I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop hired（雇佣） me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 　1　 　to earn my own pocket money and my parents 　2　 　interfered（干涉）with how I spent it, even when I was spending it foolishly. They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 　3　 , I would become more mature（成熟的） and responsible about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.
　　Like many American parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 　4 　　a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around Europe. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 　5　 　for me. In the end, my father won the argument（争论） on the 　6　 　that I limited（限定）my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins spread out through the country who could 　7　 　shelter（住处）and help if I needed them.
　　Three years later, my younger brother decided to 　8　 　a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not eager to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 　9　 　year working his way on trains and ships to 　10 　　passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.
　　These kinds of experiences are probably rare（稀少的）for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly common. Most parents start 　11　 　their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have selected the university they plan to attend and maybe even 　12　 　on their future career, and so on.

1. 1.
   1. A.
      anxious　　
   2. B.
      content　　　
   3. C.
      proud
   4. D.
      hopeful
2. 2.
   1. A.
      never
   2. B.
      ever　　　 　
   3. C.
      always
   4. D.
      even
3. 3.
   1. A.
      problems
   2. B.
      mistakes
   3. C.
      disappointment
   4. D.
      failure
4. 4.
   1. A.
      helped
   2. B.
      supported
   3. C.
      shared
   4. D.
      worried
5. 5.
   1. A.
      journey　　
   2. B.
      experience
   3. C.
      decision　　　　
   4. D.
      possibility
6. 6.
   1. A.
      situation　
   2. B.
      agreement
   3. C.
      gesture
   4. D.
      condition
7. 7.
   1. A.
      promise　　
   2. B.
      afford
   3. C.
      provide
   4. D.
      serve
8. 8.
   1. A.
      set
   2. B.
      put
   3. C.
      take
   4. D.
      keep
9. 9.
   1. A.
      unusual
   2. B.
      hard
   3. C.
      strange
   4. D.
      busy
10. 10.
    1. A.
       accept　　
    2. B.
       earn
    3. C.
       find
    4. D.
       search
11. 11.
    1. A.
       bringing　　
    2. B.
       forcing
       　　
    3. C.
       pushing　　　　　
    4. D.
       protecting
12. 12.
    1. A.
       worked　　
    2. B.
       decided
    3. C.
       carried
    4. D.
       tried

Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.

　     　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.

Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:

²   having everyday conversations with your children

²   trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions

²   encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know

²   reading to your children each night

²   listening to your children read

²   teaching your children how to use dictionaries

²   talking about your children’s writings

²   practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails

You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.

1.This passage is mainly written for __________.

A. children      B. teachers     C. parents      D. doctors

2.__________ is the best for the missing part in Paragraph 2.

A. “Listening and speaking skills”         B. “Reading and writing skills”

C. “Listening and writing skills”      D. “Reading and listening skills”

3.__________ is NOT mentioned in the 8 tips above.

   A. “Listening to the radio every day    ” 

B. “Listening to your children read”

   C. “Reading to your children each night”          

D. “Talking about your children’s writings”

4.In the Reading Challenge Club, children have to read __________ in one year.

A. 5 books          B. 10 books  C. 15 books            D. 20 books

5.Parents can help children to write by encouraging them to__________.

A. draw pictures or take photos         B. listen to pop music 

C. write diaries or book reviews            D. play computer games

完形填空（共12分，每小题1分）

阅读下面的短文，掌握其大意，然后从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳选项

　　I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop hired（雇佣） me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 　1　 　to earn my own pocket money and my parents 　2　 　interfered（干涉）with how I spent it, even when I was spending it foolishly. They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 　3　 , I would become more mature（成熟的） and responsible about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.

　　Like many American parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 　4 　　a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around Europe. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 　5　 　for me. In the end, my father won the argument（争论） on the 　6　 　that I limited（限定）my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins spread out through the country who could 　7　 　shelter（住处）and help if I needed them.

　　Three years later, my younger brother decided to 　8　 　a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not eager to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 　9　 　year working his way on trains and ships to 　10 　　passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.

　　These kinds of experiences are probably rare（稀少的）for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly common. Most parents start 　11　 　their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have selected the university they plan to attend and maybe even 　12　 　on their future career, and so on.

1.                A．anxious　　     B．content　　　   C．proud    D．hopeful

2.                A．never          B．ever　　　 　   C．always    D．even

3.                A．problems       B．mistakes        C．disappointment D．failure

4.                A．helped         B．supported       C．shared   D．worried

5.                                  A．journey　　 B．experience

C．decision　　　　                  D．possibility

6.                A．situation　      B．agreement      C．gesture   D．condition

7.                A．promise　　    B．afford          C．provide   D．serve

8.                A．set            B．put            C．take D．keep

9.                A．unusual        B．hard           C．strange   D．busy

10.               A．accept　　     B．earn           C．find  D．search

11.               A．bringing　　    B．forcing

　　              C．pushing　　　　　                 D．protecting

12.               A．worked　　     B．decided        C．carried    D．tried