Parents are the closest people to you in the world．They love you just because you are you．And they would do anything for you．

    Like a lot of middle school students，ZhuangShuxia has a problem．She and her parents don’t get on well．

    “I really want to be my Daddy’s little girl．But it feels like he just doesn’t understand．He talks at me and doesn’t listen，”said Zhuang，a Junior 3 student

    Do you and your parents also have problems?

    Well, why don’t you all take a walk and have a talk on Saturday? It’s the International(國際的) Day of Families．On May l5，people around the world give thanks for good things about their families and work on family problems．

    A study last year showed that l,500 Beijing families had the same problem as Zhuang’s family：The children，12 to 15 years old，didn’t like talking with their parents much．They weren’t happy at home．

    Of course，lots of kids feel that way．But you and your parents will be much happier if you can be friends．Here are some ways to have a good talk with them：

    Find a good time to talk，like when you’re eating dinner, going out for a walk or watching TV．

   Tell them something you’re interested in，or ask them about their lives when they were young．They love to talk about it．

   Listen to them carefully，and look them in the eye．

   Be honest(誠實的)．Your parents will trust(信任)you more．And a trusting family is a happy family．

1. Who are the closest people to us according to the writer of this passage?

A. The people who love us.          

B. The people who understand us.

C. Our father and mother.          

D. All the family members.

2. What is Zhuang Shuxia's problem?

     A. Her father thinks she is old enough.

     B. Her father doesn't like to talk with her.

     C. She really wants to be a little girl again.

     D. She and her father don't understand each other well.

3. What does the writer suggest (建議) the students do on the International Day of Families?

     A. They should remember the special day for the families in the world.

     B. They should take a walk and have a talk with their parents.

     C. They should do something to celebrate the International Day of Families.

     D. They should help others to solve their family problems.

4. How does the writer know 1,500 families had the same problem as Zhuang's family?

     A. From a study made in Beijing.

     B. From reports about family problems.

     C. From discussions with parents and their children.

     D. From a report on the International Day of Families.

5. In this passage the writer tells the children,12 to 15 years old,           

     A. how to show their thanks to their parents

     B. how to make friends with their parents

     C. how to feel happier at home in different ways

     D. how to win their parents' trust by listening to their parents

It’s not easy to be an astronaut’s son. Everybody expects you to be special or perfect. I often wonder how my father ever had a son like me. I mean he’s so special and so good at everything he does. Even in middle school he was class president and captain of the football team.
　　Well, to be honest, I often dream about being some kind of hero or doing something special—like saving a child from a burning building or discovering a new star. I was daydreaming at school one morning when my teacher said there would be a Father’s Day writing competition for the whole school. “I hope we have a winner right here in my class.”
　　When I got home, I started to think about what to write. My father is an astronaut. N0, I wouldn’t start like that. That was the way others saw him. How did I see my father? Hmm.
　　I saw him sitting with me in the dark when I had a terrible dream. I remembered how he hugged me for hours when my dog Spotty was killed by a car. Yes, these were the things I was going to write. To me, he wasn’t just a world-famous astronaut. He was my dad.
　　My parents and I went to school on Thursday night．There were so many people in the big hall! My dad looked at me, and I shrugged(聳肩)．
　　The third prize was announced and it was not me. I was relieved(釋然)and disappointed at the same time. The second prize was announced. It was me.
　　1 went up to the stage and read what I had written, “My father’s son”. When I finished, the people stood up and cheered. I saw my father blowing his nose. Tears were running down my mother's face. Dad cleared his throat and put his hand on my shoulder. “Son, this is the proudest moment of my life.’’
　　It was the proudest moment of my life, too. Maybe I’ll never be a great hero or win a Nobel Prize, but it was enough just to be my father’s son

1. 1.

   The writer felt it_________ to be the son of a famous person．

   1. A.
      1ucky
   2. B.
      natural
   3. C.
      hard
   4. D.
      pleasant
2. 2.

   In order to_________ the writer would like to save a child from a burning building．

   1. A.
      become astronaut
   2. B.
      become a great hero
   3. C.
      be made school team captain
   4. D.
      be made class president
3. 3.

   What did the boy probably write in his composition?

   1. A.
      A lot of special things he had done．
   2. B.
      The story of his father as an astronaut．
   3. C.
      The unforgettable time he spent with his father．
   4. D.
      The experiences his father had in middle school．
4. 4.

   What is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      My daydream
   2. B.
      My father’s son
   3. C.
      My famous father
   4. D.
      My happy family

Art of sushi (壽司) making

Bei Restaurant at the Opposite House offers the last sushi preparation class by Max Levy, a New Orleans-born New Yorker, who learned the art of sushi making from masters in Japan. Classes are at 11:30 a.m. on Dec 2 or 5. Cost is 388 yuan per person, including materials and use of materials.

010-6410-5230                           Festive buffet (自助餐)

CBD restaurant at Grand Millennium Beijing offers a festive buffet, featuring (以……為特色) roast turkey, until Dec 30. Turkey will be matched with stuffing (填料), bread and fruit cakes, and buffet selections (選擇).

010-6530-9383

New Year dinner party

Beijing Minzu Hotel prepares a dinner party on New Year Eve. There will be song-and-dance performances, with famous French wines and exciting prizes to win. Cost is 1,680-2,580 yuan per person. 6-10 p.m., Jan 22, 1/F, Coffee Mill, Four Seasons Restaurant, 2/F Jin Xiu Palace, and 11/F East Hall and West Hall.

010-6601-4466                           New Year shopping

Get a gift idea at The Peninsula Beijing, where there are many offerings, or shop at The Peninsula Arcade, for fashion, jewelry (珠寶), leather and other gifts. Or try online shopping at peninsula.com. The Peninsula Boutique is open daily from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

010-8516-2888

1.Many people are attracted (吸引) to Bei Restaurant for its _________.

A．fruit cakes

B．song-and-dance performances

C．jewelry and leather

D．a(chǎn)rt of sushi making

2.If you want to buy some gifts for your friends, you’d better go to _________.

A．Beijing Minzu Hotel

B．Grand Millennium Beijing

C．The Peninsula Beijing

D．Bei Restaurant

3.If you are sure to order delicious Turkey by Dec. 30, you can phone ________.

A．010-8516-2888                        B．010-6601-4466

C．010-6530-9383                         D．010-6410-5230

Have you ever imagined yourself as a travel writer? Send us 500 words on your 2008 summer holiday，explaining what made it special—with as much detail as possible（place names，names of hotels／restaurants．what you especially enjoyed seeing and doing）．The best five entries，as chosen by our editors，will each win one of our five holiday prizes，and will be published in full in the Travel section of the Guardian（《衛(wèi)報》）and on guardian.co.uk．

There are five categories（類別）and five different prizes which everyone can get．

Category：Activity，Adventure

Prize：a two-week campervan（野營車）holiday to New Zealand with Discover the world and Air New Zealand．Spend two weeks traveling in the country wherever the road takes you-from the beaches and cities of North Island to the beautiful scenery of the South Island．

Category：Family

Prize：A weekend in a tent for four people，staying on a private nature reserve（自然保護區(qū)）near Padstow，with Cornish Tent Holidays in connection with Neal's Yard Holidays．

Category：Beach

Prize：A trip for two to Damascus with Black Tomato，The prize includes return flights from London，a private guided tour of the city and four nights on the way．

Category：Camping

Prize：A pair of return flights for two to New York with STA Travel，including taxes．

Category：UK

Prize：A week of river cruising（乘船巡游）for two on a motorboat in Germany with European Boating Holidays．Visit the great lakes or travel in and around Berlin by river，and the trip includes return flights from London．

To enter the competition，send your entry to our website．Don't forget to tell us which of the five categories you are writing about，and include your name，address and telephone number．The deadline for entries is 11：59p．m．on Friday August 22，2008．

1．The purpose of the passage is to _______．

A．invite readers to travel abroad                    B．introduce holiday places to readers

C．a(chǎn)sk readers to write articles on travel           D．help readers become writers

2．The underlined word entries in the first paragraph probably refers to “_______” ．

A．a(chǎn)rticles entered for a competition

B．words that are written by readers

C．editors，favorite readers

D．the best articles that wilt be popular soon

3．If you want to win a trip to New York，you should write something about _______．

A．family                  B．a(chǎn)dventure             C．camping                 D．beach

4．_______ will arrange（安排）your trip if you win the prize for Category “Beach” ．

A．Cornish Tent Holidays                              B．Black Tomato

C．STA Travel                                               D．European Boating Holidays

5．You will go to _______ for a holiday if you win the prize for Category “UK”．

A．New Zealand        B．England               C．USA                      D．Germany

1. In Tanzania crops can't grow well because there is     

  A. no farm       B. less help        C. no land     D. less rain

2. Shanghai succeeded in bidding for   

A. the 2008 Olympic Games                 B. the 2005 International Books Expo   

C. the World Expo 2010                    D. the FIFA World Cup 2006

3. Ba Jin was born in         

  A.1900           B.1904               C.1906            D.1907

4. The Qinghai-Tibet train will run at the speed of          an hour.

  A.100kin      B.120km        C.160km        D.300km

5. Which of the following is true according to the news above?

  A. Shanghai won the bidding after beating five rivals.

B. All Bajin's books are regarded as Landmarks of modem Chinese culture. 

C. Only the Olympics is considered the top international event in the world.

D. It takes you 48 hours to go from Beijing to Lhasa by train now.