How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the pappy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.

At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you ‘young lady’. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you—this young lady heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.

But this is always something that troubles you a lot. You say, “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.’

‘No,” they say, “Your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.’ Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.

Another time you tell your grandma, ‘Grandma. See, I am a grown-up now.’

‘Good, now, you can sit here and knit(编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.’ To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a bad girl can’t do such easy work.’ You wish then you were a child again.

(　　 )51. The passage is told about ________ problem.

　　　 A. a grown-up boy’s　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. a teenage girl’s

C. an old woman’s　　　　　　　　　　　 D. an old man’s

(　　 )52. It is clear that the writer, as a teenager, ________.

　　　 A. is pleased with the present life　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. is unhappy about growing up

　　　 C. doesn’t think her present life happy enough　　 D. is sad about being a kid

(　　 )53. How does she know her prayer had been answered?

　　　 A. People treat her as a young lady.

B. She doesn’t need to play with kids now.

C. People begin to call her teenager.

D. She can join women in all kinds of activities.

(　　 )54. From what her parents say, we know ________.

　　　 A. the girl always has much money in her pocket

　　　 B. it’s dangerous for a girl to spend money

　　　 C. they love her more than before

　　　 D. they still regard her as a child

(　　 )55. Why does he promise to help her grandma do some knitting?

　　　 A. Because she likes doing knitting

　　　 B. Because she wants to show that she has grown up.

　　　 C. Because she has much more free time.

　　　 D. Because her grandma is very tired.

Xiao Qiang, a 12-year-old Chinese boy, has too many activities. His father  _(1)   him away from school four afternoons a week and drives him across town to practice. “I do most of my  __(2)   in the car when we are   (3)   to practice, and I have to do the rest（剩余的） when I get home. I am too tired, I just want to sleep.” he said.

“More and more kids become unhappy   (4)   they have too many activities to do.” Said Mr Wang, an expert(专家) of Children Development. 41% of the children aged 9-13 said they felt   (5)   most of the time, and more than 75% of them said that they wished they had more   (6)   to play.

“Over- scheduling(过量的课程安排) is a growing problem for Chinese families.” said Mr Wang. It is not good for both kids and their parents. More families eat dinner   (7)   or often eat fast food   (8)   their way to drawing or music lessons. We all know it is important for kids to learn how to relax. If they don’t learn that now, it will be more difficult to learn when they get   (9)   . Kids need time to relax. Parents should   (10)   about what is right for kids.

1. A. take            B. takes               C. took               D. has taken

2. A. sports        B. business         C. homework      D. housework

3. A. riding         B. flying            C. walking        D. driving

4. A. but           B. of              C. because        D. so

5. A. excited       B. interested        C. worried        D. dangerous

6. A. great time     B. full time          C. right time       D. free time

7. A. slowly        B. quickly         C. quietly         D. happily

8. A. on           B. by              C. in             D. across

9. A. taller         B. stronger         C. older           D. better

10. A. hear        B. think           C. look           D. tell