B. save others' time while queuing
C. move quickly when queuing
D. take exercise in queues

5. The result of the research shows that _______.

A. people in Europe hate waiting in line
B. standing in line is a kind of exercise
C. there are always queue jumpers all over the world
D. people good at standing in line think they move along faster

     It is said that more than four-million people die each year from smoking. That number is increasing.
Seven in ten of those deaths are in developing countries. These numbers are frightening.
     Yet people around the world continue to smoke. In the United States, about forty-seven-million adults
(成年人) smoke. This year alone, more than four-hundred-thirty-thousand Americans will die of diseases,
which have something to do with smoking. One day last month, thousands of Americans tried to stop
smoking. They were taking part in the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society has
founded the Great American Smokeout every year for twenty-five years to show the dangers of smoking
and provide support for people who decide to stop smoking. The American Cancer Society says smoking
harms the body greatly. It warns that smoking even a small number of cigarettes (香煙) is dangerous.
     It is not easy to give up smoking. However, doctors say you probably will live longer if you do stop
smoking. You will feel better and look better. You also will protect the health of family members who
breathe your smoke. 
      The American Cancer Society says there is not just one right way to stop smoking. They say any way
to stop smoking that is effective (有效的) is worth trying. This could include (包括) taking long walks or
spending time in places where smoking is not allowed. Also, you could eat a small piece of fruit or vegetables
instead of having a cigarette. The American Cancer Society says the sooner smokers stop smoking, the more
they can reduce their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. (from VOA)

1. What is the population of those who die from smoking in developing countries?

A. 4, 000, 000
B. 2, 800, 000
C. 7, 000, 000
D. 430, 000

2. Why was the Great American Smokeout founded?

A. Because they wanted to let more people know the dangers of smoking.
B. Because they wanted to help people who decide to stop smoking.
C. Because they wanted to tell people that smoking was harmful and dangerous.
D. All the above.

3. According to the passage, the possible effective way to give up smoking is ______.

A. to take long walks.
B. to be away from places where smoking is not allowed.
C. to eat more fruit and more vegetables.
D. to make fewer friends.

4. What does the underlined word reduce mean in Chinese?

A. 增加
B. 減少
C. 誘發(fā)
D. 獲得

5. If a person smokes, ______.

A. he will protect the health of family members.
B. he will die of cancer.
C. he will increase the chances of getting cancer and other diseases.
D. he will take part in Cancer Society.