Do you dream of being a reporter or an editor? Are you a good writer who loves the news? If so, then you may have what it takes to be a winner in the TFK Kid Reporter Talent Search.
We’re looking for 12 students from around the nation to be members of the TFK Kid Reporter Team for the 2008-2009 school year. Next year’s team will continue the tradition of reporting local and regional news stories for TIME FOR KIDS magazine and TIME FOR KIDS online.
Professional(职业的)journalists from TIME magazine and TIME FOR KIDS will select this exclusive team. In the past, TFK kid Reporters have
★ Interviewed national leaders, celebrities and other newsmakers.
★ Written news stories, reviews and opinion pieces for TIME FOR KIDS.
★ Appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Today and The Tonight Show with another famous kid Jay Leno to talk about their work.
How to Enter
Get the official rules at time for kids. com/contest.
Entries must be postmarked by Dec. 20, 2008. Good luck!This ad is written for ___________________.
A.professional reporters and editors |
B.student reporters and editors |
C.kids who are interested in politics |
D.kids who love to write news |
If you want to become a TFK Kid reporter, you must _________________.
A.write news stories for local newspapers |
B.sign up through TFK’s official website |
C.post your entries before Dec 20, 2008 |
D.know a lot about the newspaper and its style |
Winners of the talent search will be able to do all the following EXECPT _____.
A.write reports on celebrities and other newsmakers |
B.become a professional journalist for TIME magazine |
C.write down their opinions for TIME FOR KIDS |
D.share their working experiences with other kids on famous media |
2.26-meter-tall Yao Ming made his NBA debut (初次登台) on October 23, 2002 and got 6 points for the Houston Rockets in the game. The next day, he got 13 points in another game.
Most people think that Yao Ming is a born basketball player. But Yao said, "When you watch it on TV, it looks very easy. But when you are playing in the NBA, it is really not so easy." He said that joining the Houston Rockets was a new start and a new challenge. "I hope that through very hard work I can make everyone happy and help the Rockets win more games," he said.Yao Ming speaks some English. Both he and his teammates can understand each other. They don't think there is a language problem. While Yao Ming faces this new challenge, the people of Houston have shown great interest in him and they hope Yao Ming will bring new energy to the Rockets. The team has started having lessons to learn more about China, and many people who work for the Rockets have learned to speak some Chinese. Yao Ming got 13 points on October _____, 2002.
A.22 | B.23 | C.24 | D.26 |
Yao Ming said that _____.
A.playing in the NBA was difficult |
B.it was hard to watch NBA games on TV |
C.he was an NBA star |
D.it was boring to play basketball |
From the passage we can know that Yao Ming ________.
A.will work hard for his team |
B.made the highest score in his first NBA game |
C.can't understand his teammates |
D.teaches the Rockets workers Chinese himself |
The passage is probably ______.
A.an advertisement | B.a notice |
C.a news report | D.an instruction |
A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor (售票员)hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior(行为) , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap(大腿) interrupted, "I know his name. I call him Dad."The passengers were ________ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.
A.excited | B.pleased | C.interested | D.surprised |
One passenger suggested writing a letter to the company to ______ .
A.make a demand for more buses |
B.thank the conductor for his good service |
C.criticize the conductor for his rude behavior |
D.invite a newspaper reporter to write about the conductor |
The word "he" in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A.the gentleman | B.the conductor |
C.the middle-aged man | D.the three-year-old child |
It is clear from the story that the conductor _______.
A.has changed his attitude towards his work |
B.has now been kind and polite to all passengers |
C.has not changed his rude behavior to passengers |
D.has now been kind and polite to women with children |
A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective(低成本的). You don’t have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely eliminated. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy(经济)by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.For what purpose is the text written?
A.To introduce the general information of staycatons. |
B.To compare staycatons with other vacations. |
C.To persuade more people to have staycations. |
D.To provide different ways of staycations. |
What is one of the advantages of a staycation?
A.The economy in other cities is also improved. |
B.People spend nothing when staying at home. |
C.You can visit local attractions for free. |
D.There is no stress from traveling. |
What does the underlined word “eliminated” in Paragraph 5 probably means?
A.included | B.removed |
C.covered | D.raised |
What will probably be discussed in the following paragraph?
A.When to take a staycation. | B.What disadvantages a staycation has. |
C.Why people prefer a staycation. | D.How to have a staycation safely. |
Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters
Among the dead in South Asia’ s tsunami(海啸)were many tourists at Sri Lanka’ s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound(次声). Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration(震动). The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints(关节), which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?
A.Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound. |
B.Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park. |
C.Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings. |
D.Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away. |
Which of the statements about “Rayleigh waves” is true?
A.Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings. |
B.Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals. |
C.Rayleigh waves are vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis. |
D.Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves. |
According to the passage, which of the statement is true?
A.We can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger. |
B.We ignore the information of tsunami’s coming even though we can also get it. |
C.We were so busy on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves. |
D.We can feel Rayleigh waves and infrasound so we can escape the danger like animals. |
Knott’s Berry Farm is the nation’s oldest, and first, theme park and draws around five million visitors each year. Knott’s Berry Farm hardly had a very good start. Arriving in Southern California in the 1920s, the Knott Family farmed about 20 acres of land and finally started a restaurant called Mrs. Knott’ s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Mrs. Knott’s food became well known and her husband Walter built a Ghost Town as a way of entertaining waiting customers. Today Knott’s Berry Farm has 165 rides, shows, attractions and restaurants. For more than 80 years, Knott’s Berry Farm has been entertaining families and visitors from around the world.
There are six different themed areas with rides and attractions in Knott’s Berry Farm. Fiesta Village throws attention to California’s Spanish heritage(遗产). Indian Trails is similar to Fiesta Village but with an accent on Native American legends, crafts, music and dancing. The heart and soul of Knott’s, Ghost Town is an 1880s California Boom Town with cowboys, gunfights, and a real steam train. The Boardwalk makes people think of Southern California beach. Wild Water Wilderness is an 1800s-style park with water rapids and a magical journey into Native North America. For Peanuts fans, Camp Snoopy is a six-acre children’s wonderland with 30 rides and attractions. Knott’s Berry Farm is in Buena Vista, Orange County, California. It is about half an hour from downtown Los Angeles and 10 minutes from Disneyland. Knott’s Berry Farm is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the week. The park is open on Saturdays from 10 a. m. to 10 p.m. and from 10 a. m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. During the summer months, the park is open later. The theme park is closed on Christmas Day.The first paragraph is mainly about Knott’s Berry Farm’s __________.
A.attractions | B.history |
C.services | D.prices |
Besides Indian Trails, you can also experience Native American culture in __________.
A.Fiesta Village | B.the Boardwalk |
C.Wild Water Wilderness | D.Camp Snoopy |
What do we know about Knott’s Berry Farm from the passage?
A.It is in Northern California. | B.It is open all the year round. |
C.It has eight themed areas. | D.It is not far from Disneyland. |