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A

I had worried myself sick over Simons mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher， and I gave an honest account of the students work. In Simons case， the grades were awfully low. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.

When Simons mother entered the room， my palms （手掌心） were sweating. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you，” she said， surprising me beyond speech. Because of me， Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me， he had begun to make friends， and for the first time in his twelve years， he had recently spent an afternoon at a friends house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.

I sat for about half an hour， wondering what had just happened. How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without even knowing it？ What I finally came to remember was one day， several months before， when some students were giving reports in the front of the class， Jeanne spoke quietly， and to encourage her to raise her voice， I had said， “Speak up. Simons the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince （使信服）， and he cant hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on， Simon had sat up straighter， paid more attention， smiled more， and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.

It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career， and Im thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.

1. How did the writer feel when Simons mother entered the room？

A. Satisfied. B. Nervous.

C. Curious. D. Surprised.

2. Why did Simons mother come to visit the teacher？

A. She was asked to do so by her son.

B. She worried about her sons poor work.

C. She wanted to say thanks to the teacher.

D. She wanted to know her sons performance in school.

3. What the teacher said in Paragraph 3 is aimed at ___ .

A. asking Jeanne to convince Simon

B. encouraging Simon to work hard

C. encouraging Jeanne to speak louder

D. telling the students that Simon was expert on that

4. What is the writers main purpose in writing the passage？

A. To say teachers should be kind to students.

B. To share a valuable lesson with readers.

C. To advise readers to be kind to others.

D. To tell the story of Simon.

B

Its not easy being a teenager—nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager. You can make your child feel angry， hurt， or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself. It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that youll still be there for him when he needs you.

Expect a lot from your child， just not everything. Except for health and safety problems， such as drug use or careless driving， consider everything else open to discussion. If your child doesnt want to discuss something， dont insist he tell you whats on his mind. The more you insist， the more likely that hell clam up. Instead， let him try to solve things by himself. At the same time， remind him that youre always there for him should he ask for advice or help. Show respect for your teenagers privacy （隱私）. Never read his mail or listen in on personal conversations.

Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family. If your child talks on the familys telephone for too long， tell him he can talk for 15 minutes， but then he must stay off the phone for at least an equal period of time. This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls， but teaches your teenager moderation （节制）. Or if you are open to the idea， allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job.

5. What does the underlined phrase “clam up” in Paragraph 2 probably mean？

A. Become excited. B. Show respect.

C. Refuse to talk. D. Ask for help.

6. What is the authors idea about parents bringing up a teenager？

A. Let him have his own telephone.

B. Give him advice when necessary.

C. Not to talk about personal things with him.

D. Not to allow him to learn driving or take drugs.

7. The last paragraph is about how to teach a teenager ___ .

A. to use the phone in a proper way

B. to pay for his own telephone

C. to answer the phone quickly

D. to share his phone

8. The main purpose of the text is to tell parents how to ___ .

A. teach a teenager

B. understand a teenager

C. help a teenager grow up

D. get along with a teenager