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and unemployment rates went down. The people of the town gained an exciting new neighborhood. I certainly hope you’ll give this idea your serious consideration. Yours truly, Mary Blakely 36. What’s the change of the town in the past fifty years? A. The population has decreased. B. There have been fewer safe places. C. People have lost interest in downtown. D. The unemployment rate has been controlled. 37. What idea does the author give in the letter? A. Raising the local commercial tax. B. Abandoning the pedestrian-only zone. C. Driving people away from downtown. D. Starting businesses in the downtown area. 38. What’s the purpose of the letter? A. To provide advice to the government. B. To seek help with the problems of the city. C. To express dissatisfaction with the situation. D. To get public attention to the local economy.

B

It probably won’t surprise you that teens are texting more than ever before. Experts show great concern for teen texting. Students might not learn correct grammar and spelling if they write a lot of text messages. Also all that texting takes away from hours that could be spent studying, exercising, pursuing hobbies, or talking with others face to face. Some kids even sleep with their phones beneath their pillows and wake up several times during the night to text.

Dr. Elizabeth Dowdell points out teens need to learn that they can—and should—turn off their phones sometimes. She and her team had two teenagers, Kenny and Franchesca, carry out an experiment. They should obey the rules: No phone for 48 hours. No computer or Internet either, unless it was for schoolwork. Would these two teenagers be able to do it?

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―I think I’m going to feel really alone,‖ Kenny worried. Franchesca was nervous but brave. ―I’m excited for the challenge,‖ she said. ―I don’t know what’s going to happen.‖ They handed their phones to their mothers for safekeeping. The challenge was on.

The team caught up with Kenny and Franchesca after 48 phone-free hours. ―Wow, it was pure suffering,‖ Kenny joked. ―Though life with no phone wasn’t easy,‖ he admitted, ―it had benefits. I felt less stressed because I didn’t have to be involved.‖ Sure, Kenny missed his friends, and he was sad at times. But he also felt relief from the constant texting. Instead of texting, Kenny went to the gym and caught up on schoolwork. He said that the first night he slept for 10 hours. He also spent time sitting with his family and talking. ―I felt closer to my parents,‖ said Kenny.

Franchesca had an even happier result when she put away her phone. ―I loved it!‖ she said. ―I was going to the gym and hanging out with friends and playing basketball. I had a wonderful experience.‖ She slept better too, and she decided to continue the experiment for a while. ―I think I’ll be so much smarter and healthier,‖ she explained. ―Everybody in the world should try it.‖

Kenny doesn’t plan to give up his phone again. But he now knows that he can live without it. ―It was a reality check,‖ said the teen.

39. Experts are concerned about teens’ texting because it ______. A. leads to learning disabilities B. takes up their learning time C. develops the habit of staying up late D. causes misunderstandings with each other 40. What can be inferred from the passage? A. Teens will live a healthier life without phones. B. Expecting teens to live without phones is not realistic. C. Experimenting with phone use is popular among teens. D. Teens don’t realize how different their lives are without phones. 41. How were the two teens’ reactions to the 48-hour challenge different? A. Only Kenny participated in physical activities. B. Only Kenny spent time talking with his parents. C. Only Franchesca benefited from a really good sleep.

D. Only Franchesca appreciated the freedom of having no phone.

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42. Which is the best title for the passage? A. Giving up Texting C. Two Days with No Phone

B. Rules for Using Phones D. Problems Caused by Texting C

The Domestication (驯化) of Cats

For centuries, the common view of how domestication had occurred was that prehistoric people, realizing how useful it would be to have animals kept for food, began catching wild animals and breeding (繁殖) them. Over time, by allowing only animals with ―tame‖（驯养） characteristics to produce their babies, human beings created animals that were less wild and more dependent upon people. Eventually this process led to the domestic farm animals and pets that we know today, having lost their ancient survival skills and natural abilities.

Recent research suggests that this view of domestication is incomplete. Prehistoric human beings did catch and breed useful wild animals, but specialists in animal behavior now think that domestication was not simply something people did to animals—the animals played an active part in the process. Wolves and wild horses, for example, may have taken the first steps in their own domestication by hanging around human settlements, feeding on people’s crops and getting used to human activity. The animals which were not too nervous or fearful to live near people produced their babies that also tolerated humans, making it easier for people to catch and breed them.

In this version, people succeeded in domesticating only animals that had already adapted easily to life around humans. Domestication required an animal that was willing to become domestic. The process was more like a dance with partners than a victory of humans over animals.

At first glance, the taming of cats seems to fit nicely into this new story of domestication. A traditional theory says that after prehistoric people in Egypt invented agriculture and started farming, rats and mice gathered to feast on their stored grain. Wildcats, in turn, gathered at the same places to hunt and eat the rats and mice. Over time, cats got used to people and people got used to cats. Some studies of wildcats, however, seem to call this theory into question. Wildcats don’t share hunting and feeding areas, and they don’t live close to people. Experts do not know whether wildcats were partners in their own domestication. They do know that long after people had acquired domestic dogs, sheep and horses, they somehow acquired domestic cats. Gradually they produced animals with increasingly tame qualities. 43. What is suggested in recent research?

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A. Animals were less afraid than thought. B. Animals had an active role in their domestication. C. Wolves and horses were the first to be domesticated. D. Domestication meant something people did to animals. 44. The word ―dance‖ is used in Paragraph 3 to show that ______. A. animals and humans were close C. animals were independent of humans

B. control over animals was easy D. domestication was like a game

45. What probably attracted cats to human settlements? A. Other cats.

B. Warmth.

C. Humans.

D. Food.

46. What causes a problem for the theory that cats were domesticated like wolves were? A. Cats were not friendly to people. B. Cats were not as fierce as wolves.

C. Cats had the characteristic of independence. D. Cats showed cleverness when they were hunting.

D Peer Pressure

People who are at your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they influence you on your decision or action, it’s called peer pressure. All of us, at some point in our lives, have had to deal with peer pressure. The need to follow the crowd and do what majority of us are doing forces us to take up activities which we wouldn’t otherwise.

Recent studies have shown that peer pressure might cause an upside to you. It can make you reflect on your actions and make changes to your ways to become a better one. Observing others working hard to reach their goals will definitely encourage you to make a great effort to achieve something positive. When a teen knows that his teammates are practicing hard to become better players then it will directly affect his own performance. He will put in twice the time and energy to raise the level of his game and ensure he has a place on the team.

Having a group that brings positive peer pressure can also help you pick up healthy habits that can shape both your personality and your future. The motivation to do well because of pressure from your peers can actually become inspiration. For example, when a child knows that some of his friends regularly read

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