So long as teachers fail to distinguish (differ) between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to plan cleverly the most efficient(有效的) system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity: It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to understand the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the long search for knowledge? Smith has one principle rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them properly, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is got rid of. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the chance to solve the problem of learning to read by learning.
1. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that_______.
A. too much time is spent in teaching about reading
B. reading tasks are given with little guidance
C. it is one of the most difficult school courses
D. students spend limited hours in reading
2. The teaching of reading will be successful if _______.
A. teachers can make their teaching activities observable
B. teachers can teach their students how to read
C. teachers can improve conditions at school for the students
D. teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading
3. The word “scrutiny” (Paragraph 3) most probably means “_______”.
A. unbelief B. control C. inquiry D. observation
4. The main idea of the passage is that_______.
A. reading is more complicated than believable
B. reading ability is something gained rather than taught
C. teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible
D. teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read
The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666 . In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city , where most of the houses were wooden and close together .Over one hundred people became homeless , but only a few lost their lives .
The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker（面包师）in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family , was able to get out through a window in the roof . A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery（面包房）into a small hotel next door .Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
By eight o’ clock three hundred houses were on fire . On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.
Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment．Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.”
The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire．With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.
After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect(建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone．In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among which were St Paul’s
The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.How was the fire put out according to the text?
| A．The King and his soldiers came to help. |
| B．All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed. |
| C．Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down |
| D．People managed to get enough water from the river. |
It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ______.
| A．some people lost their lives |
| B．the birds in the sky were killed by the fire |
| C．the King’s bakery was burned down |
| D．many famous buildings were destroyed |
Why did the writer cite(引用)Samuel Pepys?
| A．Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire. |
| B．Because Pepys also wrote about the fire. |
| C．To show that poor people suffered most. |
| D．To give readers a clearer picture of the fire. |
Which of the following were reasons for the rapid spread of the big fire?
(a) There was a strong wind.
(b) The streets were very narrow．
(c) Many houses were made of wood.
(d) There was not enough water in the city.
(e) People did not discover the fire earlier.
| A．(a) and (b) |
| B．(a), (b) and (c) |
| C．(a), (b), (c) and (d) |
| D．(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) |
You may know the English letters A, B and C. But do you know there are people called ABC? You may like eating bananas. But did you know there is such a thing as a “banana person”? How strange! Are these people from “another earth”? No. They are just Chinese people like you and me.
ABC means American-born Chinese. An ABC is a Chinese, but was born in the United States. Sometimes, people call an ABC a “banana person”. A banana is yellow outside and white inside. So, when a person is a banana, he or she is white inside—thinking like a Westerner and yellow outside—looking like a Chinese.
Do you know why? Usually, ABCs know little about China or the Chinese language. Some of them don’t speak Chinese. Also, they are not interested in Chinese politics.
But if ABCs cannot speak Chinese, can we still call them Chinese people? Yes, of course. They are Chinese. They are overseas Chinese. These people may be citizens(公民) of another country like the US, Canada or Singapore. But they have Chinese blood. Their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents were from China. They all have black eyes and black hair. But they are not Chinese citizens. They are not people of the People’s Republic of China. For example, we all know the famous scientist C. N. Yang (杨振宁). He got the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1957. And he is an American citizen.“ABC” in this text stands for “_______”.
| A．three English letters |
| B．a kind of banana |
| C．Americans born in China |
| D．Chinese born in America |
Chinese in Western countries are called “banana persons” because __________.
| A．their bodies are white inside but yellow outside |
| B．they think like Westerners but look like Chinese |
| C．they were born in China but go to study in America |
| D．they are Chinese who look like bananas |
C. N. Yang is mentioned here to show that ________.
A. American Chinese are great
B. we love American Chinese
C. American Chinese are not Chinese citizens
D. Chinese people can win Nobel PrizesThis text is mainly about _________.
A. overseas Chinese
B. different kinds of bananas
C. the Nobel Prize
D. the life story of C. N. Yang
An old gentleman who lives a few doors away from me can always be seen with a bag. He goes out by himself and picks up plastic bottles, plastic bags and pieces of paper everywhere. He does it all carefully and never complains.
The children in the nearby school are probably responsible for some of that litter（废弃物）. “There will come a time when they know better ,” he said . “ It’s just not yet . So, I’ll do it for them.”
Well, this morning I was out walking my neighbor’s dog when I saw another neighbor, a much younger man , out doing the same thing ! He had his two little sons with him and they were having good fun trying to pick up the litter.
When I commented（评论）on what a good job he was doing, he said , “ Well , an older fellow in our street does this . And my friend and I thought it wasn’t fair that he had to do it all the time , so now we take turns .”
Not only was he taking a turn , not only did he have a friend join in as well , but he was passing on the lesson to the next generation（代）！
By the time I had returned the dog to my neighbor I looked again and his children’ s friends had joined in !
This man was teaching a whole group of young children to keep their own street sanitary. An older man had set an example for him and now he was passing it on — the next generation is doing what he did and the generation to come after that !The old gentleman picks up the litter _______.
| A．to make money. |
| B．to keep the environment clean. |
| C．to set an example to children. |
| D．to help the cleaners. |
The underlined word “ sanitary ” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “_______”
| A．polluted | B．crowded |
| C．straight | D．clean |
What can we learn from the text ?
| A．Two heads are better than one. |
| B．Like father , like son . |
| C．The power of example is endless. |
| D．No pains , no gains . |
Visiting animals in their natural homes may sound like a great idea that helps to save them, but is it ?
Researchers writing in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution on Oct9 said that the interactions between wild animals and friendly eco-tourists who want to take their pictures may put animals at greater risk of being eaten.
It is clear that many people visit protected areas every year. “Recent data showed that protected areas around the globe have 8 billion visitors per year; that’s like each human on Earth visited a protected area once a year, and then some!”said Dainel Blumstein of the University of California, Los Anglels. “This amount of nature tourism and eco-tourism can be added to the long list of ways in which humans cause fast environmental change.
The basic idea of the report the report is that humans change the ways animals act and those changes might affect other parts of their lives, according to Science Daily. Those changes in behavior and activity may put animals at risk.
“When animals spend time in ‘harmless’ ways with humans, they may let down their guard,” Blumstein said. As animals get used to feeling comfortable with humans, they may become braver in other situations, he says . “If this bravery continues when they meet real predators（捕食者）， then they will die more often when they meet them.”
Eco-tourism is in some ways similar to making animals live in human homes or in cities. In all three cases, regular interactions between people and animals tame. Evidence has shown that silver foxes that live with people become more laid-back and less fearful; this results from evolutionary changes but also from spending time with humans. Simply put , as Blumstein asked in the Scientific American magazine:“Does eco-tourism make animals dumb?”
And that’s not all - humans can also scare away natural predators , creating the so-called “human shield effect” and a safe environment for smaller animals that might make them braver, too. When humans are around, for example, vervet monkeys don’t see as many leopards (猎豹) trying to eat them.
Blumstein says they hope to do more research into humans’ interactions with wildlife. Scientists will “now have to understand better how different species and species in different situations react to humans and when humans might put them at risk.The main focus of report in Trends in Ecology ＆ Evolution was the idea that ______.
| A．eco-tourism cause damage to the natural homes of wildlife. |
| B．it is easy for eco-tourists to build up trust with wide animals. |
| C．the changes brought by eco-tourism may be harmful. |
| D．protected areas around the world are overloaded with tourists. |
The underlined word “dumb” in paragraph 6 probably means ________.
| A．anxious | B．active | C．curious | D．stupid |
The author uses vervet monkeys as an example to show that ________.
| A．different species react to humans in different ways. |
| B．the presence of humans reduces the threat from predators |
| C．smaller animals tend to be braver in front of predators. |
| D．interactions with humans make animals more relaxed and less fearful. |
We can infer that the writer wrote this passage mainly to .
| A．explain what eco-tourism is |
| B．tell us something interesting about Nature |
| C．suggest that we stop eating meat to save animals |
| D．Wildlife tourism may seem helpful, but it can be deadly for some animals |
“Who does the cooking in your home?” I’m often asked by my colleagues. “My wife and I share it 50/50,” I usually say without hesitation.
It’s a lie, of course. We’re pretty much even（相等的）when it comes to the children and the elderly. But the paying of bills isn’t 50/50-my wife pays all sorts of household expenses, so I never even have to set eyes on them. And the cooking isn’t 50/50, either.
The truth is that I am the cook. On my recent 40th birthday, I received the following gifts from my children: a new pot, two mini bottles of truffle oil, a decorative salad-dressing pourer, and a juice-making machine. For a moment I longed for something more manly, a cricket bat, perhaps, and then had to admit that all these things would be useful for me.
It’s not that my wife can’t or doesn’t like to cook (she makes delicious Welsh cakes). Nor has it always been this way. In the early years of our marriage I’d be relaxing with a glass of wine while my wife prepared for dinner after work.
But at some point that changed and I became the cook. Ten years with my wife gave me the rewards-I can throw together a roast, and I can make much foreign food. But I have truly become a monster（怪物）in the kitchen, unable to keep myself away from cooking. “You have to add Dijon to the sauce; it brings out the taste of the cheese,” I volunteer, as my wife is cooking. “Quick, stir in the butter so the dish becomes delicious.”
Is it any wonder that my wife has given up coming into the kitchen while I find the whole process of chopping, mixing, and adding things deeply satisfying?What do the writer and his wife probably share evenly at home?
a．Cooking in the kitchen.
b．Taking care of the children.
c．Paying household expenses.
d．Taking care of the elderly at home.
| A．ab | B．bd | C．bc | D．ac |
The gifts that the writer received on his 40th birthday show that .
| A．he is in charge of the cooking at home |
| B．his children don’t know him at all |
| C．he doesn’t get along well with his children |
| D．his children have made wrong choices |
What do we know about the writer’s wife?
| A．She can’t cook. |
| B．She doesn’t like cooking. |
| C．She only knows how to make Welsh cakes |
| D．She used to cook for the family. |
From Paragraph 5 we learn that the writer .
| A．likes sticking his nose into other people’s business |
| B．doesn’t think his wife is good at cooking |
| C．studies very hard in order to cook well |
| D．enjoys cooking in the kitchen |