At 18, many American young people go off on their own. They go away to college or find full-time jobs, and they often pay for their own apartments. Some get married and start families. This independence（獨立) is learned from childhood.
From an early age, American children learn to do things by themselves. Children as young as 2 begin to put away their toys and dress themselves. At 3, many children do simple chores like setting the table.
Using money in the right way is also taught early. As soon as a child understands the value of money, he or she receives a weekly allowance. This is used for things the child wants, like toys or treats. The child can spend or save it, usually with little help or advice from parents. If the child wants more money, it must be earned by doing extra chores.
Children are taught early in life to think for themselves. They are allowed to make some decisions
and make mistakes. Failure often teaches more than success.
【小題1】. Many young American people begin to live on themselves ________ .

A．at the age of eighteen

B．from an early age

C．after they get married

D．when they find jobs

【小題2】 An American child learns to ________ at the age of 2.
A. do a lot of chores  B. put on their own clothes     C. study for a test        D set the table
【小題3】 The underlined word “allowance” means ________ .

A．pocket money

B．present

C．prize

D．toy

【小題4】 A child can get some more money by ________ .

A．understanding the value of money	B．doing a lot of homework
C．reading a lot of books	D．doing some more chores

【小題5】 Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．American children learn to be independent from an early age.

B．American children always use or save their money with the help of their mother.

C．American children are allowed to make some decisions and mistakes.

D．Failure is needed in children’s life as well as success.

Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis, cricket - anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set up his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength. At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year he met John Ridgway and started to work as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of adventure（冒險） in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway’s cold-water exploits. Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, he decided that this would be his future.
In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition （探險）towards the North Pole. It took unbelievable energy. He suffered frostbite（凍傷）, ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his sled up and over the rocky mountains.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man. His old playmates would not believe the change.
【小題1】 What changed Saunders according to Paragraph 2?

A．A friend’s words.	B．A mountain bike.
C．His 18th birthday gift.	D．His first marathon.

【小題2】What did Saunders do in 2001?

A．He decided to build up his body.

B．He met John Ridgway in Scotland.

C．He worked as an instructor at school.

D．He took an adventure to the North Pole.

【小題3】What does the story mainly tell us about Saunders?

A．He is a success in sports.	B．He is the youngest British skier.
C．He is Ridgway’s best student.	D．He is a good instructor at school.

 

In Britain you’re allowed to drive a car when you’re seventeen. You have to get a special two-year driving license before you can start. When you’re learning, someone with a full license always has to be in the car with you because you aren’t allowed to drive the car on the road alone. You don’t have to go to a driving school --- a friend can teach you. The person with you isn’t allowed to take money for the lesson unless he’s got a teacher’s license.

Before you’re allowed to have a full license, you have to take a driving test. You can take a test in your own car, but it has to be fit for the road. In the test you have to drive round for about half an hour and then answer a few questions. If you don’t pass the test, you’re allowed to take it again a few weeks later if you want to. In 1970 a woman passed her fortieth test after 212 driving lessons! When you’ve passed your test, you don’t have to take it again, and you’re allowed to go on driving as long as you like. Britain’s oldest driver was a man who drove in 1974 at the age of 100.

Before 1904 everyone was allowed to drive, even children. Then from 1904 car drivers had to have a license. But they didn’t have to take a test until 1935. On the early days of car driving, before 1878, cars weren’t allowed to go faster than four miles an hour, and someone had to lead the car with a red flag.

1. A person can’t take money for driving lessons unless he __________.

A. has learnt to drive in a driving school

B. has a full driving license

C. has a full license and a teacher’s license

D. is given a special two-year driving license

2.In the driving test, one _______________________.

A. mustn’t drive his car, even though the car is fit for the road

B. is usually asked to drive on roads for some time

C. has to be examined(考查) only in car driving skills

D. must drive around for more than an hour

3.When can I take the driving test again if I don’t pass it?

A. a few years later                                      B. right after the first test

C. a few weeks later                           D. never

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. There is no limit (限制)to the age of an old man who drives a car.

B. One can take a driving test again and again until he passes it.

C. There was a speed limit to cars before 1878.

D. A car driver didn’t have to get a limit license until 1935.

5.The best title for the passage is _____________.

A. Driving Licenses in Britain　　               B. Tests for Britain People

C. Driving Cars　　　　　　　　                     D. Young Men’s Driving Licenses

 

Jackie Chan was born on April 7, 1954, in Hong Kong, China. His parents left mainland China for Hong Kong a short time before he was born. His parents named him “Chan Kong-sang”, which means “born in Hong Kong”. They wanted to celebrate a safe trip to Hong Kong.

At first, Jackie’s family lived in the French Embassy(大使館).His father was a cook, and his mother was a housekeeper. When Jackie was seven years old, his family moved to Australia. His father got a job in the American Embassy. Later, back in Hong Kong, Jackie’s father sent him to the China Drama Academy. Jackie studied and worked 19 hours a day. The students practiced Kong Fu and learned how to do many stunts(特技表演)there.

When Jackie was 17, he began to do dangerous stunts for films. In the early 1980s, Jackie went to Hollywood, but he wasn’t very successful. He went on to make films in Hong Kong and had great success. Finally, in 1995,Jackie Chan became famous in the United States. Today, Jackie Chan has both Chinese and American fans and his films make millions of dollars. 

1.When did Jackie Chan’s parents move to Hong Kong?

A. They moved to Hong Kong a short time after Jackie Chan was born.

B. They moved to Hong Kong a short time before Jackie Chan was born.

C. They moved to Hong Kong after they came back from America.

2.What did Jackie Chan learn in the China Drama Academy?

A. Dramas        B. Dancing        C. Kong Fu and stunts

3.Which is true according to the passage?

A. Jackie Chan is about forty years old.

B. He wasn’t very successful when he first went to Hollywood.

C. He became famous at the age of 17.

4.From the passage we know that_________.

A. neither his American fans nor his Chinese fans like his films.

B. everybody in the world likes his films very much

C. his films are popular not only in China but also in America

5.We can learn from the article that _____.

A. Jackie Chan’s mother was also born in Hong Kong .

B. At first, Jackie’s family lived in France.

C. the time when his family moved to Australia was around 1961.