[00:-2.00]We are faced with tough and critical decisions each very day
[00:-3.00]-decisions that will affect our lives.
[00:-4.00]If you do not study hard when young,
[00:-5.00]you'l end up bewailing your failures as your grow up.-Chinese Proverb
[00:-6.00]Section 1 New words and ideas
[00:-7.00]Poem Who am I?
[00:-8.00]I am an angel I am a dream I am love I am a need.
[00:-9.00]I am intelligence I am strength I am hope I am wish
[00:10.00]I am a wonder I am a myth. I am a mountain I am the sea
[00:11.00]I am beautiful I am me. -Anonymous
[00:12.00]First day of Hight School
[00:13.00]Today was my first day of high school.It was the most exciting day of my life.
[00:14.00]When I walked into the school,I became nervous.
[00:15.00]It was so big that I was afraid I might get lost.
[00:16.00]I didn't know anyone and I felt lonely.
[00:17.00]I was happy that I was wearing new jeans and a nice shirt.
[00:18.00]When you watch TV,
[00:19.00]you learn that teenagers should wear the right clothes to be popular.
[00:20.00]But I'm not sure which are the right clothes and which are the wrong clothes.
[00:21.00]I saw a girl in the hallway
[00:22.00]who looked very cool and she was talking to a group of kids.
[00:23.00]She was wearing the same jeans as mine,so I guessed my clothes were okay.
[00:24.00]I felt more confident.I looked at my timetable and went to find my first class.
[00:25.00]My first class was math.I really like math.
[00:26.00]Some people think girls aren't good at math,
[00:27.00]but I always get good marks in math.It's easy for me.
[00:28.00]I went into the classroom and sat down at the second desk right near the door.
[00:29.00]There was a girl sitting in front of me.Her name was Pat.
[00:30.00]She was very friendly.She also was very forgetful.
[00:31.00]She forgot her pen,so she borrowed mine.
[00:32.00]She forgot her paper,so I gave her a sheet of paper.
[00:33.00]She forgot her wallet,so I lent her money to buy a drink.
[00:34.00]The one thing she didn't forget was my name.
[00:35.00]We felt like friends already!At the end of the class she said,
[00:36.00]"It's nice to meet you,Jenny.We'll be classmates!"
[00:37.00]I didn't feel so nervous any more.
[00:38.00]I left math class and began looking for Room 211.
[00:39.00]That was the science classroom.It was upstairs.
[00:40.00]I looked and looked,but I couldn't find the stairs.
[00:41.00]I was worried that I would be late for class.
[00:42.00]It would be terrible to be late for my first class.
[00:43.00]I hurried down the hall and finally saw the stairs.
[00:44.00]I ran quickly up the stairs.Suddenly I tripped and my binder fell down.
[00:45.00]Many papers flew all around.I was so embarrassed.
[00:46.00]Just then,Pat came up the stairs with two friends.She saw me and said,"Hi Jenny."
[00:47.00]Her two freinds picked up all the papers and handed them to me.
[00:48.00]"Thank you."I said."No problem,"they answered.
[00:49.00]I was so impressed.They were very kind.
[00:50.00]They didn't make me feel clumsy.I didn't feel embarrassed any more.
[00:51.00]You know,it is hard to be a teenager.When I was a child,life was easier.
[00:52.00]I just played and had fun with Danny and other friends.
[00:53.00]I didn't worry about things.
[00:54.00]But now I am a teenager and I have more things to think about.
[00:55.00]I must study hard and get good marks.
[00:56.00]I must get used to my new school,new teachers,and new classmates.
[00:57.00]I want to make new friends.I want to discover what I do when I become and adult.
[00:58.00]It's hard to make that decision.I will try make the best decision I can. [00:59.00]I am going to sleep now and I feel happy.
[-1:00.00]My school is good.I know where the stairs are now,
[-1:-1.00]and I met a new friend named Pat.
[-1:-2.00]I wonder what tomorrow will bring.Jenny
[-1:-3.00]Song
[-1:-4.00]Section 2 Meaning Through Practice
[-1:-5.00]C.Build your listening skills
[-1:-6.00]1.listen to the audioptape.In the brackets,write"T"for statements that are true,
[-1:-7.00]and "F" for those that are false.
[-1:-8.00]1.Tom was born in Hong Kong.()
[-1:-9.00]2.he began to learn English in canada.()
[-1:10.00]3.In Hong kong,both teachers and students talk in English in English classes.()
[-1:11.00]4.Tom's English was very good before he came to Canada[-1:12.00]2.Listen to keiko talking abot her first day of school in Canada.
[-1:13.00]Choose the correct answers.
[-1:14.00]Section 4 Reading For Meaning
[-1:15.00]When Great Isn't Good Enough
[-1:16.00]It was tiring day at school,and I was glad to be going home.
[-1:17.00]During the last period,
[-1:18.00]I'd gotten my math test back and was happy to see that I got a 93.
[-1:19.00]As I opened the door,I found my mom where I usually find her,
[-1:20.00]over the sink preparing dinner and washing the dishes.
[-1:21.00]"Hi,dear.How was your day?"she asked.
[-1:22.00]"It was fine.I got my math test back.Look,I got a 93."
[-1:23.00]"Let me see it,'she said,
[-1:24.00]drying her hands on the dishtowel and taking the test paper."Just a 93."
[-1:25.00]"Mom,that's really good compared to what everybody else got."
[-1:26.00]"Mm-hmm,and what did your friend get?"
[-1:27.00]"Oh,I think she got a 98 or something."
[-1:28.00]"I guess she studied more than your did,didn't she?"she said,
[-1:29.00]handing me back the test.I walked out of the kitchen with very heavy steps.
[-1:30.00]It was typical of her to say that.It makes me feel like I'm not good enough.
[-1:31.00]I something ask myself,"Why does my mom have to be like that?"
[-1:32.00]The only answer I can think of is that maybe she pushes me hard to do well school
[-1:33.00]because she never got the education she wanted.
[-1:34.00]When I was in kindergarten,my mom began to teach me math.
[-1:35.00]I was the best student in the class in math.
[-1:36.00]And it was like that from then on.
[-1:37.00]I enjoyed getting good grades,but I also liked making my mom proud of me.
[-1:38.00]She always congratulated me on my grades.
[-1:39.00]But I junior high,things began to get tougher.
[-1:40.00]My grades went down,not too much,but enough to make my mom disappointed.
[-1:41.00]Instead of the usual 100s and 98s,I was getting some 90s and 85s.
[-1:42.00]Whenever I brought home an imperfect test,she'd go into one of her speeches.
[-1:43.00]"You see,next time try harder,and you will succeed."
[-1:44.00]By 7th grade,I decided to show her only my best grades.
[-1:45.00]When I do bring home an excellent grade,like a 100,
[-1:46.00]she sounds like she doesn't care.
[-1:47.00]She says things like "Good,"and "Great,"but she doesn't congratulate me.
[-1:48.00]I think Mom might be afraid that if I'm not the best,
[-1:49.00]I might turn into one of those girls she watches out the window,
[-1:50.00]walking in their slippers and ragged clothes.
[-1:51.00]She knows from experience that it's hard to go through life without an education,
[-1:52.00]but I find it annoying to hear the same thing over and over again.
[-1:53.00]When I get poor grades sometimes,Mom looks unhappy.
[-1:54.00]I say to her,"I do study!The tests are hard.
[-1:55.00]So what it if I miss a few questions!""That's not the point,"she says.
[-1:56.00]"You should study every day so that you can get a better score.
[-1:57.00]One day when you're older and have your own place to live and a job,
[-1:58.00]you're going to come back and say.
[-1:59.00]'Thank you ,Mom,for all you've done,'You just watch."
[-2:00.00]Although what Mom repeatedly says about my schoolwork drives me crazy,
[-2:-1.00]in a way,I know she's right.
[-2:-2.00]I don't think I'd be as careful with my schoolwork without it.
[-2:-3.00]I also might not care as much about my education. [-2:-4.00]But I take my work and my gardes seriously-for me,not for Mom.
[-2:-5.00]I know perfectly well that it's going to help me in life,not her.
[-2:-6.00]I wish my mom would see how much I try.I wish she would be more encouraging.
[-2:-7.00]Food for Thought
[-2:-8.00]Here are some paragraphs written by young people from around the world.
[-2:-9.00]Like you,the authors are teenagers.
[-2:10.00]They are faced with the same kinds of challenges and problems in life as you are.
[-2:11.00]They try to find answers to their questions about their parents,
[-2:12.00]their teachers and their friends,as well as about themselves.
[-2:13.00]Read these excerpts and do the exercises that follow.
[-2:14.00]Teenagers Talking About "Being a Teenager"
[-2:15.00]Being a teenager is a strange and yet exciting part of life.
[-2:16.00]We are faced with tough and critical decisions each and every day
[-2:17.00]-decisions that will affect out lives-Ashley
[-2:18.00]Being a teengager is hard.
[-2:19.00]I was such a cheerful kid with a best friend and lots of good friends.
[-2:20.00]I got excellent marks and I was happy with my family.
[-2:21.00]But since I became a teenager,things changed.
[-2:22.00]Everything changed.My family,my friends,my grades.In fact,my whole life[-2:23.00]I started worrying about my figure and the way I looked.
[-2:24.00]I started getting pimples all over my face.
[-2:25.00]I think teenage life is harder for girls than for boys.-Julia
[-2:26.00]When I think about it,I'm very satisfied with my life right now.
[-2:27.00]I'm doing well in school.
[-2:28.00]My teacher tells me that next year I'll be guaranteed acceptance
[-2:29.00]to a famous university!
[-2:30.00]I also have great friends,with whom I hang out when I have spare time.
[-2:31.00]We play sports,watch movies,and have a lot of fun!
[-2:32.00]I can't wait for the future!-Xiaoxiao
[-2:33.00]Me?I have so much pressure!Being the only child in family,
[-2:34.00]my parents say that my future is the future of family!
[-2:35.00]My parents,who both have not gone to university,
[-2:36.00]put all their efforts into me,hoping I can bring honour to the family.
[-2:37.00]I really don't want to let my parents down,
[-2:38.00]and I'm really motivated to succeed.
[-2:39.00]I'll study harder and try my best get into university.-Chen jing
[-2:40.00]Teenage years are a time when the sole decision of right and wrong
[-2:41.00]is based on what we see and hear.
[-2:42.00]Peer prssure is more and more present,
[-2:43.00]and the to "fit in"can outweight the "right"decision.-Tom
[-2:44.00]As we approach our teenage years,
[-2:45.00]both males and females experience many physical and emotional change.
[-2:46.00]For males,they go through changes in their body and their voice.
[-2:47.00]They think they need to be tall,dark,and handsome.
[-2:48.00]Speaking as a female,
[-2:49.00]I feel the pressures in the media and in my everyday life to be that ideal,
[-2:50.00]5'10'',100 pound,blonde,blue-eyed woman.
[-2:51.00]It's impossible to be something that we physically can't be.-Jasmine
[-2:52.00]Everyone goes through the teenage years,but as people get older,
[-2:53.00]they seem to lose touch with their teenage experiences
[-2:54.00]and feel as though they can't relate to anything that teenagers go through.-katie
[-2:55.00]when thinking about many who cannot continue school
[-2:56.00]and have make a living for their family,I feel very lucky..-Zhang Yuesi
[-2:57.00]Despite the hardships teenagers face,
[-2:58.00]I believe somewhere in between the tears and anger
[-2:59.00]that we can all enjoy our time as"young adults."
[-3:00.00]Just think..ten years from now when you throw your back out and start balding,
[-3:-1.00]all you'll be saying to youself is
[-3:-2.00]"What I wouldn't give is to be seventeen again!"-kathy
