According to an official report on youth violence（暴力）, “The greatest danger to the lives of children is not disease or food shortage, but violence”. Why aren’t students taught to manage conflict（冲突）the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?

First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school students shows that most violence between students begin with small things. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can then lead to a fight. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.

Once students realize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of staying calm（平静的）. Once the student feels calmer, he or she should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words only make things worse. On the other hand, soft words can put out the fire before it is out of control.

After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key way to help: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without getting in a word. Afterwards, the listener can ask some questions to make the speaker’s position clear. Then the two people should change roles.

Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to work out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what both sides are trying to deal with. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the problem becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller.

There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution（解决）is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.

56. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The lives of school children.     

B. The causes of fights in schools.

C. How to explain youth violence. 

D. How to deal with school conflicts.

57. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A. A small conflict can lead to violence.

B. Students seem to lose their temper easily.

C. Violence is more likely to happen at lunchtime.

D. The eating habit of a student often causes a fight.

58. Why do students need to ask themselves the questions in Paragraph 5?

A. To make clear what the real problem is.

B. To find out who should take responsibility.

C. To show more considerations for both sides.

D. To work out how to stop the shouting match.

59. What’s the writer’s purpose for writing this passage?

A. To tell the latest studies on school violence.

B. To teach students different skills for school life.

C. To describe some problems in school education.

D. To suggest teaching conflict management in schools.

　　Although English is not as old as Chinese, it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating(创造) new words, and we are often able to know where most words come from.

　　Sometimes, no one may really know where a word comes from. Did you every think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham? About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe(欧洲). They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg. They didn't speak good English, but they ate good food. When some Americans saw them eating a round piece of beef, they asked the Germans what it was. The Germans didn't understand the question and answered：“We come from Hamburg.” One of these Americans owned a restaurant. He had an idea. He cooked some round pieces of bread and started selling them. Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”. Today, “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.

　　Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting. Knowing why any word has a certain(一定的) meaning is interesting, too. This reason(原因), for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary.

1．According to the writer, English is ________.

[　　]

A．very difficult to learn

B．not so old as Chinese

C．as old as Chinese

D．older than Chinese

2．Hamburg is ________.

[　　]

A．a round piece of beef

B．a kind of food

C．a city in Germany

D．the name of a village

3．According to the passage, ________.

[　　]

A．hamburgers are made with beef

B．a few Americans like hamburgers

C．hamburgers are made with ham

D．hamburgers were first sold about a century ago

4．Which of the following can often be found in any large English dictionary?

[　　]

A．Where those Germans came from.

B．Where all the new words come from

C．The reason why a word has a certain meaning.

D．The reason why English is spoken around the world.

5．From the story we lean that the word “hamburger” comes from ________.

[　　]

A．the round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating

B．English speakers because they always create new words

C．China because it has a long history

D．English because Germans don't speak good English

If you travel abroad(到国外) for the first time, you should know some important things about traveling.

First, before you start your tour, you must make sure that you have a passport(护照), and you should also learn some culture and living habits of the country you are going to visit.

Second, learn some useful words before traveling to a new country. Though few people can learn a new language in a short time, learning some will make the tour more interesting.

Then knowing the vehicles(交通工具) is also important to your tour. When you first arrive in a foreign country, your first task will be going from your arriving airport to a nice hotel. Find out how to get there and how much money it will cost.

Finally, exchange money before you go abroad. You will feel relaxed when you buy food and other things with local(当地的) money. If everything is ready(准备好的), your happy tour is beginning.

(   ) 6. You must take a _____ when you go abroad.

              A. key                   B. ticket                C. book                 D. passport

(   ) 7. You should learn all of the following things before going abroad EXCEPT_____.

              A. some singers     B. living habits       C. some culture      D. some useful words

(   ) 8. The first task is to ______ when you arrive in a foreign country.

              A. get to a hotel from the airport   B. eat delicious food

              C. have a good sleep                           D. learn some easy expressions

(   ) 9. _____people can learn a new language in a short time.

              A. All                    B. Most                 C. Few                  D. Many

(   ) 10. The passage is mainly about ______.

              A. where to live abroad                B. what to do for the first time abroad

              C. how to learn a new language    D. how to plan your work