Middle school days are both fun and busy. Students spend their days in class,    1    to the interesting or sometimes boring words of their teachers. At break (休息) , they run, play and shout happily . But 2  should students spend their free time after school?

    In western countries,    3   is normal for students to have a part-time  4  after school or at weekends. Students can make their   5    money and learn more about the real world. They enjoy the independence (独立) and money, and their parents enjoy the quiet house. However, it seems that, in China, parents   6   so much about their children’s studies that they would like to see their children spending most of their time   7 for all those exams. It is natural for Chinese parents to feel that  8  , but I think everything should be kept in balance. Sometimes, western school children  9  long hours after school to make money, so they  10  too tired to listen in class or do their homework. But Chinese students spend so much time on their studies that all else becomes less important.

1.A. adding     B. getting         C. replying     D. listening

2.A. what       B. how             C. when         D. which

3.A. this       B. that                C. it               D. such

4.A. work       B. job             C. program      D. plan

5.A. rich       B. any             C. own          D. some

6.A. laugh      B. worry           C. cause            D. concentrate

7.A. chatting     B. studying     C. succeeding     D. obeying

8.A. race       B. point               C. way          D. license

9.A. study      B. solve           C. regard       D. work

10.A. face      B. matter          C. achieve      D. become

— Who is your favorite writer?

— Mo Yan. I like writers _________ tell stories well.

A. where                  B. when                    C. which                      D. who

I can't forget the time            the earthquake happened in Yushu.
A. when                  B. which                 C. where

My friend, David Smith, had pet birds. One day he called me and told me he would be  25  for a week. He asked me to feed the birds for him.

    Unfortunately, I did not  26  to feed the birds until the night before David was going to 27  . I ran to his house quickly and soon found the key he gave me,    28  I couldn't open the door! I kept thinking of  29  David would say when he came back.

Then I found that one bedroom window was  30  . I put a big stone (石头)   31  the window, though it was very heavy. I made lots of noise, but in the end, I climbed up.

    I had one leg inside the bedroom when I suddenly found that   32  was shining  a flashlight (手电筒) up at  33  . I looked down and  34  a policeman and an old lady, one of David's neighbors. "What are you doing up there?" asked the policeman. Feeling like a fool, I answered: "I was just going to feed Mr Smith's birds."                                                                          

1.A. down           B. late            C. around          D. away

2.A. remember       B. decide           C. agree           D. hope

3.A. leave           B. finish              C. arrive               D. return

4.A. so             B. but                  C. and              D. or

5.A. what           B. how              C. when             D. which

6.A. clean           B. new             C. lost                 D. open

7.A. along           B. under          C. over            D. behind

8.A. anyone         B. everyone         C. someone          D. no one

9.A. us             B. me               C. them             D. him

10.A. visited         B. caught             C. saw              D. heard

Teens Enjoy Reading

According to a survey on reading conducted by the U.S. National Education Association (NEA), young Americans say reading is important—more important than computers and science. Over 50% of the twelve to eighteen years old children interviewed said they enjoy reading a lot. Seventy-nine percent find it stimulating and interesting, and 87% think it is relaxing. Most of those surveyed (68%) disagree with the opinion that reading is boring, or old-fashioned.
Teens Read Variety of Material
Over half the teenagers interviewed said they read more than ten books a year. The results also showed that middle-school students read more books than high school students. Most teens (66%) like to read fiction, such as novels and stories. Only 26% were interested in non-fiction, such as biographies and history books. Sixty-four percent of students liked reading ‘stories about people of my own age’ as their favorite topic. Mysteries and detective stories came second on the list at 53%. Just under 50% said they were interested in reading about their own culture and heritage.
Other Interests
Of the teenagers who participated in the survey, 49% said that libraries are where they get most of their books. However, many complained that their school libraries do not have enough up-to-date, interesting books and magazines. Even though many teenagers in the U.S. enjoy reading, they still have other interests. When asked which activity would be the most difficult to give up for a week, 48% said listening to music. TV would be difficult to give up for 25% of those surveyed.
           
Another survey which is published by www. SmartGirl.com studied the differences between teenage boys’ and girls’ reading habits. According to the report, more girls than boys read for fun. Many more girls (77%) than boys (6%) read fashion and beauty magazines. More boys (47%)  than girls (7%) read magazines about video games, but an equal number of each like to read adventure stories and newspapers. Girl also read more material about celebrities and social issues such as crime, drugs, or poverty. Boys, on the other hand, read more about sports.
【小题1】Most teens enjoy reading______.