Do you regularly get together to talk with your family about problems or the day’s events? _____1_____ Want to improve your family's communication skills? Try these simple steps to improve your family’s communication skills.

1. Create opportunities for talking.

Make time for talking by reducing the number of activities your family is involved in each week. And if you do find yourself in the car running from place to place, make a point to turn off the radio, the cell phones and the personal game players, and use that opportunity to catch up on the day’s activities.

2. Insist on family meals.

In addition to bringing everyone together for a wrap-up of the day’s activities, insisting on a few standing family meals creates ritual and routine that kids come to expect and look forward to. _____2_____

3. _____3_____

Spending time with each of your children lets them know that are not getting lost in the hubbub of a busy day or large family. Older teens might enjoy going out for a hamburger or a latte at their favorite coffee place. Younger children often enjoy going to the supermarket, especially when you let them select their favorite cereal or special dessert.

4. Remember the 80/20 rule.

When trying to improve any relationship, listening is far more important than talking. _____4_____ If you do verbally explode before your child is finished, apologize quickly and assure him or her that you’re now ready to listen.

5. Create family traditions.

_____5_____ Family members come to expect and appreciate these traditions, seeing them as opportunities to come together as a unit. If your family is short on traditions, there’s no reason you can’t start some now.

A. We should have an active attitude to our family life.

B. Lunches with aging parents keep those relationships healthy, as well.

C. Setting up a family movie night, attending religious services or visiting the same spot every year for summer vacation are all the examples.

D. When it comes to family communication, listen four times longer than you speak.

E. Go on individual dates with your children.

F. Use the family dinner table as an opportunity to share what’s going on in family members’ lives.

G. Conversation is the key to any strong relationship, especially for family communication.

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。

Do you regularly get together to talk with your family about problems or the day’s events? _____1._____ Try these simple steps to improve your family’s communication skills.

1. Create opportunities for talking.

Make time for talking by reducing the number of activities your family is involved in each week. And if you do find yourself in the car running from place to place, make a point to turn off the radio, the cell phones and the personal game players, and use that opportunity to catch up on the day’s activities.

2. Insist on family meals.

In addition to bringing everyone together for a wrap-up of the day’s activities, insisting on a few standing family meals creates ritual and routine that kids come to expect and look forward to. _____2._____

3. _____3._____

Spending time with each of your children lets them know that are not getting lost in the hubbub of a busy day or large family. Older teens might enjoy going out for a hamburger or a latte at their favorite coffee place. Younger children often enjoy going to the supermarket, especially when you let them select their favorite cereal or special dessert.

4. Remember the 80/20 rule.

When trying to improve any relationship, listening is far more important than talking. ____4.____ If you do verbally explode before your child is finished, apologize quickly and assure him or her that you’re now ready to listen.

5. Create family traditions.

___5.____ Family members come to expect and appreciate these traditions, seeing them as opportunities to come together as a unit. If your family is short on traditions, there’s no reason you can’t start some now.

E. Go on individual dates with your children.

F. Use the family dinner table as an opportunity to share what’s going on in family members’ lives.

G. Conversation is the key to any strong relationship, especially for family communication.

Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life．

       Question: Could you introduce yourself first?

       Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I’m a web designer．

       Q: What are your great memories?

       A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．

       Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?

       A: Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．

       Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?

       A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．

       Q: How do your get along with your parents?

       A: My parents supported me until I came of age．I want to give back what I’ve got．That’s our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters（过滤） out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．

In Misbah’s childhood,      ．

       A．he was free from worry

       B．he liked living in the countryside

       C．he was fond of getting close to nature

       D．he often spent holidays with his family

What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?

       A．Peace and freedom               B．A beautiful house．

       C．．A colorful life．                 D．Money for his family．

How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?

       A．By chatting on the Internet．       B．By calling them sometimes．

       C．By paying weekly visits．         D．By writing them letters．

If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?

       A．What was your childhood dream?   B．What is your biggest achievement?

       C．What is your parents’ view of you? D．What was your hardest experience in the war?

 (10·重庆B篇)

Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.

Question: Could you introduce yourself first?

Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old. I was born in a war-torn area. Right now I’m a web designer.

Q: What are your great memories?

A: My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields. For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long. Those are my great memories.

Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?

A: Yes. As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family. I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age. However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone. I learnt to be independent.

Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?

A: If I could change something in my life, I’d change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area. I would have loved to live with my family in freedom. Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn’t matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe.

Q: How do your get along with your parents?

A: My parents supported me until I came of age. I want to give back what I’ve got. That’s our way. But I am working in another city. My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it. It filters(过滤) out your emotion and leaves your voice only. My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch.

60. In Misbah’s childhood,      .

A. he was free from worry

B. he liked living in the countryside

C. he was fond of getting close to nature

D. he often spent holidays with his family

61. What did Misbah desire most in his childhood?

A. A colorful life.                      B. A beautiful house.

C. Peace and freedom.                  D. Money for his family.

62. How would Misbah prefer to communicate with his parents?

A. By chatting on the Internet.            B. By calling them sometimes.

C. By paying weekly visits.              D. By writing them letters.

63. If there were only one question left, what would it most probably be?

A. What was your childhood dream?

B. What is your biggest achievement?

C. What is your parents’ view of you?

D. What was your hardest experience in the war?

We all love our children and we all know how competitive the world is these days. What’s it going to be like when our children leave school? Will they have the skills they need to stay ahead of the competition?
All children need two basic skills to succeed. They must be able to read and they must be able to write. And with so much information available to them these days, they must be able to read quickly and accurately. That’s why your children need to be able to speed-read.
It’s ironic (讽刺的) that at this time of space-age technology, we’ve gone back to one of the earliest forms of mass communication—the written word. The Internet has introduced a revival (重新流行) of writing, and if you can’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. You certainly don’t want your children to be left behind.
You can help to make sure that your children are excellent writers—you can help them to learn how to use their language. Better still, you can learn with them!
You and your children can spend time together in a worthwhile pursuit (事业)—learning how to write. Forget the theme parks, the computer games, the expensive movies and interesting sports. If you want your children to have treasured memories of time spent with you, learn together.
For less than you would pay for tickets to a theme park, you can invest in your children’s future—help them learn to write well with my six-part writing course.
Don’t stand by while your child is left further and further behind.   
【小题1】From the last two paragraphs, we can know the main purpose of the passage is_______