A (2016· 河南开封高三模拟 )In America, parents tend to encourage their children to develop their potential to the fullest extent. Fathers and mothers frequently teach their children both ambition and the confidence necessary to work toward their goals. American parents are always active in concentrating on what their kids can do, not what they can’t. As a result, millions of American boys and girls grow up hoping to become actors and athletes, diplomats and doctors. Many of them even want to become president. American parents often encourage their children to become involved in extra activities of all types at school, such as student government, sports and music. They believe that only through taking part in these activities can their children become mature young adults. As we all know, schoolwork is important. But parents should realize that the social skills their children learn from natural conversations with each other are as important as schoolwork and the skills they will need in the future work. What’s more important in their work is that their children should have a sound knowledge of physics or the ability to communicate effectively. As a rule, Chinese parents don’t educate their children about the same kind of ambition and confidence as Americans do, nor do they encourage the same level of participation in extra activities. Children are typically advised to study hard and pass exams. They have to spend a lot of time in doing much schoolwork every day. It is a great waste of time to do so. Now more and more Chinese parents have recognized that they should pay attention to developing the potential of their children. I hope that leaders in Chinese educational circles should take some measures to develop the potential of their children. I am very confident about it. 1. From the passage, we know the American parents pay much more attention to ___________. A. the social skills than Chinese parents B. their children’s studying hard and well C. what their children want but they can’t D. extra activities than schoolwork 2. According to the passage, Chinese parents ___________. A. know more than American parents to educate their children B. owning ambition and confidence is necessary and important C. pay much more attention to their children’s fine future D. don’t encourage their children to participate in extra activities 3. From the passage, we can infer ___________. A. American children are brave and adventurous B. American children are more active in their studies C. Chinese children have the ability to communicate effectively D. something should be done to develop the potential of the children in China 4. What’s the writer’s attitude towards Chinese education reform? A. Neutral. B. Indifferent. C. Positive. D. Negative. B Do you like shopping? Or does the thought of wandering round the shops fill you with terror? For some of us, shopping is an enjoyable way of spending our spare time and our money. For me, it’s something I would rather avoid. Thank goodness for the Internet! It’s more convenient to buy CDs, electrical items, even food, from the comfort of your sofa. But that’s not the only reason : price is an important factor. We can buy goods and services cheaper online. But sometimes the problem is knowing what to buy. This has led to a type of shopping called " showrooming " . Showrooming is something I’ve done. I will go to a shop to see, touch and try out products but then go home and buy them online at a knock-down price. I’m not alone in doing this. Research by a company called Foolproof, found 24% of people showroomed while Christmas shopping in 2013. Amy Cashman, head of Technology at TNS UK, says the reasons for this new shopping habit are that " people are lacking time, lacking money and they want security about the products they are buying " . She explains that consumers are not only shopping online at home but they are using the Internet in store or on their smartphones to shop around. But does this mean technology will kill shops? Certainly shops will change. They will have to offer more competitive prices or encourage people to buy more by giving in-store discounts or free gifts. We mustn’t forget that buying in a shop means you can get expert advice from the sales assistant and you can get good aftercare. It’s good to speak to a real human rather than look at a faceless computer screen but at least by showrooming, you get the best of both worlds! 5. The two questions in Paragraph l are raised to . A. introduce the topic B. give two examples C. compare different opinions D. get answers from readers 6. What does showrooming mean in the text? A. Trying in shops and buying online. B. Showing products in a room. C. Buying something in a store. D. Shopping on the Internet. 7. According to Amy Cashman, which is not the reason for showrooming? A. The lack of time. B. The comfort of the sofa. C. The shortness of money. D. The security of the product. 8. The author’s attitude towards showrooming is . A. critical B. neutral C. supportive D. casual