（湖北省黄冈中学2010届高三8月月考）

As I was reading a recent story in Slate on 20-somethings complaining about how the economy was ruining their life plans, I couldn’t help but think the 20-somethings sounded like a bunch of spoiled children who grew up expecting everything to be easy for them. As a 20-something myself, I certainly share their disappointment: my husband and I probably won’t be able to buy a house until we’re in our 40s, and we too are burdened by student loans(贷款). But why should it be any different? Being young persons in America, shouldn’t they take up all of the challenges and opportunities that this country offers?

Consider some of these views shared in the Slate story: Jennifer, 29, owner of a two-bedroom apartment with her husband, worries that she won’t be able to have children for at least a decade because they can’t afford to buy a house yet.

I read that, and I thought, what planet is she living on where you need to own a house in order to have kids? Has she ever visited a developing country, or even downtown areas in this one? Home ownership is a luxury(奢华), not a fertility requirement.

A 26-year-old in the story despairs(绝望) that he can’t afford to get a Ph.D. in literature. Well, that sounds a bit like expressing disappointment that no one will pay you to write poetry on the beach in Thailand for five years.

Yes, it’s sad that these young people feel so lost. But I think the problem is their extremely high expectations, not economic reality. Beth Kobliner, author of Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, says that she thinks people’s expectations are slowly adjusting, but today’s 20-somethings grew up at a time when everyone’s wealth appeared to be expanding. Their parents probably saw their home values rise along with their investments. “So you have people who have grown up in an environment where people had great expectations of what living well means,” says Kobliner.

This recession(衰退) will certainly play a role in forcing those expectations into more realistic group. In the meantime, it seems a lot better for our mental health to focus on being grateful－for our one-bedroom apartments, for living in modern cities, or perhaps just for being able to eat three meals a day－than on longing for some kind of luxury life.

59．What makes the author think the 20-somethings sound like a bunch of spoiled children?

A．They expect everything to be easy for them.

B．They complain that the economy is spoiling their life plans.

C．They are reluctant to face all of the challenges.

D．They are burdened by student loans.

60．The underlined word “fertility” in Paragraph 3 probably means        .

A．baby production                                         B．pleasant

C．baby comfort                                             D．essential

61．What’s the author’s attitude towards the 20-somthings with high expectation in Paragraph 5?

A．Intolerant.

B．Negative.

C．Unbelieving.

D．Understanding.

62．What is the best title for this passage?

A．How Young People Afford to Continue Their Study

B．Why Young People Can’t Afford to Buy a House

C．When Young People’s High Hopes Create Despair

 D．What the 20-somethings’ High Expectations Are

（湖北省黄冈中学2010届高三8月月考）

When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a name, General Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall. Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty five.

Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a schoolteacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.

Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored(发起) “Tom Thumb” weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

51．“Talk of the town” means 　　　.

A. it was in the newspaper

B. people spread bad rumors about it

C. it was the most popular happenings

D. it was discussed in a city meeting

52．What does the author think about Tom’s wedding?

A. It helped people cheer up in a dark time.

B. People gave it too much of their attention.

C. It was funny and ridiculous.

D. Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

53．Tom would dance on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because 　　　.

A. the wooden plate would make it sound as if Tom was dancing

B. it made Tom look taller

C. the eight–foot–tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted

D. the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller

54．What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.

B. People are always disappointed during war time.

C. Entertainment can serve an important purpose.

D. People should be married when they are small children.

25
（2010·山东省育才中学高三9月月考）
假如你叫李华，你校同学正在就“高三学生要不要参加体育锻炼” 这一主题展开讨论，请根据下面所给的信息，给某英文报社写一封信，介绍讨论情况，并谈谈你的看法。

12
(2010`浙江省余姚中学高三第一次质量检测)
2008年北京奥运会上，著名100米栏选手刘翔因伤意外退出比赛，在社会上引起广泛争议。班会课上，同学们也就此话题展开了讨论。请你以 “Give Up Or Not?”为题，就同学们的观点写一篇120词左右的报道，并简要阐述自己的看法。文章的开头已经给出，不计入总词数。参考词汇：drop out退出，wisdom智慧，the running track跑道，ankle脚脖子

37
（2010·山东省明天中学高三上期中考试）
假设某英文报社在举行“拒绝恶习，崇尚文明”的活动，请根据下面四幅图，用英语写一篇文章。
  
 
注意：1. 叙述四幅图内容，并发表自己的观点。
2．题目已经给出（不计入总词数）。
3．词数：120-150词。
Reject Bad Habits and Welcome Good Behavior
___________________________________________________________________________________________