Sometimes you may not understand your parents. One minute they are friendly, the next minute they’re shouting and screaming loudly enough for the whole street to hear. So who makes them so____16___ ? You, probably!

Is your room untidy? Do you leave things on the floor? You may find it hard enough to keep one room tidy. So imagine what ___17___like for your mum and dad trying to keep a whole house in order.

When you take your clothes off, remember to ___18__. Get into the habit if taking glasses and plates down to the kitchen. Before long you’ll be doing it without thinking.

Even though you may not realize it, your parents have bought you many clothes. But they’re not buying themselves new things every week, are they? The simple truth is that there are more ___19___ things to spend money on, like the electricity bill and food.

You may hate missing a party to visit some boring old relatives. They may go on and on about what a sweet baby you were. You have no choice but to listen. Even if you ___20____, your parents won’t change their minds. Parents like to show off their family. The best thing you can do is to help entertain(使……高兴) your relatives. Your parents will be so pleased with you afterwards that they’ll probably allow you to go to the next two ___21____.

You might not want to eat, but think of it from the parents’ point of view. If you cook two meals a day, it ___22____ 730 meals a year. Can you imagine how boring this can get? Imagine how your parents feel when you say you’re not really hungry. ___23____, your parents are probably worried that you aren’t eating enough.

Eat ___24___ snacks and leave room for your meals. Finally, offer to ___25___after the meal. Your offer may not be accepted, but your parents will be pleased.

1.A. friendly          B. lonely          C. changeable     D. comfortable

2.A. it’s          B. it              C. they’re       D. that’s

3.A. hang them up                  B. leave them alone 

C. put them on                    D. throw them away

4.A. interesting    B. difficult        C. important        D. surprising

5.A. agree        B. complain       C. listen          D. win

6.A. concerts      B. meetings         C. classes         D. parties

7.A. takes        B. costs             C. spends         D. means

8.A. In addition(加之)                B. In return    

C. At most                         D. At last

9. A. more        B. less              C. fewer             D. many

10.A. do the cooking                    B. lay the table    

   C. buy some snacks                   D. wash the dishes

Chris Jones recently completed a very unusual journey. Our reporter Mary Owen met him at his home in the south of London and be told her all about the trip.
Reporter: What gave you the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant, Chris?
Chris: Well, it all started the idea two years ago when I was planning a trip to India. I visited a photo exhibition of elephants and I realized that the only enjoyable way to make a trip around India was on an elephant.
Reporter: What did you do next?
Chris: I flew to New Delhi and started looking for an elephant, I needed an elephant trained to carry people. I didn’t know anything about elephants, so I asked an expert(专家) for help. He taught me how to ride an elephant. He also helped me find an elephant.
Reporter: How long did it take to find a suitable elephant?
Chris: Not too long. I bought a female elephant called Tara for about 6, 000 dollars.
Reporter: Can you tell me about the journey?
Chris: Tara and I set off from New Delhi a week later. We were going to Sonepur in northern India. There is a big elephant market there and I could sell Tara easily. And what a ride! Elephants can travel at about 6 miles an hour and Sonepur is more than 1, 200 km away. It took us 64 days to complete the journey.
Reporter: Did you have any problems on your journey?
Chris: Yes, a few. But nothing serious. On the third day, Tara hurt her foot. Btu that got better quickly. Also, there was a lot of heavy rain during the first week and we got very wet!
Reporter: What happened when you reached Sonepur?
Chris: My plan was to sell Tara. But I was very fond of her. I couldn’t take her back to Britain and I didn’t want to sell her at the market. I happened to meet some people who wanted an elephant for their national park in southern India. I knew that Tara would be safe with them, so I gave her to them. I was very sad to say goodbye.
【小题1】Chris got the idea to make a trip around India on an elephant from __________.