C
Children start out as natural scientists, and eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there's no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children's curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me "textbook questions" about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, "Now that we've finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?"
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, "Have you ever seen what a grasshopper (蚱蜢) eats? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?"
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their "wait time" to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don't jump in with "That's right" or "I'd never thought of it that way before," or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to "think". It doesn't make sense. Children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What's more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don't tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lessons children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they'll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
64. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is ___________.
A. to let them see the world around B. to share the children's curiosity
C. to explain difficult phrases about science D. to supply the children with lab equipment
65. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word "lists" could best be replaced by "_________".
A. any questions B. any problems
C. questions from textbooks D. any number of questions
66. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults__________.
A. ask them to answer quickly B. wait for one or two seconds after a question
C. tell them to answer the next day D. wait at least for three seconds after a question
67. In which of the following paragraph (s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?
A. The second and third. B. The fourth. C. The fifth. D. The sixth and seventh.
68. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children's curiosity EXCEPT that adults should _________.
A. tell their children stories instead of reciting facts
B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves
C. be patient enough when their children answer questions
D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own
Last weekend, my kids along with a few other kids from the neighborhood volunteered to help me wash my car. My 10-year-old daughter came up with the idea of washing other people’s cars as well. It was pretty hot outside. She further wanted to give juice for a low cost but not free. I felt happy and decided to help her.
She asked me, “What if we make this ‘a smile car wash’, mommy? ”I couldn’t hold back my tears and encouraged her and other kids to go inside the house and come up with ideas. While I kept myself busy in drying the car, the kids walked up to me with a board of beautiful signs of smiles. They had “Free Car Wash” written on it and the theme of their exercise was “Smile”. It was pretty natural to see a team of kids 5 to 11 years with the task to do something for others.
All that seemed natural and came right from their heart. Nothing seemed to matter to them: their playtime, and then heat outside—they just wanted to help and do something nice in the community!
I helped them make some fresh juice and brought out some waste materials to help clean cars. Passers-by were amazed and one even shouted at them saying “Good kids”. One of them even tried giving them 5 dollars, which they refused. A pretty heart-warming scene!
The following weekend, I saw the idea of the week, the theme of which was “Global Kindness”. I was moved by such wonderful and loving souls. They made me smile!
One of the slogans (标语) on their flag was: “Do not fear! Smile retrievers(挽回者) are here.”Who raised the idea of washing other people’s cars for free?
A.The mother |
B.One of the passers-by |
C.The writer’s 10-year-old daughter |
D.One of the writer’s neighbors’ kids. |
Why couldn’t the author hold back her tears when she knew her daughter’s idea?
A.She was moved by her daughter’s kindness. |
B.She felt sorry for those passers-by in hot weather. |
C.She was sorry for not helping the kids. |
D.She thought of too much hardship of the kids. |
Why did the kids want to wash others’ cars for free?
A.They wanted to earn money. |
B.They were asked to do that by their teacher. |
C.They just wanted to help and do something nice in the community. |
D.They wanted to exercise in smiling. |
Which of the following did NOT the writer do to help the kids?
A.She supported the kids’ ideas. |
B.She prepared some fresh juice for the passers-by. |
C.She brought out some waste materials to help the kids. |
D.She gave the kids some money. |
Dear Customers,
I love slipping (滑落) into a comfortable chair for a long read—as I relax into the chair, I also relax into the author’s words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background, and what remains is the author’s world.
Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Mindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, magazines and newspapers.
We’ve been working on Mindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Mindle to disappear in your hands—to get out of the way—so you can enjoy your reading. We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Mindle is wireless, so whether you’re lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed—you do your reading directly from the device.
We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike mobile phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install (安装,设置)。 We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology.
Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light, reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Mindle weighs only 10.3 ounces—less than paperback—but can carry two hundred books.
Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks!
Jeff Bezos Founder & CEOThis passage most probably is a(n)________.
A.advertisement |
B.news story |
C.lab report |
D.letter of thanks |
From the passage we learn that Mindle is a device which ________.
A.has neither wires nor weight |
B.is operated by a computer |
C.disappears while you read |
D.can find a book within one minute |
With the device, the reader is able to ________.
A.enjoy reading when driving a car |
B.improve reading skills |
C.gain access to free software |
D.get rid of heavy books made of paper |
Different from mobile phones, Mindle________.
A.has a much more friendly screen |
B.can work in the absence of electricity |
C.doesn’t involve regular bills |
D.is wireless and can be used anywhere. |
Make a five-minute film and win!
Do you love the winter holidays but hate being bored? Then why don’t you enter the Film Street Summer Shorts Competition by making a short film this winter with your family and friends?
What you have to do
To enter the competition, you have to make a short film that is around 5 minutes long (It can be shorter but not longer!) on a digital camera, or mobile phone.
Awards
The best short film entered into our competition will be shown in Film Street’s Cinema and you’ll win a Cineworld Cinema pass for yourself and three more for other members of your filmmaking crew (演职员)。 If you have a Cineworld Cinema pass, you can watch as many films as you like for a year, for free, at any Cineworld Cinema.
Rules
We can’t show films that tell others about either your or any other kids’ names or addresses.
We can’t show films that hurt, harm or insult (侮辱) other people.
We can’t show films that have bad languages.
Copyright Checklist (版权清单)
Getting permission to use someone else’s work in your film can be expensive, so check your film to make sure that:
Your film is original and you haven’t copied anyone else’s.
There are no scenes of branding on shop signs, books, magazines or CDs.
There are no scenes of anyone else’s artwork.
Address and Date
Post your finished film on tape, CD or DVD by Monday, October 1st, 2011 to:
Film Street Summer Short Competition
First Light Movies
Unit 6, Third Floor, The Bond
180-182 Fazeley Street
Birmingham
So what’s stopping you? Start making your Film Street Summer Short now!Who is the passage mainly written for?
A.Students | B.Parents |
C.Teachers | D.Actors |
How many Cineworld Cinema passes will the winner of the competition be awarded in all?
A.One | B.Two |
C.Three | D.Four |
From Paragragh 3, we can learn that _______.
A.the winner’s short film can be shown in any cinema |
B.the competition is held by Cineworld Cinema |
C.the winner can watch films for free for one year at any Cineworld Cinema.\ |
D.the winner will be paid for his short film |
The underlined word “original” is the closest in meaning to “_______”.
A.interesting enough |
B.exciting enough |
C.good for children |
D.made by yourself |
Scientists at Harvard University and Bates College find female chimpanzees (黑猩猩) appear to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they have children of their own. Young males engage in such behavior much less frequently.
The new work by Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, described this week in the journal Current Biology, provides the first evidence of a wild nonhuman species playing with dolls, as well as the first known sex difference in a wild animal’s choice of playthings.
The two researchers say their work adds to a growing body of evidence that human children are probably born with their own ideas of how they want to behave, rather than simply mirroring other girls who play with dolls and boys who play with trucks. Doll play among humans could have its origins in object—carrying by earlier apes (猿类), they say, suggesting that toy selection is probably not due entirely to socialization.
“In humans, there are obvious sex differences in children’s toy play, and these are remarkably similar across cultures,” says Kahlenberg. “While socialization by elders and peers has been the primary explanation, our work suggests that biology may also have an important role to play in activity preferences.”
In 14 years of data on chimpanzee behavior at the Kibale National Park in Uganda, Kahlenberg and Wrangham counted more than 100 examples of stickcarrying. Some young chimpanzees carried sticks into the nest to sleep with them and on one occasion built a separate nest for the stick. “We have seen juveniles occasionally carrying sticks for many years, and because they sometimes treated them rather like dolls, we wanted to know if in general this behavior tended to represent something like playing with dolls,” says Wrangham, a Professor at Harvard. “If the doll hypothesis (假设) was right, we thought that females should carry sticks more than males do, and that the chimpanzees should stop carrying sticks when they had their first child. We have now watched enough young chimpanzees to prove both points.” What does a female chimpanzee do with sticks?
A.She gives them to her child to play with. |
B.She treats them as dolls. |
C.She makes useful tools from them. |
D.She treats them as weapons. |
What causes the different toy selection of chimpanzees, according to the passage?
A.Sex difference. | B.Socialization. |
C.Environment. | D.Cultural difference. |
We can infer from the fourth paragraph that ________.
A.socialization has nothing to do with human’s choice of playthings |
B.sex difference is the only factor in human’s choice of playthings |
C.the biology factor may also influence toy choice |
D.people choose different toys in different cultures |
It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A.both humans and chimpanzees choose their playthings due to sex difference |
B.different factors cause humans and chimpanzees to choose different playthings |
C.only female chimpanzees have playthings |
D.chimpanzees usually choose playthings for their children |
I credit my typing skill to so many hours of chatting online. Unfortunately, as my typing speed increased on the Internet, all grammatical rules went out of the window. You see instant messages have their own shorthand language and grammar isn’t important, of which even a newbie (新手) is aware. They can leave out articles, subjects (主语), pronouns, etc. They can misspell or “respell” almost any word. They often ask “A/S/L” when they first chat. Abbreviations (缩写) and capitalizations (大写) are particularly important. English-speaking instant messengers also refuse to burden themselves with punctuation and capitalization.
After I came back China, I discovered not one but two instant messaging crazes. The first, which brought back memories of my previous addiction to the computer, was QQ. I can see evidence that the Chinese have the same kind of separate instant messaging language, even when they chat in English. My first word in this language, for example, was “ft”. This abbreviation for “faint” is used whenever there is a need to express surprise. I also discovered that Chinese use the same kind of abbreviation for a laugh. And there is an extraordinary number of smileys (表情符) to the “vomit” and “army soldier” smileys. There is even a SARA smiley.
After QQ, there is another, perhaps more widespread messaging trend. You guessed it --- cell phone text messaging. I now understand how useful text messaging is and why it is so common. I admit that I have been guilty of sending text messages while walking outside or sitting on the subway. Who hasn’t ? No matter where I go, I see people on their cell phones, messaging. In fact, it’s rare to see someone actually talking on their phone!
So it looks as if there is no escape from the instant messaging crazes, no matter where in the world I go. And that’s plainly not going to change. In the end, though, I can’t complain: instant messaging is quick, it’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s extremely fun too. And after all, everyone’s doing it.The underlined phrase “went out of the window” in Paragraph 1 probably means .
A.increased | B.occurred | C.disappeared | D.changed |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.Grammar and correct spelling are very important while chatting online. |
B.There are enough smileys and icons to express yourselves while chatting on line. |
C.The writer is skilled at typing and once was addicted to online games. |
D.It is impolite to leave out some unimportant words or letters while chatting online. |
The writer believes that instant messaging is .
A.full of fun but time-consuming |
B.widespread but unnecessary |
C.quick but difficult to do |
D.common, used and cheap |
Which might be the main idea of the passage?
A.Who can escape QQ and cell phone text messaging? |
B.Why is instant messaging so popular? |
C.Chatting online is good for your typing skill. |
D.Chatting on QQ is natural for people. |