Nowadays, people highlight the requirement of education, which emphasizes children’s ability, personality and even independence．Children have to be “well-rounded” students by spending countless family hours attending extra classes．Last fall was a first-of-its-kind season．I did not arrange any after-school classes for my children．No swimming．No music lessons．No play dates．Nothing．

Once they finished their homework, they were free to do what they pleased, but only one hour of TV．In the beginning, my sons, Ben, 11, and Nick, 9, were anxious about this sudden, unplanned freedom．I had to push them out of the door with a ball, a bike and so on．“Play!” I ordered．

I learned that this new plan takes time, patience and a lot of faith in the theory that having excellent grades isn’t really important．

When my older kids, now in college and high school, were young, I brought in the rules of modern parenting．They are unspoken, but followed carefully．First, you must let your child have a variety of activities．After all, you never know where you’ll find a genius．Second, if the child shows the slightest talent, the activity must be pushed with lessons, special coaching （辅导） and practice of several days a week．Every minute should be taken and every minute has a purpose．That was really too much for my children．

Now with the new plan, we told stories, or we listened to music．And the kids played with bikes, balls, and whatever was handy．Nobody kept score．In fact, the boys played outside so much that the lawn was worn down to the soil in places．They’ve made friends with those who come from all over the neighbourhood to play games．

We like those peaceful evenings．Ben and Nick have a good time this fall．Maybe that’s because the time-off has allowed us to enjoy each other’s company．

21．What was new for the family last fall?

A．The children began to learn music when school was over．

B．The children had nothing to do after school．

C．The writer found no time to play with the sons．

D．The writer arranged no extra lessons for the children．

22．At the beginning of that season the children ________．

A．were worried about the change

B．felt excited about making their own decisions

C．were pleased to have more freedom

D．hated to spend more time on their homework

23．According to “modern parenting” discussed in Paragraph 4, parents should ________．

A．make use of every minute to be with the children

B．provide coaching and practice for each activity

C．try every means to find a child’s real talent

D．know the rules but never talk about them

24．From the passage we learn that ________．

A．children like story-telling more than bike-riding

B．parents should teach their children how to make a plan

C．parents can enjoy their evenings when children play with others

D．children should have time to enjoy themselves after school

（CNN） -- A teenager with cancer who touched the hearts of many in the United Kingdom with his tireless fundraising efforts died Wednesday at age 19．

It is the news that will sadden many supporters inspired by Stephen Sutton’s determination, generosity and good humor in the face of his illness．While he lost the battle to stay alive, he achieved a remarkable achievement: Having set himself the challenge of raising some £1million for a teenage cancer charity, he finally inspired over more than £3．22 million in donations．

On his website, Stephen’s Story, he tells how he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2010, at age 15．“In a strange way, I see my first cancer diagnosis as a good thing．It was a huge kick up the backside．It gave me a lot of motivation for life．”

Despite being told he would be unlikely to survive more than a few years, the teenager drew up a list of 46 tasks to complete before he died．“Some things on my list include sky diving, playing drums in front of a huge crowd, hugging an animal bigger than me．．．” However, the top of his list was to raise £1million for the Teenage Cancer Trust．

When he started the list, people came up to him and offered to raise funds for him．But he actually refused and decided to give the money to charity instead．

The first internet campaign saw his fundraising target failed．Several weeks later, with his condition getting worse, Stephen Sutton posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed giving his thumbs-up sign in his blog．The message soon spread across the world．Countless celebrities and politicians, including Prime Minister David Cameron rose up to help the teenager．

Sadly, on Wednesday 14th May, his mother posted a message on Facebook which read: “My heart is bursting with pride but breaking with pain for my courageous, selfless, inspirational son who passed away peacefully in his sleep in the early hours of this morning．”

25．What can we learn about Stephen Sutton according to the passage?

A．He kept all the donation for himself．     

B．His first internet campaign achieved a great success．

C．He got positive responses for his efforts．

D．He joined the Teenage Cancer Trust．

26．The underlined sentence in paragraph 3 means ________．

A．the cancer was something motivating Stephen to do what he wished

B．he suffered a lot from the disease

C．he took the cancer for granted

D．the cancer made him think about life deeply

27．What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Stephen Sutton won the support of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom．

B．A British teenage cancer sufferer died after raising millions for charity．

C．The 46 tasks in Stephen Sutton’s list．

D．Stephen Sutton made full use of his limited life to raise money for others．

There is no doubt that leading a low-carbon lifestyle is a popular trend in the modern society, where a considerable number of individuals begin to undertake the responsibility to protect the environment．One of my Chinadialogue colleagues in Beijing recently bought a Philips energy-saving light bulb to replace a standard one．He was happy with his choice．It may have cost 30 yuan （just under US$4．50）—ten times the price of a filament （灯丝） bulb—but he wanted to save energy as part of his low-carbon lifestyle．And according to the shopkeeper, he would save, in the long run, much more than the 30 yuan he was spending．

Yet only one month later, his expensive light bulb blew up, before he had saved even a small part of the purchase price．Will he stick to his high-cost, low-carbon lifestyle?

       China’s environmental organizations have started to advocate low-carbon lifestyles and the decrease of carbon footprints to help fight against climate change．But they have overlooked one fact: in China, low-carbon living comes at a high cost．

It means buying energy-saving bulbs and appliances, and environmentally friendly building materials and daily goods．Cost can no longer be the only standard for purchases．An energy-saving and environmentally friendly product is more expensive than a standard alternative—whether it’s a simple light bulb or the house it shines．For average consumers, even buying an ordinary house is a huge burden．How can we persuade ordinary people to choose an energy-saving residence? This is not a trend they can afford to follow; perhaps this fashion is only for the rich．

       Most consumers today do not cause huge carbon dioxide （CO₂） emissions．Their responsibility lies not in choosing a low-carbon lifestyle today, but in avoiding a high-carbon life in the future．The principle of “common but differentiated （可区分的）responsibility” —a basis of sustainable（可持续的）development—can be applied here as well．

       In China, low-carbon living is still resisted by a lack of social infrastructure （基础设施）．Even if your salary allows you to make that choice, nobody is there to help you accomplish it．Many so-called energy-saving buildings are even more energy-hungry than the average home．

28．What may probably be the best title of this passage?

       A．To purchase a cheap bulb—your wise alternative

       B．To choose an energy-saving residence—a must of your life

       C．To live a low-carbon lifestyle—a promising but difficult purpose

       D．To live a low-carbon lifestyle—each citizen’s responsibility

29．Why did the writer’s colleague get an energy-saving light bulb?

       A．He wanted to save some money．

       B．He wanted to try living his low-carbon lifestyle．

       C．He was asked to do so by some organizations．

       D．He wanted to use a more powerful light bulb．

30．We can infer from the passage that ________．

       A．using energy-saving bulbs and appliances is a fashion

       B．not all citizens have the same responsibility—live a low-carbon lifestyle

       C．it’s difficult for most Chinese to try to live a low-carbon lifestyle

       D．most Chinese families cannot afford to purchase an energy-saving residence

31．What is the writer’s attitude towards the low-carbon lifestyle?

       A．supportive but cautious                     B．optimistic and entertaining 

C．negative but wise                          D．positive and active

Welcome To Thailand!

Let us help you find your perfect day trips!

32．If Alex wants to go to Phi Phi Island, which telephone number can he dial ______?

A．0824134883．      B．076280732．         C．076280856．         D．076510633．

33．If Alice, aged 11, and her parents go to James Bond Island, how much will they pay for the trip?

A．$160．            B．$260．              C．$300．              D．$200．

34．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．All the four trips have 2 way transfer to hotel．

B．The transport in James Bond Island Tour is speed boat．

C．The cost of Phi Phi Island trip includes the National Park Fee．

D．Alcohol is free of charge in the Song Preak Rafting Daytrip．

35．Where does this text probably come from?

A．Science fiction．                      B．A guide to geography．

C．A tour brochure．                            D．A science report．

Flash Mob: The Pop Culture

If you see a group of people dancing and singing on the street or in the railway station, you don’t need to feel surprised．They are a flash mob．Who are they? Are they mobs （暴民）?   36   Actually, a flash mob is a group of people who gather suddenly in a public place, do something unusual for a brief period of time, and then quickly separate．

A flash mob is usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks． 37   At a predetermined time, they gather and perform some tasks such as exchanging books, coming together to look at the sky, waving their hands and yelling something at the top of their lungs for 30 seconds．Then, they quickly disappear before the police can arrive．

Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine, organized the first flash mob in Manhattan in May 2003 and the first successful flash mob gathered on June 3, 2003 at Macy’s department store．More than one hundred people stepped onto the ninth floor carpet department of Macy’s department store, gathering around an expensive carpet．Following this flash mob, about 200 people flooded the lounge of the Hyatt hotel and applauded for about fifteen seconds． 38 

Flash mob gatherings can sometimes shock people．Such an activity might seem amusing, but it might also frighten people who are not aware of what is taking place． 39   They also have enormous economic potential, such as using flash mobs to advertise a product．

  40   People use it to do many things．For example, in 2009, Michael Jackson’s fans took part in a flash mob to remember him．Hundreds of his fans gathered outside the railway station in Liverpool．They were singing and dancing Michael’s famous song “Beat It” together．And in another example, some people took part in a flash mob to tell more people not to use negative words．

Flash mobs give people from all walks of life an opportunity to come together to create a memory．

    A．People are attracted by the silly and harmless activities．

    B．Don’t be confused by their name．

    C．Using mobile phones, the flash mob can change their gathering place．

    D．The flash mob is now becoming more and more popular．

    E．Undoubtedly, flash mobs can serve as good political tools in any direction．

    F．A later mob saw hundreds of people in Central Park making bird noises．

    G．The messages may be forwarded to friends, who forward to more people．