Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedrooms TVs.
A second study, looking at nearly 1,000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year-olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don’t rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. Those with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2½ hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest, while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn’t have TVs in their bedrooms.
According to the California study, the low-scoring group might ______.
| A．have watched a lot of TV |
| B．not be interested in math |
| C．be unable to go to college |
| D．have had computers in their bedrooms |
What is the researchers’ understanding of the New Zealand study results?
| A．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. |
| B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest. |
| C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
| D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．More time should be spent on computers. |
| B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
| C．TV sets shouldn’t be allowed in children’s bedrooms. |
| D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done. |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Computers or Television |
| B．Effects of Television on Children |
| C．Studies on TV and College Education |
| D．Television and Children’s Learning Habits |
Headington Oxford Summer School welcomes all students throughout the world and provides a fantastic summer school experience. It is close enough to visit London, which is a beautiful city in its own right and also has a number of attractions nearby.
London:
A trip to the UK would not be complete without a visit to the capital city of London. During the ‘London Day’ all students will have a chance to see famous tourist attractions such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square. The students will also enjoy a boat trip on River Thames and a ride to the top of the Shard, an 87-storey building in London for a breathtaking view of the city. There will also be dinner in a London restaurant before heading back to the school.
Thorpe Park:
With over thirty extreme rides and attractions, and one of the world’s most terrifying roller coasters, enjoy an exciting day out at one of the nation’s most popular theme park
Bath:
Spend the day exploring this beautiful historic city with impressive architecture, including a visit to the famous Roman baths. Students also have the opportunity of a fantastic shopping experience in this famous market towns!
Thinktank Science Museum & Birmingham:
Spend the morning in the interactive state of the art science centre followed by an afternoon exploring Birmingham with time for shopping in the Bullring Shopping Centre.
Warwick & Stratford:
Visit one of medieval England’s most beautiful castles full of history, tales and adventure. Afterwards, enjoy exploring the picturesque streets of Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
Brighton:
This beautiful seaside town provides a fun-filled day out for all students. The day includes a visit to the Royal Pavilion and its museum as well as Brighton Pier and beach. There is also time for shopping in the famous Brighton Lanes before heading back to school.Where can you overlook the whole city when touring London?
| A．On top of the Shard | B．On River Thames |
| C．In a London restaurant | D．At the Houses of Parliament |
What can you do in both Bath and Thinktank Science Museum & Birmingham?
| A．Visiting art science centre |
| B．Doing some shopping |
| C．Experiencing roller coasters |
| D．Exploring historic architectures |
Where can you enjoy a lovely beach?
| A．London | B．Bath |
| C．Thorpe Park | D．Brighton |
A recent study on parents who beat their children indicated that physical punishment still occurs far more frequently than previously thought but that physical punishment was ineffective. Given that 73 percent of the children who were hit waited less than 10 minutes before acting out again.
So, what is?
Many parents deal with their children’s mistakes by taking away toys and separating them from their playmates. But for strong-willed kids like I was, none of these methods were effective.
Like many kids, I wasn’t bad; I was bored. Fortunately, my father realized this fairly early on and developed a new form of “discipline” that produced immediate results and long-term positive effects.
Looking back as an adult, my father’s method of making me read the encyclopedia (百科全书)whenever I did something wrong was the best thing he could have done.
He would tell me a topic and say, “Learn about the aardvark and I’m going to quiz you shortly after.” It was punishment in the sense that I was forced to stop whatever I was doing, but it also had a purpose in that it kept my mind occupied and presented the type of mental challenge I clearly lacked.
Although unwillingly, I went to learn absolutely everything there was to know about aardvarks because I was going to figure out every question he could throw at me. If it weren’t for my driving need to prove him wrong, it may not have worked as well as it did.
So that’s just it: It was effective. It helped me change my behavior in that moment and it conditioned me to seek out books when I was bored. Obviously, that happened frequently and apparently and it worked. I grew up to become a successful lawyer and a famous writer as well.
To this day, Dad’s the only one who can beat me.What is the probable main idea of Paragraph 1?
| A．It reports the result of a recent study about the encyclopedia. |
| B．Physical punishment is useless to deal with children. |
| C．Physical punishment only occurred previously. |
| D．73 percent of the children love physical punishment. |
Why do many kids frequently do what they’re not allowed to do according to
the author?
| A．Because they produce immediate results and long-term positive effects. |
| B．Because they prefer to break the “discipline” set by their parents. |
| C．Because they are always regarded as bad kids both at home. |
| D．Because they often find it’s dull in their everyday life. |
What was the author’s father method of punishing him for his mistakes?
| A．His father angrily took away his favourite toys. |
| B．His father separated him from his playmates. |
| C．His father forced him to do some reading and tested him later. |
| D．His father ordered him to learn about the aardvark and quizzed him shortly after. |
What can be inferred from this passage?
| A．Children who are mentally challenged are more likely to be successful. |
| B．Parents ought to develop a new form of discipline to educate their kids. |
| C．It’s absolutely necessary to punish strong-willed kids physically. |
| D．The stricter parents are, the few mistakes children will make. |
I went to a nearby car factory today with my uncle, who works there. One thing I noticed was that most of the work was done by robots. Welding (焊接), painting, testing and many other jobs are performed by robots. The whole dashboard (仪表板) is put into a car by a robot. It would have taken two men to do so in the past, and it would have hurt their backs quite a bit.
It got me thinking: Is it a good thing that robots are replacing factory workers? On the one hand, robots generally do a more accurate job than people. They are not likely to make many mistakes. If something goes wrong with one car, an alarm goes off. They do exactly the same thing every time, but a human worker is unable to do so. On the other hand, robots reduce costs for companies. Companies don’t have to pay robots wages or injury compensation (补偿) if they’re broken. If something in a robot does go wrong, it won’t have to take time off work for a year, or even forever, as could happen to a real person if he breaks his back or burns himself while welding.
The obvious downside is that robots increase unemployment rate, which in turn increases taxes. We don’t want to pay for those who are out of work just because a company has replaced them with robots.We can learn from the first paragraph that _______.
| A．all the workers have been replaced by robots |
| B．robots do most of the work in the car factory |
| C．there are no workers with back strain now |
| D．the author’s uncle designs robots in the factory |
The second paragraph is mainly about ________.
| A．the author’s experience in a car factory |
| B．the advantages of robots over human workers |
| C．the advantages of human workers over robots |
| D．the management of factory workers |
The underlined word “downside” in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．weakness | B．favor |
| C．assistance | D．Advantage |
It can be inferred from the passage that________.
| A．companies refuse to pay for workers. |
| B．robots have completely replaced workers. |
| C．robots can help solve the problem of unemployment. |
| D．people have to pay more taxes for unemployment. |
One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England，an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me. “This boy has lost his family，” he wrote. “He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I'm very worried about him. Can you help？”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn't have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met, David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon—in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?
“Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with，” I thought. “Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.” Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.
“It's your turn,” he said.
After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times, about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one—without any words—can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.When he first met the author, David ________．
| A．felt a little excited | B．walked energetically |
| C．looked a little nervous | D．showed up with his teacher |
As a psychologist, the author ________．
| A．was ready to listen to David |
| B．was skeptical about psychology |
| C．was able to describe David's problem |
| D．was sure of handling David's problem |
David enjoyed being with the author because he________．
| A．wanted to ask the author for advice |
| B．needed to share sorrow with the author |
| C．liked the children's drawings in the office |
| D．beat the author many times in the chess game |
What can be inferred about David?
| A．He recovered after months of treatment. |
| B．He liked biking before he lost his family. |
| C．He went into university soon after starting to talk. |
| D．He got friends in school before he met the author. |
Teaching is more than leadership. Some of the teacher’s time and effort is directed toward instruction, some toward evaluation. But it is the teacher as a group leader who creates an effective organizational structure (结构) and good working environment so that instruction and evaluation activities can take place. A group that is totally disorganized, unclear about its goals, or constantly fighting among its members will not be a good learning group. The leadership pattern includes helping to form and maintain a positive learning environment so that instruction and evaluation activities can take place.
On the first day of class, the teacher faces a room filled with individuals (个体). Perhaps a few closely united groups and friendships already exist. But there is no sense of group unity, no set of rules for conduct in the group, no feeling of belonging. If teachers are successful leaders, they will help students develop a system of relationships that encourages working together.
Standards and rules must be set to keep order, make sure of justice and protect individual rights, but do not contradict school policy. What happens when one student hurts another’s individual rights? Without clear regulations agreeable to the students and teachers, the classroom can become chaotic. Students may break rules they did not know existed. If standards are set without participation from the class, students may spend a great deal of creative energy in destroying the class environment or finding ways to break rules.
No matter how skillful the teacher is in uniting students and creating a positive atmosphere, the task is never complete. Regular maintenance is necessary. Conflicts arise. The needs of individual members change. A new kind of learning task requires a new organizational structure. Sometimes outside pressures such as holidays, upcoming tests or sport competitions, or family troubles cause stress in the classroom. One task for the teacher is to recreate a positive environment by helping students deal with conflict, change, and stress.The underlined word “maintain” in Para.1 probably means_______.
| A．conserve | B．build | C．recreate | D．evaluate |
According to the author, the teacher should _______.
| A．free students from outside pressures |
| B．set the standards and rules on his own |
| C．be responsible for a well-organized class |
| D．focus more on instruction and evaluation |
From the passage we can learn that ______.
| A．rules cannot be changed once they’re formed |
| B．outside pressures may not cause tension among students |
| C．if the teacher well unites his students, he then will finish his task |
| D．if rules are not acceptable both to students and teachers, the classroom can be a mess |
What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To provide information for teaching. |
| B．To show the importance of teaching a class. |
| C．To study the teacher’s behavior in the classroom. |
| D．To compare the teacher’s behavior with the students’ in class. |