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.

How to Improve Your English Pronunciation

    Accurate pronunciation is an important part of learning English, or any language for that matter. The way your speech sounds can have a big impact on whether or not people understand what you are saying and their initial impression of you. There are no shortcuts to perfect pronunciation; there are, however, some ways you can practice more effectively and improve your skills faster.

    It's often difficult to hear pronunciation errors in your own speech because you are concentrating on actually communicating rather than the sound you are making. If you can't hear your pronunciation problems, it's tough to correct them. Try recording your speech with your smartphone or PC and making a note of specific areas you need to improve on.

    Moreover, many English learners think that speaking fluently means they need to speak fast. This is wrong. Speaking too fast reinforces bad habits and makes the speaker sound nervous and indecisive. Speaking slowly will give you time to breathe properly and think about what you want to say next.

    Pronunciation is a physical skill. You're teaching your mouth a new way to move and using different muscles. Focus on difficult sounds each day. Having trouble with "th"? Put your tongue between your teeth (don't bite down) and blow air out of your mouth. Feel the air move over the top of your tongue. Another method worth a try is learning popular English songs. Singing helps you relax and just get those words out, as well as helping your rhythm and intonation (语调). Because you don't need to concentrate on constructing sentences for yourself, you can concentrate on making your pronunciation sound great!

1）重要的时刻来了。

2）家庭聚会对我们来说非常重要。

3）汉字福被贴到门上。我们搭建装饰品和燃放烟花来吓走怪物“年”。

4）就我而言，我不能够平静下来。

5）节日的高兴难以描述。

When I was 9 years old, I used to cut grass for Mrs. Long. The elderly lady paid me very little, for she hadn't much money. But she did promise me. When Christmas comes, I shall have a present for you.‖ I spent much time wondering what it would be. The boys I played with had baseball gloves and bicycles and ice skates, and I was so eager to acquire any one of these that I convinced myself that Mrs. Long intended choosing from among them.

It would hardly be a baseball glove, I reasoned with myself. A woman like Mrs. Long wouldn't know much about baseball. Since she was old and weak, I also ruled out the bicycle, for how could she handle such a large item.

On my last Saturday at work, Mrs. Long said, '' At Christmas you come to the door and collect the present. '' These words clinched(确定)my guess. Since she was going to have the present in her house and handle it herself, unquestionably she was giving me a pair of ice skates.

I became so convinced of this that I could imagine myself upon the skates and the excitement they brought me. As the cold days of November arrived and ice began to form on the ponds, I began to try my luck on the ice. ''Get away from that ice!'' a man shouted.

''It's not strong enough yet.''

As Christmas approached it was with difficulty that I restrained (抑制) myself from reporting to Mrs. Long and demanding my present. On the 21st of December, icy weather froze all the ponds so that boys who already had ice skates were able to use them. My longing to possess mine became overpowering.

So the next day I could control myself no longer and presented myself at Mrs. Long's door. ''I've been waiting for you, '' she said with a smile.

Paragraph 1: She set me in a chair and handed a package to me. 

Paragraph 2: On Christmas morning, I could not wait to open the package.  

It was somewhere between spring and summer my mom and I were driving through the countryside Back then I was 13 years old and always felt unhappy with Mom. But little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one.

A pot of flowers sat in the back seat, whose heavenly scent filled the car. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom pulled over. "What are you doing? "I cried, fearing that the car had broken down and we'd be stuck there, so far from home. But that wasn't the case. My mom hopped out of the car, grabbing the flowers from the back seat. "It'll just be a minute," she called back through the open windows.

My eyes impatiently skimmed the edge of the road before settling on a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, somewhat annoyed, as my mom reappeared—empty-handed.

Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask," Do you know someone there?" She shook her head. "Then what did you do with the flowers?" She smiled slightly," I gave them to the receptionist(前台接待员). ""What?" She laughed at my confusion. "I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially who hasn't gotten any in a while."

I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we continued our driving, I spoke again," Did you leave your name?" To this she answered instantly," No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me. "

Suddenly, still thinking about Mom's deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn't know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by, since we had seen so few along the way.

注意：

1）所续写的短文的词数应为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。

Paragraph 1：

We were worrying about what could be done.

Paragraph 2：

As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight on the road.

Eric was a nine-year-old boy who lived with his single mother, Stacey and sister, Lily. They lived a hard life. Eric felt bad for their situation but worse for himself, especially in school.

Eric's leather boots were worn out. They didn't protect his feet from the rain, and his socks became totally wet as water went through the holes in his shoes. Stacey attempted to fix the holes but it was no use. Eric still walked to school with that pair of broken shoes. How much he wished he could also have new comfortable and expensive shoes his classmates wore!

One day, Eric returned from school and complained to Stacey, "It was raining today. Water has leaked into my shoes again. I hate my boots! Why can't you get me new ones?" Stacey was sad and helpless. "I spent our last savings on your sister's medicine. She's sick. Eric you know that. You need to act like a responsible big brother!" she answered. Tears welled up in Eric's eyes. "I hate you!" he shouted. "You only care about Lily! You don't love me!" Then he cried and ran to his room.

After preparing dinner, Stacey went to his room with his dinner plate. "I'm sorry, Eric," she whispered to comfort him. "We're going through a very tough journey recently. But I'll get you new shoes in the future." However, Eric refused to listen to her.

The next day, when Eric went to class, he took his seat quietly and hid his feet under his chair, as usual. He was embarrassed to show his boots. As the math teacher Mrs Fletcher entered the class, all the students greeted her. "Today, we have a very special friend with us," she smiled. "Everyone, please welcome Ben, your new classmate." Soon after, a boy with a pair of crutches(拐杖)entered. The new boy only had one leg. Eric was shocked. He and all his classmates thought how unlucky Ben was and that he must be very shy and sad.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Paragraph 1: At that moment, Mrs Fletcher asked Ben to introduce himself. 

Paragraph 2: Inspired by Ben, Eric realized he should appreciate what he had.