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.(325words) 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. |
Some historical figures （人物）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 |
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. |
阅读短文，回答后面的问题。
For many of us, cartoon strips are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga(漫画) provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture a
nd wisdom with the modern world in a much wittier and more acceptable way.
He has interpreted Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so. The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.
If popular Japanese manga is purely for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor (水蒸汽), while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good. "The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've dedicated my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph in the passage?
A. Japanese manga is a simple way of killing time.
B. What Japanese manga is mainly about.
C. Japanese manga presents a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.
D. Why Japanese manga is so popular.
2. The underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to___________.
A. much less textB. Japanese manga
C. pictures running for pages D. an escape from reality
3. In Tsai Chih-chung’s opinion, cartoon ___________.
A. connects traditional Chinese culture and wisdom.
B. helps connect Chinese classics with modern world.
C. uses a wiser and acceptable way to draw cartoons.
D. builds up a bridge between cartoons and illustration.
4. What is the main difference between Japanese manga and Tsai’s works in this passage?
A. His works are mainly designed for a pure time killer for all.
B. His works are more popular with young readers in China now.
C. His works are to inspire people to think in a cheerful way.
D. His works are much more interesting and instructive.
5. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about Tsai Chih-chung?
A. He thinks some people are like ocean, some like vapor, while others like ice cream.
B. He says that one who thinks over life is either a scholar or a philosopher.
C. He values more thinking and personal freedom than making a living.
D. Tsai devoted his life to creating cartoons in order to make money.
Anti-bird flu contingency (意外事故) measures, including a proposal to separate poultry from humans and a series oftraffic and logistics (后勤) measures will be discussed at the Legislative Council's Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene Panel meeting next month. Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Dr York Chow says the contingency plan would come into force if an outbreak occurred near Hong Kong.
Speaking on a radio talk show this morning, Dr Chow said the separation of poultry from humans policy, which will be determined after a decision whether to set up a central slaughtering (屠宰) house or several regional ones,would be based on thedemand for live chickens.
He pointed out that at present therewere 30,000 live chickens imported from the Mainland and 30,000 supplied locally. If this demand persisted, therewould beno central slaughtering house or wholesale point that could handle such an amount and regional slaughtering housescouldbe the choice.
He added that building of regional slaughtering houses took time, but stressed the need to study the views of the public and the sector before a final decisionwas made.
Regarding avian flu vaccination (种痘) for humans, Dr Chow said itwas still being developed.He added that it may not be reliable in the case of an outbreak as records show vaccination can only offer 5% protection against a virus.
He said Hong Kong had more experience and expertise than neighbouring territories in the fight against viral outbreaks, andwas willing to offer them help.He addedtherewas no “boundary” for infectious diseases and close cooperation among different countries had to be maintained to fight against a possible outbreak. It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．the government is planning to take strong action to fight against bird flu |
| B．an outbreak which happened near Hong Kong made people very frightened |
| C．anti-bird flu contingency measures will come into use next month |
| D．Dr York Chow will organize a meeting to discuss the contingency plan |
According to the passage, the best way to fight against bird flu is to ______.
| A．separate poultry from humans | B．set up a central slaughtering house |
| C．set up several regional slaughtering houses | D．get avian flu vaccination |
When the final decision will be made mainly depends on ______.
| A．the demand for live chickens | B．the views of the public |
| C．the advice from experts | |
| D．the time when regional slaughtering houses will be finished |
Which of the following statements isn’t Dr York Chow’s opinion?
| A．Hong Kong is better at dealing with viral outbreaks than its neighbours. |
| B．Infectious diseases could happen in any country. |
| C．Other territories should ask Hong Kong for help because it has more experience. |
| D．Cooperation is quite necessary when danger is coming. |
A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces (熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world. They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly—somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed. So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal(处理) in the sky!When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. | B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller | D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Do Black Holes Come Into Being? |
| C．What Are Black Holes? |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |
BEIJING, Nov. 26—U.S. dollar hit another record low against the euro on Friday, with the European currency climbing above $1.32 for the first time. The green-backfellto itslowest in nearly five years against the yen the same day.
By 1943 EST, the dollar was trading at US$1.3265 per euro, compared with US$1.3270 in thin late New York trade. It was at 102.55 yen, little changed from New York after touching 102.37, a level not seen since March 2000, in London.
Japanese Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki repeated his warning against dollar weakness, threatening to take action against sudden moves, but market participants said such verbal intervention (口头干涉) had long lost its clout.
Traders were expecting market liquidity to remain thin on Friday because of the extended U.S. holiday.
In such thin trading, many said a fall in the dollar past 102 yen and US$1.33 per euro was a real possibility.
Referring to recent currency movements as “brutal”, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet, who is the most vocal European policymaker on dollar weakness, is due to make comments in Rio de Janeiro, along with ECB council member and Spanish central bank governor Jaime Caruana.
Introduced in 1999 as the common currency for 12 European countries, the euro initially(最初) dropped against the dollar but has risen some 60 percent since hitting an all-time low of 82 U.S. cents in October 2000.
64. What does “the green-back” refer to in the first paragraph?
A. U.S. dollar B. Another record
C. The euro D. European currency
65. How did Sadakazu Tanigaki feel about dollar weakness?
A. Excited B. Puzzled C. worried D. Disappointed
66. The underlined word “brutal” probably means ______.
A. cruelty B. help C. criticism D. apology
67. According to some people, it was possible for the dollar to trade ______.
A. at 1.3265 per euro B. at 1.32 per euro
C. at 1.3270 per euro D. at 1.331 per euro
| PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER WANTED A well-known printing company, now well established in the UK and in the Far East, wishes to set up a manufacturing base in Europe. An experienced manager, responsible to the Production Director, is required to assist in setting up the department and will then take charge of the day-to-day work. The successful applicant will have had experience of modern methods and machines especially in the printing, multicolour work and finishing processes, he / she will have had at least three years’ experience in cost-effective management. A good working knowledge of English is essential. We offer excellent pay and prospects, with 4 week’s holiday a year plus public holidays, a company car, and a company pension scheme(养老金制度). Interviews will be arranged in the nearest city to applicant’s home. Write, with CV, to the Personnel Manager, Box 32507, Daily News, Kemsworth Street, Comston. United Kingdom SG186 37AH. |
| ASSISTANT PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER An internationally recognized printing company is seeking to set up a manufacturing plant in Europe. We are appointing an assistant (male or female) to our Print Production Manager. The job-holder will carry out duties involving the buying of paper and of finishing equipment, will liaise (联络) with the supervisors of the various production lines, and will assist the Production Manager. At least three years’ experience on one or more lines as well as supervisory experience is needed. A working knowledge of English is required to communicate with colleagues in the UK. We offer excellent pay, prospects, holidays, pension scheme, sick pay, etc. Write to the Manager, Box 3526. Broad Street, Northby, Millshire BK 57PX. |
Both the printing companies ______.
| A．are well-known all over the world | B．require at least three years’ experience |
| C．offer excellent pay and sick pay | D．prefer to hire a man manager |
According to the first advertisement, the applicant living in a small village will ______.
| A．get in touch with the Personal Manager by telephone | |
| B．get the result on TV | C．be interviewed in a city |
| D．write to Box 3526 to get more information |
We can infer from the two advertisements that ______.
| A．the companies want to do business in Europe and Far East. |
| B．cars are necessary for the successful applicants. |
| C．the companies haven’t got telephones to save money. |
| D．applicants should write to the company first. |