Most parents do not like their children's music. For example, today's parents do not like rap music. But what the parents do not understand is that people who make rap music have important abilities.  

Think about the words in a rap song. Many of the words in the songs sound, the same. For example, each word at the end of a line in the song usually has the same sound. Say that a singer used the word" eat". He might also want to use the words "feet" and "meat" in the song. This is because these words end in the same sounds as " eat". So the person who writes the song has to know many words to find words that have the same sound and make sense in the song. Many people who do not like rap music do not think about rap singers' abilities and the clever way that they use words.  

Another thing that rappers do well is putting songs together. Rap singers mix songs from older records with their own music. A good rap song has many different songs in it. So, a rapper has to know a lot about older music. In fact, rappers can mix different kinds of music into their songs, not just rap music. Many times, rappers will put famous parts of old rock and roll, old pop, or old disco songs into a rap song. As long as the rap singer tells people who made the older song, the rock, pop, or disco singers do not mind. If a rap singer does not say where he or she got the music from, then the other singers get mad.  

Some parents think that rap is not really music. But that does not mean that the people making rap music do not have any special abilities.  

56．This passage is mainly about _____.  

A．making rap music                                   B．words in rap music  

C．old songs used in rap music                     D．mixing songs in rap music  

57．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the writer?  

A．Making rap songs is not very difficult.  

B．Rappers have to know lots of different words.  

C．Rap music has nothing to do with old rock and roll.  

D．Parents usually enjoy the same music as their children.  

58．From this passage we know that _____.  

A．rap singers often borrow music from older songs  

B．rappers do not need to make sense for their songs  

C．putting older songs together to make rap music is quite easy  

D．rappers do not usually know much about other kinds of music  

59．The writer tells us that the rap singers ______.  

A．a(chǎn)lways get other people to write their songs  

B．often use words that have the same end sound  

C．do not need important abilities for their profession  

D．do not need to ask others if they want to use their songs  

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"

Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制臺 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices

Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.

The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.

Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.

Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "

Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.

With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "

1.Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

A．Because more electronic devices are available to them.

B．Because electronic devices are more exciting than before.

C．Because they have less other activities.

D．Because they have less homework to do.

2.It is known from the passage that  ____.

A．Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text

B．the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years

C．Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices

D．most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies

3.Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?

A．Watching TV while using the computer.

B．Talking on the phone while staying with others.

C．Playing video games on the Internet.

D．Listening to music while relaxing.

4.According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____.

A．kids should do homework while surfing the Internet

B．kids should do homework in a place without disturbance

C．kids should spend more time on homework

D．kids should have more homework than before

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"
Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制臺 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices
Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "

1. 1.

   Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

   1. A.
      Because more electronic devices are available to them
   2. B.
      Because electronic devices are more exciting than before
   3. C.
      Because they have less other activities
   4. D.
      Because they have less homework to do
2. 2.

   It is known from the passage that  ____

   1. A.
      Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text
   2. B.
      the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years
   3. C.
      Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices
   4. D.
      most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies
3. 3.

   Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?

   1. A.
      Watching TV while using the computer
   2. B.
      Talking on the phone while staying with others
   3. C.
      Playing video games on the Internet
   4. D.
      Listening to music while relaxing
4. 4.

   According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____

   1. A.
      kids should do homework while surfing the Internet
   2. B.
      kids should do homework in a place without disturbance
   3. C.
      kids should spend more time on homework
   4. D.
      kids should have more homework than before

When Nick Pasqua hits his bedroom after school, he’s tired. The 14-year-old high school freshman from New Rochele, New York, plays computer video games online for a couple of hours, pausing only to instant-message his friends, check his blog or download a new song to his IPOD. When his cell phone vibrates(振動), he scans the text message and fires back a reply.

“We’re leagues behind,” sighs Nick’s mom, Kimberly Pasqua, 45. And many parents like her are feeling increasingly out of step with their children.

The technology gap between parents and kids is widening, says Amenda Lenhart, senior research specialist for Internet & American Life Project, a research group that explores the impact of the Internet on children and families. In a series of reports released last year, researchers found that 87 percent of the United States’ kids aged 12 to 17 use the Internet, compared to only 66 percent of adults. Half of those teens go online daily. Eighty-one percent play games online and 75 percent use instant-messaging. Nearly half(45 percent) have a cell phone. One out of five has a blog.

Why are children increasing past their parents? Because today’s kids learn to use computers by playing and think technology is fun, says Lenhart. But adults generally view computers as mere tools for work , not toys.

Despite this difference, most parents realize that computers, cell phones and the like are fixtures(固定裝備) in their children’s lives. With that acceptance comes worry about what makes appropriate usage and more important, what’s safe. Experts say the best way to keep up is to learn the technology for yourself. Visit blogs. Send some instant and text messages. Download music. “This stuff may never be as necessary to your life as it is to your kids,” says Susannah Stern, assistant professor in the Communications Department at University of San Diego, “but you won’t get their respect about online issues if you don’t know what they’re talking about.” Children can be great teachers, so let them show you the ropes. “It’s empowering for them to share their knowledge,” says Stern. Once you know what’s what, try to keep the lines of communication open and carefully watch what they’re doing.

56.   The 14-year-old Nick Pasqua is only one example of_____.                        

A.      66 percent of adults in the world who use the Internet

B.      87 percent of kids in the US who use the Internet

C.      81 percent of kids in the US who use the Internet

D.     75 percent of kids in the West who use the Internet

57.Today kids use computers mainly_____.                                        

A.  as hobbies to kill time                  B.  as weapons to fight

C.  as tools for work                        D.  as toys to play

58. What do parents worry about most according to the passage?                                          

   A.  Their children spend too much time on computers and cell phones.

   B.  Their children don’t know how to use computers and cell phones.

   C.  Computers and cell phones may do harm to their children.

   D.  Their children no longer work hard at their lessons.

59. According to Susannah Stern, parents should ______.                            

   A. learn computer knowledge from their children  B.  stop their children going online

   C. let their children be                                        D.  be tied by their children with ropes

閱讀理解

　　The early adolescent (青春期少年) seems to be in a state that is difficult for most adults (grown - ups) to understand. Parents, in particular, are often at lass to be able to deal with someone they thought they knew but who seems changed. Change ability and contradiction arc true to young people at this time. They want to depend on themselves and refuse to accept their parents’ control, appearing at times rebellious (叛逆的). At the same time they almost foolishly follow other young people’ s standards of dress, music and manners. They seem to be completely self - centred materialistic one moment, then suddenly change themselves to an unselfish giving of themselves in the service of some social and political cause. They can be extremely thoughtless or inexperienced one day, terribly sensitive the next. Their spirits can change within minutes from being on top of the world to feeling that everything is hopeless. Consistency is totally missing, and these rapid changes and contradictions seem hard to understand.

1．From the information given in the article, we know parents find adolescents hard to understand because ________.

[　　]

A．they are always self - centred and thoughtless

B．they want to depend on themselves

C．the parents fed lost

D．they lack consistency

2．The topic sentence says, “The early adolescent seems to be in a state that is difficult for most adults to understand. “What do you think the state is like?

A．Foolish.

B．Rebellions.

C．Changeable.

D．Easy to be angry.

3．Adolescents are at times extremely rebellious towards their parents, yet foolishly accept other young people’s standards. This is an example of ________.

[　　]

A．not knowing right from wrong

B．political service

C．lack of consistency

D．independence

4．The writer probably thinks ________.

[　　]

A．a(chǎn)dolescents are sensitive

B．a(chǎn)dolescents are treated too - softly in today’s society

C．a(chǎn)dolescence is a difficult period

D．parents should be more strict with their adolescent children

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"
Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制臺 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices
Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.
The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.
Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.
Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "
Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.
With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "
【小題1】Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

 Texting in the street—your funeral

Millions of people are putting their lives at risk by texting their friends as they walk along busy streets, reported the Daily Mail.

One in ten  41  users has already been  42  because they are so lost in their phones that they fail to  43  lamp-posts or cars, according to Joanna Lumdsen of Aston University.

To test the danger of texting while  44  , Lumdsen did an experiment in which volunteers followed a  45  path while trying to  46  in a message on the phone.

Around them, screens  47  up instructions to avoid stepping on  48  colors on the floor.

She found that people missed one in five  49  because they were so busy with their phones.

“In  50  life this means that one in five lamp-posts or moving cars is  51

to go unnoticed by people  52  and walking,” she said.

Her research is looking for ways cell phone makers could improve the  53

of phones to make texting on the move  54  . That could  55  easier-to-use voice operated phones, or phones that respond to gestures.

“The safest thing is  56  people not to text while they walk along,” she said. “ 57  a lot of people in business are  58  to carry a mobile phone and be in  59  24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are under pressure to reply to calls  60  , and to respond to text messages and emails straight away.