Many people have described television as a passive activity that is harmful to children’s education. However, there are good and bad ways to watch television. Parents who are interested in exploiting television as a learning tool can actually turn time in front of TV into an educational chance.
Probably the most familiar educational way to use television is to simply watch educational programs. In particular, this means selecting channels and programs specially designed for educational purposes. Along with traditional educational shows for children on public broadcasting channels, cable television (有线电视) now offers kids and adults a wide variety of educational programs, with everything from nature shows to historical events in different countries.
Captioning(字幕），such as "closed captioning" for hearing disabled viewers provides another way for parents to exploit the educational possibilities of television．One study showed that children who watched captioned TV got great improvement in their vocabulary and oral reading ability. In addition, parents can make any show a learning class by watching television together with children. By actively joining children in the programs that they are watching, parents can help with the development of such skills as predicting（预见）and summarizing. In order to develop predicting skills, parents and children could first refer to a program’s description in a viewing guide．After reading the program description and guessing what might happen in the program, parents and children could watch together to see which predictions were correct. And to practice summarizing, after watching a program, parents can turn off the TV and ask what the story was about. This kind of activity helps children develop thinking skills such as arranging events in an order and memorizing information．
Although there will still be plenty of times when children watch TV simply for passive enjoyment, parents can help make at least part of their children’s viewing time a more productive activity．Used intelligently by exploiting the learning chances available through various programs, television can play an instructive role in children’s education.Which activity is NOT suggested in the passage？
| A．Talking about TV shows. | B．Watching captions on TV. |
| C．Enjoying films about nature. | D．Watching shows for homework. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage？
| A．Parents can simply make any show a learning class for their children． |
| B．To make watching TV a more productive activity parents should include themselves in the producing process. |
| C．Most parents have changed their attitude to their kids’ watching TV and become positive to the problem. |
| D．In a way, it is how parents act that leads to whether watching TV may do good or not to their children. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that ．
| A．not every minute when a child watches television must be educational |
| B．children should not use television for passive enjoyment |
| C．some children prefer reading to watching television |
| D．television offers more learning chances than school |
Which of the following questions is the major one discussed in the passage?
| A．What makes television more interesting than books? |
| B．Why should schools put television into classrooms? |
| C．How can parents use television as a teaching tool？ |
| D．Which program can actually make kids smarter? |
On the River Thames there are a number of boat races every year and these have become very popular with the public. Perhaps the best–known of these races is the University Boat Race. This takes place just before Easter every year and is a competition between teams from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. They row from Putney to Mertlake, a distance of about four and a quarter miles. This race has been taking place almost every year since 1829. The best – known of these races is __________.
| A．the Boat Race of the University of Oxford. |
| B．the Boat Race of the University of Cambridge |
| C．the Boat Race of the Olympic Games |
| D．the University Boat Race |
Generally, the Boat Race takes place _________.
| A．once a year | B．twice a year |
| C．every three years | D．every other year |
The words “Putney” and “Mertlake” are _________.
| A．names of places | B．names of teams |
| C．names of boat races | D．names of universities |
Most British people prefer to live in a house rather than a flat and one of the reasons is that houses usually have gardens. The garden is a place where people can be outside and yet private.
If a house has a front and back garden, the front is likely to be formal(正规的) and decorative(装饰性的), with a lawn (an area of grass) or fancy flower borders. The back garden usually also has a lawn and flower beds, and sometimes a vegetable plot(菜地) fruit trees. There’s often a bird table, on which food is put for birds, and a small simple house in which garden tools are kept.
Many British people spend quite a lot of money on their gardens and even the smallest may contain different kinds of flowers and plants. For them gardening is a hobby and they take pride in their gardens. Some towns and villages have competitions for the best-kept small garden. People with a small garden, or no garden at all, can rent a piece of land, on which most grow vegetables.
There are garden centers near most towns, selling everything a gardener might need, from flower pots to fish ponds as well as many types of plants.
The British interest in gardening affects the appearance of whole towns. Public parks and some roads often have bright displays of flowers in summer and public buildings have windows boxes(窗口花坛) and hanging baskets. Towns and villages enter for the Britain in Bloom competition every year. According to paragraph 2, a back garden _________.
| A．is also formal |
| B．has flower beds |
| C．doesn’t have a lawn |
| D．has beautiful flower borders |
What do we know about garden centers?
| A．They are in the centre of the town. |
| B．Each town has a garden center. |
| C．Gardeners can buy tools there. |
| D．They have gardens for rent. |
From the last paragraph we know that _________.
| A．gardening improves the appearance of British towns |
| B．British parks are full of flowers all year round |
| C．the British interest in gardening is decreasing |
| D．Britain in Bloom is a worldwide competition |
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Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound.
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Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone. You can most probably read the passage in a ___________.
| A．news story | B．travel guide |
| C．newspaper | D．telephone book |
How much money can you save if you want to buy a medical book?
| A．$6.46. | B．$l0.20. | C．$l3.96. | D．$l0.04. |
Which of the following can you afford if you have only $10?
| A．Off the Beaten Path |
| B．Container Gardens by Number |
| C．l80l Home Remedies |
| D．Best Weekend Projects |
The author writes the passage in order to ___________.
| A．persuade readers to buy the books |
| B．encourage readers to read more about medicine |
| C．introduce the books to readers |
| D．develop people’s reading habit |
Some people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you have known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once we know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they’ll help you put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, “At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It’s a common question, but it will get things going.” From there you can move on to other matters--sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
In addition, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen to the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn’t. Your questions should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.
Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he’s really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to tones of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then, it’s time for you to change the subject.
Last but not least, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you’re saying good-bye, you may give him a firm handshake and say, “I’ve really enjoyed meeting you.” If you want to see that person again, don’t keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they’ve known you half their life. Which of the following is NOT the reason why good talkers ask questions?
| A．To get the conversation going smoothly. |
| B．To continue the conversation with other matters. |
| C．To make more new friends. |
| D．To know how far the conversation can go. |
How many skills does the author give us to be good talkers?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
In general, good talkers are persons who __________.
| A．can keep the conversation interesting |
| B．never talk too much or too little |
| C．always keep the conversation a secret |
| D．can change the topic of the conversation properly |
If you are willing to meet someone again, __________.
| A．you’d better let him know it |
| B．you’d better shake his hand firmly |
| C．you’d better keep it a secret |
| D．you’d better understand him further |
Two good friends, Sam and Jason, met with a car accident on their way home one night. The next morning, Sam woke up blind. His legs were broken. The doctor, Mr Lee was standing by his bed, looking at him with a thoughtful expression. When he saw Sam awake, he asked, “How are you feeling, Sam?” Sam smiled and said, “Not bad, Doctor. Thank you for doing the operation.” Mr Lee was moved by Sam. When he was leaving, Sam said, “Please don’t tell Jason about it.” “... OK.” Mr Lee replied.
Months later when Jason’s wounds (伤) healed, Sam was still very weak. Neither could he see or walk. What he could do was just stay in his wheelchair all day long. At first, Jason stayed with him for a few days. But days later, Jason felt very discouraged and embarrassed to spend time staying with a disabled man like Sam. So he went to see Sam less and less. He made new friends. From then on, he didn’t go to visit Sam any more. Sam didn’t have any family or friends other than Jason. He felt very sad.
Things went from bad to worse. Sam died a year later. When Jason came, Mr Lee gave a letter to him. It was from Sam. In the letter Sam said, “Dear Jason, I am disabled. But I want you to be a healthy man. So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man. Now you have new friends. I’m glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual. I’m glad you live a happy life. You are always my best friend ... ... Sam”. When he finished reading the letter , Mr Lee said, “I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone. Now you know it.” Jason stood there. Tears ran down his face. Why did Sam thanked the doctor?
| A．Because the doctor was very friendly to him. |
| B．Because the doctor took good care of him. |
| C．Because the doctor saved his eyes. |
| D．Because the doctor kept the secret for him. |
Which of the following happened according to the order of time?
a. Jason felt very discouraged to stay with Sam.
b. Jason lost his eyes in an accident.
c. Sam donated his eyes to Jason.
d. Jason didn’t go to visit Sam any more.
e. Sam died and Jason knew the truth.
| A．dacbe | B．dcbea | C．bcade | D．bcdae |
The underlined word “healed” in the second paragraph is closest in the meaning to “__________”.
| A．recovered | B．hurt | C．failed | D．disappeared |
It can be inferred from the passage that Sam was__________.
| A．kind-hearted and helpful |
| B．discouraged and outgoing |
| C．optimistic and humorous |
| D．enthusiastic and curious |