Just like the young character in Hannah Montana, who so often fights with her father over her desire to be more independent, British teenagers also have their troubles.

A recent survey among 2,000 British parents shows that girls and boys experience similar kinds of stress, with some slight differences .

Girls want to grow up fast, demanding greater freedom. They feel pressure from their peers to be thin and sometimes dangerously experiment with alcohol .

Girls over 14 are more concerned with getting a boyfriend, make-up and going out with friends than with their schoolwork. They are more likely to complain about pocket money .

Parents found they have their toughest time with boys over the age of 15. Their sons are battling bad skin, are reluctant(不情愿的) to speak, and just like girls over 14 are little interested in their studies. Seven out of ten parents said their sons become frustrated(挫败的) when they are not understood .

Unsurprisingly, it isn’t just British teenagers who have such problems.

In a survey published in the US last month, two out of three high school students said their life was tough. There was a universal worry over body image and ability to fit in socially.

Plenty of the teenagers feel great pressures to get good grades, with nearly half regarding this as their top worry. The next biggest issue is pressure they face to get into good college. According to the survey, 66 percent reported saving their money to pay for all or part of college.

“Today’s American teens have witnessed what their families have endured during recent economic challenges, and they are much more aware of the importance of planning ahead,” said Stuart Rubinstein, managing director with TD Ameritrade, which carried out the survey.

What is the article mainly about?

         A. What makes the lives of teenagers so hard?

         B. How to deal with teen problems?

         C. Stress faced by UK and US teenagers.

         D. Peer pressure faced by UK and US teenagers.

According to the survey, boys over 15 often feel great pressure to ______.

         A. grow up fast                  B. experiment with alcohol

         C. get into a good college                  D. be more open and communicative

The underlined word “universal” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ______.

         A. global                     B. common                C. average                 D. reasonable

How have recent economic challenges affected American teens?

         A. They have become more concerned about their future.

         B. They are now more worried about the ability to fit in socially.

         C. They are attempting to learn more about money management.

         D. They are spending more time developing their practical skills.

The run-up to the launch of China's first lunar orbiter at the end of this month has caught the country's imagination, with more than two thirds of the nation hoping to see the launch live on TV, according to a survey.                              

According to the survey by China Youth Daily and www.qq.com, almost the entire nation hopes to catch images of the event at some point, with 99 percent of the 10358 respondents saying they expected to witness the satellite launch and 68.9 percent said they were certain to watch the live broadcast of the launch. On www.qq.com and www.sina.com, two popular web portals in the country, internet users have contributed some 2,000 poems and 5000 drawings on the theme of Chang'e I.

"The satellite launch means much more than just saying 'hello' to the moon. Maybe in the future we could also send some people to accompany sister 'Chang'e'," said a college student in the survey.

Remarkably, many people expect to visit the moon one day, with 93.4 percent of respondents saying they expected to do so.

Chang'e I is named after Chang'e, a famous character from Chinese mythology. She ascended from earth to live on the moon as a celestial being after drinking an elixir.

There is also another connection between the moon and China. In the 1970s, a crater on the moon was named after a Chinese stargazer, Wan Hu, who is said to be the first astronaut in human history.

Legend says about 600 years ago, around the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Wan Hu, a local government official, tried to fly into space with the help of a chair, two big kites and 47 self-made gunpowder-filled rockets. According to the legend after the rockets were lit there was a huge bang and lots of smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan was nowhere to be found.

China's first astronaut flew into space in 2003 with the launch of the Chinese-made spaceship Shenzhou V. China became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to carry out manned space missions.

Which is true according to the passage?

 A. According to a survey, two thirds of the nation are hoping to see the launch live on TV,

 B. The internet users have drawn some 5000 pictures of ‘Chang’e’.

C. Wan Hu, a Chinese stargazer(n. 看星星的人,占星师,天文学家) , was dead after the huge bang and a lot of smoke.

 D. China’s first astronaut flew into space in 2003 in the spaceship Shenzhou VI.

What’s the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 5?

A. a kind of medicine for long life. B. a kind of medicine to make you light enough to fly in the air.

C. a kind of wine               D. a kind of alcohol.

Why was Wan Hu said to be the first astronaut in human history?

 A. Because a crater on the moon was named after his name.

 B. Because he was the first to go to the moon in his own “spaceship”.

 C. Because of his courage for scientific experiment to the moon.

 D. Because he made the first rocket in human history. 

Chinese students aren’t the only ones who have a sleep loss problem. In Australia, teenagers are also missing out on, on average, one hour’s sleep every night during the school week.

   Organized activities and homework push bedtimes later, the first large-scale Australian study of children’s sleeping habits has revealed (显示). Their sleep deprivation (剥夺) is enough to cause “serious drop-offs in school performance, attention and memory”, and governments should consider later or flexible school start times, said the study’s leader, Tim Olds.

   His survey, of more than 4,000 children aged 9 to 18, found those who slept least did not watch more television but spent their time socializing (相处) with family or friends or listening to music.

   “Almost all children get up at 7 or 7:15 — they have to get to school on time,” said Olds. He favors a later start over an earlier finish because he believes organized sports and activities would still consume the latter end of the day.

   Olds’ research also establishes lack of sleep as a cause of weight gain in children, and a possible source of future problems with depression, anxiety and increased susceptibility (易感性) to illness.

   It was already known that overweight children sleep less, but Professor Olds found sleep duration(时长) was strongly linked to weight across the full range of body sizes. The thinnest children sleep 20 minutes more than the obese. This showed being overweight had no specific effect on sleep patterns, and it was more likely that shorter sleep times stimulate (刺激) appetite and make kids hungry.

   The US National Sleep Foundation says teenagers aged 13 to 18 need eight to nine hours’ sleep a night. Younger school-aged kids need 9 to 11 hours.

   On that basis, Professor Olds said, half of Australian children are under-sleeping on weekdays and a quarter on weekends.

46. The Australian students surveyed don’t sleep enough because they spend more time on the following EXCEPT _____.

   A. organized activities and homework

   B. communication with friends and family

   C. watching television programs

   D. enjoying music 

47.  What effects does lack of sleep directly have on the students according to the survey?

   A. They become overweight but begin to eat less than before.

   B. They feel more depressed and anxious about their school work.

   C. They are more likely to be affected with illness in the future.

   D. They pay less attention in class and their memory declines.

48. Which of the following suggestions did Mr. Olds raise?

   A. The students should go to bed earlier to have longer sleeping time.

   B. The students should participate less in organized activities.

   C. The school should put off the start time in the morning.

   D. The school should finish earlier in the afternoon.

49. What does "obese" in the sixth paragraph mean?

A. average        B. fat        C. sleepless        D. overeating

50. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Australian students usually take part in activities in the afternoon.

B. More students are short of sleep on weekends than on weekdays.

C. Being overweight has an effect on the length of the sleeping time.

D. The survey suggests that teenagers need 8-9 hours’ sleep a night.

Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead.But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that---dreams.
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59.78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store.“But they just stop at the‘thinking’stage,” it stated.
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity.They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need to advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way.
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road.
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year.But he is looking for a job first.“If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services,” Guo said.The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant.With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures(小册子) at a relatively low price.He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry.
“Social networking is an important factor leading to business success,” Guo said.
Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation.
Jiang Ye, deputy director of Yangpu District Business Guide Center, said the universitysets up a business guide team made of government officials and professionals.They
regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business.
The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start up alone, the survey showed."Once you win the support of your family, you have won half the battle," Guo added.
【小题1】Which of the following can be the best title?

A.A Tough Job MarketB.Graduates Dream of Being Boss
C.The Ambitious Fresh GraduatesD.The Story of Guo Bing
【小题2】In the view of Guo Bing, what is the key factor that makes fresh graduates dream of being boss soon after graduation?
A.Their family don't support them.B.Their social networking is not good.
C.There are not enough graduate jobs.D.They want to achieve greater success.
【小题3】Who is this article mostly intended for?
A.The parents whose child goes to university soon.
B.Those who will graduate from university.
C.Those who want to be bosses.
D.The officials who work in the government.

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