It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.

“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens (警笛) going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder. ”

But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.

Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination. At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.

“Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop. ”

“After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license.”

That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty — a thousand dollars for the new engine — not to mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving.

1. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway? 

   A. Because he was racing with another driver on the road.           

B. Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene.  

C. Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder.          

D. Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him.

2. Which of the following statements is true?

   A. Someone else was taking care of the injured person.

   B. The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene.

   C. Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car.

   D. The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40.

3.The driver of the Firebird _____.

   A. took a wrong turn on the way                  B. had some trouble with his car

C. was stopped by the police officer            D. paid for the expenses of the accident

4. What is probably the best title for the article?

   A. Losing His Way?                       B. Fun All the Way?

   C. Going My Way?                         D. Help on the Way?

Just like the young character in Hannah Montana, who so often fights with her father over her desire to be more independent, British teenagers also have their troubles.

A recent survey among 2,000 British parents shows that girls and boys experience similar kinds of stress, with some slight differences .

Girls want to grow up fast, demanding greater freedom. They feel pressure from their peers to be thin and sometimes dangerously experiment with alcohol .

Girls over 14 are more concerned with getting a boyfriend, make-up and going out with friends than with their schoolwork. They are more likely to complain about pocket money .

Parents found they have their toughest time with boys over the age of 15. Their sons are battling bad skin, are reluctant(不情愿的) to speak, and just like girls over 14 are little interested in their studies. Seven out of ten parents said their sons become frustrated(挫败的) when they are not understood .

Unsurprisingly, it isn’t just British teenagers who have such problems.

In a survey published in the US last month, two out of three high school students said their life was tough. There was a universal worry over body image and ability to fit in socially.

Plenty of the teenagers feel great pressures to get good grades, with nearly half regarding this as their top worry. The next biggest issue is pressure they face to get into good college. According to the survey, 66 percent reported saving their money to pay for all or part of college.

“Today’s American teens have witnessed what their families have endured during recent economic challenges, and they are much more aware of the importance of planning ahead,” said Stuart Rubinstein, managing director with TD Ameritrade, which carried out the survey.

What is the article mainly about?

       A. What makes the lives of teenagers so hard?

       B. How to deal with teen problems?

       C. Stress faced by UK and US teenagers.

       D. Peer pressure faced by UK and US teenagers.

According to the survey, boys over 15 often feel great pressure to ______.

       A. grow up fast             B. experiment with alcohol

       C. get into a good college             D. be more open and communicative

The underlined word “universal” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ______.

       A. global               B. common            C. average             D. reasonable

How have recent economic challenges affected American teens?

       A. They have become more concerned about their future.

       B. They are now more worried about the ability to fit in socially.

       C. They are attempting to learn more about money management.

       D. They are spending more time developing their practical skills.

                                                                              A
Everywhere I go, people are speaking on their cell telephones regardless of their surroundings (环境) . This happens when people are walking around a lake or through town, or even driving. I have even seen a person attempting to speak on her cell phone while ordering ice cream at Dairy Queen, thus speaking to two people at once.
As the over-spending of technology increases, people begin to take less joy in the simple pleasures of life—joys that don’t cost money—from observing clouds, playing with children to thinking or reading. And it is not just telephones that take the responsibility; too much value is placed on items (物品) from computers to cars. Many things are purchased (购买) merely(仅仅) to show off. Do you really need a cell phone that plays games, shows movies and takes pictures? No, cell phones should be purchased to use in urgent situations.You do not need to use your telephone when you are at someone else’s house or in a restaurant.
Technology and possessions (财产) do not bring joy. While some technology is necessary, it can get ridiculous(可笑的). Each possession just makes us want more, while simple pleasures can be enjoyed now and then.
Instead of spending our time buying a third television or looking into the newest cell phone models, we should be acting more productively to improve the world by volunteering, for example. Or, we should reconsider playing computer games or taking pictures on our cell phones and read a book or imagine what shapes the clouds are in the sky instead.
【小题1】The author mentions cell phones at the beginning just to show _________.

I really hadn't meant to yell（吼叫）at them．But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen．

With a tiresome report to write，I felt bothered at my desk．Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault．A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly．

“OK，you two here．but what an awful thing you are attempting!” shouting angrily, I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me．“Get away from us!” he shouted back，there being expression of support from his sister．

All of a sudden，I found the fault in myself．Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers（螃蟹螯）and crawled towards them，“Crabby（似螃蟹的）Daddy is here Ha，Ha，Ha，he likes to yell at children，and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away，but now he was laughing and crying at the same time．My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well．Still，I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after．

Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself．It only shows just how to get rid of something（ill-feelings，responsibility）by blaming others．It's not my “best self”．

We have to search for our “best self” when with our children．They don't need perfect parents，but they do need parents who are always trying to get better．Here，I'm reminded of the words of a great thinker，“When a man lives with God，his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…” Then，in our lifetime，couldn't we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since，most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level，what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children?  

The author couldn't help yelling at his kids this time probably because______．

       A．the weather was so unpleasant    B．a Daddy has his right to do so

       C．the kids didn't ask him to join them      D．he was tired of his boring work

Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?

       A．No obvious reason．   B．The children’s reaction．

       C．His self-control．           D．The mess made by the children．

According to the passage the author will    in another similar situation．

       A．play a crab again like this time      B．apologize to kids in a sincere way

       C．avoid blaming kids in a hurry       D．beat them up about such things

What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph（s）?

       A．How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault．

       B．How to blame our children in a more interesting way．

       C．How to deal with the terrible mess made by our kids．

       D．How to persuade children to do what they are told to．

In one way of thinking, failure is a part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web（蜘蛛织网）. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times without success. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English… Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one.
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top from yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal（目标）you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about his question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”
【小题1】 This passage deals with two sides of failure. In paragraph 1, the author talks mainly about __         .

A．the value of failure

B．how people would fail

C．famous failures

D．the cause of failure

A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples.

B．Failure may be regarded as a way toward success.

C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce.

D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth attempting.