BEIJIG—The two-day visit to Washington has been heavy for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he attempts to improve ties with Washington and promote his international image ahead of the upcoming G-20 economic summit in London.
Special Relationship
Brown had been praising the “ special relationship” between Britain and the United States before he traveled to Washington. “There is no international partnership in recent history that has served the world better than the special relationship between Britain and the United States,” Brown said in an article in The Sunday Times of London. Such enthusiasm was quickly responded by Barak Obama, the new leader of the world’s largest economy. “The special relationship between the United States and Great Britain is one that is not just important to me, it is important to the American people,” told reporters after meeting with Brown.
Brown was the first European leader to meet Obama at the White House, and this might help the British leader make his image smooth among countrymen in a turbulent(动荡)time and put him in a better position to appear side by side with Obama at the April G-20 summit that will consider the international economic crisis.
Global New Deal
The talks between Brown and Obama were expected to focus mainly on measures to jump-start international economic growth in the most serious downturn in decades. Brown will first promote his “goal new deal” with Obama before taking the G-20 talks. The prime minister, who is chairing the G-20 gathering, has said he would push for deep adjustable changes and joint efforts from all of the world’s major economies, developed and developing, to correct financial rules and inspire the global economy.
However, as pointed out by many analysts, there is the potential for bitterness between Britain and the United States. That’s because no small number of Britons believe themselves to be victims of a crisis which they say was set off by the United States. Meanwhile, analysts say it was unrealistic to expect another honeymoon for British-US ties as Obama seems to have attached more importance to the Pacific region than to Europe.
1 Brown paid the two-day visit to Washington in order to _______.
A. improve the ties with the US and his image
B. make Obama’s international image better
C. congratulate Obama on coming into power
D. prepare for the coming G-20 economic summit
2. The April G-20 summit will mainly focus on how ________.
A. to solve the international energy crisis
B. to solve the international economic crisis
C. to relax current international tension
D. to achieve the double-win goal lately
3. According to many analysts, there is the potential for bitterness between the UK and the US because___________.
A. Obama is less friendly to Brown than Brown to Obama
B. Obama hasn’t visited the UK yet as a new president
C. Obama seems to have attached more importance to Europe than to the Pacific region
D. many Britons believe themselves to be the victims of a crisis caused by the US
4. The underlined part in the last paragraph suggests that___________.
A. Britons expect too much from Obama
B. Britain and USA used to have close relationship
C. the relationship between the two countries will break up
D. Obama and the first lady will not spend their honeymoon in Britain

A. Set a Good Example for Your Kids

B. Build Your Kids’ Work Skills

C. Place Time Limits on Leisure Activities

D. Talk about the Future on a Regular Basis

E. Help Kids Develop Strategies of dealing with different things

F. Help Your Kids Figure Out Who They Are

G. Build Your Kids’ Sense of Responsibility

How Can a Parent Help?

Mothers and fathers can do a lot to ensure a safe landing in early adulthood for their kids. Even if a job’s starting salary seems too small to satisfy an emerging adult’s need for rapid content, the transition from school to work can be less of a setback if the start-up adult is ready for the move. Here are a few measures, drawn from my book Ready or Not, Here Life Comes, which parents can take to prevent what I call “work-life unreadiness.”

1._________You can start this process when they are 11 or 12. Regularly review their emerging strengths and weaknesses with them and work together on any shortcomings, like difficulty in communicating well or cooperating. Also, identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best.

2.________Kids need a range of real role models. Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your own career and encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future. When asked what they want to do, they should be discouraged from saying “I have no idea.” They can change their minds 200 times, but having only a foggy view of the future is of little good.

3._______Teachers are responsible for teaching kids how to learn; parents should be responsible for teaching them how to work. Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met. Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job. Kids need plenty of practice developing effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities(优先).

4._________Playing video games encourages immediate content（满足）. And hours of watching TV shows with canned laughter only teaches kids to process information in a passive way. At the same time, listening through earphones to the songs for a long time encourages kids to stay inside instead of participating in other outdoor activities. All these activities can prevent the growth of children’s communication and thinking skills and make it difficult for kids to develop the kind of sustained (持续的) concentration they will need for most jobs.

5._________They should know how to deal with setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy. They should also learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically. Discussions at home can help kids practice doing these things and help them apply these skills to everyday life situations.

What about the son or daughter who is grown but seems to be struggling and wandering aimlessly through early adulthood? Parents still have a major role to play, but now it is more delicate. Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciates them.

We parents have sky­high hopes for our children. ___【小题1】____. What can we do to help our kids grow up to lead happy lives? According to the experts, we can do many things to help our kids. 
___【小题2】____ In order to succeed，children need to feel they're good at something. So expose your children to as many interests as possible, and then let them choose those they like best.    Applauded their achievements. A study found that students whose parents paid attention to their abilities were far more likely to do well in school and in life—than students whose parents didn't show such support. ____【小题3】___
____【小题4】____. Making his/her own decisions increases a child's sense of control and builds his/her self­esteem (自尊心). And allowing kids to make wrong decisions—so long as doing so won't harm them—helps kids learn from their mistakes.
Encouraging them to solve their own problems. As they grow, children need practice in communicating，standing up for themselves and compromising(妥协). One of the best places to learn these skills is at home. ____【小题5】____.

We parents have sky­high hopes for our children. ___1.____. What can we do to help our kids grow up to lead happy lives? According to the experts, we can do many things to help our kids. 

___2.____ In order to succeed，children need to feel they're good at something. So expose your children to as many interests as possible, and then let them choose those they like best.    Applauded their achievements. A study found that students whose parents paid attention to their abilities were far more likely to do well in school and in life—than students whose parents didn't show such support. ____3.___

____4.____. Making his/her own decisions increases a child's sense of control and builds his/her self­esteem (自尊心). And allowing kids to make wrong decisions—so long as doing so won't harm them—helps kids learn from their mistakes.

Encouraging them to solve their own problems. As they grow, children need practice in communicating，standing up for themselves and compromising(妥协). One of the best places to learn these skills is at home. ____5.____.

A．Help them to find their talents.

B．Let them make decisions and mistakes.

C．Don’t criticize the kids in front of the public.

D．We expect them to be confident and content.

E. The children will lead a happier life if given more freedom.

F. So celebrate your kids’ achievements, no matter how small they are.

G. So the next time your child runs to you complaining that her brother is blaming her，step back and let them work it out.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Empathy

Last year, researchers from the University of Michigan reported that empathy, the ability to understand other people, among college students had dropped sharply over the past 10 years. __1.__ Today, people spend more time alone and are less likely to join groups and clubs.

Jennifer Freed, a co-director of a teen program, has another explanation. Turn on the TV, and you’re showered with news and reality shows full of people fighting, competing, and generally treating one another with no respect. __2.__

There are good reasons not to follow those bad examples. Humans are socially related by nature. __3.__ Researchers have also found that empathetic teenagers are more likely to have high self-respect. Besides, empathy can be a cure for loneliness, sadness, anxiety, and fear.

Empathy is also an indication of a good leader. In fact, Freed says, many top companies report that empathy is one of the most important things they look for in new managers. __4.__ “Academics are important. But if you don’t have emotional (情感的) intelligence, you won’t be as successful in work or in your love life,” she says.

What’s the best way to up your EQ (情商）? For starters, let down your guard and really listen to others. __5.__

To really develop empathy, you’d better volunteer at a nursing home or a hospital, join a club or a team that has a diverse membership, have a “sharing circle” with your family, or spend time caring for pets at an animal shelter.

A. Having relationships with other people is an important part of being human—and having empathy is decisive to those relationships.

B. Everyone is different, and levels of empathy differ from person to person.

C. That could be because so many people have replaced face time with screen time, the researchers said.

D. “One doesn’t develop empathy by having a lot of opinions and doing a lot of talking,” Freed says.

E. Humans learn by example—and most of the examples on it are anything but empathetic.

F. Empathy is a matter of learning how to understand someone else—both what they think and how they feel.

G. Good social skills—including empathy—are a kind of “emotional intelligence” that will help you succeed in many areas of life.