Most people agree that the direct, assertive(过分自信的) American personality is a virtue, but it sometimes surprises foreigners. In many cultures, respect for older people or those in positions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings. But in the U.S, children often argue with their parents, students may disagree with their teachers, and citizens may express opposition to the actions of the government. If the soup has a fly in it or the  meat is too tough to chew, the diner can complain to the waiter, if the boss makes a mistake, an employee will politely point it out.

Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.

Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.

In order to show the respect for older people,.      .

A.people from some other cultures will always express their true feeling

B.people from some other cultures may sometimes hide their true feeling

C.Americans always show their true feelings

D.Americans usually argue with them

Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?

A.Because people from other cultures fear competition.

B.Because only American people own it.

C.Because it will make people forget leisure.

D.Because it may sometimes urge people to do something bad.

It can be inferred from the passage that .        .

A.American people are more critical of everything than people from other cultures

B.the author believes that American character has more faults than virtues

C.the author admires American virtues as they are viewed as competitive and anti traditional

D.it is difficult for newcomers to get on with Americans

The passage mainly talks about .       .

A.American virtues  B.American characters  C.American faults   D.American lifestyles

The following are four books that will help you change your mind and change your life.

1) You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay: A groundbreaking book when it was released in 1982. It is still the book that I turn to when I have physical unrest that requires deeper understanding. Louise Hay is the pioneer in looking at the connection between the physical unrest that we have in our body and the emotional connection. At the time that she wrote the book many people scoffed at this idea, but it is now widely accepted and millions of people refer to it on a daily basis.

2) The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz: Maintaining a sense of reliability and faith is developed through understanding to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz written in 1997. We are faced with rules and regulations; don’t do this, don’t do that, watch what you are doing, be kind, loyal, faithful etc. The four agreements represent a simple system of maintaining your own inner authority while practicing being a true person with other people.

3) Slowing Down to the Speed of Life, Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey: This is a new one in my “bedside collection” and one that has made the biggest impact on me lately. Written in 1997, it is even more relevant today than it was when it was written. The idea of “slowing down” to get there faster was extremely hard for me to understand. As a human species we seem to enjoy moving fast and expecting quick results, especially from ourselves. I should be successful now, I should be slim now, get me to my destination now—in contrast to “in the fullness of time” when I am ready.

4) The Game of Life and How to Play It, Florence Scovel-Shinn: A classic book that was first published in 1925 and remains one of my favorite books of all time. Scovel-Shinn understood the power of our words to express either our deepest desires or our most horrible nightmares.

So where does this leave you? The way I see it is if you want to ‘Heal Your Life” then you had better learn how to play “The Game of Life” by learning how to “Slow Down to the Speed of Life” and keep the “Four Agreements”. The solution may not be easy to do but it is simple. In fact, most solutions are pretty simple, and it is us humans that want to complicate it.

1.According to the author, people who are lacking in personal freedom should read______.

A. You Can Heal Your Life

B. The Four Agreements

C. Slowing Down to the Speed of Life

D. The Game of Life and How to Play It

2.Which of the following books did the author read most recently?

A. Slowing Down to the Speed of Life

B. The Four Agreements

C. You Can Heal Your Life

D. The Game of Life and How to Play It

3.In which part of a magazine would you probably find this passage?

A. Arts & Entertainment   B. Reference & Education

C. Book Reviews    D. Self Improvement

4. In the author’s opinion, the four books _______.

A. offer four ways to change our life and mind    B. represent four stages of life

C. represent four attitudes                     D. tell us four interesting stories

 

For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?

Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.

In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is. The laws of physics or the proper way to break an egg —the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something — and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.

1.Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?

A．Both can continue for generations.          B．Both are about where to draw the line

C．Neither has any clear winner               D．Neither can be put to an end

2.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict.

B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict

C．The teens cause their parents to mislead them

D．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents

3.Parents and teens want to be right because they want to ________.

A．give orders to the other                  B．know more than the other

C．gain respect from the other               D．get the other to behave properly

4.What will the author most probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?

A．Causes for the parent –teen conflicts       B．Examples of the parent –teen war.

C．Solutions for the parent –teen problems    D．Future of the parent-teen relationship

 

Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will behave like wild animals. They will soil your house, destroy your belongings, bark excessively, fight other dogs and even bite you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal dog activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed at the wrong thing. The key to preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect its normal behavior to outlets that are acceptable in the domestic setting.

　　One of the best things you can do for your dog and yourself is to train its obedience. Obedience training doesn’t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem. Training opens up a line of communication between you and your dog. Effective communication is necessary to instruct your dog about what you want it to do.

Training is also an easy way to establish the social rank order. When your dog obeys a simple request of “come here, sit,” it is showing obedience and respect for you. It is not necessary to establish yourself as top dog or leader of the pack（群）by using extreme measure. You can teach your dog its subordinate（从属的）role by teaching it to show submission to you. Most dogs love performing tricks for you to

pleasantly accept that you are in charge.

　　Training should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It can enrich your relationship and make living together more enjoyable. A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely be allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained animal.

51. Behavior problems of dogs are believed to _______.

A. be just part of their nature

　 B. worsen in modern society

　 C. occur when they go wild

　 D. present a threat to the community

52. The primary purpose of obedience training is to _______.

　 A. teach the dog to perform clever tricks

　 B. make the dog aware of its owner’s authority

　 C. provide the dog with outlets for its wild behavior

　 D. enable the dog to regain its normal behavior

53. Effective communication between a dog and its owner is _______.

　 A. essential to solving the dog’s behavior problems

　 B. the foundation for dogs to perform tasks

　 C. a good way to teach the dog new tricks

　 D. an extreme measure in obedience training

54. Why do pet dogs love performing tricks for their masters?

　 A. To avoid being punished.

　 B. To show their affection for their masters.

　 C. To win leadership of the dog pack.

　 D. To show their willingness to obey.

55. When a dog has received effective obedience training, its owner _______.

　 A. can give the dog more rewards

　 B. will enjoy a better family life

　 C. can give the dog more freedom

　 D. will have more confidence in himself

 

(2009年广东省湛江二中高三毕业班2月月考 ，IV读写任务)

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

The generation gap between students and their teachers is becoming more significant with only 3.3 percent out of a survey group of 1,000 students from 30 key middle schools in the city saying they would be willing to tell their teachers of their inner thoughts.

In today’s educational environment, teachers are positioned to be the authority figure for learning instead of becoming good friends in the life of students.

As only students with good marks in exams are considered the “apples in the eyes” of the teachers, most students think their teachers to be partial（偏心）.  

“I feel sad to hear such remarks,” said Yu Yi, a well-known special-class teacher.

She recalled that in the past, teachers and students would play basketball together or comment on novels while sitting on the grass during a break. But today, study and good marks are the only topics of conversation between students and teachers.

“Schools are not only the place where knowledge is imparted（传授）, but also where students are taught how to be an upright person,” Yu said. “The success of a person is not merely determined by intelligence but also by emotional state.”

Yang Xiong, director of the Juvenile Research Institute, said the educational system which focuses on examinations should be held to be substantially responsible.

写作内容

1.  以约30个词概括学生不愿告诉老师内心想法的原因；

2.  以约120个词就“现代师生关系”这个主题发表你的看法，包括如下要点：

（1）你是否愿意告诉老师你内心的想法，为什么？

（2）你希望你与你的老师之间的关系是怎样的？如何才能建立这种关系？

【写作要求】

1. 可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2. 标题自定；

3. 文中不能出现考生的真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】   概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯

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