By now there were several people standing around me, my mom, and the little broken bush(灌木丛).

“Son, would you like me to call an ambulance?” some men said.

“No,” my mom yelled. “I’m fine. Please go away!”

“She’s learning to ride,” I tried to explain to all those who were not going to go away.

“Oh, all right!” My mom sat up and brushed the grass and leaves off her sweater. Finally she stood up. Everyone began to clap(鼓掌), and my mom’s face turned bright pink.

“Thank you very much, but as you can see, I’m just fine.” Mom took a few steps around to show them that she wasn’t hiding a broken leg. Everyone clapped again and then went on their way.

“Enough for today?” I asked hopefully.

“No,” she said in a way that surprised me. “I almost had it, and then I let myself get scared. I know I can do it this time!” Now this sounded more like my mom, for I’d never known my mom to be afraid of anything before. I helped her pull the bike out of the bush and push it up the hill.

She didn’t look quite so pale this time. She got on the bike again and went down the hill. I ran down the hill after her. She had ridden quite a way ahead of me when she looked back over her shoulder, smiling. Then she gave me a thumbs-up(翘拇指) sign.

“No, no!” I yelled. “Use both hands!”

But it was too late. Again.

“Mom! Are you hurt?” I ran up to her in the grass.

This time she was laughing. “Did you see me? I did it! I really did it!” Then she stopped and looked at me. “I mean,” she said, “we did it.”

1.From the passage we can learn that the author ____.

A. was helping his mother learn to ride a bike

B. went on a picnic with his mother by bike

C. was learning to ride a bike by himself      

D. could ride a bike as well as his mother could

2.Those people were not going to go away because they ____.

A. would wait until the police came            

B. wanted to see if the author’s mother was OK

C. thought it was a terrible traffic accident  

D. worried about the little broken bush

3.The underlined word “it” (in paragraph 8) most probably refers to ____.

A. the ambulance   B. the sweater  

C. the skill of riding a bike   D. the courage to stand up

4.What happened after the author’s mother gave him a thumbs-up sign?

A. She forgot how to ride a bike.       B. She broke one of her legs.

C. She was hit by something.            D. She fell off the bike.

From a very early age，some children exhibit better

self-control than others.Now，a new study that began with about 1，000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health，money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.

Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now.They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.Parents，teachers，even the kids themselves，scored the youngsters on measures like“acting before thinking”and “Persistence in reaching goals.”

The study led  by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1，000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin,New Zealand.

“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten，later on had the most health problems in their 30s，” Moffitt said， “and they had the worst financial situation.They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.”Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed，and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.

Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others，though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior,with relatively little genetic influence.But good self-control can be set to run in familles because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents.But the good news，Moffitt said，is that self-control can be taught by parents，and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.

From the first two paragraphs we learn that         .

A.the research has been carried out for five years

B.self-control in kids tends to determine their future

C.self-control was assessed by children’s intelligence

D.children’s self-control is almost the same at early age

Children with low self-control are more likely to         .

A.become wealthy in later life      B.get good school performance

C.have better financial planning    D.adopt negative behaviors

According to Moffitt，        .

A.only good genetic factors can shape their lives in the future

B.scientists know well why some children have better self-control

C.self-control in childhood has nothing to do with criminal activity

D.willpower as a child really influences people’s chances of adulthood

What can be inferred from the passage?

A.Self-control cannot be taught in schools.

B.The study is restricted within few participants.

C.It’s never too late to deal with self-control problems.

D.Good parenting can improve self-control and life success.

.Which of the following might be the best title of the  passage？

A.Child’s self control predicts future health，success

B.Kids are encouraged to take risks at an early age

C.Children’s development cannot be changed by teachers

D.How to teach the kids a bit of self-control in schools

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”

She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.

It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.

    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).

It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”

The writer describes the beautiful sunset to show Jennifer’s ______.

   A. love of the natural beauty               B. desire of getting back home         

C. intention of becoming independent        D. depression of being alone

What does the underlined phrase “This thought” most probably mean?

A. The idea of going back home.            

B. Her anxiety about her parents.

C. The feeling of being warm in her favorite sweater.

D. The feeling of getting back home safely.

Her father didn’t take care of the garden because ______.

   A. he was busy looking for her

B. he had to look after his wife

C. he was not strict with his job

D. he no longer enjoyed working in the garden

What can we infer from this passage?

A. In fact Jennifer’s mother had been sick for several days.

B. When she found the garden deserted, she realized she was wrong.

C. As Jennifer walked towards home, she became increasingly scared.

D. Having experienced a lot outside, Jennifer felt home was safest for her.

A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery (火红的) ball. She was amazed by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. “It’s getting late,” she thought, “I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am.”
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on: it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought disappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn’t understand what was going on.
She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said: “Dear Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking.” Ellen was her mother but — where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents’ room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn’t slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn’t in her mother’s room and she wasn’t wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her cozy bed in her pajamas (睡衣).
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, “Are you feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.”
【小题1】 The writer describes the beautiful sunset to show Jennifer’s ______.

From a very early age，some children exhibit better
self-control than others.Now，a new study that began with about 1，000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health，money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now.They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed.Parents，teachers，even the kids themselves，scored the youngsters on measures like“acting before thinking”and “Persistence in reaching goals.”
The study led  by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1，000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin,New Zealand.
“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten，later on had the most health problems in their 30s，” Moffitt said， “and they had the worst financial situation.They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.”Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed，and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others，though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior,with relatively little genetic influence.But good self-control can be set to run in familles because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents.But the good news，Moffitt said，is that self-control can be taught by parents，and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.
【小题1】From the first two paragraphs we learn that         .