About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, “So, how have you been?” And the boy — who could not have been more than seven or eight years old — replied. “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed (确认) my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”, that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school.
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is depended not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation (揭示) machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation (诱惑) , many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.According to the author, feeling depressed is ________.
| A．a sure sign of a mental problem in a child |
| B．a mental state present in all humans, including children |
| C．something that cannot be avoided in children’s mental development |
| D．something hardly to be expected in a young child |
Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _________.
| A．through connection with society |
| B．gradually and under guidance |
| C．naturally without being taught |
| D．through watching television |
According to the author, that today’s children seem adultlike results from ______.
| A．the widespread influence of television |
| B．the poor arrangement of teaching content |
| C．the fast pace of human scientific development |
| D．the rising standard of living |
What does the author think of communication through print for children?
| A．It enables children to gain more social information. |
| B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing. |
| C．It helps children to read and write well. |
| D．It can control what children are to learn. |
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas，Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families．With a social worker mother，the Sutton children．had inherited（继承）her commitment to service，and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted．This year，Kinzie，her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself．
The phone rang on Sunday．A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through．No Santa Claus，no presents，nothing．
Ann saw the cheer fade away from her children's faces at the news．Without a word，Kinzie ran into her bedroom．She returned，her face set with determination．
Opening up her piggy bank，she put all the coins onto the table: $3．30．Everything she had．
“Mom，”she told Ann，“I know it's not much．But maybe this will buy a present for the baby．”
At a breakfast meeting the next day，Ann told her coworkers about her daughter story．To her surprise，staff members began to open their purses．and empty their pockets to help Kinzie．
On Christmas Eve，Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashley’s lived．Then she began to unload the gifts from the car，handing them to Ashley one by one．
Ashley was very moved．Reflecting on a little girl's generosity，Ashley says she'll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need．“Kinzie could have used that money for herself，but she gave it away，”Ashley says．“She's the type of kid I'd like my son to grow up to be．”
According to the text，Ann Sutton__________．
| A．only cares about poor children |
| B．has possessed a good fortune |
| C．is warm-hearted and ready to help others |
| D．is a single mother with a 12-month-old boy'． |
When hearing the aid had fallen through，Kinzie__________
| A．was not sad but cheerfu1 |
| B．put all her coins away immediately |
| C．told her mother to ask the coworkers for help |
| D．decided to buy a present for the baby with all her allowance |
From the text we can learn that ____________．
| A．Ann would act as Santa Claus to hand out the Christmas presents |
| B．the Sutton children always got lots of presents at Christmas |
| C．Kinzie's generosity influenced others and they clici something similar |
| D．Ashley was moved and promised to return the money |
What does the text mainly talk about？
| A．How a warm-hearted mother shows her love to a poor family． |
| B．How a mother and her young daughter helped a poor family． |
| C．Many people make contributions to those in need． |
| D．What happened to a poor family on Christmas Eve． |
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 (发起）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 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(一致）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.
Ultinatelas 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.
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. |
Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?
| A．They had little interest in reading. |
| B．They were too busy to read a book. |
| C．They came from many different backgrounds |
| D．They lacked support from the local government |
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 |
According to Nancy, the degree of students 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. |
Researchers from France and Italy discovered that Canadian parents are less strict with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy.
“Our most important finding was the difference between Canadians and the others，” said Professor Michel Claes，the lead author of the study.“Canadians focus on independence and negotiation．On the other hand，Italians，for example，exercise more control．We found Canadians seem to focus on negotiation in case of a conflict.”
Claes said Canada，France and Italy were selected for the study because they share important cultural and social factors.“We chose FrenchCanadians because they share the same language as France，and originally came from France and share certain values．Italy was included because it was considered to have similar，strong and important family values，” he explained.
The researchers examined the emotional ties between parents and their children by questioning 1,256 students aged 11 to 19 years old.
Canadian students reported less control and more free actions，according to the study．Italian parents were stricter and French parents were somewhere in the middle.
Claes explains that the differences lie in education in Canada，France and Italy.
“North America has its own educational values，which promote individualization．Tolerance and comprehension are encouraged．Italy，on the other hand，promotes respect of authority，control，and the need for permission.” he said.
Children from all three countries described their mothers as warm and communicative．Italian and Canadian children had similar feelings about their fathers，and reported high levels of emotional ties．But French fathers were generally thought by their children to be more distant and cold.
“We were surprised by this，” Claes admitted.“It seems as though the relationships between French mothers and their children were becoming closer over time，while fathers maintain a form of distance and coldness，which is more of a source of conflict in France than in the other countries.”
Professor Michel Claes believes that Canada，France and Italy ________.
| A．have the same family spirit |
| B．have some similar cultural traditions |
| C．have experienced some similar social changes |
| D．have experienced similar cultural developments |
How did the researchers carry out the study ?
| A．By collecting answers of parents from Canada，France and Italy. |
| B．By collecting answers of children from Canada，France and Italy. |
| C．By questioning parents and their children from Italian Canadian families. |
| D．By questioning children from FrenchCanadian families. |
According to Michel Claes，what mainly leads to the differences in parentchildren relationships among Canada，France and Italy?
| A．Educational opportunities. |
| B．Traditional ideas. |
| C．Educational values. |
| D．Historical events. |
Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study?
| A．French children have troubled relationships with their parents. |
| B．Canadian children have close relationships with their parents. |
| C．Italian children have good relationships with their parents. |
| D．Kids from Canada，France and Italy have closer ties with their moms. |
Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously．Jason was determined not to go against their father's wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother．He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
“Dad will be really mad if he finds out you've been playing with his new computer.”Jason said，“He told us not to touch it.”
“He won't find out，” Mark said，“I'll just have a quick look and shut it down.”
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father's equipment．But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strangelooking machine—one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked.“It's an experimental model，” his father had explained，“so don't touch it under any circumstances.” But his father's warning only served to make Mark more curious．Without any further thought，Mark turned on the power switch．The computer burst into life and seconds later，the screen turned into colors，shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen：“SPACE TRANSPORTER.”
“Yes！” Mark cried excitedly，“It's a computer game．I knew it！Dad's only been pretending to work．He's really been playing games instead.” A new message appeared on the screen：“ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1：...
VOYAGER 2：...”
Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
“INPUT ACCEPTED.START TRANSPORT PROGRAM．AUTORETRIEVE INITIATED(自动回收程序已启动)．”
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
“I think we'd better shut it off，Mark，” Jason yelled，reaching for the power switch．He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch．A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen，wrapping the boys in its glow(光芒)，until they themselves seemed to be glowing．Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life．And the boys were no longer there．On the screen，the letters changed.
“TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL.DESTINATION: MARS.RETRIEVE DATE：2025.”
Why did Mark touch the computer against his father's warning?
| A．He wanted to take a voyage. |
| B．He wanted to practice his skill. |
| C．He was so much attracted by it. |
| D．He was eager to do an experiment. |
Where did the boys' father most likely work?
| A．In an electronic factory. |
| B．In a computer company. |
| C．In a scientific research center. |
| D．In an information processing center. |
Mark thought “SPACE TRANSPORTER” on the screen was the name of ________.
| A．a computer game |
| B．a company website |
| C．a software producer |
| D．an astronomy program |
Why did Jason want to shut off the computer?
| A．He was afraid of being scolded. |
| B．He didn't like the loud noise and light. |
| C．He didn't want to play games any more. |
| D．He was afraid something dangerous might happen. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中, 选出最佳选项。
According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year．Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills to touch bottom．An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere．
The project, called Hywind, is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine (涡轮发电机)．Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton, 2．3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology．The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar, a technology Hywind’s creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently．The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables ; these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves．Hywind’s stability in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power．If all goes according to the plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September．
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean．To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s center of gravity must be moved much closer to the ocean’s surface．To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox (变速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades．
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large．Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted．Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection．If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available．The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of_________.
| A．the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor |
| B．the spar which is floating in deep-sea water |
| C．the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind |
| D．the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface |
To balance a bigger turbine high on a floating spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting_________.
| A．on the sea floor |
| B．on the spar top |
| C．at sea level |
| D．behind the blades |
Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can_________.
| A．solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills |
| B．make financial profits by producing more turbines |
| C．settle the arguments about environmental problems |
| D．explore low-carbon power resources available at sea |
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