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。
Celebrities(名人) have become a powerful influence on some people because of their social position and their economic situation.
First，some people admire and imitate stars because they allow themselves to be influenced by the media. Television，radio，and magazines invade(侵扰) the lives of audience with a variety of shows，information，and publications about stars and their lives. For instance，Britney Spears has become the target of paparazzi(狗仔队)．In May，Britney appeared at the front page of the most popular magazines revealing that she married her best friend in Vegas，Nevada. Media also invade stars' lives because reporters know they get high profits from readers who buy and follow their favorite artists' news.
Second，some mad audience imitate their celebrities for their lack of confidence. Some people who are shy and lack personality may find that imitating others will cause a good impression. For instance，my cousin Jenny，who lacks a social life because of her introverted(内向的) personality，believes that acting and dressing like Jennifer Lopez will make her popular in high school.
Finally，several fans of stars imitate them because of peer(同龄人) pressure. Since my niece's girlfriends formed an Antonio Banderas' fan club，she had also joined the group. Although she wasn't a huge fan of his，now she collects most of Banderas' possessions. In fact，when I asked Arianna，my niece，why she was part of Banderas' fan club，she replied with a doubtful tone that she did not wish to be rejected by the other teens.
In conclusion，it is true that celebrities play spectacular roles in their performances in Hollywood，which entertains many people all over the world；however，modern celebrities influence the audience to the point where their fans admire and try to imitate their lives.What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Why people are influenced by celebrities. |
| B．The harmful influence of celebrities. |
| C．What kind of people are influenced by celebrities. |
| D．How to avoid the influence of celebrities. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ________.
| A．media are on the side of stars |
| B．stars know how to take advantage of media |
| C．media can give wrong information about stars |
| D．media invade stars' lives for their own good |
Jenny acts and dresses like Jennifer Lopez because ______________.
| A．she admires Jennifer Lopez's personality |
| B．she wants to become famous too |
| C．she wants to change her own personality |
| D．she lacks selfconfidence |
Arianna joined the Antonio Banderas' fan club to ________.
| A．seek encouragement from the star |
| B．be accepted by other teens |
| C．become a real fan of the star |
| D．learn more about the star |
The author of the passage probably believes that ________.
| A．it's easy for people to resist the influence of celebrities |
| B．all young people are easily influenced by celebrities |
| C．it's no good for people to imitate celebrities blindly |
| D．people can improve their personality by imitating their favorite stars |
Dear Mom, Clear My Calendar
September is around the corner, and some of us are already complaining about summer’s end. But parents have a special reason to do so. The end of summer means the start of school. And these days, planning a young child’s schedule is a big challenge. The challenge is no longer finding activities to fill a child’s day; it is saying no to the hundreds of options available. Our mailbox is filled with brochures urging us to sign our kids up for classes from cooking to martial arts(武术).
Educators are themselves discouraged by the number of special classes that many children attend. In the name of “enrichment,” three-year-olds not only go to preschool in the morning but study French or gymnastics after lunch. One teacher tells of a four-year-old asking for help in the toilet before hurrying off to tennis. Another teacher says that children sometimes hold on to her at pickup time. What happened to unstructured time?
A generous explanation is that we enjoy giving children opportunities we never had. The truth however is that many parents have doubts about how much time they spend away from their families. And one way to reduce this guilt is to believe that time spent in these classes is somehow more beneficial to children than the time we know we should be giving them ourselves.
David Elkind, an expert on children, suggests that the 1960s gave birth to the belief that earlier is better. Parents hope that early music lessons, for example will build a child’s confidence. The truth, however, is that any time children are asked to do too much, too soon, they are at greater risk for feelings of failure.
A child’s time does not have to be planned to be meaningful. Remember the lazy days of summer? Some children sleep late and play with the kids across the street until it’s time to come home for dinner. However, with the majority of mothers working, fewer children enjoy that idle (空闲的) time now.
Come September, children across the country will finish a full day of kindergarten, only to attend an after-school program until 6 P.M., when a working mom or dad comes to take them home. That’s too much for a five-year old. Finances, of course, do limit some parents. But let’s be honest with ourselves – our own busy schedules, whatever they involve, are no excuse for burdening a young child’s. The author holds that it’s a challenge to plan a schedule for a child mainly because _____.
| A．a child’s schedule is too complex |
| B．activities suitable for kids are limited |
| C．parents are stuck in numerous choices |
| D．children always say no to parents’ advice |
What the two teachers say in Paragraph 2 implies that _____.
| A．children love to stay at school |
| B．they are popular with children |
| C．children dislike after-school classes |
| D．after-school classes are of poor quality |
According to the author, what is the real reason for parents to send their children to after-school classes?
| A．Parents want to make up for their own regrets. |
| B．After-school classes develop children’s potential. |
| C．Parents have doubt about their own ability to guide children. |
| D．After-school classes give parents an excuse for being absent. |
Which of the following will the author probably agree with?
| A．For children’s benefits, the earlier the better. |
| B．Children’s spare time should be carefully designed. |
| C．Idle time for children is becoming a thing of the past. |
| D．Parents should be forgiven if they have a good reason., |
We’re always looking for well-written reviews of books, music, movies, television shows, websites, video games and other products. When writing a review, concentrate on exactly what you liked or didn’t like. Give examples of strengths and weaknesses, be descriptive and provide background information on an author, director, actor or musician, if possible. Find professional reviews in magazines or newspapers and see how reviewers deal with their topic, but be sure to express your own voice in your review.
Grammar Hint for Reviews: When describing a book, movie, album or anything else, use the present tense.
Book Reviews
Discuss an author’s technique, strengths and weaknesses instead of focusing on the plot. Does the story flow? Is there a strong sense of character and place? Did you stay up until dawn to finish it? Is it good reading for teenagers? What influence did it have on you and why? If you’ve read other books by the same author, discuss how this book compares.
Movie Reviews
Think of the major Oscar categories and consider the performances, music, lighting and setting, etc. Do these work together? Did some hold up while others didn’t? If the movie is based on a book, discuss whether one is better than the other and why. If the movie is a remake, compare the film to its original.
Remember that a well-written movie review should discuss strengths and weaknesses. Some readers may not have seen a movie yet, so don’t give away an exciting scene or the ending!
College Reviews
Begin by providing an overview of the college, including location, size and a description of the campus and/or dorm life. Think about all aspects of your college visit. What academic, athletic and after-class programs are available? What are the students like? What makes the college different from others? Every school has strengths and weaknesses. Be objective. Consider what the school has to offer and who might enjoy or benefit the most from attending there. When writing a review, you ________.
cannot refer to any previous review
must express your own views and opinions
must provide some information about the author
needn’t give any examples to support your viewsWhich aspects should be included in all three reviews?
| A．Strengths and weaknesses. | B．Plot and character. |
| C．Programs and scenes. | D．Location and description. |
Where can you probably find the passage?
| A．In a personal diary. |
| B．In an official report. |
| C．In a tourist guidebook. |
| D．In a popular magazine. |
Facebook (脸谱网) friends cannot replace the real thing, say psychologists(心理学家).
People are happier and laugh 50% more when they talk face to face with friends or via webcam (web camera) than when they use social networking sites, a study has found.
Dr. Roberts, a famous lecture at the University of Chester, said such websites don't appear to help make true friendships. Based on two questionnaires(调查表), he found there was no link between Facebook use and people with larger groups of friends.
Dr. Roberts, whose work will be presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Harrogate, said, "The bottom lime conclusion is that our relationships are not dependent on the quantity of communication. They depend on quality, and even Skype(一种网络即时语音沟通工具) is better at increasing the quality of our communication than time on Facebook." Even talking on the phone or texting does not make people feel as good as sharing a smile, the research says. The studies suggest quality, not quantity, of communication is the most important for keeping friends for life.
People find the most satisfying relationships come from a small number of close friends, with an outer "ring" of 10 significant others. With these people, it doesn't matter what type of social media you use for communication. But people who want to "contact the world at large" using Facebook can be disappointed because they spread themselves too thinly, claim researchers.
In a third study, Dr. Roberts asked people to communicate with friends face to face or via Skype and keep a 14-day diary. This was compared with communicating via phone, text messages or social networking sites. People communicating face to face on Skype were 50% more likely to laugh, and they rated themselves as significantly happier. Dr. Roberts's finding that there was no connection between Facebook use and people with many friends was .
| A．based on questionnaires | B．based on conversations |
| C．through instant messages | D．through social media |
What is the idea of the fourth paragraph?
| A．Most people contact each other online. |
| B．Keeping a friend for life is not easy. |
| C．The quality of communication is important. |
| D．Skype is better at understanding us than Facebook. |
What does the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph probably suggest?
| A．They are too excited to express themselves. |
| B．They limit their social circle to a small range. |
| C．They spread their information at a low speed. |
| D．They lack information to introduce themselves. |
What is Dr. Roberts's attitude towards the use of Facebook?
| A．Positive. | B．Casual. | C．Responsible. | D．Unsupportive. |
What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That's the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman's entertaining new book for young readers, The Home Machine.
The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen's Grand Canyon School, are as different as any other 11-year-old child could be, but they have one thing in common — all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father; Judy's sense of justice always annoys others; Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher, the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget(装置) to do homework for him. While the boy is perfectly able to do his homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy can use the help.
Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet every day to "do homework", they find that they're learning a lot about each other. Such a good thing can't last though, and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them, they begin to get nervous. Soon there's an even more frightening problem ― why can't the Homework Machine be turned off?
Told in different voices as all the children make statements to the Grand Canyon Police, the story develops in an interesting fashion. Gutman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children's books, each with a funny and impressing table that should be equally liked by boys and girls. What is one common thing that all the four children have to deal with at school?
| A．Getting along with their classmates. |
| B．Doing their homework by themselves. |
| C．Overcoming difficulties on their own. |
| D．Catching up with others to get good grades. |
Which of the following words best describe Brenton?
| A．Strange and nervous. | B．Quiet and smart. |
| C．Brave and special. | D．Clever and helpful. |
Why did the children get frightened?
| A．They lost touch with each other. |
| B．They were questioned by a strange man. |
| C．They had no idea how to stop the machine. |
| D．They were tracked down by the police. |
This passage most probably comes from .
| A．a student's diary | B．a book review | C．a school report | D．a science story |
It's wonderful to go to another country, complete a volunteer project and feel that you really have a positive influence. But how can you become an international volunteer?
* Plan practically. Contact the organization a few months before leaving and find out if there are materials which are rare and hard to attain for the project. What you often consider plentiful here, such as nails or hammers, is in great need in other parts of the world.
* Do the project together, not on your own. You are a guest in the community. The most successful result is not that you build something and walk away, but that you and the community build something as a team. Share skills and build together.
* Be flexible. Not everything is going to happen as planned. Often the other country doesn't have the right tools, manpower, transportation or funds to get all the needed work done. In a word, they lack infrastructure(基础设施).
* Contact with the people in the community. Often you will have "downtime" outside of the range of the project. Rather than retreat to the group with whom you traveled, be sure to spend time with the people of the community. Listen to the things about their lives. If you can't speak the language, smiles work wonders. And you will be surprised ― you will find a way to community.
Volunteering is a special and life-long experience for everyone involved. Be prepared that the person who may be changed most is you. It's a joyful, often careful experience which will encourage you to view yourself, your neighbors and your world quite differently. When you volunteer to join in a project, you are advised to .
| A．build something and walk away |
| B．make good preparation in advance |
| C．avoid involving locals in activities |
| D．depend on yourself to solve problems |
According to the author, volunteer will .
| A．reduce challenge in the world |
| B．determine the future of a volunteer |
| C．change a person's opinion of the world |
| D．benefit volunteers most in their learning |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．What prepares you to become a volunteer. |
| B．Where volunteers are needed most in the world. |
| C．Why volunteering is popular with young people. |
| D．How volunteers develop a relationship with local people. |
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