Cheektowage Central Middle School can be a lot of fun. It has game nights and student dances, after-school activities, and sports teams. However, students at the school must earn the right to join in the fun. If they don’t do their homework, participate in class, and behave at all times, they’re banned(禁止) from participating in after-school activities.

Students and parents say the threat of being excluded(排除在外) appears to be working. Kenny T. of Reno, Nev., says it taught him that actions have consequences: “I learned that I need to be balanced in both my work and athletics to be rewarded for working hard.” Parent Sondra LaMacchia told The New York Times that her 14-year-old daughter is learning responsibility at Cheektowaga Central. The teen used to perform poorly in her studies, but then she was banned from a school dance. The message got through loud and clear. “It’s nobody’s fault but hers,” LaMacchia said.

Although exclusion may help teach responsibility, some psychologists say it can also be threatening, especially for students who often cause, or may cause, trouble in school. They might become more aggressive and antisocial, which is exactly what schools like Cheektowaga Central want to prevent.

Should schools exclude students from activities to get them to behave? I believe teens need school activities and that inclusion can be the answer. For some troubled students, activities can be their motivation to stay in school. “Activities such as sports may be the only thing keeping certain students in school,” says Duace Wood, a teacher at Mohonasen High School in Rotterdam, N.Y. Getting involved in after-class activities keeps troublesome students in class. Even if they don’t do as well as their classmates, they are still learning. The more time they spend at school, the less time they have to even think about starting trouble. Teams also provide support and role models, and they help build the confidence that students need to succeed. If students who don’t behave are banned from activities, they might give up on school altogether.

1.Paragraph 2 is developed by _______.

A．analyzing causes                        B．giving examples

C．examining differences                    D．following the time order

2.Parent Sondra LaMacchia supports the policy of exclusion because _______.

A．it provides role models

B．her daughter is aggressive

C．her daughter hates taking exercise

D． it helps teach responsibility

3.In Paragraph 3 and 4, the author mainly talks about________.

A．students who are good at sports

B．students who often cause trouble

C．teens who do well in their studies

D．teens who always behave themselves

4.What is the author’s attitude towards the school’s policy of exclusion?

A． Negative         B．Sympathetic        C．Satisfied          D．Supportive

Four Simple Keys to Transform Your Life

The Power of Choice．Every one of us makes countless choices every day．Every choice we make has an impact on our lives．Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel．When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food．The more important the decision, the greater its effect．For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way．

How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you．This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all．Imagine a world where every parent, spouse（配偶）, friend, teacher, business person, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made. We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world．

It's the Intention．"But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask．The answer is simple．It doesn't matter．What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention beind your choice．What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all．If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt．Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience stays clear and open．This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind．

What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others．An overly(过度的) exhausted mother can lose her temper easily．Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children．So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all．

1.Which of the following is FALSE?

A．Whenever hunger strikes, we will reach for a junk snack

B．Every choice, however big or small, has an influence on us．

C．Even small choices affect how we feel．．

D．We make choices every day．

2.How should we make choices?

A．To be interested in a richer, fuller life．

B．To make life better for ourselves．

C．To imagine a world where everyone did their best．

D．To choose based on what's best for all．

3.Why does the author say, "What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice．"?

A．Because the choice you make is not important．

B．Because you may have made a bad choice．

C．Because this allows you to stay clear and improve．

D．Because there is no need for guilt．

4.How to choose what is best for us?

A．We need to devote all our life to others．

B．We need to put away some time for ourselves．

C．We need to sacrifice ourselves for others．

D．We need to be selfless every minute．

Festivals play an important role in a culture’s identity. I can’t think of a better way of appreciating a new culture than by taking part in one of its festivals. Here are some special festivals around the world.

Dear Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,

Most people don’t really know what pressures a typical teenager has to go through. Sure, our parents and grandparents were once teens, but things are so different now. It has never been to tougher (严格)to a teenager.

It had never been more important to be in the “right group” or to have the “right brand” of shoes. And those are the easy things to deal with. We also face problems with family, friends, relationships and school pressures.

When it gets to be too much, I turn to my friends. One friend I could not live without is Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Your books have been so inspiring to me and have helped me to deal with and understand the problems I go through.

For example, I went through a confusing time with my friends when we got to junior high. I had known these friends since kindergarten, and when we began junior high it seemed like some of them began to change. We started hanging out with different groups, and we slowly grew so far apart that it seemed as if we had never been friends. I felt confused and hurt.

Sometime during this period I read the story Friends Forever in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Ⅱ.I felt so much better after reading it. It was like a weight had been lifted from me when I realized that many friendships went through changes and that we weren’t the only friends to experience them.

People change, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose the friendships we once shared. My friends and I still spend time together when we can and care about each other a lot. That things are different doesn’t mean I have to forget about all the good times we had. I will always keep the memories in a safe place in my heart.

Sincerely,

Peter

1.According to the author, parents and grandparents

A．didn’t have to overcome difficulties when in their teens.

B．don’t fully understand the pressures of being a teenager now

C．can easily deal with things such as choosing friends and shoes.

D．don’t need to give help to teenagers with pressures and problems

2.Why did the author feel confused and hurt when he got to junior high？

A．Because he was afraid that he had lost his friends.

B．Because he and his friends weren’t in the same school.

C．Because he was too busy to be with his friends.

D．Because his friends refused to hang out with him.

3.What does the underlined word “them” in Para．5 refer to？

A．Friendships．      B．Changes．         C．Friends．         D．Pressures

4.In the letter the author mainly tells us that

A．people change but friendships always last.

B．changes sometimes cause hurt and confusion

C．people will go through many changes in life

D．friendships should be kept with skills

If it really is what’s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.

Some doctors now think that the internal(内部的) fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.

“Being thin doesn’t surely mean you are not fat,” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.

According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.

Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.

According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.

Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes. They want to prove that internal fat damages the body’s communication systems.

The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no short cut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle,” Bell said.

1.According to the pass age, which of the following is WRONG?

A．People with heart disease all have internal fat.

B．People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet.

C．Men are more likely to have too much internal fat.

D．Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat.

2.From the last paragraph, we can find that ______.

A．whether internal fat can lead to disease has been proved

B．exercise plays an important role in people’s life for keeping healthy

C．thin people usually have internal fat even if they are slim

D．it is easier to burn off internal fat than external fat

3.Doctors have found ______.

A．the exact dangers of internal fat

B．internal fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes

C．being slim doesn’t mean you are not fat inside

D．being slim is not dangerous at all

4.The underlined part in the last paragraph means ______.

A．a long road                            B．a clear difference

C．an easy way                            D．a short distance