As a school librarian，I’m often asked what books are most appropriate for teaching particularconcepts．As the mother of a toddler，I’m now teaching my son to recognize letters and learn thealphabet．Boaks are a great help in teaching a child letters．Here is this librarian and mom’s picks for the best books to help teach your child letters．
Eric Carle’s ABC
Eric Carle is one of my favorite children’s authors and this colorful book is perfect for helping teach the alphabet．The block-style letters are easier to read
and recognize for toddlers than mitten ones．Each letter is tied to an animal name，so your child will have fun looking at the animals，and 1earn the animal
names while also learning letters．
Baby Einsstein：My First Book of Letters
The Baby Einstein books always promote thinking skills and creativity in
young children．Baby Einstein；My First Book of Letters is no exception．This
book includes letters in both upper and lower case，and asks questions about nature that go with each letter for your child to answer．This colorful book is great for helping teach your child letters．
Dr．Seuss’ABC
Dr．Seuss lends his wonderful writing and illustrating（插图）talent to this
great teaching book．His classic writing and funny pictures can be found throughout this alphabet book．The letters are block style，solid-colored，and easy
to read．Your child will love learning letters from this fun book．
Kipper’s A to Z：an Alphabet Adventure
In this book，children follow the little dog Kipper as he works his way through the entire alphabet．The clean，solid font used for the letter makes them
easy to read for young eyes．Author Mike Inkpen does a great job in this book，
which tells more of a story than the other books
Teaching your child letters can be a hard task．It’s import to try to make the alphabet fun and interesting for your child．In Paragraph I，“toddler”probably means
| A．baby | B．teenager | C．student | D．young child |
If you want to make your son or daughter interested in nature you should choose
| A．Eric Carle’s ABC | B．Baby Einstein；My First Book of Letters |
| C．Dr．Seuss’ ABC | D．Kipper’s A to Z；an Alphabet Adventure |
Why did the author write the passage?
| A．To recommend the books． | B．To sell the books |
| C．To adverfise the books | D．To criticize the books |
There are few places in the world with people as friendly and scenery as beautiful as the Philippines. Of the 7,107 islands that make up the archipelago nation（群岛国家），Boracay is one that has some of the best beaches the country-or even Asia-has to offer.
Boracay is a great choice for a beach holiday, especially if you're trying to escape the cold
claws of winter. A lot is packed on the island, which is not much bigger than 10 square kilometers. It has many charms and attractions for the most active traveler, as well as the biggest beach bum（冲浪爱好者）．
It also caters to a variety of budgets. With everything from low-key guesthouses to five-star resorts, local fare to gourmet meals（餐要大餐），travelers will be able to spend as -much or as little as they want. And like many destinations in Asia, bargaining will help you get better prices on accommodation, leisure activities, shopping and dining. The majority of accommodations can be found along the western side of the island, along White Sand Beach and Bulabog Beach. The southern part of the beach, called Station Three, caters more to backpacker crowds, and prices tend to increase the farther you go up the beach. Station Two, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Station Three, is the center of the island's pulsing nightlife. Another 10 minutes up from Station Two is Station One, where you'll find the resort hotels and a more relaxed, comforting atmosphere. The island's lookout point is arguably the best place for panoramic（全景的）views of Boracay and its neighboring islands. Just a few moments of breathtaking scenery and fresh sea air will rejuvenate（使精神焕发）you and make you feel you never want to leave.
There are organized trips to nearby islands, one of the most popular being Ariel's Point. The Boracay Beach Club resort, which owns the island, plans outings to Ariel's for a minimum of 14 people each trip．Visitors can have a day of cliff-jumping, snorkeling and barbecues. An alternative-and a sure way to see and do what you want-is to hire a boat. Ride around Boracay, stop at a restaurant frequented by locals, visit the neighboring islands, find a good snorkeling spot or fthd a beach where you can appreciate Boracay's unspoiled beauty. Countless boat operators offer their services along the shore. Rental is typically 500 pesos（＄12) an hour. Another must-do is a sailboat ride at sunset. White Sand and Bulabog Beaches are lined with sailboats, and there's nothing quite like watching the sun descend against the backdrop of a blue sea and sky. There's very little that will top this bonding moment with nature. To round up the day, head out for a tasty meal．Because of Boracay's countless international visitors, almost every major food type is available. There's New York-style pizzas, burgers galore, Mexican treats, Thai favorites, as well as Japanese udon noodles．
There's plenty more to love and appreciate about Boracay. With its small, cozy atmosphere and welcoming people, it's one destination not to pass up for that romantic getaway, family trip or holiday with friends.
If you want to find inexpensive accommodation, you should go＿along White Sand Beach and Bulabog Beach.
| A．northward | B．southward |
| C．eastward | D．westward |
What does the underlined word "top" in Paragraph 8 mean?
| A．Be better than. | B．Be suitable for. |
| C．Be away from. | D．Be equal to. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Hotel expenses. | B．Public transport. |
| C．Outdoor recreations. | D．International food |
Google is testing its newest high-tech device, Google Glass. Most of the technologies for Google Glass are already available on smart phones. Google has taken those same technologies and added them to eyeglass frames（眼镜架）. The company describes the glasses as wearable computers that would change the way people view others and the world.
"Google Glass is a tiny computer that sits in a lightweight frame, and rests neatly above your eye and it makes exploring and sharing the world around you a lot easier,” said Chris Dale, the Senior Manager of Communications for Google Glass.
The glasses have a tiny video screen and a camera that connect wirelessly to the Internet through WIFI, a smartphone, or a tablet computer. You can make and receive calls, send and receive texts, take pictures, record video or search the web. You control Google Glass using your voice, and a touchpad on the right arm of the frame.
Professor Marcia Dawkins is among a select group of people who have been given a chance to test out Google Glass. "I thought this is something I definitely need for my classroom and hopefully for my personal life too."
The Professor's Google Glass looks like a pair bright orange glasses, without the actual glass. But there's a tiny rectangular（长方形的）glass at the top right-hand corner. Through that glass, she has been recording video while biking. She also has been able to talk to her sister in Thailand, and she plans to use the device to teach a public speaking class.
But not everyone is excited about Google Glass. Some are concerned about possible risks to privacy.
John Simpson is the director of the privacy project at Consumer Watchdog.
"It is going to allow people to come in and spy on you and record that, without you knowing what is going on."
Filmmaker Chris Barrett showed just how easy it is to record people without them knowing it. His glass captured（捕捉）a man getting arrested after a fight. He shared the video on You Tube.
Also some are concerned about the use of facial recognition（面部识别）technology on Google Glass. But Google says it will not approve the use of such applications. The Internet company says it is still testing its new device, and it hopes to make Google Glass available to the public by early next year.The technologies Google has made use of for Google Glass are______.
| A．completely new |
| B．mostly already in use for smartphones |
| C．high-tech but out-of-date |
| D．all old |
Which of the following is not true about Google Glass?
| A．It’s a very small computer. |
| B．It’s very light in weight. |
| C．Everyone can buy it now. |
| D．It can be used for teaching by school teachers. |
While cycling, the Professor has used the Glass to ______.
| A．record video and chat | B．send emails |
| C．teach a class | D．spy on others |
What can be inferred from the passage？
| A．Google has done what it can to protect people’s privacy. |
| B．Google Glass may be used for bad purposes. |
| C．Most people feel worried about the use of the Glass. |
| D．Google Glass is more useful than smartphones. |
Our culture is the system we use to build our identity. All living creatures are part of a culture. Even animals have a culture! So what is culture? It’s the way we behave in a group. It begins with each individual family. Within our families we do things to build relationships with each other. This can include routines for doing things. It also includes traditions. Traditions are activities that are repeated on a regular basis.
Culture is not limited to individual family groups. The real strength of culture is in larger community （社会）groups. These larger groups are called societies. Every society makes rules for itself. It decides how people should act in different situations. Some of these rules are written down. Some are just things that are automatically expected of all members of that society. Often, cultures can be identified（识别）by what the people believe. Cultures are also known by what they choose to include in their art. Sometimes a society forms around people who speak the same language. Cultures may also be known for their customs, including the foods they make and the things they do.
Our cultures help us understand who we are and what we believe. There are very strong emotions（情感）connecting us to our own society. Two different cultures may disagree on something, especially if they both feel strongly about it. When that happens, war is a common result. People are learning better ways to communicate with each other. The more we learn, the more we appreciate the differences in cultures.Which of the following is not true?
| A．Every society has its own culture. |
| B．Every one with an identity card has his own culture. |
| C．Animals have their cultures. |
| D．Culture and traditions are connected. |
Which of the following has nothing to do with culture according to the passage?
| A．A religion that a certain people practice |
| B．Greetings sent to people we love during spring festival |
| C．Face-changing in Sichuan Opera |
| D．Someone’s personal habit of staying up very late |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Modern societies have written down all the rules for behavior. |
| B．Plants themselves have no culture. |
| C．Disagreement between two societies always leads to war. |
| D．Strong emotions that connect us to our society should be got rid of. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．cultural exchanges may help reduce the risk of war |
| B．all disagreements are caused by strong feelings |
| C．differences in culture always cause disagreements |
| D．people haven’t tried different ways to communicate |
It’s puzzling, isn’t it? No matter where you try to tickle（使人发痒）yourself, even on the soles（脚底） of your feet or under your arms, you just can’t.
To understand why, you need to know more about how your brain works. One of its main tasks is to try to make good guesses about what’s going to happen next. While you’re busy getting on with your life, walking downstairs or eating your breakfast, parts of your brain are always trying to predict the future.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? At first, it took a lot of concentration to keep the handlebars steady and push the pedals（踏板）. But after a while, cycling became easy. Now you’re not aware of the movements you make to keep the bike going. From experience, your brain knows exactly what to expect so your body rides the bike automatically. Your brain is predicting all the movements you need to make.
You only have to think consciously about cycling if something changes---like if there’s a strong wind or you get a flat tyre. When something unexpected happens like this, your brain is forced to change its predictions about what will happen next. If it does its job well, you’ll adjust to the strong wind, leaning your body so you don’t fall.
Why is it so important for our brains to predict what will happen next? It helps us make fewer mistakes and can even save our lives. For example, when a chief fireman sees a fire, he immediately makes decisions about how best to position his men. His past experiences help him foresee what might happen and choose the best plan for fighting the fire. His brain can instantly predict how different plans would work out, and he can rule out any bad or dangerous plans without putting his men at risk in real life.
So how does all this answer your question about tickling? Because your brain is always predicting your own actions, and how your body will feel as a result, you cannot tickle yourself. Other people can tickle you because they can surprise you. You can’t predict what their tickling actions will be.What is the best title for this passage?
| A．How Does the Brain work? |
| B．Why Can’t I Tickle Myself? |
| C．The importance of Prediction |
| D．The Importance of Our Brains |
Our brains cannot predict what will happen when we______.
| A．walk down the stairs |
| B．eat our breakfast |
| C．suddenly lose our balance and fall |
| D．ride a bike |
The phrase “rule out” in Paragraph 4 means______.
| A．decide that something is not suitable | B．think about |
| C．act according to the rules | D．expect |
The passage is probably taken from______.
| A．a scientific report for experts |
| B．a textbook for medical students |
| C．a book for children |
| D．a research paper for doctors |
When you are invited to attend a party in the West, the first important thing you need to know is that you should arrive late.
It is a great embarrassment to arrive at a party early or even on time. Therefore, unless you are the host of the party, you never want to be the first person present at a party. Why? Because others may think that you have no life or nothing better to do than wait for a party to start. Many people try to project（展现）an image（形象）of always being busy, which, whether true or not, has something to do with success. So, by arriving late, you are implying: “I live a full life and it's really exciting.”
Therefore, an 8 o'clock party usually doesn't really start until maybe 9 o'clock, as everyone wants to be thought of as a busy and important person with lots of things to do. In other words, a party is one of those rare occasions（极少数场合）in which your punctuality can actually hurt you. It's quite a strange thing, isn't it? Anyhow, remember to be late!The passage is most likely to have been taken from a book about______.
| A．life in the West | B．health and medicine |
| C．politics in the West | D．behavioral science |
What is the reason that people want to be late for parties?
| A．They are not the host of the party. |
| B．They are too busy to arrive on time. |
| C．They want others to think they are busy. |
| D．They don’t want to wait for a party to start. |
What does the word "punctuality" in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Being polite | B．Being late |
| C．Being smart | D．Being on time |
We can infer from the passage that______.
| A．Sometimes people pretend to be what they want to be. |
| B．Lateness is not a problem when you are attending a meeting. |
| C．You need to be late on every occasion. |
| D．Going to a party can be a waste of time. |