One year ago, when Fiona turned four, Sam and I decided to home-school her instead of sending her to pre-school.I have always felt that the 0-5 years are an irreplaceable dreamtime.As Fiona is an inventive, observant child, sensitive and funny and great company, it would be a tragedy to find school rubbing away her uniqueness and restricting the building of her personality.
I tried not to reproduce school at home.I never had the urge to get a chalk, or a blackboard.I didn’t go and search out a curriculum(课程表).I felt that my children would learn best if I stayed accessible (易接近的)and stayed out of their way.
Every day we worked some, relaxed some, read some and played some, but Fiona did not seem particularly happy here.She lost her temper once in a while.
How strange it was that my child who was free from school didn’t want to be free at all.Her friends all went to pre-school.She felt left out of a major part of her friends’ shared lives and experiences.I thought she was not in school for very strong, clear reasons, one of which was that the quality of learning my child did at home would be good, even better than expected.
Well, here was a situation I hadn’t expected.When we first decided to do this, Sam and I agreed that we would reassess(再评价)the situation for each child as she turned seven.Meanwhile we would offer her non-school-based opportunities to give her plenty of time with other kids-ballet lessons and swimming classes.She seemed to be enjoying all.But at times she kept asking when she was going to school.Whenever she asked this question, we told her that there would be a family meeting about it when she turned seven.She nearly always responded, “That’s when I’m going to go, then.” A fair amount of her curiosity was about school and I was afraid she was dreaming of going to school before she turned seven.
Although the advantages of home-schooling, I think, far outweigh its disadvantages, it is important for me to respect my daughter’s feelings and allow her to direct her own education.If her curiosity leads her to school, isn’t that where she should go?
Next week I’ll drive Fiona to her school.I hope that Fiona will learn to read and discover something wonderful to pursue in the world that opens up for her.I hope she will find the school activities provide her with satisfactory kid-time.
1.The writer decided to home-school her daughter, Fiona, because she thought________.
A.children aged 0-5 were too young to go to pre-school
B.Fiona may not be accepted by schools for her bad temper
C.home-schooling was much better than school education
D.children at Fiona’s age were too young to have their characters formed by school
2.In home schooling her daughter the writer tried to_______.
A.make her home just like a school
B.teach with a pointer, a piece of chalk, and a blackboard
C.be there when her child wanted her but tried not to stand in her way
D.teach according to a curriculum, which was suitable for Fiona
3.What was the writer’s biggest problem in home schooling her daughter?
A.She couldn’t decide what to teach and how to teach her daughter
B.She was not sure whether her teaching was suitable for Fiona.
C.She could not make Fiona give up the thought of going to school.
D.She didn’t know how to control Fiona’s temper
4.We can learn from the text that_______.
A.Fiona always acted against her mother’s instructions
B.it was against Fiona’s wish that she was educated at home
C.home-schooling was popular some years ago
D.Fiona’s parents would ask her opinions about school education
C
Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.
On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. “It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one,” said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.
The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the “Flower portrait”— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.
“We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays,” Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.
The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“There have always been questions about the painting,” said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. “Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture.”
Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation and the results will come out later this month.________.What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?
A.It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609. |
B.The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake. |
C.Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one. |
D.It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840. |
Which statement is True according to the passage?
A.Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable. |
B.“Flower portrait” was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower. |
C.1814 might be when the portrait was drawn. |
D.The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play. |
How many methods were used to test the portrait?
A.Not mentioned. |
B.Two |
C.Three |
D.At least four. |
The best title for this passage is ________.
A.Birthdays often involve surprises |
B.The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare |
C.One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake |
D.How can we know Shakespeare's appearance? |
Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?
A.Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable. |
B.Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare. |
C.If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more. |
D.For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery. |
B
The Hunan Satellite TV(HNTV) show “Where are we going, Dad?” is a big hit. Many famous stars brought their children to a strange village alone, and they had to spend 72 hours with their children there. The program fully showed us a modern version of the “how to be a good father”. As the young parents today are too busy to take care of their children, this new form of “Lost on the way” played by nanny Daddy and cute kids triggered(触发)a lot of people’s emotional resonance(共鸣). Both the kids and their parents will find that their hearts are being drawn closer. But this kind of feeling has just proved that there is a big spiritual barrier between the modern parents and children.
The TV shows like “Children are hard to support!”, “Where are we going, Dad?”, “hot mom” and “cute kids” are becoming more and more popular. All of these show the new parents’ confusion in children’s education and the appeal for the balance between career and family.
In real life, on the one hand the young parents feel helpless because they are too busy to accompany their children under the pressures of work and life; on the other hand they continue to do so. The data collected by HNTV shows that nearly two-thirds of their audience are female, among whom 36% are aged from 25 to 34.We can imagine such a scene that one evening a young mother is watching the show with her young children, while her husband is still at work or trapped in socializing, or maybe is just playing computer games in the bedroom. The story of a child without the company of father is still going on. In fact, it is sometimes the same to mothers. In a modern family, it is often the old who take the responsibility of raising a child. The participation of mother in the children’s education is also very low.
It is just this kind of confusion where the parents have gone in the modern family education, and where the parents will guide their children to go that “Where are we going,Dad?” shows us. If a child wants to grow up healthily and safely into a modern citizen with independent personality and free spirit, it is very important for him or her to follow the parents who serve as their first teacher. Maybe this is the real reason why such kind of TV programs could get hot. The truth is that children will go where their parents go; and society will go where the children go.In raising a child in modern society, parents should ________.
A.play computer games with their children |
B.keep their children at home to avoid socializing |
C.balance well between family and career |
D.break down the barrier between children and teachers |
Which of the following can be inferred in the passage?
A.Parents shouldn’t entirely leave the education of children to the old. |
B.36% of the audience of the program are female aged from 25-34. |
C.The program shows us the confusion where the parents and children will go to play. |
D.In a modern family it is often mothers who are responsible for raising a child. |
Which one is the best title of the passage?
A.Confusion Behind “Where are we going, dad?” |
B.Modern Education is Important |
C.Nanny Daddy and Cute Kids |
D.New problems in Modern Children’s Education |
What attitude towards modern family education does the author express in the second paragraph?
A.Proud. | B.Worried. |
C.Optimistic. | D.Indifferent. |
A
Here are a few tips to help you, the workaholic, re-focus and get the best out of life.
EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP! Make it a point to get at least eight hours of sleep and plenty of rest. Don't believe that you can always "catch some sleep or rest later." Your body cannot make up for lost sleep or rest time because it is not physiologically possible.
STRICTLY FAMILY ON WEEKENDS! Resolve to make Saturdays and Sundays strictly for family time. And stick to this! Mondays until Fridays you make an excuse not to relax and spend time with your family because it's work time, why not make a similar excuse for Saturdays and Sundays? "I can't work today because I'm spending time with my family."
GET SOME FOOD IN! Make sure you get food in your stomach. Workaholics are known to be food-skippers. If you can't afford to get off your desk or from doing paperwork, have food delivered to you. It's always a good idea if you have crackers on your drawer to ease the hunger pangs.
CONFINE WORK! Resolve to confine work in your office. Don't bring work to your home! Keep those files in your office desk where they belong. Practice working only within your working hours. If you have an eight-to-five working schedule, stick to it.
WORK UP THOSE MUSCLES! Exercise, exercise, exercise! Set aside at least an hour each day or every other day for exercise. You body needs to be conditioned, and working non-stop isn't going to give it the proper physical conditioning it needs. Since most workaholics tend to have their behinds stuck on their chairs, it's even more important that you get some exercise.
MAKE A PLAN! Plan your day. Work on only one or two things at a time. It's much easier to work on something and finish it first and then move on to the next rather than do a number of things all at the same time and never finish or accomplish anything at the end of the day. Make out a list of priorities. Write down things that need to be worked on immediately or are urgent, keeping the least ones at the bottom of your list. After you've done this, be guided by this list. Turning this activity into a habit will also help you manage your time better, be more organized, and accomplish more. The passage is intended for ________.
A.those who are hardworking |
B.those who consider work the center of their life |
C.those who keep themselves healthy and alive |
D.those who live a busy, successful and happy life |
According to the passage, which of the following is not mentioned as a practical tip for a
workaholic?
A.Don’t be food-skippers |
B.Don’t have your behinds stuck on your chairs |
C.Make up for lost sleep whenever possible |
D.Make sure of time available for your family |
By making a plan, the author mean ________.
A.working on only one or two things each day |
B.finishing a number of things at once |
C.organizing your time and finishing urgent things first |
D.accomplishing as much work as possible at any given moment |
The underlined word “confine” in paragraph 5 possibly means ________.
A.give up | B.start |
C.practice | D.restrict |
If there were one more tip, it could be ________.
A.WORK TO LIVE |
B.LIVE TO WORK |
C.MAKE WORK YOUR LIFE |
D.STOP TO ENJOY WORKING |
C
Chinese media and Internet users on Monday condemned(谴责) lack of morals in society after a toddler(学步的幼儿) was struck twice –by two different vans-and left bleeding on the road as more than a dozen bystanders did nothing to help the seriously injured girl.
The incident, captured by a surveillance camera and broadcast by Southern Television Guangdong (TVS),showed the two-year-old girl was knocked down and run over by a white van on a narrow market street on the afternoon of Oct.13, in Foshan City of Guangdong Province.
The driver fled the scene of the accident,leaving the girl to bleed on the sidewalk.Over the next six minutes,more than a dozen people walked by the girl,yet not one individual did anything to help her.The girl was then hit a second time by another van before an elderly trash collector came to her aid and brought the attention of the girl’s mother, according to the video and eyewitnesses.
Doctors said that the girl, who was put on life support after being hospitalized,remains in a deep coma.The girl’s parents,who are migrants living in the city,are now with her.
Police said the drivers of both vehicles have been arrested.However,the apathy of the bystanders shown in the video has shocked the public,as Internet forums have seethed with anger, and people are questioning the morality of society.
High moral standards were once triumphed as national pride in China where individuals known for selflessly helping others were adored by the public.
But in recent years,the perception(观念)of a decline of morals has become a hot topic as profit and materialism are perceived to be affecting society’s values.
On Sept.2 an 88-year-old man in central China collapsed,his face striking the pavement.Yet,no one came to his aid, and he ended up choking to death on the blood from his nose.
Some have linked the absence of good Samaritans (模范人物)to a previous case in which a man trying to help an elderly woman who fell was accused of harming her.
A strong chorus of opinion on the Internet says laws should exempt(免除)Samaritans from liability(责任), yet laws themselves cannot solve society’s morality dilemma.
Cao Lin, a China Youth Daily commentator,said in a signed article published on Monday that the worry of liability should not be an excuse for not helping, and this case exposes the decline of humanity in Chinese society.According to the passage,what would happen if someone helped others selflessly in the past?
A.He/ she would be condemned by the public. |
B.He/ she would be awarded by the government. |
C.He/ she would have to worry about liability. |
D.The public would feel proud of him/ her and thus showed love and respect for him/ her |
Which of the following is TRUE about this passage?
A.Nobody helped the girl who was struck twice by two different vans. |
B.The toddler died immediately after she was hit a second time. |
C.High moral standards were once regarded as national pride in China. |
D.Journalists from TVS captured the incident by using a camera. |
In recent years,society’s values is believed to be affected by.
A.profit and materialism |
B.people’s perceptions |
C.the apathy of bystanders |
D.the morals of society |
According to Cao Lin,what is the fundamental reason for not helping the girl?
A.The worry of liability. |
B.Lack of laws that exempt Samaritans from liability. |
C.The decline of humanity in society. |
D.The fear of being accused of harming her. |
Where is the article most probably taken from?
A.A fashion magazine. |
B.A news report. |
C.A science fiction. |
D.An education column. |
B
The image of a veiled(用面纱遮盖)bride walking down the aisle on her father's arm could become a thing of the past as a growing trend for 'feminist(女权主义者) weddings' has been detected among modern brides to be.
Doing away with the engagement ring, choosing not to be 'given away like property' and wearing a colour other than white are key themes gaining traction(牵引力) in the feminist wedding trend.
The findings, revealed in a survey of 200 brides to be, revealed that almost a quarter of women planned on keeping their maiden name after marriage, while one in 10 were planning to wear a colour other than white on their wedding day.
Traditions such as the wearing of an engagement ring are also increasingly being rejected by brides who feel it is anti-feminist - with such an obvious token(记号) to be worn on the finger marking the woman in question as 'taken'.
However, while there is undoubtedly a stirring among young brides to be, parents can take comfort in the fact that while some women are beginning to push back against the patriarchy(家长制), the majority are still keen to uphold certain traditions, with 76 per cent of brides saying they really would like their father to walk them down the aisle.
Elki Parmar of Wedding Days.co.uk, who conducted the survey, said: “Some of the brides we have spoken to are doing things that they feel make their wedding more 'feminist'. That could be reflected by deciding not be given away, the idea being that one of the connotations of this tradition is that the woman is property to be given away. Other brides are choosing not to wear white on their wedding day as a woman’s white wedding dress traditionally carries connotations (含义)of virginal innocence whereas what the groom wears on his wedding day is not perceived(意识到) to be symbolic, creating somewhat of an imbalance from some feminist perspectives”.Which of the following is not the symbol of traditional wedding?
A.The bride wears bridal veil. |
B.The bride walks down the aisle on her father’s arm. |
C.The bride wears the engagement ring. |
D.The bride wears a color other than white. |
Why do the brides reject to wear an engagement ring according to the passage?
A.Because it is too cheap. |
B.Because it is not made of gold. |
C.Because they don’t want to marry their husband. |
D.Because it makes the women I question as “taken”. |
What can we learn from the survey in Paragraph 2?
A.More than 200 brides were investigated. |
B.Half of the brides won’t change their last name after marriage to their husband. |
C.10% of them prefer to wear a color other than white on their wedding day. |
D.No one wants to wear an engagement ring. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.The tendency mentioned in the passage is becoming more and more popular. |
B.Some women are beginning to push back against their parents. |
C.The majority of brides don’t like their father to walk them down the aisle. |
D.Some brides regard wearing white on their wedding day as a symbol of unequal between men and women. |