Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special.

Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish that we had nicer clothes or more money. Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz（绿野仙踪）, we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. In the movie , the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. The Tin Man wishes she had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.

Most parents want us to be the best we can be. They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.

Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special , and that we are good enough just as we are. Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are….is enough.

1．This passage is most likely written by a ______.

     A．teenager             B．parent                C．teacher              D．coach  

2．According to the author, it seems improper for parents to _______.

      A．compare their children with others now and then 

       B．give no pressure to their children

      C．remind their children frequently they are special

      D．praise their children too much

3．By discussing the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the author mainly wants to show____.

      A．we are not good enough just as we are

       B．we already have inside us what we want 

      C．it is impossible for us to be better than others

       D．there is always someone who is better than us

4．What does the author of this passage believe?

      A．Not everyone can be special               B．Smart people are more special than others.

      C．The richer you are, the better you are    D．We are all good enough just the way we are.

　　The English, as a race, are very different from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, Belgians and Dutch. It is claimed (声称) that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons, it may be fairly slated (预定，注定) that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.

　　Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems embarrassed. You have only to see a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner. No one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, "On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers." Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected (怀疑).

　　In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. Whereas a more emotional man might describe her as "an excellent jewel", "extremely beautiful" or "precious", the Englishman will flatly state "Um, she is all right."

(1) From the passage people can infer that the English are different from other nationalities mainly in ________.

[　　]

A．manners

B．character

C．the principle of behavior

D．all aspects

(2) If one doesn't want to be suspected in public, he had better ________.

[　　]

A．behave relaxed

B．shake hands with all the people he meets

C．talk with others

D．keep quiet

(3) According to the passage, the Englishman ________.

[　　]

A．has fewer feelings than other nationalities

B．has emotions as deep as any other nationality

C．expresses emotions by using his language

D．likes to have a joke with foreign visitors

(4) An Englishman's saying "all right" usually has the sense of ________.

[　　]

As school starts again, there's so much more for an American parent to nag （唠叨）about, like homework，bedtime and lost hours on the Internet.

But in the age of digital childhood，Jacky Longwell, 45 , of McLean, Virginia, often text – messages what she once told her children by mouth: Be nice to your brother; walk the dog; remember your reading.

This is the world of the modern family, in which even reminding children to do something has become electronic.

There are changes in how parents nag and in what they nag about and in how often of their nagging.

With technology," you nag more, and you are a little bit more precise （其体的）with your nagging,” said Reginald Black, 46, of Woodbridge. Virginia.

For many young people electronic nagging is part of the experience of growing up.

Charles Flowers, 17, a senior at St. John’s College High School in Washington, says his mother reminds him about everything from laundry, being on time to baseball practice and mowing the lawn by text.

When she uses capitals he knows she’s serious: GET HOME!

Some say technology has made nagging less annoying. Jacky Longwell thinks texts are less emotional than spoken messages and less likely to be resisted by teenagers.

“It’s not as painful for them to hear it by text. It becomes grouped with the friendly communication.” she said. “They can’t hear the nagging.”

She thinks a good way to do it is to mix friendliness with nagging. A parent can always start by saying hello.

Not all parents like the new electronic nagging. Joyce Bouchard, 51, a mother of four in Fairfax, Virginia , texts her 14 - year - old son but says that for many things-chores, homework-the old - fashioned way works better. Nagging by text has risks. She notes: “I always think, if you’re texting them something and they’re with their friends, they are getting a big laugh out of it.”

1. The main idea of the article is          .

     A. what American parents like to nag about

     B. why American parents like to nag their children

     C. how American parents began to nag their children by text messages

     D. that electronic nagging is becoming common in the US

2. The example of Reginald Black is used to show readers         .

     A. that her nagging is thoughtful

     B. that she likes nagging her children very much

     C. the kind of skills a parent needs to nag effectively

     D. how the amount and kind of nagging have changed with the arrival of the digital age

3.  The underlined sentence “Nagging by text has risks.” most probably means “           “

     A. Nagging messages may be resisted

     B. Electronic nagging costs too much

     C. Receiving texts is harmful to teenagers’ health

     D. Parents are likely to be addicted to nagging by text

4. We can infer from the article that          .

     A. it’s better for parents to nag in a friendly way

     B. if nagging is electronic, it is not annoying

     C. American parents generally don’t like to nag

     D. American parents like to use capital letters in messages

As school starts again, there’s so much more for an American parent to nag (唠叨) about, like homework, bedtime and lost hours on the Internet.

But in the age of digital childhood, Jacky Longwell, 45, of McLean, Virginia, often text – messages what she once told her children by mouth: Be nice to your brother; walk the dog; remember your reading.

This is the world of the modern family, in which even reminding children to do something has become electronic.

There are changes in how parents nag and in what they nag about and in how often of their nagging.

With technology, “you nag more, and you are a little bit more precise (具体的) with your nagging,” said Reginald Black, 46, of Woodbridge, Virginia.

For many young people electronic nagging is part of the experience of growing up.

Charles Flowers,17, a senior at St. John’s College High School in Washington, says his mother reminds him about everything from laundry, being on time to baseball practice and mowing the lawn by text.

When she uses capitals he knows she’s serious: GET HOME!

Some say technology has made nagging less annoying. Jacky Longwell thinks texts are less emotional than spoken messages and less likely to be resisted by teenagers.

“It’s not as painful for them to hear it by text. It becomes grouped with the friendly communication.” she said. “They can’t hear the nagging.”

She thinks a good way to do it is to mix friendliness with nagging. A parent can always start by saying hello.

Not all parents like the new electronic nagging. Joyce Bouchard, 51, a mother of four in Fairfax, Virginia, texts her 14 – year – old son but says that for many things – chores, homework – the old – fashioned way works better. Nagging by text has risks. She notes: “I always think, if you’re texting them something and they’re with their friends, they are getting a big laugh out of it.”

1．The main idea of the article is         .

       A．what American parents like to nag about

       B．why American parents like to nag their children

       C．that electronic nagging is becoming common in the US

       D．how American parents began to nag their children by text messages

2．The example of Reginald Black is used to show readers          .

       A．that her nagging is thoughtful

       B．that she likes nagging her children very much

       C．the kind of skills a parent needs to nag effectively

       D．how the amount and kind of nagging have changed with the arrival of the digital age

3．The underlined sentence “Nagging by text has risks.” Most probably means “       ”.

       A．Electronic nagging costs too much

       B．Nagging messages may be resisted

       C．Receiving texts is harmful to teenagers’ health

       D．Parents are likely to be addicted to nagging by text

4．We can infer from the article that         .

       A．it’s better for parents to nag in a friendly way

       B．if nagging is electronic, it is not annoying

       C．American parents generally don’t like to nag

       D．American parents like to use capital letters in messages

Mistreat(虐待) your animals and someone might take them from you.
Allen (not his real name) is driving north out of Virginia in the middle of the night，with stolen property in the back of his van.But Allen isn’t a criminal—in fact he normally would never dream of breaking the law.
The “property” he stole is a dog he calls Flash.Allen doesn’t particularly want Flash in fact，in a few hours he’ll drop him off at a stranger’s house and never see him again.“I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing，”he explains.“The owner was plainly neglecting (忽视) the dog，but the police wouldn’t do anything about it.”
For over a year，Flash had been tied to a tree in front of someone’s house.“He was sick and weak，”says Allen.“More than once I saw the owner kick him for no reason at all.”Allen had repeatedly tried to get the owner to take better care of the animal，or to give it away to someone who would.Finally，he took matters into his own hands—in the dead of night，he took Flash off his chain and drove away with him.
An hour later，Flash had a new license and he_was_treated_by_a_veterinarian_who_knew_better_than_to_ask_questions.
Pictures of the dog were put up on animal rescue websites，asking for someone to adopt the dog.A couple in New York offered to take the dog，and animal lovers in states along the way agreed to provide transportation.
Nobody can say for sure how many animals like Flash are “rescued” every year；receiving stolen property is a crime，so rescuers tend to stay in the shadows.But a growing number of empty collars are because of their work as more and more animals find their way to loving homes.
【小题1】Why did Allen steal the dog?

A．He liked the dog very much.

B．He wanted to stop the dog being treated badly.

C．He is a criminal who likes stealing dogs.

D．Someone ordered him to do that.

【小题2】What had Allen ever done for the dog before stealing him?

A．Finding a new owner for him.

B．In the dead of night，taking him off his chain and drove away with him.

C．Kicking him for no reason at all.

D．Asking the owner to treat the dog better or give it to someone else.

【小题3】How did Allen help the dog find a new owner?

A．By putting advertisements on TV.

B．By asking the Animals Protection Association for help.

C．By asking for help on the Internet.

D．By putting up signs on the street.

【小题4】What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph?

A．The veterinarian had treated many animals that were mistreated by their owners.

B．The veterinarian had once stolen some animals like Flash before.

C．The veterinarian was Allen’s friend.

D．The veterinarian was a learned man.