The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.

One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.

When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.

David was very quiet ( he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.

One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.

It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”

David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”

1.The author gave David an interview to _______

A. find a person who is reliable

B. find a part-time worker in need

C. give him some practice

D. show sympathy for him

2.The author finally hired David because________

A. there were no other workers in the shop then

B. he needed someone who was willing to work then

C. David kept showing up

D. He realized David was dependable

3.We can infer from the last paragraph that_______

A. some customers just play jokes on David

B. David has had his character changed through work

C. the author prefers David to be more outgoing

D. the author feels lucky to hire David

Why do young adult children become independent so much later than they did in 1970,when the average age of independent living was 21? Why have reduced class sizes and increased per-pupil expenditures (花销)not higher academic achievement levels? Why is the mental health of today’s kids so poor when with that of children in the 1960s and before? Why do today’s become defensive when told by teachers that their children have misbehaved in school?

The answer in two words: parental . Those two words best summarize the between “old” child raising and new, post-1960s parenting. Then, the overall philosophy was that parents were not to be involved with their kids. They were available crisis, but they stood a (an) distance from their kids and allowed them to experience the benefits of the trial-and-error process. It was the child’s ,back then, to keep his or her parents from getting involved. That was children learned to be responsible and determined.

Today’s parents help their kids with almost everything. These are parents who are when it comes to an understanding of their purpose in their kids,lives. Their involvement leads them to personalize everything that happens to their kids; , the defensiveness. But given that schools and mental health professionals have been pushing parent involvement for nearly four decades, the confusion and defensiveness are .

University researchers analyzed three decades of data relating to parent participation in children’s academics. Their conclusions what I’ve been saying since the 1980s: parental help with homework a child’s academic achievement and is not reflected on standardized tests.

Parents who manage a child’s social life interfere with the of good social skills. Parents who manage a child’s after-school activities grow kids who don’t know how to their own free time. Parents who get involved in their kids, with peers grow kids who don’t know how to avoid much less trouble.

These kids have anxieties and fears of all sorts and don’t want to leave their . And their parents, when the time comes, don’t know how to being parents. You can imagine what will become of their future.

1.A. counted on B. resulted in C. touched on D. taken in

2.A. associated B. linked C. compared D. matched

3.A. parents B. adolescents C. psychologists D. youths

4.A. assistance B. protection C. involvement D. preference

5.A. differences B. similarities C. choices D. relations

6.A. slightly B. passively C. highly D. fairly

7.A. in case of B. in spite of C. in view of D. in fear of

8.A. equal B. safe C. long D. short

9.A. fault B. turn C. job D. attitude

10.A. when B. how C. why D. what

11.A. confused B. disappointed C. amazed D. satisfied

12.A. however B. still C. yet D. thus

13.A. unreasonable B. changeable C. understandable D. avoidable

14.A. confirmed B. convinced C. realized D. reflected

15.A. decides B. lowers C. helps D. stimulates

16.A. appearance B. performance C. establishment D. development

17.A. value B. devote C. fill D. save

18.A. communication B. conflicts C. cooperation D. competitions

19.A. home B. school C. career D. profession

20.A. start B. ignore C. consider D. stop

With her pretty face and soulful voice, Zhang Bichen was instantly thought a possible champion when she first set foot on the stage of the TV show The Voice of China.

On Oct 7, 2014, the 25 - year - old girl won the fierce competition and received the title of the “Voice of the Year”. Zhang’s dream of being a singer star came true at last. What impressed people was not only Zhang’s singing skills, but her willingness to make an effort. “I gained the opportunity to sing on The Voice of China,” she said.

In fact, being a singer has always been her dream. She wanted to apply to a college for singing, but her parents insisted that she should have a stable job after graduation because she did very well at academic studies. So Zhang gave in to her parents and learned French at university. However, in the first year of her college, she was discovered by a South Korean company when she entered a singing competition. To pursue her dream, Zhang signed a contract with the company, started her career in South Korea, and became a member of a band.

“My company had rules that did not allow us to use cell phones. During the first few months after I arrived in South Korea, a totally unfamiliar country, I felt terribly homesick. But I could only phone my parents in the restroom when nobody noticed.” said Zhang. “When I did not have much income, I had to eat instant noodles every day for months.”

It was her positive attitude and outgoing character that helped her through. “When I feel down, I tell myself it is not winning or losing that matters. The most important things are standing on the stage and singing for people.” she said.

1.On October 7, 2014, Zhang Bichen ________.

A. won the championship of The Voice of China

B. signed a contract with a big company

C. first sot foot on the Chinese stage

D. was successful in her study

2.The reason why Zhang learned French at university is that _______.

A. she is good at French

B. French is popular in the world

C. it is easy for her to find a stable job

D. she can realize her dream

3.What is the main idea of the last two paragraphs?.

A. The company in South Korea has strict rules.

B. Zhang’s road to success isn’t easy.

C. Zhang always lives a simple life in South Korea.

D. Zhang has an outgoing character.

For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail. It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!

The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制) our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.

Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.

If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play.

1.The author walked in a nature reserve in the rain in order to__________.

A. take photos

B. cheer herself up

C. hop along the path

D. find a solution to the project

2.The underlined part "to no avail" in Paragraph 1 probably means " __________".

A. uninteresting B. unrelated

C. unsuccessful D. unexpected

3.In the author's opinion, __________.

A.a bath can make people relaxed

B. adults should express their inner feelings freely

C. walking in a busy city centre harms people's health

D. depression is usually caused by hard work

4.The last paragraph mainly serves as a(n) __________.

A. suggestion B. explanation

C. introduction D. reminder

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