Dear Aunty,

After years of her crying, I finally gave in and allowed my daughter to have a cat. I now regret my decision. As someone needs to have a clean, tidy house, I no longer feel relaxed in my own home. If I tell her, “sorry, the cat has to go.” She will be heartbroken. What can I do?

-Feline Phobic

Dear Phobic,

I’m an animal lover and on your kid’s and cat’s side. Tell your daughter your problem. Ask her to help you come up with a plan. Perhaps you can agree to allow the cat only in certain areas of the house. This is a chance for your daughter to develop the sense of responsibility owning a pet requires.

Dear Aunty,

I got the highest grade on a biology test. Now the popular kids think I’m brainy, and want me in their lab group. I knew I was being used. Now, they want my homework. What should I do?

-Lily

Dear Lily,

Popularity can come at a price, but it’s no excuse to cheat. Offer to help new friends with their homework, but don’t give them yours.

Dear Aunty,

I’m one of six assistants in a dental (牙科的)office. But I’m new there just four months. I’ve tried to join conversations, but they just ignore me. They go shopping together. No one invites me. How can I break into the circle?

-Crystal

Dear Crystal,

Humans run in packs like dogs. When a new dog enters the pack, a lot of discovery goes on. So bring cookies for everyone! Then try making friends with one co-worker. Invite her to lunch. When you get familiar with each other, tell her how hard you’re finding the situation at work. Chances are, she’ll take you under her wing.

1.Aunty thinks that Phobic should _____.

  A. try to persuade her daughter to give in

  B. spend more time cleaning the house

  C. ask her daughter to help tidy up

  D. find a better way to keep the cat

2.The underlined word “brainy” in the passage means _____.

  A. excited      B. friendly   C. intelligent  D. hard-working

3.According to the passage, _____.

  A. Phobic can’t get along well with her daughter

  B. Aunty is fond of animals like cats

  C. Crystal’s coworkers are cheating her

  D. Lily has no interest in lab experiments

Students often meet with questions as follows: bullied by someone, worried about a weak subject, puzzled by family problems or concerned about pets at home. All the questions above may make you not concentrated on your study. Who can you turn to if you are such an unlucky student? A great person to share your thoughts and feelings with is your school counselor (顾问).

    Add school counselors to the list of people you can turn to when you need help. They know how to listen and can help kids with life's challenges (挑战). Counselors have special training in how to help kids solve problems, make decisions, and stand up for themselves. That doesn't mean your counselor will wave a magic wand and the problem will go away. But it does mean he or she will help you cope with it. Coping is an important word to know. Sometimes, kids and grown-ups have difficult problems. Coping means that someone is trying to handle these problems and make things better.

Your school counselor is available for you and wants to make your school experience the best it can be. The counselor's job is to take your problem seriously and help you find a solution. The counselor also wants to help you learn as much as you can in class, be a contributing member of the school community, and be a positive influence on your environment.

From the underlined sentence we may infer that ______.

  A. a school counselor is one of those who can help you

  B. school counselors are those you can make friends with

  C. one needs various people to help him or her

  D. one has to know and deal with all kinds of people at school

According to the passage, which of the following happens that you may not turn to the

counselors?

  A. Other students treat you cruelly.             B. You are too poor to go to school.

  C. You are weak in one subject.                D. You have family problem.

What does the writer think of the school counselors?

  A. They can solve any questions you meet with.    

B. They can help students get their life or study improved.

  C. They are as important as teachers in schools.

  D. They may punish those who have bullied you.

Which of the following may be the best title of the passage?

   A. School counselors

   B. School problems

   C. Students’ problems

   D. Free counselors

Whenever she sees the ______ of bloody fighting on the screen, she will cover her eyes with her hands, ______at them.

A major source of teen stress is school exams，and test anxiety is not uncommon. When you recognize your teen is under stress，how can parents help your teen stay calm before an exam?

Be involved. Parents need to be involved in their teen’s work.  71 _ What they look for is your presence—to talk，to cry，or simply to sit with them quietly. Communicate openly with your teen. Encourage your teen to express her worries and fears，but don’ t let them focus on those fears.

Help them get organized.  72   Together，you and your teen can work out a schedule in which she can study for what she knows will be on the test.

Provide a calm environment. Help your teen set up a quiet place to study and protect his privacy(隐私). Give them a nutritious diet. It is important for your teen to eat a healthy，balanced diet during exam times to focus and do her best.   73    If this happens，encourage your teen to eat light meals or sandwiches. A healthy diet，rather than junk food，is best for reducing stress.

  74  Persuade your teenager to get some sleep and/or do something active when she needs a real break from studying. Making time for relaxation，fun， and exercise are all important in reducing stress. Help your teen balance her time so that she will feel comfortable taking time out from studying to spend time with friends or rest.

Show a positive attitude.   75  Your panic，anxiety and blame contribute to your teen’ s pressure. Make your teen feel accepted and valued for her efforts. Most importantly，reassure (安慰)your teen that things will be all right， no matter what the results are.

E. The best thing is simply to listen.

F. Help your teen think about what she has to study and plan accordingly.

G. Your teen may also make negative comments about themselves.

April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls' horizons（视野）and raise their self-confidence.

For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, “girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive(主管).”says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. “Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work."

Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education.

Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer's office this year's Take Our Daughters to Work Day. "I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial." she said.

Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. “It's really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do.” She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother’s footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence.

Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction.

1.The writer’s purpose in writing this text is to ______.

A．tell how the special day for girls came into be.

B．show us the girls can do as well as boys.

C．introduce a special day for girls to us.

D．broaden girls’ view and raise their confidence.

2.According to the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, ______.

A．girls can do as well as boys in any field.

B．girls need more opportunities in society compared to boys.

C．girls will follow their parents’ jobs after watching them work.

D．girls will be more confident than boys due to the special day.

3.A particular mention of Zarina’s story ______.

A．tells what a woman lawyer’s daily work is like

B．serves as an example of how the Day works.

C．shows a successful mother’s effect on the daughter.

D．explains why a girl should go to see mum's office rather than dad.

4.In the text the writer especially suggests the importance of ______.

A．parents’ job.

B．support from society.

C．understanding of the parents.

D．girls’ self-confidence.