Parents who feel disappointed at their teenag...

Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.

The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.

“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”

The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混乱的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.

Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.

“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”

1.The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.

A． notice           B．medicine          C．comfort           D．action

2.When making decisions, _____.

A．teens’ brains continue to do much needless work

B．the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active

C．people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s

D．adults are more independent than teens

3.What is the effect of having too much grey matter?

A．It makes us always feel disappointed.

B．It makes us more intelligent.

C．It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.

D．It had a bad effect on decision-making.

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A．Teens have different brains from those of children.

B．Adults work more effectively than teens.

C．Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.

D．Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.

The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.

“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”

The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混乱的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.

Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.

“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”

1.The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.

A． notice           B．medicine          C． comfort          D．action

2.When making decisions, _____.

A． teens’ brains continue to do much needless work

B． the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active

C． people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s

D． adults are more independent than teens

3.What is the effect of having too much grey matter?

A． It makes us always feel disappointed.

B． It makes us more intelligent.

C． It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.

D． It had a bad effect on decision-making.

4.What’s the text mainly about?

A． Teens have different brains from those of children.

B． Adults work more effectively than teens.

C． Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.

D． Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

任务型阅读

Teenagers who spend quality time with their parents are more likely to want to further their studies， according to research from the University of Warwick． Researchers found that adolescents who take part in cultural activities with their mother and father were more likely to aspire（渴望） to continue their studies post-16than those who didn't． This is compared to even those who attended homework clubs or participated in extra-curricular activities．

Dr Hartas led the research． She said： "Filial（子女的） dynamics such as emotional closeness to parents and cultural capital were better predictors than more school-driven parent-child interactions．" Factors relating to family emotional closeness， bullying， friendships， homework， extra-curricular activities and perception of parental interest in the child's education were examined． The researchers measured responses to questions about a variety of topics such as visiting art galleries， discussing books at home， the number of evenings spent doing homework， relationship with siblings and quarrelling with parents．

Dr Hartas and her team found that the willingness to solve problems was a strong predictor of educational aspiration． Adolescents who indicated they were less confident at handling problems were 30% less likely to rate gaining GCSEs important． In addition those who expressed a lower level of general well-being were 18% more likely to choose not to go to university． Closeness to parents was an indicator of attitude towards GCSEs； those who did not feel emotionally close to their parents were two times higher to consider GCSEs unimportant． However， emotional closeness to parents was not found to be significant in predicting a desire to attend university．

What the researchers termed ‘cultural capital' or participating in cultural activities also appeared to affect the desire to study further． Those who weren't exposed to cultural activity were 14% and 20% respectively less likely to consider university or GCSEs as important． Those who did go to museums， galleries， concerts etc． were found to be 23% less likely to consider training or employment post-16．

Implications of the research

Dr Hartas said that these findings had significant implications for family and educational policy， especially with regard to "raising aspirations and reducing early school leaving．" They also raised the issue of reconsidering the role of the home environment as a web of emotionally and intellectually charged relationships between parents and children rather than an extension of the school day．

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高二英语完形填空简单题查看答案及解析

Teenagers who discover they were ________ often search for their biological parents when they are old enough.

A．adapted　　 　　 B．adopted

C．brought up　　 D．looked after

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching (紧握) at one another’s hands for reassurance.

They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up huddled (聚在一起) round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.

It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.

But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come — with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts.

1. In this passage, the author wants to tell _______.

A．teenagers to try to pursue their real selves

B．readers to try to be popular with people around

C．parents to try to control and guide their children

D．people to try to understand and respect each other

2.The author disapproves of rebelling teenagers _______.

A．growing away from their parents            B．following the popularity trend

C．walking a new way on their own            D．turning to their friends for help

3.The phrase “ larger cocoon” at the end of the second paragraph refers to _______.

A．the distractive and variable society          B．the dazzling music world

C．the parental care and love                D．the popularity wave in the society

4.What does the author think of advertisements?

A．Convincing.                            B．Instructive.

C．Influential.                             D．Authoritative.

5.According to the author, what might happen when a teenager stands up against the popularity wave and follows his/her own path?

A．He/She falls behind the time.              B．He/She loses good friends.

C．He/She faces all kinds of criticism.           D．He/She gains valuable popularity.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

I hear many parents saying that their teenage children are rebellion（反叛的）. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are all taking the same way of showing that they degree with their parents. Instead of striking out bravely on their own, most of them are trying to seize at one another’s hands for safety.

They say they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon(蚕茧) -----into a larger cocoon.

It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly opened up a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from newspapers and TV what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award（奖励） high narks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to great difficulty for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.

But the difficulty is worth getting over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come-----with the people who respect you for who you are. That’s the only kind of popularity that really counts.

1.The writer’s purpose in writing this passage is to tell_______.

A. readers how to be popular in the world

B. parents how to control and guide their children

C. teenagers how to learn to decide things for themselves

D. people how to understand and respect each other

2.According to the writer, many teenagers think they are brave enough to act on their own, but, in fact, most of them______.

A. are not sure of themselves

B. have much difficulty in understanding each other

C. dare not do things

D. are very much afraid of getting lost

3.During the teenage years, one should learn to_____.

A. become different from others in as many ways as possible　

B. find one’s real self

C. get into the right reason and become popular　　　　　　

D. rebel against parents　

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A teenager needs to have a sense of independence in their life to feel secure（安全的）. To some teenagers independence means a lot to them, and I think that some parents don’t allow their teenagers enough independence.

Independence has something to do with freedom. Some kids are not allowed to go anywhere alone, and the only thing their schedule includes is going to school, coming home, going to sleep, and repeating the process the next day. Parents tend to be afraid that their kids can get hurt if they go outside into the world. But if parents control their kids too much, they may never learn to live on their own. The best way for a teenager to learn lesson is through experience. I think it is beneficial for teenagers to have freedom.

Teenagers’ lack of freedom can also stop them from having good friendship at school. Some might say this is a good thing, because it helps them focus more on their school work. I argue that this can only discourage them not to do their school work. Some parents do not allow their children to be around their friends outside the school, thinking that this will get them into trouble. But I don’t think so. Instead, isn’t this a good reason for parents to get their children a cellphone? Cellphones allow teenagers to stay in touch with their parents, and communicate with friends.

Privacy is another issue between parents and their teenagers. Teenagers tend to enjoy relaxation by themselves in their own room. This also gives them a sense of independence. It often annoys teenagers when their parents enter their room when they are not home. I know that my mom always goes in my room when I’m not home, and this has brought me to the point where I have asked many times to get a lock on my door.

1.What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A.Kids know how to live independently.

B.Some parents allow their kids no freedom.

C.It benefits teenagers to have freedom.

D.Kids have a dull routine every day

2.In the opinion of the author, ___________.

A.parents should make it easy for kids to communicate with their friends

B.good friendships between kids harm their school work

C.it is unnecessary for a kid to have a cellphone

D.kids should focus on the school work

3.How do teenagers usually feel when their parents enter their rooms in their absence?

A.Disappointed B.Lucky

C.Angry D.Calm

4.The author hopes to have her door locked in order to ______________.

A.keep her father from reading her dairy B.prevent her mother entering her room

C.Protect herself from any harm D.Stop thieves from going in

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Though they may know their parents are right, teenagers sometimes tend to _____ act against their parents’ wishes because they hope to get away from the control of them.

A. accidentally　　　 B. typically

C. eventually　　　 　 D. deliberately

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

______ at failing in the math exam, John wouldn’t like to talk about it to his parents.

A. Disappointed　　 　　　　 　 B. To be disappointed　

C. Disappointing　　 　　　　　　 D. Having disappointed

高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many teenagers in China are accustomed to ______ after, ______ for granted everything their parents do.

高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析