56. The main idea of the passage is that teenagers who drink alcohol ________.

A. often offend other people

B. often become injured

C. are more likely to become victims of violence

D. are more likely to fight with others

55. The best title for the passage would be ________.

A. Mother’s hair　　　　　　　　　　 B. An unforgettable memory

C. Who gave me the ears?　　　　　　　 D. Who is my best respectable person?

C

Teenagers who drink alcohol are at higher risk of becoming victims of violence, a Cardiff University study has found.

A team from the School of Dentistry’s Violence Research Group studied drinking habits in children aged 11 - 16 in England. They found not only a link between drink and violence but also that children who drank were more likely to be hit, even if they weren’t violent themselves.

The researchers are now calling for measures to prevent alcohol misuse to reduce injury risk. Current policy focuses on reducing aggression but this research shows that there should be equal effort to reduce victimization.

More than 4,000 children were surveyed at 13 schools at four local authorities in the North, the Midlands, London, and the South. The study found that 25% of 11-year-olds were drinking monthly and 3.6% daily, with 12.8% admitting to getting drunk 3 to 5 times a year. By the age of 16, 40% were drinking weekly and 6.2% were drinking every day. The research also showed 22.6% of 16-year-olds were getting drunk more than 21 times a year.

The study, which has just been published in the Journal of Adolescence, found a strong link between frequency of drinking and frequency of hitting other people.

However, children who reported drinking monthly were also three times more likely to be hit. Adolescents who drank but didn’t get into fights were more likely to be hit than those who did fight.

Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who led the research, said a lot of previous alcohol-related violence work had focused on the offenders rather than the victims. His team is calling for more prevention work from parents and teachers in the first two years of secondary school by taking advantage of the “teachable moment”，that is, immediately after a student has missed school because of drunkenness.

Previous work by Professor Jonathan Shepherd has shown drinkers may be more at risk of violence because of reduced physical co-ordination, poor decision-making in threatening situations and isolation while out late at night.

He said, “This new study seems to be the first to show a direct link between alcohol misuse and victimization. There now needs to he much more effort put into reducing alcohol misuse in order to reduce injury.”

54. The underlined word “reveal” in the last but one paragraph means “________”．

A. see　　　　 B. show　　　　 C. find　　　　 D. search

53. Who gave the son the ears?

A. A doctor.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　B. His father.

C. His mother.　 　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　D. A stranger.

52. Which word can describe Mother’s feeling when the son threw himself into her arms?

A. Nervous.　　　　　 　　　　　 B. Sympathetic.

C. Proud.　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　D. Angry.

51. Why did Mother gasp when she saw her newborn baby?

A. Because her son had a tiny face.　　　　 B. Because she saw her son crying.

C. Because her son was born imperfect.　　 D. Because her son was in her arms.

50. On Boxing Day in the United States nowadays, ______.

A. all the service workers receive money instead of boxes from their employees.

B. people give the service workers boxes only.

C. some people give money to the service workers, others will give boxes.

D. people don’t give boxes or money to the service workers.

B

“Can I see my baby？” the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out of the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was imperfect. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be misfortunate. He cried out the tragedy, “A boy, a big boy... called me a freak (怪人).”

He grew up, handsome. A favourite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. “But you might communicate with other young people，” his mother blamed him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged.

Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could，” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know... not yet.”

The years kept their secret, but the day did come. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.

“Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut，” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they？”

49. On Boxing Day, a service worker receives a box ______.

A. containing nothing　　　　 B. made of wood

C. which is beautiful　　　　 D. of gifts

48. According to a popular legend story, Boxing Day originated from ______.

A. America　　 B. Australia　 C. England　　 D. British Commonwealth

47. Boxing Day is day on which ______.

A. those service persons would box each other.　　

B. service workers would give boxes to each other.

C. the employees receive boxes from service workers.

D. service workers receive boxes from the employers.