I was born in New York, but I grew up in San Francisco. I began to live in London 25 years ago. If I am asked now where I want to live forever, I would say London. But I will always be American.

San Francisco, like London, has many parks. Every day my sisters and I were taken to play in the parks as children. I didn't go to school. I only had three hours of formal education when I was five. I was sent to school in the morning but came home at noon on the first day. I said I didn't enjoy it and hadn't learned anything. My parents thought that school was unsuitable for me. They agreed with me, so I never went back to school.

Then my mother taught me and my two sisters at home, in the way of an English lady who had good education. We learned languages and reading more than sciences and maths. Sometimes she taught us herself, but we also had other teachers. They asked us to take lessons every day. About once a week we walked to Golden Gate Park. While we were walking, my mother taught me to read music. One day I noticed a little toy train in the window of a shop and I remember now how I'd like to have it. I couldn't say "r" when I was small. My mother said if I could say an "r" well, I would have the toy train. I practiced and practiced. Then one morning I woke everybody up with my "r"s. I got the toy train. I usually get the things I want in life — but I work hard for them.

The writer ___ .

A. was born in San Francisco      B. likes living in London

C. is living in New York now      D. doesn't like America

The writer didn't go to school in America because ___ .

A. his mother wanted him to go to school in English

B. his parents didn't think formal education was right for him

C. his mother wanted him to play outdoors in the parks

D. he couldn't get on well with the other children

Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer was taught by his mother and other teachers.

B. The writer had no education at all.

C. The writer didn't have lessons every day.

D. The writer walked to the park to learn languages once a week.

The writer got the little toy train at last because ___ .

A. his mother gave him the money

B. he tried his best to read music

C. he wanted it very much

D. his mother was pleased with his progress

It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”
But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”
【小题1】It can be learned from the text that _________.

It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”

But the late-night text does not annoy Brandon. He gets frequent messages and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Brandon’s use of technology doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many devices, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.

The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more opportunities for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line at the pizza parlor,” says Rideout.

Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.

Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply,” says Rideout.

With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”

1.It can be learned from the text that _________.

A. many teenagers lack friends in their middle school

B. kids have too many electronic devices to choose from

C. Brandon feels annoyed about his late-night message

D. Olson is against teenagers’ using mobile phones

2.Which of the following is an example of multitasking?

A. Watching TV when using the computer.    

B. Talking on the phone when lying on the sofa.

C. Playing video games after having lunch.     

D. Listening to loud music while relaxing.

3.The underlined phrase “in check” in the last paragraph can be replaced by _________.

A. in order         B. in store         C. in control               D. in sight

4.According to the text, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that kids should ______.

A. do homework while watching TV           

B. have less homework

C. spend more time on homework             

D. do homework in a place without disturbance

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
It’s 10:30 p.m., and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise (1)____ him up. Naturally, Brandon (2) ____ his cell phone. He blinks twice, and the message on the screen becomes clear: “R U awake?”
The (3) ____ text does not annoy Brandon since he gets frequent (4) ____ and calls, even after bedtime. And he can’t imagine life without them. “If I didn’t have a cell phone, I wouldn’t be able to talk to my friends or family as often,” he told the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Brandon’s use of (5) ____ doesn’t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles（控制台）in his room. With so many (6) ____, it is no surprise that when he is not at school, he spends nearly every (7) ____ minute using one or more of these devices. Brandon is hardly (8) ____. According to a recent study by TFK, kids aged 8 to 18 are spending more time than ever before using (9) ____ devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day (10) ____, the study found. That’s about an hour more than just five years ago.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. “These devices have opened up many more (11) ____ for young people to use media, whether it’s on the bus, on the way to school or waiting in line before the cashier,” says Rideout.
Often, kids (12) ____, or use more than one device at a time. “If you’ve got a chance to do something on your (13) ____ and take a phone call and have the TV on at the same time, why not?” Media expert Cheryl Olson says. Most experts agree technology has much to (34) ____ kids. But some worry the kids could be (15) ____ other (16) ____ like playing outside or (17) ____ with friends. “It’s a matter of balance,” says Olson.
Multitasking while (18) ____ is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. “It’s important to make sure that you should (19) ____ one thing deeply,” says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use (20) ____ is more important than ever. “Kids should try,” adds Rideout. “But parents might have to step in sometimes.”

Englishmen speak British English and Americans speak American English. A student is learning to speak British English. He often asks himself, “Can Americans understand me when I speak British English?” Learners often ask “What’s the difference between British English and American English?”Certainly there are some differences between British and American English. The Englishmen say “Have you a pen?” While Americans say “Do you have a pen?” The pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans often sound “r” in words like “bird” and “hurt”. The British speakers don’t sound the “r” in these words. There are differences in spelling. For example, “colour” and “neighbour” are British while “color” and “neighbor” are American. These differences in grammar, pronunciation and spelling are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language. When Englishmen and Americans are talking with each other, they don’t need an interpreter(翻译). Maybe some day they need, but not now.
【小题1】Between British and American English, _______.