Researchers from France and Italy discovered that Canadian parents are less strict with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy.

  “Our most important finding was the difference between Canadians and the others，” said Professor Michel Claes，the lead author of the study.  “Canadians focus on independence and negotiation．On the other hand，Italians，for example，exercise more control．We found Canadians seem to focus on negotiation in case of a conflict.”

  Claes said Canada，France and Italy were selected for the study because they share important cultural and social factors.“We chose French­Canadians because they share the same language as France，and originally came from France and share certain values．Italy was included because it was considered to have similar，strong and important family values，” he explained.

  The researchers examined the emotional ties between parents and their children by questioning 1,256 students aged 11 to 19 years old.

Canadian students reported less control and more free actions，according to the study．Italian parents were stricter and French parents were somewhere in the middle.

  Claes explains that the differences lie in education in Canada，France and Italy.

  “North America has its own educational values，which promote individualization．Tolerance and comprehension are encouraged．Italy，on the other hand，promotes respect of authority，control，and the need for permission.” he said.

Children from all three countries described their mothers as warm and communicative．Italian and Canadian children had similar feelings about their fathers，and reported high levels of emotional ties．But French fathers were generally thought by their children to be more distant and cold.

  “We were surprised by this，” Claes admitted.“It seems as though the relationships between French mothers and their children were becoming closer over time，while fathers maintain a form of distance and coldness，which is more of a source of conflict in France than in the other countries.”

1．Professor Michel Claes believes that Canada，France and  Italy ________.

A．have the same family spirit

B．have some similar cultural traditions

C．have experienced some similar social changes

D．have experienced similar cultural developments

2．How did the researchers carry out the study ?

A．By collecting answers of parents from Canada，France and Italy.

B．By collecting answers of children from Canada，France and Italy.

C．By questioning parents and their children from Italian Canadian families.

D．By  questioning  children  from  French­Canadian families.

3．According to Michel Claes，what mainly leads to the differences in parent­children relationships among Canada，France and Italy?

A．Educational opportunities.

B．Traditional ideas.

C．Educational values.

D．Historical events.

4．Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study?

A．French children have troubled relationships with their parents.

B．Canadian children have close relationships with their parents.

C．Italian children have good relationships with their parents.

D．Kids from Canada，France and Italy have closer ties with their moms.

  Vacation is a time for refreshment. In work, we are often called to think. Sometimes, it’s good to give our brains a rest. Without a break, we may not be able to perform up to our potential. This can be a problem, not only for the employee, but for the employer as well.

 “The main benefit of vacation is for the worker to come back energized,” says Weaver. “If they haven’t had a break, then they’re not coming back with new energy. They haven’t had a chance to step back and get perspective (远景), and come back with renewed enthusiasm.”

Long working hours without a break, insecurity (不安) about one’s job, and other work-related worries can lead to burnout and stress. Humans can usually adapt to pressure, but not for a limitless amount of time.

 “It is a problem of relating good workers and having them loyal to the firm while they’re there,” says David Maume, PhD, professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati. He says burnout can also affect employees’ productivity, creativity, and effectiveness.

 In addition, high levels of stress are likely to be precursors (前兆) to depression, which can hit both the employer and employee’s pocketbook. Even people who manage to remain productive at work can have problems. If they’re always at work, then they’re not with their family and friends. If they’re working while on vacation, for the time that they’re on the job, they’re not really present.

An unbalanced emphasis on work can strain family and social life. When you come up for air, you may see that you’re alone, or that your relationships have gone on without you.

5．What’s the main benefit of a vacation?

A.The manager can be more creative.

B.The worker can come back with new energy.

C.The worker can adapt to pressure much better.

D.The worker can step back and get more excited.

6．The underlined word “there” in the fourth paragraph probably refers to ________.

A.the home    B.the vacation     C.the company     D.the university

7．When a worker is always at work, he is likely to get more and more _________.

A.dynamic     B.productive     C.skillful          D.absent-minded

8．Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A.Why Workers Need Vacation       B.Why Workers Need New Energy

C.How to Deal with Daily Pressure    D.How to Spend Vacation Effectively

  My father had returned from his business visit to London when I came in, rather late, to supper. I could tell at once that he and my mother had been discussing something. In that half-playful, half-serious way I knew so well, he said, "How would you like to go to Eton?"

"You bet," I cried quickly catching the joke. Everyone knew it was the most expensive, the most famous of schools. You had to be entered at birth, if not before. Besides, even at 12 or 13, I understood my father. He disliked any form of showing off. He always knew his proper station in life, which was in the middle of the middle class, our house was medium-sized; he had avoided joining Royal Liverpool Golf Club and went to a smaller one instead; though once he had got a second-hand Rolls-Royce at a remarkably low price, he felt embarrassed driving it, and quickly changed it for an Austin 1100.

This could only be his delightful way of telling me that the whole boarding school idea was to be dropped. Alas! I should also have remembered that he had a liking for being different from everyone else, if it did not conflict(冲突) with his fear of drawing attention to himself.

It seemed that he had happened to be talking to Graham Brown of the London office, a very nice fellow, and Graham had a friend who had just entered his boy at the school, and while he was in that part of the world he thought he might just as well phone them. I remember my eyes stinging(刺痛) and my hands shaking with the puzzlement of my feelings. There was excitement, at the heart of great sadness.

"Oh, he doesn't want to go away," said my mother, "You shouldn't go on like this.” “It's up to him," said my father. "He can make up his own mind."

9.The house the writer's family lived in was ________.

A. the best they could afford      B. right for their social position

C. for showing off               D. rather small

10.His father sold his Roils-Royce because ________.

A. it made him feel uneasy                      B. it was too old to work well

C. it was too expensive to possess                D. it was too cheap

11.The writer's father enjoyed being different as long as ________.

A. it drew attention to him          B. it didn't bring him in arguments

C. it was understood as a joke       D. there was no danger of his showing off

12.What was the writer's reaction to the idea of going to Eton?

A. He was very unhappy.         B. He didn't believe it.

C. He was delighted.            D. He had mixed feelings.

 This brief book is aimed at high school students, but speaks to anyone learning at any stage of life.

  Its formal, serious style closely matches its content, a school-masterly book on schooling. The author, W. H. Armstrong, starts with the basics: reading and writing. In his opinion, reading doesn’t just mean recognizing each word on the page; it means taking in the information, digesting it and incorporating it into oneself just as one digests a sandwich and makes it a part of himself. The goal is to bring the information back to life, not just to treat it as dead facts on paper from dead trees. Reading and writing cannot be completely separated from each other; in fact, the aim of reading is to express the information you have got from the text. I’ve seen it again and again：some-one who can’t express an idea after reading a text is just as ineffective as someone who hasn’t read it at all.

  Only a third of the book remains after that discussion, which Armstrong devotes to specific tips for studying languages, math, science and history. He generally handles these topics thoroughly and equally, except for some weakness in the science and math sections and a bit too much passion (激情) regarding history to his students, that was a hundred times more than my history teachers ever got across. To my disappointment, in this part of the book he ignores the arts. As a matter of fact, they demand all the concentration and study that math and science do, though the study differs slightly in kind. Although it’s commonly believed that the arts can only be naturally acquired, actually, learning the arts is no more natural than learning French or mathematics.

  My other comment is that the text aged. The first edition apparently dates to the 1960s—none of the references(参考文献)seem newer than the late 1950s. As a result, the discussion misses the entire computer age.

These are small points, though, and don’t affect the main discussion. I recommend it to any student and any teacher, including the self-taught student.

13．According to Armstrong, the goal of reading is to________.

A.gain knowledge and expand one’s view

B.understand the meaning between the lines

C.express ideas based on what one has read

D.get information and keep it alive in memory

14．The author of the passage insists that learning the arts______.

A.requires great efforts                         B.demands real passion

C.is less natural than learning maths              D.is as natural as learning a language

15．What is a shortcoming of Armstrong’s work according to the author?

A.Some ideas are slightly contradictory.

B.There is too much discussion on studying science.

C.The style is too serious.

D.It lacks new information.

16．This passage can be classified as______.

A.an advertisement              B.a book review             

C.a feature story                D.A news report111]

  There is  no doubt that to study abroad gives you an excellent opportunity to learn things which are very helpful in your career building．Today Canada has earned a good name in providing quality education and safe healthy environment for its students．That is why more than 130,000 international students enroll(登记入学) every year in famous Canadian universities．It is an ideal education destination and gives students a unique experience education and its versatile(多样的) arts and culture．Canada spends a lot on education and is ranked the highest in G-8 countries.

  To study in Canada is very cheap．These universities are affordable compared to other universities in the world such as in the US, New Zealand and UK where cost of education and living is very high．According to a survey in 2006, “Canada offered the lowest tuition fees(学费) for foreign students compared to UK and Australia.”

  The low rate of crimes and the peaceful safe environment of the country also attract a lot of international students to Canadian universities．Canada has 92 universities and 175 community colleges and university degrees have three levels—Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral．

  A Bachelor’s degree in Canada is for three or four years’ full-time study depending on the nature of the program you are doing．On the other hand, a Master’s degree consists of two years of study．For a Doctoral program in Canadian universities, you require a minimum (最低/小的) of three to four or sometimes five years of research and study.

  You can also find many diploma（文凭）and certification (认证) programs in Canadian universities where the time is generally one year．Some of the Canadian universities are well-regarded worldwide and the degree and diploma obtained from these Canadian universities are recognized globally and promise bright future．After the completion of studies, a person could also find great job offers in Canada itself．International students require a work permit to work on campus.

17．We can learn from the passage that ______________.

A．Canada has 92 community colleges

B．Canada spends the least on education among G-8 countries

C．to study in Canada is cheaper than in Australia

D．130,000 Chinese students enroll in Canadian universities every year

18．How long will you spend at least in total if you want to finish your Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Canada?

A．11 years  B．9 years   C．8 years  D．7 years

19．What advantages does Canada have to attract foreign students according to the passage?

(1) Quality education     (2) Safe environment   (3)Versatile culture       

(4) Bright job future      (5) High scholarship    (6) Low tuition fees

A．(1) (2) (4) (5) (6)   B．(1) (2) (3) (4) (6)

C．(1) (3) (4) (5) (6)   D．(1) (2) (3) (5) (6)

20．What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Study in Canada --- a unique experience

B．The life in Canada

C．Benefits of studying abroad

D．Canadian culture