Parents, our first teachers, play a highly significant role in our lives.However, doesn't it seem that many of us come to have conflicts with them when we start high school? We're less likely to listen to them and take their suggestions--we even rebel against them. Why? It may be the so-called "generation gap".A generation gap appears when we begin to feel our parents are ignoring us, don't understand us, and we feel we can no longer share our feelings with them. The key reason is our desire for independence.In senior high school, we start to want to take responsibility for our own lives and make our own decisions.But parents resist this.They still want to control us and try to force us to do things they think we should do.Debate and discussion often come to nothing.Gradually, we talk with them less, and keep our feelings locked up inside. Zhang Xiaoyun, 16, of Ningbo, Zhejiang, has talked less and less with her mother since she started senior high school."She believes studies should be my priority, not my inner world," Zhang said."Each day, she asks me the same old questions like, 'How was your last exam? or 'Have you made any progress in physics?" To Zhang, these questions are annoying and so she always tries to ignore them and answers _ ."Sometimes, when I get upset, I quarrel with her.After, she comes to apologize and comfort me.But I know, she doesn't completely understand me," Zhang said.Now, a home that was once full of laughter has fallen into gloom and silence. The generation gap can be harmful.Because of the lack of communication, our parents no longer know what we are thinking about.There are quarrels, even over trivial things.When that happens, we may not be able to concentrate on our studies.Some of us even become afraid to go home after school-- a very serious situation for the whole family. In the view of the author, _ . A) parents should allow their children more freedom B) parents and children should not stay together C) the younger generation should value the older generation D) academic records are more important than one's inner world
A
(Question)
Most American teenagers can't wait to get rid of their "mental mouth" nickname . They count down the days they can finally take their braces off. However, trendy teenagers in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand can't wait to get them on, even if they don't need them. Braces are the latest teenage fashion trend in Southeast Asia. Having a mouthful of metal has become so popular with Asian teens that there have been reports of many teens wearing fake braces. Many Asian beauty shops are now offering to put in cheap fake braces. There are even cheaper do-it-yourself braces such as " Hello Kitty," Mickey Mouse" or others for a price of around $100. Braces are considered a sign of wealth in Southeast Asia. A real set of braces in Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, for example, will cost around $ 1,200, which is a large amount for the country with a GDP of $345 billion ( a billion is 1,000 million), compared to the US which had a GDP of $1,506 Trillion ( a Trillion is 1,000 billion) last year. While Asian teens may think that their colorful fake braces are cool, experts say that these trendy fashion braces can cause illness and can even lead to death. According to the New York Daily News, fake fashion braces have already been linked to the deaths of two teens in Thailand.A 17-year-old in the northeast city of Khon Kaen died from heart failure caused by a thyroid infection from a pair of fake fashion braces. Police also linked the death of another 14-year-old girl in Chonburi to a pair of fashion braces she had brought from an illegal shop. Although the government is giving warnings about fake braces, the trend has been going strong for at least four years. What's worse, the trend for fake braces shows no sign of slowing down. In general, US teens consider braces _ . A) Comfortable B) interesting C) useless D) ugly
(Answer)
D
Ques: Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. The students spend the least time in school in _ . A) the UK B) Finland C) the USA D) Korea
Ans: B
Ques:Most kids go to school during the day and come home to their families or caregivers at night.Sometimes kids can't go home every night so they board or live at school during term-time. Whatever the reason for going to boarding school, living with a group of people is very different from living with your family.You have to learn to get on with others, be responsible for looking after your own stuff and follow the rules that are there to make everyone's life pleasant and safe. The following are some tips from boarders. "Remember that the other new students are probably as shy as you are.If you don't talk first and try to make friends, it may not happen." "Don't hold things back inside you.The more you talk, the easier it gets.You can talk to older boarders as well as adults.They understand what you are feeling--they've been through it too." "Be respectful of others' space and give them privacy.Having people around all the time means you don't get much time to yourself." "Join in sports and other afterschool activities.You'll meet lots of new people who are interested in the same things as you.And keeping busy will help you get over feeling homesick." "If you are a weekly boarder or go home most weekends it can be harder to make friends, so see if you can organize to stay in for a weekend." "Make friends with non-boarders too.It's good to visit someone's home sometimes." "Boarding has its ups and downs, you get homesick and sometimes the food is not that great but most of the time it is like being in one big family.You make friends that you know you'11 keep for the rest of your life." Which of the following tips is included in the text? A) You should complain about the school food. B) You should be active in building new friendships. C) You can keep your own space and privacy. D) You must do sports on a daily basis.

Ans:
B