A few months ago as I wandered through my parents’ house, the same house I grew up in, I had a sudden, scary realization. When my parents bought the house, in 1982, they were only two years older than I am now. I tried to imagine myself in two years, ready to settle down and buy the house I’d still be living in almost 30 years later.

It seemed ridiculous. On a practical level, there’s no way I could afford to buy a house anytime soon. More importantly, I wouldn’t want to. I’m not sure where I’ll be living in two years, or what kind of job I’ll have. And I don’t think I’ll be ready to settle down and stay in one place.

So this is probably the generation gap that divides my friends and me from our parents. When our parents were our age, they’d gotten their education, chosen a career, and were starting to settle into responsible adult lives.

My friends and I – “Generation Y” – still aren’t sure what we want to do with our lives. Whatever we end up doing, we want to make sure we’re happy doing it. We’d rather take risks first, try out different jobs, and move from one city to another until we find our favorite place. We’d rather spend our money on travel than put it in a savings account.

This casual attitude toward responsibility has caused some critics to call my generation “arrogant”, “impatient”, and “overprotected”. Some of these complaints have a point. As children we were encouraged to succeed in school, but also to have fun. We grew up in a world full of technological innovation: cellphones, the Internet, instant messaging, and video games.

Our parents looked to rise vertically(垂直的)--starting at the bottom of the ladder and slowly making their way to the top, on the same track, often for the same company. That doesn’t apply to my generation.

Because of that, it may take us longer than our parents to arrive at responsible, stable adulthood. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In our desire to find satisfaction, we will work harder, strive for ways to keep life interesting, and gain a broader set of experiences and knowledge than our parents’ generation did.

1.When the author walked through her parents’ house, she _______.

A．was frightened that she had no idea what she wanted from life

B．started to think about her own life

C．realized I should buy a house.

D．wondered why her parents had settled down early

2.What is the main “generation gap” between the author and her friends and their                      parents according to the article?

A．Their attitude toward high technology.

B．Their ways of making their way to the top.

C．Their attitude towards responsibility.

D．Their ways of gaining experience.

3.Which of the following might the author agree with?

A．It’s all right to try more before settling down.

B．It’s better to take adult responsibility earlier.

C．It involves too much effort to rise vertically.

D．It’s ridiculous to call her generation “arrogant”.

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A．The author is envious of her parents enjoying a big house at her age.

B．Growing up in a hi-tech world makes “Generation Y” feel insecure about relationships.

C．“Generation Y” people don’t want to grow up and love to be taken care of by their parents.

D．The author wrote this article so that others would be able to understand her generation better.

5.What is the main theme of the article?

A．The sudden realization of growing up.

B．A comparison between lifestyles of generations.

C．Criticisms of the young generation.

D．The factors that have changed the young generation.

 

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(东西) they call “books”.

I was going to have my examination the next day.  “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.

The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear!” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.

The clock struck one. I was quite desperate(绝望的) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.

When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were______ .

A. asleep    B. outside    C. working in bed    D. quietly laughing at him

The underlined word “wretched” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.

A. very happy    B. disappointed    C. very unhappy    D. hopeful

What do you suppose happened to the author?

A. He went to a church to pray again.          B. He passed the exam by sheer luck.

C. He failed in the exam.                                  D. He was punished by his teacher.

The best title for the passage would be __________ .

A. The Night Before the Examination          B. Working Far into the Night

C. A Slow Student                                     D. Going Over My Lessons 

A woman renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation…‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal（嗓音的） pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
【小题1】What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?

A．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society.

B．The recorder was impatient and rude.

C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced.

D．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.

【小题2】How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?

A．curious

B．indifferent

C．interested

D．puzzled

【小题3】Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?

A．Because the author cared little about rewards.

B．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab.

C．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of.

D．Because she thought the author did admirable work.

【小题4】What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?

A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.

B．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily.

C．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect.

D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.

“Mama, when I grow up, I’m going to be one of those!” I said this after seeing the Capital Dancing Company perform when I was three. It was the first time that my dream took on a vivid form and acted as something important to start my training. As I grew older and was exposed to more, my interests in the world of dance certainly varied but that little girl’s dream of someday becoming a dancer in the company never left me. In the summer of 2005 when I was 18, I received the phone call which made that dream a reality: I became a member of the company dating back to 1925.
As I look back on that day now, it surely lacks any sense of reality. I believe I stayed in a state of pleasant disbelief until I was halfway through rehearsals (排练) on my first day. I never actually expect to get the job. After being offered the position, I was completely astonished. I remember shaking with excitement.
Though I was absolutely thrilled with the chance, it did not come without its fair share of challenge. Through the strict rehearsal period of dancing six days a week, I found it vital to pick up the material fast with every last bit of concentration. It is that extreme attention to detail (细节) and stress on practice that set us apart. To then follow those high-energy rehearsals with a busy show schedule of up to five performances a day, I discovered a new meaning of the words “hard work.” What I thought were my physical boundaries were pushed much further than I thought possible. I learned to make each performance better than the last.
Today, when I look at the unbelievable company that I have the great honor of being a part of, not only as a member, but as a dance captain, I see a tradition that has inspired not only generations of little girls but a splendid company that continues to develop and grow-and inspires people every day to follow their dreams.
【小题1】How many years has the Capital Dancing Company existed when the author received the phone call from it?

A．180

B．1925

C．2005

D．80

【小题2】How did the author feel when she look back on that day now?

A．strange

B．unrealistic

C．indifferent

D．lucky

【小题3】Which of the following statement can best interpret the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?

A．Though I was excited, I should share the chance with others.

B．Though I was excited, it’s fair to share the chance when there is challenge.

C．Though I was excited, it’s a challenge for me to share the chance with others.

D．Though I was excited, I know clearly where there is chance there is challenge.

【小题4】What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?

A．The company values practice most.

B．The company extremely focus on intelligence.

C．The company has an inherited tradition of inspiring its members break their limits.

D．The company sets the members apart in order to extremely stress detail and practice.

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before a huge pile of troublesome stuff they call “books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. "When can I go to bed?" I asked myself. I didn’t answer, in fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12."Oh, dear!" I cried, "ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We pupils are the most wretched（可怜的） creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite hopeless now. I forgot all I had learnt. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, Please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were heavy, so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
【小题1】When the author was going over his lessons, all the others in the house were_____ .

A．working in bed	B．asleep
C．outside	D．quietly laughing at him

【小题2】Reviewing his lessons didn’t help him because ________.

A．it was too late at night

B．he was very tired

C．he hadn’t studied hard before the examination

D．his eyes lids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open

【小题3】What do you suppose happened to the author？

A．He failed in the exam

B．He passed the exam by luck

C．He went to a church to pray again

D．He was punished by his teacher

【小题4】The best title for the passage would be __________ .

A．The Night Before the Examination

B．Working Far into the Night

C．A Slow Student

D．Going Over My Lessons