Few people would defend the Victorian attitude on children, but if you were a parent in those days, at least you knew where you stood: children were to be seen and not heard. Freud and his colleagues did away with all that and parents have been puzzled ever since. The child’s happiness is all- important, they say, but what about the parents’ happiness? Modern child-rearing manuals（抚养孩子手册）would never permit cruelty to children .The trouble is you are not allowed even to shout. Who knows what deep psychological(心理的)wounds you might cause? The poor child may never recover from the dreadful experience. So it is the parents that bend over backwards to avoid giving their children complex which a hundred years ago hadn’t even been heard of. Certainly, a child needs love, and a lot of it. But the excessive permissive(纵容) of modern parents is surely doing more harm than good.

     Psychologists(心理学家) have succeeded in weakening parents confidence in their own authority. And it hasn’t taken children long to get wind of the fact. In addition to the great modern classics on child care, there are countless articles in magazines and newspapers. With so much advice flying about, mum and dad just don’t know what to do any more. In the end, they do nothing at all. So, from early childhood, the kids are in charge and parents’ lives are regulated according to the needs of their kids. When the little dears develop into teenagers, they take complete control. Lack of authority over the years makes teenagers rebellion against parents all the more violent. If the young people are going to have a party, for example, parents are asked to leave the house. Their presence merely spoils the fun. What else can the poor parents do but obey?

The author says that today’s parents _______.

       A. are bombarded with excessive amounts of child-care literature.

       B. draw a distinction between permissiveness and carelessness.

       C. are only towards children from happy home backgrounds.

       D. weigh their children’s knowledge rather than intelligence.

The phrase “get wind of” (Para.2) most likely means _______ .

A. become used to                  B. try to avoid

C. realize                            D. become puzzled of

Which of the following can be inferred from this passage?

A. Victorian child rearing is a model for parents to follow.

B. Psychologists have much to answer for today’s problems on child care.

C. With the help of so much advice, raising children is easier than ever.

D. Parents like to enjoy the freedom when there is a party in the house.

What’s the main idea of this passage?

A. The excessive permissiveness of today’s parents is harmful to children.

B. Psychologists shouldn’t interfere so much with child care.

C. Parents should hold the Victorian attitudes towards children.

D. Children are too sensitive to be hurt.

Some places in the world have strange laws. It’s important for you to know about them before going there.

   Whoever likes to chew gum(口香糖) may have to leave Singapore. The government really wants to keep the city clean and will fine you for chewing gum.

   Before you leave for the United Arab Emirates you’d better make sure you aren’t visiting during Ramadan(斋月). During that time you aren’t allowed to eat or drink in public. Tourists have been fined up to $275 for drinking in public.

   Lovers spend so much time kissing each other goodbye at train stations that trains often start late. This law — no kissing your lover goodbye at train stations – is rather old, and isn’t in use today in France.

   In Thailand it’s against the law to drive a car or motorcycle without a shirt on, no matter how hot it is. Punishments are different in different areas and can include warnings and tickets costing about $10. No joke -- the local police will stop you.

  Studies in Denmark have shown that cars with their headlights on are more noticeable by other drivers than those with their headlights off. Drivers there are required to leave their headlights on even during the day, or they may face a fine up to $100.

   Do you often buy things using coins? Don’t do it in Canada. The Currency Law of 1985 doesn’t allow using only coins to buy things. Even the use of the dollar-coin is limited (受限制的). The shop owner has the right to choose whether to take your coins or not.

   Make sure you know about these laws before your next trip. Better safe than sorry.

What is mainly talked about in the text?

A. How to make your trip around the world safe.

B. Why there are strange laws in the world.

C. Interesting places you can go to around the world.

D. Some strange laws you should know about for your trip.

If you are driving a car in Thailand, _____.

A. the police will play a joke on you

B. you should wear your shirt even though it’s hot

C. the police will give you tickets costing about $10

D. you should always keep your headlights on

What can we learn from the text?

A. Kissing goodbye at train stations isn’t allowed in France today.

B. The Singaporean government cares a lot about its environment.

C. Tourists in the United Arab Emirates shouldn’t eat in public.

D. You can turn your headlights off in daytime in Denmark.

What do we know about the strange law in Canada?

A. It is a newly invented law.           B. You aren’t allowed to use dollar-coins.

C. You will be fined if you use coins.     D. Shop owners can decide if you can use coins.

This is the first time went______ a film in the cinema together as a family. 

A. see      B. had seen     C. saw      D. have seen

When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies（代理机构）to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

　People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　  A. attend a stage school　　　　  B. are going to the theatre

　　  C. have got some work to do 　　  D. love singing and dancing

　　 In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　  A. produce star performers

　　  B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　  C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　  D. provide a general education and stage training.

　“Professional work” as used in the text means ________.

　　  A. ordinary school work　　　　　  B. money-making performances

　　  C. stage training at school 　 　  D. acting, singing or dancing after class

　 Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

　　  A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.　　　　

　　  B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

　　  C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

　　  D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

  What is in the drug that makes you sick or dead? For example, cocaine is harmful, but what makes it harmful?

   I can’t tell you all about drugs, but I can ___36___ you think about them in this ____37____ way. Your body is a very complicated machine, ____38____ a lot of chemical machinery, all of which is finally turned ____39____ it all works together. Special chemicals, which we call drugs, can affect it in many different ways.

   Some drugs are ____40____ when your body has a problem, as with disease—causing bacteria. Then someone may give you aspirin to keep your temperature from going too ____41____ or some penicillin (青霉素) ____42____ it stops the growth of some kinds of bacteria. ___43_____, all drugs are really poison, ____44_____ if you take too much, so you must always use them ____45____.

   Why do some people take drugs like cocaine? For a little while they seem to make you feel better, or happier. But ____46____ their effects have ____47____, your body has to pay an extra ____48____ to get back to normal. That makes you want to get ____49____ of the drug.

   Drugs like cocaine have their special effects because they act as ____50____ for your nervous system. They cut off some of your nerve pathways and take away some of your senses and your ____51___. They make you want always more. And just a little too much can even ____52____ nerves to your heart and stop its beating

   Many of us worry about the ____53____ around us and what pollution does to us. How about your internal environment and what goes on ____54____ you? You control that all by yourself in what you put into your ____55_____. Most drugs are pollutants. You would not want pollutants in the air and water around you. Why would you want pollutants in your body?