America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 65 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 65. The aging of the population will affect（影響）American society in many ways—education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society—one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior（行為） is suitable（合適）at various , ages.

　　A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 70 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.

　　Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother— or my father— was at my age. ”No one says“Act your age” any more. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.

　　67．It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America ________ .

　　A. has made people feel younger

　　B. has changed people’s social position

　　C. has changed people’s understanding of age

　　D. has slowed down the country’s social development

　　68．The underlined word “one” refers to ________ .

　　A. a society　　　　　　　　　　　B. America

　　C. a place　　　　　　　　　　　　D. population

　　69．“Act your age” means people should ________ .

　　A. be active when they are old

　　B. do the right thing at the right age

　　C. show respect for their parents young or old

　　D. take more physical exercise suitable to their age

　　70．If a 25 - year - old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it ________ .

　　A. normal　　　　　　　　　　　　B. wonderful

C. unbelievable　　　　　　　　　　D. unreasonable

In any family with more than one child, chidren seem to naturally compete for their parents’ love and attention. Parents say they love every child equally. But is that true?

       Susan, founder of a consulting firm in Chicago, interviewed 216 women and found that even though none of her questions asked directly about a parent favoring one child over another, about two-thirds of the women said there was a favored child. And they also remembered their experience when they were young. One of the women said, “My mother always liked my brother better, and he got to go to summer camp in 1968 and I didn’t.”

       Plumez, who interviewed parents with both biological children and adoptive children for an adoption book in 2008, found that what matters most is whether your temperaments(性情) are pleasing. “In some cases, parents would say they felt closer to their adopted children,” she says, “Some parents like the children with characters similar to theirs. Two people who are shy and withdrawn might get along well, unless the shy parent doesn’t like that aspect of themselves and they try to push the naturally withdrawn child to be more extroverted.”

       It could be a result of gender, birth order or how easy or difficult a child’s temperament may be, but a parent’s different treatment has far-reaching effects. Students have found that less-favored children may suffer emotionally, with decreased self-esteem and behavioral problems in childhood. Favoritism is a reason for the next generation not to like each other.

       Experts say it is not realistic to say everyone should be treated equally, because no two people are the same and they relate differently to others.

       “It does not mean that parent loves or likes one child more. It has to do with which one of them is independent,” says psychologist Laurie Kramer of the University of Illinois.

The study carried out by Susan shows that ______.

       A. showing favoritism is common in many families

       B. most mothers like their sons better than their daughters

       C. only two-thirds of the women interviewed have more than a child

       D. it is a favoritism that leads to absence of harmony in most families

The underlined word “extroverted” in the third paragraph means _______.

       A. independent              B. outgoing           C. clever               D. brave

What can we infer from the passage?

       A. Favoritism is not beneficial to the development of children

       B. Parents’ favoritism to a certain child can’t be avoided in families

       C. Parents may be favoring one of their children and don’t realize it

       D. People are very much shaped by how they were treated by their parents

What is the best title for the passage?

       A. Parents’ favoritism can affect children deeply

       B. Why do parents show favoritism to children?

       C. Parents should give attention to all their children

       D. Building a harmonious family is important to children

When Christopher Columbus landed on the then unnamed Costa Rica in 1502, he saw many Indians wearing gold earrings. So he thought the land must be rich in gold. He named the place Costa Rica, which means “rich coast” in Spanish.

       Though little gold was found, Costa Rica today is indeed rich with coffee and bananas. Coffee is the most important product in Costa Rica and most of it is exported (出口) to other countries like America and West Germany. Bananas are the country’s second most important export.

       Costa Ricans also grow many other crops such as fruits, corn and beans for their own use. Costa Ricans love colors and their houses are painted in bright colors.

       Education is very important to the Costa Ricans. Almost every village has a school and education is a must for children between seven and fourteen years of age. Boys and girls go to separate (單獨(dú)的) schools. Classes begin in March and end in November. The other three months of the year are harvest time and the children have to help their parents to pick coffee beans.

What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. How Columbus found Costa Rica.

B. How Costa Rica got its name.

C. What the Costa Ricans wore.  

D. What language the Costa Ricans spoke.

The Costa Ricans may NOT paint their houses ______.

A. pink and red                        B. grey and black

C. blue and green                D. yellow and orange

In Costa Rica, boys and girls between seven and fourteen ______.

A. must go to school     

B. study in the same school

C. do not have to go to school at all

D. can choose to stop schooling at any time

From December to February, school children in Costa Rica ______.

A. have lessons every day

B. have their examinations

C. help their parents pick coffee beans

D. help their parents decorate their houses

This passage is mainly about ______.

A. Christopher Columbus         

B. Costa Rica 

C. some products from Costa Rica      

D. the education of Costa Rica

     In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.

     I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied（依賴）on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit(追求)of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.

     However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot. Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve(緩解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.

71. What does this passage mainly talk about?

   A. Competition helps to set up self-respect.

   B. Opinions about competition are different among people.

   C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.

   D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.

72. Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?

   A. It pushes society forward.                                B. It builds up a sense of duty.

   C. It improves personal abilities.                                  D. It encourages individual efforts.

73. The underlined phrase “the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means __________.

   A. those who try their best to win                         

  B. those who value competition most highly

   C. those who are against competition most strongly

   D. those who rely on others most for success

74. What is the similar belief of the true competitors and those with a “desire to fail”?

   A. One’s worth lies in his performance compared with others.

   B. One’s success in competition needs great efforts.

   C. One’s achievement is determined by his particular skills.

   D. One’s success is based on how hard he has tried.

75. Which point of view may the author agree to?

   A. Every effort should be paid back.

   B. Competition should be encouraged.

   C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.

   D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.

There are several ways to break the technology code that teenagers have written among themselves. The following are ideas to help parents understand the sometimes confusing world of the teens.

Social Networking (人際關(guān)系網(wǎng)) Sites: Sites like MySpace and Facebook appeal to all generations and are a good way for a parent to understand what social standards your teen is living with. There are many ways to help you take part in your child's online activities. You also can be from an onlooker (旁觀者) who keeps a bird' s-eye view of his cyber world to an active member of his social group.

MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game comes in the form of games. A child can easily become addicted to (沉溺于) them if no limits are set. To fully understand the attraction behind MMORPG, you can make your own account and character to explore the digital (數(shù)碼的) world. Playing the online games may seem strange at first to your teen, but experience has led me to only positive feedback (反應(yīng)) from young people who can communicate with adults about their gaming experiences.

Text and Instant Messenger: The ways of teenage communication have produced a whole new language, such as "LOLZ" (laughing out loud) and "PSOS" (parent standing over shoulder). Learning the basic shorthand (速記法) of teens can open up a whole new world of communication, not only talking to your teens, but being able to listen on their terms as well. You may just find yourself texting faster and ending your correspondence (聯(lián)系) with TTYL (talk to you later). To teens, texting anyone looks cool, even Mom and Dad.

Email: Emailing your child is easy. This, of course, cannot take the place of face-to-face communication, but it provides another way for your child to reach you. Another benefit is that your child cannot act like he didn't hear you.

What does the underlined part "appeal to" in the second paragraph mean?

    A. harm       B. attract         C. upset          D. attack

According to this passage we can infer that the author's child __________.

A. works hard at school

B. is active on Facebook

C. enjoys playing online games

D. likes talking with adults

If you are standing beside your child, he is most likely to text his friend __________.

    A. PSOS        B. MMORPG         C. TTYL         D. LOLZ

What does the passage mainly tell us?

A. Parents can use technology to stay in touch with their children.

B. Many children are very crazy about the online games.

C. Science and technology make life easy and convenient.

D. Parents can do something interesting like their children do.