As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes(笔画)of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A.The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
B.To Type or To Hand Write |
C.Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand |
D.Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.
A.they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays |
B.they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
C.they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
D.computers have become a trend and fashion in China. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
A.Handwriting contains the writer's emotion. |
B.The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting, |
C.Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence |
D.Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish (西班牙人)on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (独立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌剧) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.At present Santa Fe belongs to.
A.India | B.Mexico | C.Spain(西班牙) | D.the United States |
Which of the drawings below gives an idea of what Santa Fe is like?
RG="the" Rio Grande SFR="the" Santa Fe River OM="the" Ortiz MountainsSanta Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in.
A.1675 | B.1695 | C.1816 | D.1833 |
One of the reasons for visitors to come to Santa Fe is that it.
A.has fine weather |
B.is the state capital |
C.has historical monuments |
D.is on the Santa Fe River |
John once told me a story about his friend, Michael. Michael happened to be on a train sitting next to a young man who seemed worried. Finally the young man told the friend that he was a convict (罪犯) returning home from a prison far away. What he did had brought shame (羞耻) on his family, and they had neither visited him nor written to him. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too busy to write.
When he was set free he had written to tell them he wanted to go home. To make matters easy for them, however, he had asked them to put up a signal (信号) for him when the train passed their little farm. If the family had forgiven (原谅) him, they were to put up a white ribbon (丝带) in the big apple tree near the railway. If they didn't want him back, they were to do nothing, and he would stay on the train, and go far away.
As the train neared his hometown his suspense became so great that he was afraid to look out of the window. He asked Michael to watch for the big apple tree. They changed seats. In a minute, Michael put his hand on the young convict’s shoulder, "There it is," His eyes was filled with sudden tears. "It’s all right. The whole tree is white with ribbons."According to the passage, the white ribbon in the big apple tree means ________.
A.pleasure | B.forgiveness(原谅) | C.happiness | D.education |
The word "suspense" underlined in the last paragraph can best be replaced by ________.
A.anger | B.interest | C.worry | D.happiness |
Why was Michael asked to watch for the apple tree?
A.The young man was afraid that he was refused by his family. |
B.The young man’s seat was far from the window. |
C.The young man was afraid of seeing the white ribbons in the tree. |
D.The young man was sure that his family would accept him. |
Why did Michael cry at the end of the story?
A.The young man couldn’t live with his family. |
B.There were many white ribbons on the apple tree. |
C.He was afraid. |
D.The young man was very sad. |
Teenagers in England do much the same as children in America do. They enjoy sending messages by their mobile phones and they also like swimming, listening to the latest music, watching TV and surfing the Internet.
How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays? Let’s follow Sally, a British teenager, and spend five days with her during her school holiday.
Day One
After breakfast, Sally’s mother went out and left her alone at home. She checked her mobile phone during lunch —one of her friends sent her a message early in the morning. Dinner was at 6:30 p.m. After that, she finished her English home-work. Then she surfed the Internet.
Day Two
Sally and her mother paid a visit to their friends and went swimming together. Later, they went shopping for clothes and books, and had dinner in a restaurant.
Day Three
She went to the supermarket with her mother to buy fish and chips for lunch as well as some pens. After she got back home, she spent the next few hours surfing the Internet and watching TV.
Day Four
She surfed the Internet. Her mother took her out for lunch before she went to work. She then read stories after lunch.
Day Five
She woke up at 2 p.m., and so did her mother. They went to a park. Her mother met some friends there. When they got home, it was already time for dinner. Afterwards, she did her homework until 10 p.m.When did Sally do her homework?
A.In the morning. | B.In the afternoon. |
C.At lunch time. | D.In the evening. |
Sally and her mother went shopping for the second time to buy __________.
A.food for lunch and pens | B.some books and pens |
C.some fish and clothes | D.food and books |
Which of the following things did Sally do on Day Four?
A.She went swimming. | B.She went out for breakfast. |
C.She read books. | D.She went shopping. |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ________.
A.surfing the Internet has become an important part of teenagers’ lives |
B.parents shouldn’t leave teenagers alone at home |
C.teenagers don’t usually do their homework during their school holidays |
D.a park is the best place to meet a friend |
I was small for my age. I was shy and sometimes it was hard for me to make friends with the others. However, learning came fairly easy for me. I was the best in most of my classes, but PE class was my nightmare (恶梦) and made me feel that I was not as good as the others.
Miss Forsythe was our PE teacher. She was young and energetic. Everyone liked her. She said that we all had to come to her classes. No one could hide from Miss Forsythe! One day she told me that she wanted me to play a game with another girl in a PE show. I was rather worried that I wouldn’t do a good job when she explained her idea, but she was excited. With her encouragement, I had no choice but to agree. It was a "boy meets girl" game. I played the boy and my classmate, Margaret Ann, played the girl. We were dressed in evening clothes and danced around the floor. According to Miss Forsythe, I had to pick up Margaret Ann when we finished the dance. Since I was not strong enough to pick the tallest girl up, it was she who picked me up. I suddenly felt ten feet tall! It was a huge success and everybody applauded (鼓掌) for our excellent performance. What a wonderful ending! Afterwards, I smiled confidently (自信地).
Miss Forsythe’s understanding and willingness to create a place for me in her show (which certainly did not need me) gave me some much needed confidence. She was and always will be my favorite teacher.What do we know about Miss Forsythe?
A.She was good at dancing. |
B.She was young and energetic. |
C.She liked to play games with the students after class. |
D.She taught students how to dance. |
How did the author feel about the game at first?
A.She was excited. | B.She thought it would be fun. |
C.She was glad. | D.She was nervous. |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A.Miss Forsythe had planned the game that way on purpose (故意地) |
B.Miss Forsythe helped the author pick up the tallest girl |
C.the author was afraid when she felt ten feet tall |
D.the author didn't like his teacher. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.Our PE Teacher—Miss Forsythe | B.My School Life |
C.A Forgettable Experience | D.A Game with My Classmate |
The Taj Mahal (泰姬陵) is considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and the finest example of the late style of Indian architecture (建筑). It is at Agra in northern India. It lies beside the River Jumna in the middle of gardens with quiet pools.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul emperor (皇帝) Shah Jehan, who ruled India in the 17th century. It is used to honour his favorite wife, known as Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. The building, which was completed between 1632 and 1638, was designed by a local Muslim architect (建筑师), Ustad Ahmad Lahori. The whole building, with gardens and gateway structures, was completed in 1643. The Taj Mahal stands at one end of the garden tomb with marble (大理石) path. The room is softly lighted by the light that passes through double screens of carved marble set high in the walls. The building now is kept in good condition.
The Taj Mahal took 22 years to build. Shah Jehan planned a similar building, but in black instead of white, to lie on the other side of the river. But before it could be built, Shah Jehan was imprisoned (监禁) by his son and buried next to his wife in the Taj Mahal.The Taj Mahal was built for____.
A.Mumtaz | B.Shah |
C.Either Mumtaz or Shah | D.Both Mumtaz and Shah |
Why do you think Shah Jehan was buried next to his wife?
A.His own tomb hadn't been built. |
B.He hoped to be buried there. |
C.King and Queen should be buried together. |
D.He liked Mumtaz all his life. |
The passage mainly tells us about ____ .
A.why the Taj Mahal was built |
B.the love story between Shah and Mumtaz |
C.How the Taj Mahal was built |
D.the Taj Mahal |
Form the passage we can learn that____ .
A.the Taj Mahal looks more beautiful than before. |
B.the Taj Mahal has become a place of interest |
C.the Taj Mahal has completely changed. |
D.the Taj Mahal doesn't exist now. |