It’s 10:30 p.m. and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “ R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “ If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told TFK.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles in his room. With so many choices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
“ These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “ If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “ It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson. “ You’ve got to work on it.”
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
Logan Jones, 11, of Maumelle, Arkansas, describes himself as a “game freak”. Still, he is glad not to have unlimited time with his PlayStation 2. “I’ll tell my mom I’m going to play a game, and she’ll say, ‘Okay, but only for 30 minutes,’”, Logan told TFK.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “ Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “:But parents might have to step in sometimes.”
【小题1】The text is mainly about kids’ _________

It’s 10:30 p.m. and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “ R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “ If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told TFK.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles in his room. With so many choices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
“ These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “ If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “ It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson. “ You’ve got to work on it.”
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
Logan Jones, 11, of Maumelle, Arkansas, describes himself as a “game freak”. Still, he is glad not to have unlimited time with his PlayStation 2. “I’ll tell my mom I’m going to play a game, and she’ll say, ‘Okay, but only for 30 minutes,’”, Logan told TFK.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “ Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “:But parents might have to step in sometimes.”

1. 1.

   The text is mainly about kids’ _________

   1. A.
      cell phone use
   2. B.
      various hobbies
   3. C.
      favorite video games
   4. D.
      using electronic devices
2. 2.

   It can be learnt from the text that _________.

   1. A.
      Brandon feels annoyed about his late-night message.
   2. B.
      Olson is against teenagers’ using mobile phones.
   3. C.
      many teenagers lack friends in their middle school
   4. D.
      kids have too many electronic devices to choose from
3. 3.

   Which of the following is an example of multitasking?

   1. A.
      Watching TV while using the computer
   2. B.
      Talking on the phone while lying on the sofa.
   3. C.
      Playing video games after having lunch.
   4. D.
      Listening to loud music while relaxing.
4. 4.

   The underlined phrase “in check” in the last paragraph can be replaced by ______.

   1. A.
      in order
   2. B.
      in store
   3. C.
      in sight
   4. D.
      in control
5. 5.

   According to the text, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that kids should ____.

   1. A.
      do homework while watching TV
   2. B.
      do homework in a place without disturbance
   3. C.
      spend more time on homework
   4. D.
      have less homework

My mother loves flowers. As soon as warm weather comes around, you will find her planting, watering, and weeding over everything. For a number of years we lived next door to each other, and she spent as much time in my garden as she did her own. After the flowers became plentiful each summer, she would cut colorful bouquets(花束) to enjoy inside the house -- both hers and mine. I would often come home from work and find a beautiful arrangement of fresh flowers on my coffee table.
Shortly before Christmas one year, a local flower shop offered a bouquet-a-month special. It seemed to be a made-to-order gift for Mom, a great way to thank her for all of the flowers she had given me through the years.
After the holidays, in early January, I drove her to the flower shop to pick up her first month's bouquet. The small fresh colorful bouquet would hardly fill a small vase.
I was so embarrassed. However, after we returned home, she began to arrange the flowers she had received. "Mom, I'm sorry," I told her. "I can't believe how skimpy that bouquet is." She looked at me and smiled. "It's okay," she said. "It allows me to better enjoy the beauty of each one."
Mom's words helped me to realize something bigger and more important --when we have too many good things, we often fail to enjoy the beauty of each one. 
Thanks, Mom, for helping me understand that less is sometimes more.
【小题1】The author bought her mother flowers to ____.

When I was 8 years old, I once decided to run from home. With my suitcase __36__ and some sandwiches in a bag, I started for the front door and said to Mom,  “ I’m leaving.”

  “if you want to ___37___, that’s all right.” she said. “But you came into this home without anything and you can leave the same way.” I __38___ my suitcase and sandwiches on the floor heavily and started for the door again.

  “ Wait a minute,” Mom said. “ I want your ___39 ___ back. You didn’t wear anything when you arrived.” This really angered me. I tore my clothes off ----shoes, socks, underwear and all---and___40___. “Can I go now?” “Yes,” Mom answered. “but once you close that door, don’t expect to come back.”

  I was so ___41___ that I slammed(砰的关上) the door and stepped out on the front porch. ___42___ I realized that I was outside, with nothing on. Then I noticed that down the street, two neighbor girls were walking toward our house. I ran to __43__ behind a big tree in our yard at once. After a while, I was __44__ the girls had passed by. I dashed to the front door and banged on it loudly. 

  “Who’s there?” I heard.

  “It’s Billy! Let me in!”

  The voice behind the ___45___ answered, “ Billy doesn’t live here anymore, he ran away from home.”  Glancing behind me to see if anyone else was coming. I begged “Aw, o’mon, Mom! I’m ___46___ your son. Let me in!”

  The door inched open and Mom’s smiling face appeared. “ Did you change your __ 47__ about running away?” she asked.

  “ What’s for supper?” I answered.

-- Mom, I’ m going to the graduation dance tonight but I don’ t think I look attractive enough.

— Oh, darling, don’ t worry. _______

A. They don’t know what beauty is.      B. Nobody will care about it.

C. You look perfect the way you are.    D. Impossible is nothing,