While contact between adolescents (between the ages of fifteen and nineteen) and their peers (同龄人) is a universal characteristic of all cultures, the nature and the degree of such contact vary a great deal. In American contemporary society, adolescents spend much more time with their peers than with younger children or adults.

    This pattern of age segregation(隔离) in American society did not become usual until the beginning of the industrialized society. Changes in the workplace separated children from adults, with adults working and children attending school. The dramatic increase of mothers in the workplace has further contributed to the reduction in the amount of time adolescents spend with adults.

    School reform efforts during the nineteenth century, which resulted in age-segregated schools and grades, have reduced the amount of time adolescents spend with younger children.

    Finally, the changes in population are considered a factor that may have contributed to the emergence of adolescent peer culture. From 1955 to 1975, the adolescent population increased dramatically, from 11 percent to 20.9 percent. This increase in the number of adolescents might be a contributing factor to the increase in adolescent peer culture in terms of growth in size as well as in terms of its impact on society's other cultures (adults, younger children).

Research supports the view that adolescents spend a great deal of time with their peers. Reed Larson and his colleagues examined adolescents' daily activities and found that they spend more time talking to their friends than engaging in any other activity. In a typical week, high school students will spend twice as much time with their peers as with adults. This gradual withdrawal from adults begins in early adolescence. In sixth grade, adults (excluding parents) account for only 25 percent of adolescent social networks. Another important characteristic of  adolescent peer culture is its increasingly autonomous (自治的) function. While childhood peer groups are conducted under the close supervision of parents, adolescent peer groups typically make an effort to escape adult supervision and usually succeed in doing so.

    I watched from a distance as the homeless man quarreled with those who did not leave money for him – the majority.

    I walked up to him and right on queue he asked me for a quarter. "I'll give you a quarter if you tell me your story." He laughed, "You'll give me a quarter for my story?" I lay the quarter in front of him and corrected myself – "Nah, here's the quarter but it would be nice to hear your story." I followed his eyes to the quarter and for a brief moment I saw a bright reflection. I sat down next to him and waited.

    "I was in the army," he said. "I was a sniper(狙击手)and was supposed to shoot down the enemy from the distance." I listened carefully to his rough voice as he went deeper into the story.  He told me how he used to hunt with his family and was really good at it. He had his own way of respecting animals by not wasting what he killed for food and not killing more than he needed. When the army came knocking on his door, he felt pride and joined up. All those years of polishing his hunting skills could now serve a larger purpose—to defend us from the bad guys. He set out to fight in Iraq.

    It wasn't long before he realized his ideals and expectations were just a shadow of the truth. "I was a sniper but I never really killed anyone innocent," he said. "One day I had to do it. They asked me to shoot this lady from the distance. I saw kids near that lady and my hands were on the trigger (扳机). Man, I was tearing up ... I couldn't do it."

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

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"She wasn't doing anything to anyone and she was with the kids.

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    The story goes on as he describes eventually being put into prison for 180 days for refusing to follow orders.

    According to most people, after a long period of studying or working, we need to have a rest to refresh ourselves. However, that may not be the case. According to a recent report, you don't need the break as much as you may think that makes you feel less tired.

    Scientists have long assumed that willpower is a limited resource, which is why you feel the need to have a rest, have a snack and then get back to the task when you are feeling better. They argue that the only way it restores willpower is by rest, food or entertainment.

    But psychologists have challenged this theory, saying weak willpower is all in your head. They have found that people's belief in willpower determines how long and how well they'll be able to work on tough mental exercise.“If you think of willpower as something that is not really used up, you can go on and on,” said Professor Veronika Job.

    The researchers designed four experiments to test students' belief in willpower. After a tiring task, those who believed, or were led to believe that willpower is a limited resource, performed worse on standard concentration tests than those who thought of willpower as something they had more control over. They also found that leading up to the final exam week, students who believed the limited resource theory ate junk food 24 percent more often than those who believed they had more control in resisting the temptation.

    Mr. Job said,“The theory that willpower is a limited resource is interesting. Belief in willpower as a non-limited resource makes people stronger in their ability to work through challenges.”

    The findings can help people who are battling against temptation. Willpower isn't driven by a biologically-based process as much as we used to think. The belief in it is what influences your behaviors.

    I always prided myself on being a wise shopper and having a good nose for bargains. So when I came across a sporting goods store with a sign "Going Out of Business Sale" I marched into the crowded store. Up and down the aisles (通道), I wandered, humming to myself and enjoying the energy and excitement of a sale.

    All of a sudden, there, at the back of the store sat acanoe (轻舟) exactly like my husband's dream Supremo Numero-Uno,whose picture had been stuck on the bathroom mirror for years. My heart beat wildly. I pushed my way through the crowds, and nearly fell into the canoe looking for the price tag. There it was, with the manufacturer's suggested price at $6,750 plus tax crossed out and a handwritten TO CLEAR $750 AS IS. Must be a mistake. $6000 off? Salesman. I had to talk to a salesman. I spotted a young fellow with a "Hi. I'm Mathew". "Mathew. Tell me about this El Supremo canoe. What's wrong with it? Why is it only $750?"

    "Oh. There's nothing wrong with it. It's brand new. We're closing the store. It's on clearance like everything else. I'll go check." A few minutes later he came back and said, "I'm sorry ma'am. Someone made a mistake on the sale tag. It should be $4,750 for the whole package."

    I felt tears well up in my eyes. "Oh well", I said sadly. "Of course, it was too good to be true. This is exactly like my husband's dreamboat. I guess I started to dream myself when I saw that price tag. He's going to be 62 years old Friday. Had to retire early for his health. It's been hard on just the pension but the stubborn old fool has been saving $10 every week for years to buy one just like this. I promise I won't buy anything, but it's just an old man's silly dream, you know. Always said he wanted to fish in a canoe after he retired," my voice lowered and I turned and walked away.

注意：①所续写短文的词数应为150左右；②应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；③续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；④续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

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    I was already at the mall door when Mathew caught up with me. "Do you have $750 plus $25 for delivery, ma'am?"

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    "Ma'am. There's something you should know. This store was my Grandpa's and the canoe had been ordered by him.

    What is eco­fashion? Eco­fashion is about making clothes that considers the environment, the health of consumers and the working conditions of people in the fashion industry.

    A closer look at the fashion industry points out many problems that are common practices in the creation of our fashions from the field to the factory. Firstly, the production of textiles pollutes the environment heavily. Cotton­planting uses pesticides; sheep­farming and wool­cleaning bring about global warming. Secondly, every stage of clothing production consumes a great deal of energy and some also involve chemicals which obviously do harm to the surroundings. In addition, there is a lot of waste produced in the process, especially in the form of polluted water. Thirdly, growing purchasing power and our shopping habits further worsen the bad effects. We are now buying clothes in increasing quantities and we are also quick to throw away clothes that have been worn only a couple of times.

    Then, how to solve the problem? To a large degree, it is the fashion producers that really have the power and the responsibility to shape our future. There are a great many ways these producers can reduce their ecological footprint, from switching to green energy and reducing energy use, through selecting sustainable materials and choosing local suppliers, to recycling and minimizing waste. On the other hand, as consumers we can all play our part by selecting environmentally friendly clothing and reducing clothing buying.

    There is some concern that eco­friendly fashions are just a trend that we will eventually grow tired of but we can make sure that doesn't happen. Now many people are beginning to shop for organic food products because the benefits of eating food free of chemicals are immediate. They relate directly to our personal health. In fact, choosing eco­fashion can also do good to our personal health, though it is mostly done by way of keeping the health of the planet.

    Ali and his younger sister, Zahra, lived with their parents in a poor neighbourhood. Their mother was very sick and their father was struggling to find a job, and they had only a little money with which to buy food. As they had not paid the rent for several months, the landlord was breathing down their necks(盯着他们).

    One day, Ali took Zahra's shoes to a shoe repairman to be fixed, but he lost them on the way home. It wasn't until he got home that he realized he had lost the shoes. He was afraid that his parents would be angry and disappointed, so he begged his sister to keep it secret. Zahra agreed and the two decided to share Ali's running shoes. Zahra's school hours were in the morning, so she would wear them first. After school, she would rush back and give them to Ali. He could then run to his school, which began in the afternoon. Although he ran as fast as he could, Ali often arrived late and was warned by the school.

    Ali heard about a long distance race that was held for the boys in the city. When he learned that the third prize was a new pair of shoes, he decided to take part. He ran home excitedly and promised his sister that he would win her the new shoes.

    The day of race arrived. Ali had a strong start, but halfway through the race he began to get tired and his legs began to ache. Getting more and more exhausted he thought only of Zahra and his promise to her. Dreaming of the new shoes he would win for his sister gave him strength, and he stayed right behind the two fastest runners, determined to finish third. Suddenly, as the finish line drew near, another runner collided (碰撞) with Ali from behind and he crashed to the ground.

注意：

1）所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2）至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；

3）续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

4）续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。

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    Ali looked up and saw the other boys rushing ahead.

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    Filled with pleasure, Ali walked home quickly.

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