*Question*
The high school years are a key period. The things we learn during this time really shape our lives. Liu Changrning, principal of Beijing No. 4 High School made 18 suggestions for students just starting high school on how to get the best out of high school. Here are ten of them. 1) Read 50 books. But choose them from ten different fields. 2) Help a person. Look for a classmate, an elderly person, in fact anyone who could benefit from your help. You'll find you benefit too! 3) Research. Research a particular area, such as science, history or art. 4) Make a foreign friend. Try to be friend someone from a foreign country. It's an ideal way to learn about a foreign country. 5) Publish an article. Whether it appears in a newspaper, your school magazine or in your own blog, an article will be something to look back on in pride in later years. 6) Take up a new sport. Choose one you've never played before. If you find you like it, you'll have a hobby for life. 7) Join a club. Working hard in a club or other activities will give you a life outside of your studies. 8) Find a part-time job. Try and do the job for at least a month. 9) Find a person to learn from. Choose someone with unusual experience or special talent. Try to learn all you can from him or her. 10) Learn to cook four Chinese dishes. Learning how to cook is not only a practical skill but a way of building a bridge to other people. Besides learning a practical skill, another purpose of learning to cook is _ . A) to help your parents with housework B) to kill time C) to have communication with others D) to make friends
**Answer**
D

*Question*
If you have a brother or sister, you already know you are different from each other. You live together in the same house and the same parents, but you have different personalities . Why is this? One possible reason is the way your parent treat you. First -born children receive all the attention from their parents. Most families have twice as many photos of a first-born than any other child. Parents usually give first-born more responsibility and depend on them to take care of younger brothers and sisters. As a result, first -born are often responsible, hard-working, and jealous . They often want to do well at school and work. There are more first-born American Presidents, for example, George Bush, George Washington, and Lyndon Baines Johnson than second or last-born children. When a second child arrives, parents are more relaxed. The second child has to compete with the first-born for the parents' attention and love. Their children often choose different sports and hobbies to do well at school and work, but have to be creative to get their family's attention. They are often friendly and cool. Many famous talk-show hosts were born last. The passage is mainly about _ . A) birth order and personalities B) the personalities of the second child in a family C) the personalities of the eldest child in a family D) the personalities of the youngest child in a family
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Nearly half of elementary and high schools in the US use the Presidential Fitness Test. It checks kids' fitness levels. Students are tested at least twice a year. In 1956, US President Eisenhower created the test, and it has been a tradition in schools since 1966. There are five activities in the test: sit-ups , push-ups , sit and reach, endurance run or walk and shuttle run . Students who get scores at or above 85 percent on all the activities can get a Presidential Physical Fitness Award. The test encourages students to live a healthy and active life. Students taking the test are really testing their limits, according to the US National Association for Sport and Physical Education. China has a similar test: the physical education(PE) test. Beginning at the age of 7, students in China are tested twice a year to check if they are healthy and strong. They also finish activities like the endurance run, sit-ups and the shuttle run. However, unlike students in the US who get awards, Chinese students get points in PE tests. The highest score is 100. For junior school students, the PE test is more important because it is worth 30 to 40 points in the entrance exam for senior high school. In order to get a good score, most students begin to prepare for the test in their junior one year. The Chinese PE tests and the American Presidential Fitness tests are similar in _ A) Students are tested twice a year. B) Students get awards. C) Students get scores. D) Students must finish push-ups.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
A little stream ran down from a high mountain through many villages and forests. Then it reached a desert,"I went through so many difficulties. I should have no problem crossing the desert,"she thought. As she started, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed. At this time, a deep voice said,"if a breeze can cross the desert, so can a river."It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream answered,"that's because a breeze can fly, but I can't." "That's because you can't give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate into the breeze, and _ can take you across,"said the desert. "Give up what I am now? No! No!"The little stream could not accept this idea. "The breeze can carry the vapor across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a river again,"said the desert."And whether you're a river or vapor, your nature never changes." Hearing this, the little stream went into the open arms of the breeze. It carried her to the next stage of her life. What did the stream do in the end? A) Crossed the desert. B) Stopped trying. C) Failed to get to the ocean. D) Died.
**Answer**
A