阅读理解。

     When I was eight, I saw a movie about an island that had an erupting volcano and jungles filled with wild

animals. The island was ruled by a beautiful woman called Tondalaya, the Fire Goddess of the Volcano. It was

a low budget movie, but to me, it represented the perfect life. But through the years, Tondalaya was forgotten.

     The week I turned 50, my marriage came to a sudden end. My house, furniture and everything I'd owned

was sold to pay debts that I didn't even know existed. In a week I had lost my husband, my home and my

parents who had refused to accept a divorce (离婚) in the family. I'd lost everything except my four teenage

children. I used every penny I had to buy five plane tickets from Missouri to Hawaii. Everyone said I was

crazy to think I could just run off to an island and survive. I was afraid they were right.

     I worked 18 hours a day and lost 30 pounds because I lived on one meal a day. One night as I walked alone

on the beach, I saw the red orange lava (火山岩) pouring out of Kilauea Volcano in the distance. It was time to

live my imagination!

     The next day, I quit my job, bought some art supplies and began doing what I'loved. I hadn't painted a

picture in 15 years. I wondered if I could still paint. My hands trembled the first time I picked up a brush. But

before an hour had passed, I was lost in the colors spreading across the canvas (画布) in front of me. And as

soon as I started believing in myself, other people started believing in me, too. The first painting sold for $1 500. 

     The past six years have been filled with adventures. My children and I have gone swimming with dolphins,

watched whales and hiked around the crater rim (火山口边缘) of the volcano. We wake up every morning

with the ocean in front of us and the volcano behind us. The dream I had more than 40 years ago is now reality.

I'm living freely and happily ever after.

1. Why did the writer go to Hawaii?

A. To make a living.

B. To spend her holiday.

C. To free herself from trouble.

D. To realize her childhood dream.

2. Which of the following is the writer's dream?

A. Get close to wildlife.

B. Live a free and happy life.

C. Live in nature with animals.

D. Become a successful painter.

3. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. the writer had never done painting before

B. the writer's parents encouraged her to divorce

C. the writer's husband took away most of her money

D. the writer wasn't sure whether she could survive in Hawaii at first

阅读理解。

     Parents should stop blaming themselves because there's not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager

problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and

helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.

     I've seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right

from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman.

I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full length, he made no

attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick

glance at me. His mother was ashamed. "I don't know what to do with him these days," she said.

     "He's forgotten all the manners we taught him." He hasn't forgotten them. He's just decided that he's not

going to use them. She confessed (坦白) that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from

the sofa onto the floor.

     Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare

at me and say, "I don't like your dress; it's ugly." One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school.

The other has left home.

     "Where did we go wrong?" their parents are now very sad. Probably no one is to blame on this issue.

1. This text is most probably written by _____.

A. a specialist in teenager studies

B. a headmaster of a middle school

C. a parent with teenage children

D. a doctor for mental health problems

2. The underlined word "it" in the second paragraph refers to _____.

A. the change from good to bad that's seen in a child

B. the way that parents often blame themselves

C. the opinion that a child has of his parents

D. the advice that parents want their children to follow

3. From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters _____.

A. pay no attention to them

B. are too busy to look after them

C. have come to hate them

D. feel helpless to do much about them

4. What is the writer's opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?

A. Parents have no choice but to try to accept it.

B. Parents should pay still more attention to the change.

C. Parents should work more closely with school teachers.

D. Parents are at fault for the change in their children.