A recent survey of teachers found that an unhealthy passion with celebrity culture is having a negative impact on British students’ studies and it discovered that celebrity couple, the Beckhams, are the favorites among most students. Many students are ignoring building their own careers to seek a chance at fame instead, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) survey found.
Almost two-thirds of teachers said sports stars were the type of celebrity many pupils wanted to follow while more than half of students wanted to be pop stars.
The survey said the celebrities that students aspired to mostly were David and Victoria Beckham who live in Los Angeles now. Soccer player Beckham is on the top of the survey while in second place, with almost a third of the survey’s votes, was his 33-year-old pop star wife.
Almost half of the 300 teachers surveyed said pupils tried to look like or behave like the celebrities they most admired, with some girls even dressing "unsuitably".
"We are not surprised about the influence of celebrity culture in schools —it reflects the current media passion with celebrities and the effect of celebrity culture on society as a whole," ATL general secretary Mary Bousted said in a statement.
"Celebrities can have a positive effect on pupils. They can raise pupils’ aspirations and desires for the future. However, celebrity culture can spread the idea that celebrity status is the greatest achievement and reinforce the belief that other career choices are not as valuable," said one primary school teacher. "Too many of the pupils believe that school success is unnecessary, because they will be able to get fame and fortune quite easily through a reality TV show." The story mainly tells us that ______.
| A．the Beckhams are mostly admired in Britain |
| B．most students think that being pop stars is more valuable than other career achievements |
| C．the celebrity passion has a harmful impact upon British students’ studies |
| D．a survey was made recently about the popularity of the stars |
According to the survey, Victoria Beckham ______.
| A．is a pop star most students admire |
| B．goes in the second place of the celebrities admired |
| C．won two-thirds of the votes |
| D．lives in New York now |
Why does the author mention that pupils tried to look like or behave like the celebrities they most admired, with some girls even dressing “unsuitably”?
| A．The pupils think it interesting to pretend to be the celebrities. |
| B．The behavior or the dress of celebrities can be followed as examples. |
| C．The author wants to show the negative influence these celebrities had on the students. |
| D．The author just wants to show being pop stars is very valuable to the students. |
What is not TRUE according to the story?
| A．Celebrities can’t have positive impact on the students. |
| B．Beckham and Victoria are husband and wife. |
| C．The so-called celebrity culture does harm to the pupils’ ideas about achievement. |
| D．Many students believe that school success is unnecessary. |
The best title of the story is _____.
Sports Star David Beckham
B. Survey of Students about Celebrities
C Harmful Effect of Celebrities on Students
D. Better to Be Pop Stars Than Sports Stars
About ten years ago, a young and very successful businessman named Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was going a bit too fast in his shiny, black, 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE, which was only two months old.
He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no child came out, but a brick sailed out and—WHUMP! —it hit the Jag’s shiny black side door! Immediately Josh stopped the car, jumped out, seized the kid and pushed him up against a parked car. He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you? That’s my new Jag, that brick you threw is gonna cost you a lot of money. Why did you throw it? ”
“Please, mister, please. . . I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do! ” begged the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop! ” Tears were streaming down the boy’s face as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister, ” he said. “He rolled of the curb (路沿) and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up. ”Sobbing, the boy asked the businessman, “ Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me. ”
Moved beyond words, the young businessman tried hard to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapers and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the black, shining 12 cylinder Jaguar XKE—a long and slow walk. Josh never did fix the side door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent (凹痕) to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. Feel for the bricks of life coming at you.How did the driver reflect firstly when he found the boy throwing a brick on his car?
| A．Surprised | B．Angry | C．Strange | D．Sad |
The boy threw a brick at the businessman’s car because _________.
| A．the businessman drove at a high speed |
| B．he envied the brand-new car very much |
| C．he wanted to ask for some money |
| D．he wanted to get help from the driver |
Which of the following is the right order of the story?
a. The younger brother threw a brick at Josh’s car.
b. The elder brother fell out of his wheelchair.
c. The younger brother begged Josh for help.
d. Josh lifted the elder brother back into his wheelchair.
e. Josh shouted at the younger brother.
| A．b, a, e, c, d | B．a, c, d, b, e |
| C．b, a, c, e, d | D．a, c, b, e, d |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Josh would accept the money from the kids. |
| B．The two kids were Josh’s neighbors. |
| C．Josh was a kind-hearted man. |
| D．Josh’s new car broke down easily. |
According to the passage, the last sentence means ________.
| A．trying to get ready for the trouble in your future life |
| B．driving fast in a neighborhood street is dangerous |
| C．trying to be more understanding seeing others in trouble |
| D．protecting oneself from being hurt |
Whether you prefer burning the midnight oil or going to bed early so you can get up at the break of dawn depends on your genes , according to experts.
I jump out of bed each morning, eager to start an active day. But I can hear my neighbour’s alarm clock ringing non-stop every morning and I doubt he gets to work on time.
A lot of noise comes from his flat in the evening. He’s happy to stay up watching TV till after midnight, while I go to bed early and try to sleep.
Well, it might not be his fault after all. I’m called ‘a lark (百灵鸟)’ and my neighbour ‘an owl (猫头鹰)’.
We all have inside ‘clocks’ in the brain to control all kinds of bodily functions and it is reset every day by light. These inside clocks run to a different schedule in ‘larks’ and ‘owls’. If you have a fast clock, you like to do things early, and if you have a slow clock, you like to do things late.
Because we live in a 24/7 world, scientists believe it’s important to understand a person’s ‘chronotype’ – the time of the day when they function the best. It could help us lead a healthier life.
A US professor has studied sleeping patterns and thinks work times should be changed and made more individual to fit in with our chronotypes.
And he has advice for those who can’t choose their working hours: “If that’s not possible, we should be more careful about light exposure”, says the professor. “You should try to go to work not in a covered vehicle but on a bike. The minute the sun sets we should use things that have no blue light, like computer screens and other electronic devices.”How is the passage mainly developed?
| A．By presenting and solving problems. |
| B．By explaining the cause-effect relationship. |
| C．By giving examples and drawing a conclusion. |
| D．By analyzing differences and providing advice. |
We can learn from the passage that the author’s neighbour ______.
| A．almost always gets to work on time |
| B．has to work deep into the night every day |
| C．is passive during the day but energetic at night |
| D．is easily woken up by his alarm clock in the morning |
The underlined part “24/7” in Paragraph 6 most probably means “______”.
| A．stressful | B．digital |
| C．confusing | D．changing |
Things with blue light are not recommended after sunset because blue light ______.
| A．will make you nervous |
| B．may cause sleep problems |
| C．will reduce your work effect |
| D．may make you sleepy |
Penguin Group
Ordinary People Change The World!
Penguin Group and TFK have partnered together to help teachers show their students how they can make the world a better place. Building the encouraging lives of historic figures including Amelia Earhart, Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln and Albert Einstein, this attractive program takes a look at the real life stories of ordinary young people who grew up to become extraordinary adults!
Download the classroom poster, student worksheets and teacher’s guide provided below.
Classroom Poster : You can be a Hero, too. Classroom Poster
Teachers Guide : Ordinary People Series Teacher’s Guide
Student Worksheet : Who’s Your Hero? Worksheet
Student Worksheet : Hero Matchup Worksheet
PGA Junior League Golf
It Takes a Team!
TIME For Kids and PGA Junior League Golf have developed a program all about using teamwork to reach goals. Download this poster to get your students involved in the power and fun of teamwork and cooperation.
Encourage your class to go to timeforkids.com/teampoll and take the poll!
Classroom Poster : It Takes a Team!
International Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW)
Cats, Dogs, & Us
TIME for Kids has partnered with IFAW to present an educational animal awareness program called Cats, Dogs, & Us. This project is sure to attract and engage students with discussion starters, in-class activity ideas, a video viewing guide, and many other in-depth and fun resources. Preview IFAW’s Cats, Dogs, & Us video at http://ifaw.org/cats-dogs-and-us
Classroom Poster : Cats, Dogs, & Us Classroom Poster
Classroom Poster / Teachers Guide : Cats, Dogs, & Us Teachers Guide Full View
Teachers Guide : Cats, Dogs, & Us Teachers Guide Pages
Special Olympics
Special Olympics Project UNIFY®
in TIME and Special Olympics have teamed up to promote understanding of people’s differences in the classroom, school and community. Special Olympics Project UNIFY® is an education-based project that uses sports and education programs to activate young people to develop communities where all youth are agents of change-promoting respect, dignity and support for people with mental disabilities.
TFK Extra : in TIME Project UNIFY® Student Guide
Teachers Guide : in TIME Project UNIFY® Teachers GuideWho are the materials mainly intended for?
| A．Teachers. | B．Parents. |
| C．Students. | D．Headmasters. |
What is the purpose of “Penguin Group”?
| A．To train students to be ordinary people. |
| B．To encourage students to learn from great people. |
| C．To provide teaching materials for history teachers. |
| D．To offer students different kinds of reading materials. |
Which of the following is designed for students to learn to cooperate?
| A．IFAW | B．Penguin Group |
| C．PGA Junior League Golf | D．Special Olympics |
To know how to help a slow classmate better, you’d better go to “______”.
| A．timeforkids.com/teampoll |
| B．Hero Matchup Worksheet |
| C．http://ifaw.org/cats-dogs-and-us |
| D．In TIME Project UNIFY® Student Guide |
People should listen to music for no more than one hour a day to protect their hearing, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests.
It says 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of permanently damaging their hearing by listening to “too much, too loudly”.
It said audio devices(音频设备), concerts and bars were causing a “serious threat”.
WHO figures show 43 million people aged 12-35 have hearing loss and the number is increasing. In that age group, the WHO said, half of the people in rich and middle-income countries were exposed to unsafe sound levels from personal audio devices. Meanwhile 40% were exposed to damaging levels of sound from clubs and bars.
The proportion of US teenagers with hearing loss went from 3.5% in 1994 to 5.3% in 2006.
“What we’re trying to do is raise awareness of the problem that is not talked about enough, but has the potential to do a lot of damage that can be easily prevented,” said Dr Etienne Krug, the WHO’s director for injury prevention.
The full report argued: “While it is important to keep the volume down, limiting the use of personal audio devices to less than one hour a day would do much to reduce noise exposure.”
Dr Krug said: “That’s a rough recommendation, it is not by the minute, to give an idea to those spending 10 hours a day listening to an mp3-player. But even an hour can be too much if the volume（音量）is too loud.”What might be the main cause of hearing loss according to the passage?
| A．Listening to music frequently. |
| B．Listening to music at concerts. |
| C．Listening to too much and too loud music. |
| D．Listening to music from poor audio devices. |
How many people aged 12-35 were most likely to suffer from hearing loss according to WHO?
| A．3.5%. | B．5.3%. | C．40%. | D．50 %. |
Which of the following ideas would Dr Etienne Krug agree with?
| A．Safe noise exposure is based on the limitation to both volume and time. |
| B．One hour of exposure to loud music a day will do no damage to hearing. |
| C．With proper volume, one can listen to an mp3-player for 10 hours a day. |
| D．It will be OK to be exposed to loud noise from personal audio devices. |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Away from music |
| B．How to enjoy music |
| C．Risk of hearing loss |
| D．Warning of hearing damage |
It’s no secret that doing good makes others happy – but did you know it can make you happy as well?
According to a study, people participating in meaningful activities were happier and felt that their lives had more purpose than people who only engaged in pleasure-seeking behaviors.
Try giving these four things to others to start your journey to a happier and healthier lifestyle.
1. Your Time
With a busy life, it can be hard to find any time to give away. However, volunteering your time has great benefits, including making new friends and connections, learning new skills and even advancing your career.
According to a paper about the link between health and volunteering, volunteering is connected with lower instances of depression and reduces the risk of dying by 22 percent.
2. Your Attention
Most of us think we’re good listeners, but according to psychologist Paul Donoghue, most people are aware that others don’t listen as well as they could. In addition, they’re not fully aware that they themselves aren’t listening.
When practicing mindfulness meditation(正念禅修), you focus on what you experience in the moment and let your thoughts and emotions pass through without judgment. Did you know that giving someone your undivided attention helps you also? When done well, active listening strengthens your focus－which is a major part of good meditation.
3. Your Compassion
The psychological meaning of compassion is the ability to understand another person’s emotional state. Compassion differs from empathy(移情) in that those who experience compassion not only put themselves in another person’s shoes, but also want to reduce that person’s suffering.
A brain-imaging study showed that the brain’s pleasure centers are equally active when we give money to the poor as when we receive money ourselves.
4. Your Money
According to an experiment, those who spend money on other people are significantly happier than those who spend the same quantity of money on themselves.
Whether or not you can offer other gifts, donating money helps make real change happen. It represents time spent, compassion and careful attention to the needs of others.Who is the happiest according to the study mentioned in Paragraph 2?
| A．Bill, who is often invited to play golf by his wealthy uncle. |
| B．Tom, who is on the way to be the richest man in the world. |
| C．Mike, who is not well-off but often does what he can to those in need. |
| D．John, who is a disabled young man but has married a very beautiful girl. |
What does the underlined word “depression” in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．pleasure | B．unhappiness |
| C．connection | D．misunderstanding |
Which of the four gifts matters most according to the author?
| A．Time. | B．Money. | C．Attention. | D．Compassion. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To encourage people to help others. |
| B．To give the meaning of “happiness”. |
| C．To offer a practical way of life. |
| D．To show his kindness. |