Well, more and more companies are beginning to create products and services for teenagers. The Disney Company sells the Hannah Montans television show, music, film and merchandise to teenagers and their parents. You can get everything from branded lunchboxes and mobile phone covers, to monthly fan magazines and clothing. The High School Musical series of films is also intended for a teenage audience. So, it's all about sales, which tells us teenagers must have more money, freedom and influence upon their parents than they've ever had before. UK teenagers never used to be worried about spending money on clothes and fashion accessories . That's changed. Now, they are much more fashion conscious and concerned about their image. In a world of television programmes that promise overnight success and fame at a young age (for example, the shows Britain's Got Talent and American Idol), some people think it's extremely important to look fashionable. So what does teenage fashion look like? Well, it's quite horrible really, but then I'm a bit too old to appreciate it, I suppose. It's lots of brightly coloured materials, particularly pink, and usually plain, not patterned. There are plenty of bows, necklaces and bracelets , too. It's all very cute , if that's your taste. Surely none of the above is a good thing, is it? Can it really be healthy for us to encourage kids to be like adults at such a young age? Are we stealing childhoods in return for a bit of profit? Well, the UK government is certainly concerned, and for that reason has strict laws preventing companies from explicitly marketing their products and services at children. Even the rest of UK society is concerned. Now that people are aware of the problem, there is a popular backlash against the exploitation of children by commercial marketing. It can be inferred from the passage that the teenagers nowadays _ . A) often ask their parents to buy things for them B) always have more than enough money on their clothes C) can't enjoy their childhood though they are rich in material D) are satisfied with their material life and worry about nothing
A
(Question)
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them .We always felt better when she was around. One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, "Bad girl," she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes. Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. she never barked or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she lovely everyone. Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family? A) Look at them sadly. B) Touch them gently. C) Play games with them. D) Keep them company.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Parents are fuelling bad behavior among their children by attempting to "buy" their love with expensive gifts nowadays. Over recent decades we seem to have created a "must have" culture among our young people. Many mothers and fathers believe they are "failing as parents" if they are unable to ensure that their children have the latest toy, electronic devices (the lap-top, cellphones, Game Boy, etc.) along with their friends. In many cases, families also feel pressured to enroll children in "'every interest club or after-school activity that is available" to fill up their time like most of the other children. But experts warned that the move might affect "precious family time" negatively. Graham Gorton, chairman of the Independent Schools Association, said that parents spent too much time filling their children's lives, which had a series of negative effects on "the very precious family time that exists". "It seems that those times when a whole weekend without planned work was seen as a luxury and a perfect opportunity to spend time together and share those valuable moments of childhood are long gone," Mr. Gorton said. "As a child I only once said that phrase that parents feared 'I'm bored'. Immediately my mother took action and produced a list of jobs and then insisted that I complete every one of them. Though l didn't think cleaning all the floors could really get rid of my boredom, I enjoyed the feeling of staying at home with my mother and brothers." Earlier this year, some researchers suggested that relatively wealthy parents were sometimes guilty of failing to teach basic social skills to children. "Often, it's the rich middle classes that buy off their children through the computer and the TV. That then sets them apart from their family, and then the parents are surprised when their child isn' t coming to school." From the passage we can infer that _ . A) wealthy parents don't like teaching basic social skills to children B) parents should be much more strict with their children at home C) children should not be brought up in a wealthy and pleasant environment D) only satisfying children's material needs is not a good way of parenting
Ans: D
Ques: The biggest danger facing airlines nowadays may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with portable computer in business class. In the last 16 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference . The source of this interference remains not proved, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic devices such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones. RTC.A. an organization which advises the aviation ( )industry, has suggested that all airlines ban such devices from being used during "critical" stages of flight particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently , rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some air- lines prevent passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are unwilling to carry out a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flight. The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers. Experts know that portable devices send out radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not. The fact that aircraft may be fragile to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying,though, is the passenger who can 't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music's too loud. Few airlines want to perform a total ban on their passengers using electronic devices because _ A) they don't believe there is such a danger as radio interference B) the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved C) most passengers refused to take a plane , which bans the use of radio and cassette players D) they have other effective safety measures to fall back on
Ans:
B