Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history. ”Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because
A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B. it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C. it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3. Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4. What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: Seize the moment. Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet. Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too strict to depart from their routine.
I can't count the times I called my sister and said,“How about going to lunch in half an hour?” She would gasp and stammer(结结巴巴地说), “I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain.”And my personal favorite response:“It's just Monday.”She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
Life has a way of going faster as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises made to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all have to show for our lives is repetition of “I'm going to”,“I plan on” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”
When anyone calls my“seize the moment” friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to, not something on your SHOULD DO list.The example of the writer's sister serves as__________.
| A．an argument | B．an introduction | C．a support | D．a conclusion |
The writer thinks that the underlined excuse “It's just Monday.”is acceptable, because __________.
| A．it is still likely that they can have lunch together some time later |
| B．it sounds most reasonable of all the excuses. |
| C．it shows respect for the writer's suggestion |
| D．it indicates the time when they can have lunch together |
The underlined word “contagious” in the fourth paragraph means “_________”.
| A．appropriate | B．influential | C．practical | D．evident |
What is the purpose of the writer by writing this passage?
| A．To suggest how time flies. |
| B．To persuade busy people to relax. |
| C．To advise people to keep their promise. |
| D．To convince readers to be flexible on their schedule for practical joy. |
Every spring scores of people flock to the Buzzard Festival at Hinckley, Ohio. They come to watch for buzzards. Most would be glad just to take a look at a buzzard. If they do see one of these" flying garbage cans", it will probably be circling high in the sky. From there it can watch the ground for signs of the waste and the dead animals on which it feeds.
The buzzard is the ugliest bird in the United States. In fact, it may well be the ugliest bird in the world. It has a small, bare, pink head. Its thick body is covered with dark, rough feathers.
In spite of its looks, the buzzard is important to the people of Hinckley. It is their first sign of spring. After a winter in the south, buzzards return to their homes in the north. In the Hinckley area, they always return on March 15. No one knows why. But they have come back to Hinckley Ridge on that day, sure as clocks work, for at least forty years.
The excitement starts in February. By the middle of March it has reached a high peak. Bets are placed. Prizes go to the person who sees the first buzzard. Radio stations and newspapers tell of the coming festival. And on the weekend after March 15 the people of Hinckley hold their Buzzard Festival.
The people come and look around. They chat. They eat their fill of pancakes and sausages. Then they drive past Buzzard's Roost on Hinckley Ridge.
A lot of them stop near the road at the stand set up to give information to visitors. There they can hear, from a recording, the main facts about the buzzard. They can see a stuffed buzzard. They can look at some pictures taken of buzzards in other years. With good luck and a strong pair of field glasses, they may sight one or two live buzzards high in the sky.
Buzzards may be ugly. They may be "flying garbage cans". But in Hinckley they are just as welcome as the swallows in Capistrano, California. It would be a sad spring indeed if the buzzards ever failed to come back to Hinckley Ridge. A good title for this story would be __________.
| A．The Hinckley Buzzard Festival |
| B．Buzzard, the Ugliest Bird |
| C．Why the Buzzard Has a Pink Head |
| D．The Return of“The Garbage Can" |
The buzzard is called the "flying garbage can" because it __________.
| A．is ugly | B．eats waste and dead animals |
| C．looks like a garbage can | D．collect rubbish on the ground |
The surprising thing about Hinckley's buzzards is that＿.
| A．they spend the winter in the south |
| B．they come very close to the town |
| C．they return on the same day each year |
| D．both buzzards and swallows return to Capistrano on March 15 |
At the information stand, visitors to Hinckley's Buzzard Festival can _________.
| A．learn some facts about the buzzard |
| B．easily see a live buzzard |
| C．take some pictures with the background of live buzzards |
| D．feed their fill of pancakes and sausages to buzzards |
The new mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, is a man of the people, ready to listen to their problems, but only until 6 p.m. Then he has to do his homework. Michael Sessions, 18, beat former mayor Douglas Ingles, 51, by just two votes and became the new mayor of Hillsdale. He is America's youngest mayor.
As Sessions was too young to enter the election in the spring of 2005, he registered- to vote on Sept. 22, one day after his 18-year-old birthday. The day after that he started his write-in campaign, which means he should persuade voters to remember his name and write it by hand on the voting ballots（选票）.
To help get his name known, Sessions earned＄700 by selling apples over the summer. He spent the money on posters and put them on the Hillsdale's lawns.
Sessions' month-long campaign included going door to door, explaining his ideas of the town's future in the kitchens of his neighbors. "They'd look at me, and say‘How old are you again? How much experience do you have?'And I say‘I'm still in high school', "he said. Sessions promised Hillsdale's voters he would renew local economy. “I was hopeful the whole time, ”he explained. One day he spent so long out on the streets knocking on the doors that he ended up in a hospital emergency room.
Sessions said that his schoolwork will not get in the way of his job as a mayor. “From 7:50 a.m. to 2:30p.m., I'11 be a student. From 3 to 6, I'11 be the mayor of Hillsdale," he said.
“He did a very brave thing that couldn't have been easy for him to do, "said Jack Vettel, a councilman in Hillsdale, a city of 8,200 about 75 miles southwest of Detroit. "He does care about this town. He's been here all his life. ”
Sessions will receive＄3, 600 a year during his four-year term, and will work out of his bedroom since the town does not provide the mayor with an office. What is TRUE of Sessions' election campaign according to the text?
| A．Sessions launched his election campaign on Sept. 22. |
| B．Sessions worked so hard that he once tried to persuade people in a hospital. |
| C．Sessions won the election campaign by a very close outcome. |
| D．Sessions felt disappointed when asked about his age and experience. |
In order to gain more support from the voters Sessions had to do all these things EXCEPT＿.
| A．put up posters' | B．renew the economy |
| C．sell apples | D．talk to neighbors in kitchens |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．American mayors usually work from 3 p. m. to 6 p. m. |
| B．In America, young people are encouraged to get involved in politics. |
| C．All teenagers are allowed to enter political elections. |
| D．American mayors receive a salary of 3, 600 a year during their 4-year term. |
Which of the following would best summarize the text?
| A．Schoolboy becomes American's youngest mayor. |
| B．How to become a teenage mayor. |
| C．Hard work is the ticket to success. |
| D．Never too young to shake the world. |
Jealousy is a very common problem in daily life. It’s everywhere. For example, if someone does better than you, you will get annoyed because you want to be No. 1. We may become jealous of a best friend’s top marks in an exam, or of the girl in art class who is praised by the teacher all the time. We get annoyed because these good things are happening to someone else but not to us.
It’s bad to feel jealous. We should be pleased with the things we have. But we still wish we had the money of this person and the talent of that person. Instead of sharing their happiness, we just feel jealous and unhappy with ourselves. And, too often, these feelings are expressed by speaking ill of the people we envy.
However, envy is also a kind of compliment to others. We see that other people have styles and talents different from our own. By comparing ourselves with others, we can know what we lack. And we can turn this comparison, the envy of others, into a kind of power.
Therefore, being a bit jealous of others lets us know what we are like and what we want to be like. It can push us to become what we really want to be.
根据短文内容，从A、B、C、D四个选项中选出能回答所提问题或完成所给句子的最佳答案。According to the first paragraph, why do you get annoyed?
| A．Because the teacher dislikes others. |
| B．Because others do something better than you. |
| C．Because you are an annoying person. |
| D．Because you want to be No.1 in the exam and you do. |
The Chinese meaning of the underlined part “speaking ill of” probably is “_____".
| A．赞美 | B．说…的坏话 | C．憎恨 | D．说…病了 |
What should be the right attitude towards jealousy?
| A．It’s a good thing. |
| B．It’s just a bad thing. |
| C．It’s a kind of compliment to others. |
| D．It makes us know what we are like and what we want to be like. |
Some time ago , I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg ．I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended , as there were a whole lot of antique shops near my home ．So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me ．I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception．I was quite wrong ．The man wouldn’t even look at my chair ．
The second shop , though slightly more polite , was just the same , and the third, and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong ．
I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind ．I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper , “ Would you like to buy a chair ?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes , not a bad chair ．How much do you want for it , sir ?” “Twenty pounds ,” I said ．“OK ,” he said , “I’ll give you twenty pounds ．” “It’s got a slightly broken leg ,”I said ．“Yes I saw that , it’s nothing ．”
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited ．“What will you do with it ?” I asked ．“Oh , it will be easy to sell once the repair is done ．” “I’ll buy it ,” I said ．“ What do you mean ? You’ve just sold it to me ,” he said ． “Yes , I know but I’ve changed my mind ．I’m sorry , I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it ．” “You must be crazy ,” he said．Then suddenly the penny dropped ．“ I know what you want ．You want me to repair your chair．” “ You’re right ,” I said ．“ And what would you have done if I had walked in and said , ‘ Would you mend this chair for me’ ?” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it ,” he said ．“We don’t do repairs , not enough money in it and too much trouble ．But I’ll mend this for you , shall we say for a five?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused （感到有趣） by the whole thing ．We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer ．
| A．was rather impolite |
| B．was warmly received |
| C．asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair |
| D．asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair |
The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper ．
| A．changed his mind | B．accepted the offer |
| C．saw the writer’s purpose | D．decided to help the writer |
How much did the writer pay ?
| A．£5． | B．£7 | C．£20． | D．£27． |
From the text , we can learn that the writer was
| A．honest | B．careful | C．smart | D．funny |