Friends are important to the children. Research shows that children who have no friends can suffer from difficulties later in life. Friendship provides children with more than just fun. In making friends, children learn how to get in touch with the others and solve problems. Having friends even does good to children’s study for they can help each other during the class.
If the parents care about their children whether they made many friends，what matters is that the child is comfortable and happy with his friends. Parents need to understand the steps children take in building friendships. First of all, be a friend to your child. Good friendships start at home. Children begin to develop the necessary ability to go out and meet others through getting with their parents. Greet the child warmly and let him know you are glad to see him. Children learn a lot from how their parents stay with them and other people.
Teach children how to solve conflicts(争端). Being able to work out conflicts is an important skill in getting along with others. If parents know the children have a conflict, let them work it out on their own. Only step in if it is really necessary, for example, an argument is getting physical.
Give children chances to practice staying together. Have children play games that require team work and group problem solving skills. For example, races are fun and provide plenty of practice in teamwork. “In what ways didn’t you work well together? What might you do differently next time?” For these ideas, see books such as Games Book by Terry Orlick, Energizers by Carol Apacki, and Team-Building Activities for Every Group by Alanna Jones.
Encourage children to show thanks to the others. The parents can encourage children to do this by setting the example for them.
【小题1】According to the article, if one child has no friend, he will               .

A．have some troubles in the future	B．worry about everything in the future
C．not know the importance of making friends	D．not find anybody to help him

【小题2】Friendship can be helpful to the children EXCEPT              .

A．providing a lot of fun	B．getting in touch with others
C．solving the problems	D．helping to trick in the exams

【小题3】The writer’s purpose of writing the article is to               .

A．tell what parents should do to help the children make friends

B．show friends even does good to children’s study during the class

C．tell the parents need to understand the steps of children’s friendship

D．show how important the friendship is to the children

【小题4】When the children disagree with each other, the parents should                 .

A．let them fight with each other until they find who is the winner

B．do nothing to the children and believe in their abilities

C．let them work it out by themselves and help if necessary

D．talk with them and try to find good ways to stay together

In China , more and more middle school students are getting shorter sleeping time than before. Most students sleep less than nine hours every night, because they have much homework to do. Some homework is given by their teachers, and some by their parents. Also, some students don't know how to save(节省) time. They are not careful enough while they do their homework, so it takes them a lot of time. Some students spend too much time watching TV or playing computer games. They stay up (熬夜) very late. Some students have to get up early every morning on weekdays to get to school on time by bus or by bike. It can be a long way from home to school.
　　Schools and parents should cut down some of the homework so that our children can enjoy more than nine hours of sleep every night for their health. For children, we should make best use of（很好地利用） our time. When we have enough time for sleeping, we will find it much better for both our study and health.
【小题1】What makes most students sleep less than nine hours every night?

A．Watching TV.	B．Playing computer games.
C．Doing their homework.	D．Doing housework.

【小题2】Who else gives children some homework to do except their teachers?

A．Their parents.	B．Other students.
C．The children themselves.	D．Nobody else.

【小题3】How many hours of sleep is good for students' health?

A．Less than 9 hours.	B．Over 9 hours.
C．Only 9 hours.	D．8 hours.

【小题4】What would happen to a student who often goes to bed late and gets up early?

A．He would fall asleep in class.

B．He would do well in study.

C．He would finish his homework fast.

D．He would have good health.

【小题5】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Some students are so careless that they spend lots of time on their homework.

B．All the students stay up late for their homework.

C．Children should be given less homework.

D．Schools and parents should take care of children

Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members, and in particular, their parents, don’t know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for advice.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a circle of friends Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among them on the phone. This communication is very important in children’s growing up, because friends can discuss something difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose their children’s friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. The question of “choice” is an interesting one.
Who chooses your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don’t like?
Your answers are welcome.
【小题1】Many teenagers think their ________ know them better than their parents do.

A．friends

B．brothers

C．sisters

D．teachers

【小题2】When teenagers stay alone, their usual way of communication is ________.

A．to go to their friends

B．to talk with their parents

C．to have a discussion with their family by phone

D．to talk with their friends on the phone

【小题3】Which of the following is different in meaning from the sentences “Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their friends?

A．Some parents may even not allow their children to meet their good friends.

B．Some parents may even ask their children to stay away from their good friends.

C．Some parents may even not let their children meet their good friends.

D．Some parents may want their children to meet their good friends at the stop.

【小题4】Which of the following sentences is right according to the passage?

A．Parents should like everything their children enjoy.

B．In all families children can choose everything they like.

C．Parents should try their best to understand their children better.

D．Teenagers can only go to their friends for help.

【小题5】The sentence “Your answers are welcome” means“________”.

A．You are welcome to have a discussion with us.

B．We’ve got no idea, so your answers are welcome.

C．Your answers are always correct.

D．You can give us all the right answers.

【小题6】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．Only Parents Can Decide	B．Parents and Children
C．Teenagers Need Friends	D．A Strange Question

A young father was visiting an old neighbor. They were standing in the old man’s garden, and talking about children. The young man said,“How strict should parents be with their children?”
　  The old man pointed to（指着）a string (细绳) between a big strong tree and a thin young one.
　 “Please untie (解开) that string.” said the old man. “But first pull the string tight so that（以便于）the young tree is straight again.” The young man did so. He untied the string and only found that the young tree bent（弯）over to one side.
　 Then the old man said,“There, it is the same with children. You must be strict with them. But sometimes you must untie the string to see how they are getting on. If they are not yet able to stand alone，you must tie the string tight again. But when you find that they are ready to stand alone，you can take the string away.”
【小题1】The story is about ____________.
　　    A. how to take care of young trees　   
B. how strict parents should be with their children
C. how the young father should get on with his old neighbor
【小题2】 The young man untied the string ________________.
　　    A. in order to throw it away  　　
B. so that both of the trees wouldn’t grow straight
　　    C. and found that the young tree bent over to one side
【小题3】When could the string be taken away?
　　    A. When the old man left.　  　　
B. When the young man untied it next time.
　   　C. When the young tree grew strong enough.
【小题4】 At last the old man told the young man ________________.
　　    A. that he should be strict with his children if they could not 
stand alone
　　    B. that he should always be strict with his children
　　   C. that he should be hard on his children
【小题5】We learn that the big strong tree and the thin young one are like _________.
A. the young father and the old neighbor   　　
B. parents and their children
　　     C. the old neighbor and the children of young father

Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned(禁止) students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, teachers said mobile phone use is a distraction(娱乐) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with(与…联系) their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
【小题1】Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones     .

A．because they are students	B．when they are free
C．when they are at school	D．because they are children

【小题2】We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from   .

A．the makers and sellers	B．the passers-by and strangers
C．their parents and friends	D．some mobile phones users

【小题3】What does the underlined word cheat mean in the passage?     .

A．聊天

B．核对

C．查询

D．作弊

【小题4】Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t          during school hours.
A. use their mobile phones                  B. leave their mobile phones at school office
D. help the teachers with their work            D. get in touch with their children
【小题5】The passage tells us that         .

A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons.

B．it is impossible to ban students from using mobile phones at school

C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school

D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school