In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing US minority．As their children began moving up through the nation’s schools，it became clear that a new kind of culture was coming out．Their achievements are made in the nation’s best universities，where mathematics，science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character.This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U.S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English.They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college．Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively(客观)．And the money spent on education is more immediately returned in something like engineering than with an arts degree．
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children should take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer.An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do，and it helps．Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture，such as family value，the importance of education and so on that lead to their success.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they could cause the native Americans’unhappiness．Many can remember when Chinese,Japanese and Filipino immigrants(移民)were unequally treated because of social separation．Indeed，it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.Few Asian-American students major in human sciences mainly because .
| A．they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgement in these areas |
| B．there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures |
| C．they know little about American cultures and Western cultures |
| D．their English is not good enough |
Asian-Americans prefer something like engineering to an arts degree because________.
| A．people majoring in engineering are respected |
| B．people with an arts degree are looked down upon |
| C．they can’t find a job with an arts degree |
| D．they can earn more money after graduation |
While making great achievements at college，Asian-American students________.
| A．are afraid that their academic successes take on a strong Asian character |
| B．still worry about unfair treatment in society |
| C．generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents |
| D．feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English |
According to the passage，the major factors determining the success of Asian-Americans are .
| A．Asian culture and the American educational system |
| B．Asian culture and a solid base in basic mathematics |
| C．hard work and parental help |
| D．hard work and a limited knowledge of English |
Last spring, members of Alaska’s Troop 34, based in Fairbanks, trudged (跋涉) out into the snowy wilderness to take part in their state’s Take a Kid Trapping program. In many parts of the state, beavers （海狸）are pests and need to be controlled.
The 10－to－12－year－old girls found out where beavers lived, set traps, and skinned the two animals they caught. The girls hope to catch ten more beavers so that the entire troop can make mittens and hats with the fur. They also want to cook beaver meat.
Troop leaders and members say the Scouts are doing a good deed by helping control the state’s beaver population. But animal－rights activists say trapping is cruel. They want the Girl Scouts to stop in their tracks.
Beavers aren’t only causing a problem in Alaska. Residents in Sampson County, N.C., have turned to a local committee to help them battle the growing beaver population there.
County landowners are frustrated after the county spent more than $ 50,000 in eight years trying to reduce the beaver population through a government program. The joint state and federal program included paying money to trappers for every beaver carcass they trapped.
Many local residents say that the program didn’t work because there were too few trappers. That’s why the county set up its own committee to investigate other ways to control the area’s beaver population.
The county will rely on its own beaver－trapping program. It has hired a trapper to set traps in various areas. The county will pay $10 for every beaver carcass.
Why do many people say that beavers are a nuisance? For beavers to survive, they need lots of water. Water provides the large rodent （啮齿动物）with a place to hide from meat – eating animals. Beavers also store food underwater for the winter. When there’s not enough water in a particular area, beavers get busy building dams.
Beaver dams can cause major flooding and damage to the surrounding countryside as the animals cut down trees to use in their construction projects. Beavers build canals to transport heavy objects.What is Alaska’s Troop 34?
| A．A team of the Boy Scouts. | B．An army. |
| C．A team of the Girl Scouts. | D．A sports team. |
Why does the troop hope to catch ten more beavers?
| A．To fulfill their task. |
| B．To sell them for money. |
| C．To get enough fur. |
| D．To exchange them for mittens and hats. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Sampson County has to find a new way to control the beaver population there. |
| B．The government program in Sampson County has proved to be a success. |
| C．The local government has controlled the number of beavers in the County. |
| D．More and more trappers now start to set traps in Sampson County. |
Local residents hate beavers because they can ___________.
| A．cause damage to dams |
| B．block up canals with heavy objects. |
| C．do great harm to construction projects. |
| D．badly damage the environment and cause floods. |
What is your body language saying to your children? What is their body language telling you? I had the honor of hearing Jan Hargrave speak the other day. She is one of four body language experts in the US. Jan Hargrave says we lie with the right side of our brains, so it is our left hand that gives us away. A person touching his nose, pulling at his ear or rubbing his eye with his left hand might be lying to you. Also, a person who, in any way, crosses any fingers might just be lying. That, she says, is a holdover(遗留物) from childhood, when we crossed our fingers to signal that we didn’t mean what we were saying. When children squint(眨) their eyes, move their body away from you, or can’t seem to make good eye contact, you may need to ask for a little more clarification.
But just as important, children learn early how to read our body language when they are conversing(交谈) with us. Here are some acceptance signals to let them know you are interested when they are talking to you. Lean(倾斜) towards them. Make good eye contact and smile. Open your arms. Let your hands relax with the palms(手掌) showing: an open, upward palm always show acceptance. If your legs are crossed, make sure you are not crossing them away from your child. These are important because they signal to your child that you are focused on them and are accepting and welcoming them into your world.
By paying attention, we can open those lines of important communication with our children and we can see the truth more clearly. I think it would be a mistake to use these tools to lie, but we need to be aware of the signals we are giving so we can show people that they really do matter to us. According to Jan Hargrave, we can tell whether a person is lying by _______.
| A．observing his/her left hand’s movements. |
| B．looking at how he/ she crosses his/ her fingers |
| C．observing whether he/ she uses body language |
| D．making good eye contact with him/ her |
We can learn from the passage that body language _______.
| A．is hard to master for children |
| B．can be understood in different ways |
| C．may help improve communication |
| D．is more likely to hide the truth |
Which of the following does NOT show acceptance to people?
| A．Smile while making eye contact. |
| B．Open your arms to them. |
| C．Relax your hands with the palms showing. |
| D．Cross your leg away from them. |
In the last paragraph, the author seems to suggest that parents_______.
| A．spend more time with their children |
| B．learn to read and use body language |
| C．pay attention to family communication |
| D．try to prevent their children from lying |
Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was impolite and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold underground room. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very kind farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, "How could this happen? Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help."
"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the underground room , I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he couldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. You see, things aren't always what they seem. "Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?
| A．Because she didn't like the greedy owner. |
| B．Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor. |
| C．Because the underground room was too cold to stay in. |
| D．Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help. |
The younger angel was very angry because ________.
| A．the older angel killed the farmer's cow |
| B．the older angel treated the two families differently |
| C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live in |
| D．the angel of death took the cow away |
Why did the older angel let the farmer's cow die?
| A．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow. |
| B．Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson. |
| C．Because she wanted to save the farmer's wife. |
| D．Because she was sympathetic to the rich. |
The story tries to tell readers that ________.
| A．angels are always ready to help the poor |
| B．sometimes things are not what they seem |
| C．angels are always ready to help the rich |
| D．the young should always learn from the old |
Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.
| A．has found a full-time job |
| B．has finished his study in university |
| C．can make money and support himself after completing his education |
| D．can support a family and be financially independent after graduation |
A young man of 24 may be busy ________.
| A．finding a job | B．finding a girl friend |
| C．making money | D．preparing for his wedding |
From the passage, we learn that _________.
| A．being grown-up is just a matter of age |
| B．being grown-up is a process which takes some time |
| C．all people think completing education means being grown-up |
| D．the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up |
The best title for the passage should be “________”
| A．It takes a long time to grown up. |
| B．Are we grown-up yet? |
| C．Getting married means being grown-up. |
| D．Completing education means being grown-up |
There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which diminishes both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.According to the passage, which of the following statements is WRONG?
| A．Laughter is good for health. |
| B．Laughter can make you become old quickly. |
| C．Laughter helps to reduce pain. |
| D．Laughter, just like physical exercise, is good for our body. |
The underlined word “diminishes” in the third paragraph means “ ”.
| A．delays | B．prevents | C．increases | D．reduces |
Why do doctors hold laughter clinics?
| A．Because they want to earn more money. |
| B．Because they think they will help the patients recover from illnesses. |
| C．Because they want to improve their patients’ health. |
| D．Because they want their patients to laugh more. |
According to the author, we should __________ in our life.
| A．laugh as much as possible |
| B．watch more funny films |
| C．smile all the time |
| D．spend time in the laughter clinics |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health. |
| B．Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition. |
| C．Laughter can reduce the effect of pain. |
| D．Laughter is the best medicine. |
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