When it comes to parenting, it can be hard to know which issues are important and which ones are not. According to parenting expert Anne Murphy, a family dinner matters. “Having a family dinner doesn’t only mean hours of sharing various kinds of food,” she said. “It means getting together as long as you can —even if it’s just 15 minutes for pizza. Or make it breakfast or lunch—whatever you can do.
Never waste your valuable time on TV. Keep the conversation joyful—Murphy thinks it makes a difference. Studies have shown that teenagers whose families eat together are less likely to abuse drugs. They also have better grades and—perhaps most importantly—better relationships with their parents. It brings more benefit to children than many after-school activities, she added.
Homework has become a hot issue recently. According to a study, the amount of time kids spend on homework has increased by 51 percent since 1981.
“The point of homework is to make students continue to learn after school hour,” Murphy said. “However, giving too much homework runs the risk of turning kids off school and even worse—turning them off learning in all forms. They will turn to other things, such as computer games, some of which are aggressive, or drinking for fun. Therefore, some experts came up with an idea, that is, kindergarteners and first-graders get 10 minutes of homework. Second-graders get 20 minutes, and so on.”
Murphy offered tips to parents who think their children are getting too much homework. “Talk to other parents to see if they also think so, and then talk to the teacher,” she said. “Have a discussion about it, and let the teacher know that you want to work together on a solution.”
60. According to Anne Murphy, ___________.
A. parents should tell children what matters during dinner time
B. parents should save time and not cook for children
C. it’s important for the family to have a good talk during dinner time
D. it’s important for the family to discuss sharing together
61. Which of the following is the benefit of families eating together?
a. Children are more likely to avoid drugs.
b. Children may have better grades.
c. Children may have a close relationship with their parents.
d. It can save children’s time and prevent them from watching TV.
e. It encourages children to have more after-school activities.
A. a, b, c B. c, d, e C. a, c, e D. b, c, e
62. What do we know about homework from the passage?
A. The time spent on homework shouldn’t be over 10 minutes.
B. Too much homework may make students lose interest in study.
C. Homework does not help children continue learning after school.
D. Parents should decide the amount of homework for their children.
63. From the passage, we can learn that___________.
A. children’s time spent on after-school activities is being reduced
B. computer games are making children increasingly aggressive
C. it is unnecessary for young children to do homework
D. some experts think it necessary to reduce children’s homework
64. What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. What matters most in parenting.
B. How to develop a close relationship with children.
C. Family education is important for children.
D. Parents say no to too much homework.
Yoga(瑜伽) is an ancient practice that helps create a sense of union in body, mind, and spirit. It brings us balance. I practice hatha yoga at least twice a week, but consider yoga to be part of my daily life because after a while you no longer just practice yoga — you live it.
Yoga becomes part of your physical life. Your body grows stronger, more toned, and more flexible as you move from one asana-or pose-to the other. I spent a week in Mexico at a yoga retreat, and it was the first vacation on which I lost weight. "Rather than building muscle, yoga builds muscle tone," says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of the K. I. S. S. Guide to Yoga. "Because yoga helps maintain a balanced metabolism (新陈代谢), it also helps to control weight. Additionally, yoga stretches muscles length-wise, causing fat to be eliminated around the cells, thus reducing cellulite(皮下脂肪团) . "
Do yoga poses throughout the day. After hours at my computer, I stretch my stiff shoulders and arms. When I need a boost of energy, I do energizing poses. When I am feeling exhausted at the end of the day, I do restorative poses.
Yoga becomes part of your mental life. Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses. This attention to breath is calming; it dissolves stress and anxiety. I use yogic breathing on the tennis courts, in the dentist's chair, and when I'm stuck in traffic.
You should always leave a yoga practice feeling energized, not tired. If you feel tired after yoga, it means you spent the time "fighting" yourself, trying to force yourself into poses. In yoga, you "surrender" (放弃） to the pose by letting go of the tension.From the passage we know that _______.
| A．not all the people are fit to do yoga |
| B．yoga is part of everyone's life |
| C．yoga does good for our health |
| D．yoga has a short history |
According to the third paragraph, yoga can help ________.
| A．a person who wants a good job |
| B．a person who wants to lose weight |
| C．a person who wants to travel |
| D．a person who wants to make friends |
What will be talked about following this passage?
| A．Yoga becomes part of your spiritual life. |
| B．Yoga becomes popular all over the world. |
| C．The disadvantages of yoga. |
| D．Encouraging people to do yoga. |
What's the best title of this passage?
| A．What's Yoga? |
| B．How Do I. Do Yoga Poses? |
| C．The Benefits of Yoga |
| D．The Varieties of Yoga |
A cancer-stricken British teenage said Thursday she had been moved by messages of support from around the world after writing an online "Bucket List" of things she wanted to do before dying.
Alice Pyne, 15, created an Internet blog in which she described her fight against a cancer of the white blood cells. "I've been fighting cancer for almost four years and now I know that the cancer is gaining on me and it doesn't look like I'm going to win this one," she wrote.
For her list, at the site www.alicepyne.blogspot.com, she has included making everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor(骨髓捐赠者), swimming with sharks, meeting the boy band Take That and getting a purple iPad computer.
Messages of support and offers of help quickly flooded her webpage and it became one of the most talked-about subjects on Twitter.
"Oh, dear and I thought that I was just doing a little blog for a few friends！" she wrote after her site attracted huge attention. "Thank you so much for all your lovely messages to me."
Pyne, who lives with her family in the northwest English town of Ulverston, revealed (透露) the management of Take That had arranged for her to see the band after reading her blog. A group of local lawmakers have also joined forces with the Anthony blood cancer charity to encourage people to join its stem cell register.What happened after Alice Pyne wrote her "Bucket List?
| A．People around the world sent messages to support her. |
| B．People sent gifts to her from all over the world. |
| C．A lot of people offered to donate bone marrow to her. |
| D．The media called on people to help her. |
Alice Pyne wrote her "Bucket List" to ____________.
| A．catch people's attention |
| B．say goodbye to a few friends |
| C．give comfort to two terminally ill men |
| D．express her last few wishes |
It can be inferred from the second paragraph that Alice Pyne _______.
| A．is unaware of her own conditions |
| B．is very sad to know that she will die |
| C．is calm to know that death is approaching |
| D．is still quite confident in fighting against cancer |
Which of the following is NOT on Alice Pyne's "Bucket List"?
| A．To ask people to donate bone marrow. |
| B．To get a cool computer. |
| C．To swim with sharks. |
| D．To meet a boy. |
"Take That" will arrange to _____
| A．meetPyne in person |
| B．helpPyne in any possible way |
| C．donate money to Pyne |
| D．invitePyne to join the band |
When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and pestered (纠缠) his relatives, but they had problems of their own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed, then depressed, then a little hardened. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all.
"Why don't you start your own business?" one of his uncles told him. "The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it. "
"But what can I do?"
"Get out and have a look round," advised his uncle in a vague sort of way. "See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it."
Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position , too expensive or with some other snags(小障碍). But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition.
Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside. What's the passage mainly about?
| A．The key to success. |
| B．A story of a graduate from despair to success. |
| C．No education, no future. |
| D．Difficulty of starting a small business. |
Which of the following best describes Boris' job hunting experience?
| A．Surprising. |
| B．Encouraging. |
| C．Boring. |
| D．Disappointing. |
Boris started his career by _______.
| A．cycling around the town |
| B．developing a waste ground |
| C．repairing cycles |
| D．buying empty shops |
Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because ______.
| A．it was not so expensive |
| B．he had a lot of old customers there |
| C．he could make good use of his skills there |
| D．there were good opportunities there |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Boris _______.
| A．still couldn't make good profits |
| B．succeeded in his career |
| C．found a lot of gold coins by accident |
| D．had great difficulty running his business |
Before she appeared on the reality show(真人秀) Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman. Now all this is going to change.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn't have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and choirs and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April lOth, her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags. The audience laughed at her.
But when she opened her mouth, the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of her song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85. 2 million hits.
Susan's story proved the truth of an old saying: "Never judge the book by its cover." Susan may look ordinary, and doesn't have much dress sense, but she can certainly sing.
Susan's fans admire her courage, as much as they do her voice. She has experienced mockery and many disappointments, but her love for music has kept her going, which is worth anyone's respect. According to the passage, Susan Boyle ________.
| A．is a famous young actress |
| B．became famous after a show |
| C．used to be a good student |
| D．is good at dancing and has millions of admirers |
The underlined phrase "just one step up from" in the third paragraph probably means "________".
| A．far from |
| B．close to |
| C．different from |
| D．the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ______.
| A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags |
| B．she looked very funny |
| C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
| D．she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of ________.
| A．her beautiful face |
| B．her knowing how to dress |
| C．her good education |
| D．her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．how to win fans |
| B．how to sing well |
| C．a woman's sudden success |
| D．a woman's simple life |
I am a professor of sports and exercise so I often deal with nervousness ill my research with sports people. Actually, most people experience nervousness at some time or another.
If you are feeling anxious, my advice is to first find the causes. Make a list of those things that are making you nervous and work out which ones you can do something about. Focus all of your efforts on managing the causes that you can control.
Most people cannot tell the difference between controllable(可控制的)and uncontrollable causes, so things they can't control become a big reason for nervousness. Dealing with this is very important if people want to keep a healthy mind.
Simply try to accept the uncontrollable causes of nervousness. You might be worried about the weather on a big day, an accident or an attack on the train, or perhaps just things that other people are doing at work. The results may be very important but there is still no use worrying because you can't control any of these things. Accept that you can't control everything. Once you understand this, it becomes easier not to worry.
If a situation, such as swimming, is causing you to be anxious, try to face it as often as possible so that you can get used to it.
It can often help to think about yourself doing the thing that makes you nervous-then close your eyes and imagine it going well. Imagine how the flight or job interview is going to happen so that you can get used to it. This will help you understand that the thing you fear most is probably not going to happen. Who wrote this passage?
| A．A reporter. |
| B．A sportsman. |
| C．A patient. |
| D．A professor. |
The writer thinks there is no use worrying aboutsome causes of nervousness because _________.
| A．most are not very important |
| B．they are not the real causes of the problem |
| C．they cannot be controlled by people |
| D．it's better to deal with one cause at a time |
If swimming makes you nervous, what should youdo according to the writer?
| A．Go swimming often to get used to it. |
| B．Avoid going to the swimming pool. |
| C．Find a swimming teacher. |
| D．Imagine watching others swim. |
What is true about nervousness according to the passage?
| A．It usually has only one cause. |
| B．It is usually caused by people. |
| C．People can easily manage it. |
| D．Most people suffer from it. |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce the writer's sports experience. |
| B．To advise on how to deal with nervousness. |
| C．To help people remember their fears. |
| D．To explain the dangers of nervousness. |