How hard we have all prayed(祈祷) to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.

At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you “young lady”. You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.

But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; “Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already.”

“No”, they say, “your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won’t do you any good.” Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.

Another time you tell your grandma, “Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now.

“Good, now, you can sit here and knit (编织) this for me while I go and have a rest.” To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, “Such a big girl can’t do such easy work.” You wish then you were a child again.

But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can’t help it. That’s the way it goes!

1.The passage is told about _______ problems.

2.It is clear that the writer, as a teenager, ________.

3.How does she know her prayer has been answered?

4.From what her parents say, we know _________.

5.Having heard her grandma’s criticism, _________.

I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.

Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?

A. Because he was a cook at a country-music club.

B. Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook.

C. Because he often sang while cooking.

D. Because he liked singing better than cooking.

Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?

A. Wamer Brothers.                    B. His manager.    

C. His father.                              D. A businesswoman.

What made the writer proud of himself?

A. His ability to live independently.

B. His sense of responsibility in whatever he did.

C. His courage in the face of rejections.

D. His hard work in his early days.

More than half of the parents in the United States are helping, or have helped, support their adult children who have been hit by high unemployment and poor wages(工资), according to a new survey. It showed that present economic conditions are discouraging young adults from leaving home and forcing those who have already gone, so-called boomerang kids, to return.

“Parents are continuing their financial involvement longer than we expected,” said Ted Beck, president of National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE).

About 60 percent of parents questioned in the survey said they’re helping their adult children who are no longer in school financially. Half are providing housing and nearly half are helping with living expenses.

For an increasing number of adult children, the situation is bad. Two-thirds of adult children, aged 18 to 39, who are not in school said they faced tougher financial pressures than previous generations, according to the survey. And nearly one-third of parents agreed that it was easier for them to find their financial feet than for their children.

Parents are helping their children out of genuine concern because they do not want to see them struggle. But Beck said that parents who make sacrifices(牺牲) to help their adult children should be careful about their own finances.

“If you are taking on extra debt or delaying(推迟) retirement to help your adult child, you could be making a mistake and putting your own financial future in danger,” Beck warned.

Boomerang children can also cause other problems for their parents. Thirty percent of parents said they had given up privacy since their adult children moved back home, while more than a quarter have taken on added debt, and seven percent have delayed retirement. But the survey also showed 42 percent of adult children living at home are helping with the cooking and cleaning.

1.According to the text, boomerang kids refer to ____.

A．married adult children

B．grown-ups living with parents

C．adult children independent and successful in life

D．young adults depending on parents for financial support

2.According to the survey, we can infer that _____.

A．about 30% of parents offer their adult children housing

B．one-third of adult children earn money more easily than their parents

C．two-thirds of adult children are faced with financial problems in school

D．about 50% of parents give money to their adult children to cover the daily cost

3.What is Ted Beck’s suggestion to the parents?

A．Asking their children to help with the housework.

B．Being careful when helping their children financially.

C．Leaving their children to struggle to live.

D．Putting off their time of retirement.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A．Adult children are less independent         B．Parents help support adult children

C．Bad conditions affect children a lot          D．Adult children like living with parents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced trends in fruit and vegetable consumption(食用) among adults. Since 2000, the CDC has made efforts with goals of getting 75% of Americans to eat two or more servings of fruit a day and 50% of Americans to eat three or more servings of vegetables a day. Unfortunately, Americans aren’t meeting these modest targets.

Although a diet high in fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of many diseases, Americans just aren’t getting enough. In fact, since 2000, the amount of vegetables Americans are eating has stayed the same and the amount of fruit Americans are eating has gone down. The CDC also finds that only about a third of adults are eating their expected servings of fruit, and just over a quarter of adults are eating their expected servings of vegetables.

So why aren’t Americans getting their expected servings of fruit and vegetables? It turns out that Americans might be spoiled when it comes to their produce. A national survey conducted by Fruit2day reveals that nearly half of Americans leave fruit in their fridges until it rots with people in Boston among the worst and those in New York and Los Angeles among the best. Sadly, most Americans admit to leaving fruit in the fridge for more than a week.

There are many reasons why Americans don’t eat their fruit or vegetables, including the inconvenience of having to wash or peel it. Fruit2day offers consumers a surprising and convenient way to enjoy the goodness of fruit.

“With no added sugar, natural juices and two full servings of fruit, our Fruit2day line has really captured the imaginations of health-conscious consumers who are actively looking to get more fruit in their diets,” said Hanno Holm, president and chief executive officer of Hero-White Wave. “Fruit2day makes getting more fruit in one’s diet easier for any daily snack routine.”

1.For 4 million American adults, how many of them are eating two or more servings of fruit a day?

A．About 1.3 million.   B．About 2 million.     C．About 3 million.     D．About 1 million.

2.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that __________ .

A．Americans have been eating fewer vegetables since 2000.

B．most Americans eat less fruit to reduce the risk of diseases.

C．most Americans prefer fruit to vegetables.

D．over 25% of adults are eating three or more daily servings of vegetables.

3.In which city are people most likely to leave fruit in their fridge?

A．In Boston.         B．In New York.        C．In Los Angeles.     D．Not mentioned.

4.With the help of Fruit2day, Americans can __________ .

A．easily get rid of their bad eating habits

B．conveniently have more fruit in their diets

C．add sugar and natural juices to their diets

D．find another excuse for not eating healthily

5.Americans don’t eat their fruit or vegetables because __________ .

A．they are relatively forgetful

B．they are too busy with their work

C．they don’t think it convenient to eat them

D．they prefer daily snacks with added sugar