Children are losing the ability to play properly because they are being given too many toys and games, according to new research.
The studies show that children, especially those under five, are often overwhelmed and actually play less than those with fewer toys. It may even harm their development. The studies show that giving children too many toys or toys of the wrong type can actually be doing them harm. They get overwhelmed and cannot concentrate on anything long enough to learn from it.
The conclusions have been backed up by British research looking at children with relatively fewer toys, whose parents spend more
time reading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children surpass(胜过) youngsters from richer backgrounds, even those who could use computers.
Some parents notice the ill effect early. Orhan Ismail, a researcher saw a change for the worse in Cameron, his 10-month-old son, after he was given a lot of toys last Christmas.
Ismail said, “ If there are too many toys in front of him, he will just keep flitting around them and then end up going off and finding something like a slipper to play with. Now we just get out one or two toys and hide the rest in a box.”
Alexander and her husband also decided to limit the toys their 6 daughters play with. She believed many toys restrict children’s imaginations. She said, “ A Barbie can only work as a Barbie. But a cardboard box can become anything. The only limitations are in the child’s mind.”
Experts hesitate to put a figure on the number of toys children should have, but
many believe two dozen is enough for children of preschool age. In the writer’s opinion, a Barbie _____.
| A．can attract more attention from children than a cardboard box |
| B．can work more than a Barbie |
| C．may become anything else such as a cardboard |
| D．may keep children from further imaginations |
Which of the following is TRUE about toys given to children?
| A．too many toys will help children develop wide interests. |
| B．One or two toys at a time will help children concentrate. |
| C．Only wrong types of toys do harm to children. |
| D．The proper number of toys given to the children depends on their ages. |
It may NOT be a good idea to ____.
| A．spend more time reading or playing with children |
| B．choose right types of toys for children |
| C．ask experts for the exact number of necessary toys |
| D．put out one or two toys and hide the rest |
Jumping across cities
Forget about expensive gyms; the new sport in cities is free-running. Since it started in a Paris suburb around 1995, free-running has attracted lots of fans in cities around the world. Instead of walking normally, free-runners jump over or around anything―cars, buildings, trees, or streetlights―in their way.
One of the sport’s inventors told our reporter how free-running started.
It was boring where we lived. There was nothing for us to do after school. We had done playground games like football and basketball when we were kids but we wanted something new and exciting. We started learning how to jump and run between buildings―and we loved it. Walking is a waste of time. Free-runners have to use their imaginations. Everything―a tree, a streetlight―is part of our outdoor gym. We’re like children because we have never stopped playing in the street.
The sport’s website has lots of rules, for example, don’t break people’s windows, don’t jump on flowerbeds and don’t be rude to people who want you to stop. Safety is also very important. You must start with the easy moves―you have to do thousands of small practice jumps before you try anything difficult. If you made only one mistake, you might hurt yourself badly.
A local person said, “It’s good that young people have something to do. But when they jump off buildings like cats, they sometimes frighten other people.”
Don’t try this at home: the basics of free-running
Blind Jump: a jump where you can’t see the landing spot.
Tic-tac: run and put your foot on a small step, go forward and jump over the next thing.
Basic Jump: run and jump, land on two feet while bending your knees. To finish roll into head-over-heels.
Cat Jump: run towards a wall, put both hands on the top of the wall and jump through your arms.
Free-running started __________.
| A．about twenty years ago | B．with the help of schools |
| C．in big cities of America | D．among famous sportsmen |
Free-runners shouldn’t ____________.
| A．use their imaginations | B．start with the easy moves |
| C．jump on flowerbeds | D．run between buildings |
According to the passage, free-running is a（n）__________sport.
| A．ancient | B．expensive |
| C．safe | D．exciting |
The purpose of this passage is to ___________.
| A．explain the importance of outdoor activities |
| B．introduce some information about free-running |
| C．warn children not to join in dangerous sports |
| D．advise people to do more exercise at home first |
It is "one of the few bright spots in the Chinese economy," says Zeng Ming．He is talking about e-commerce．Mr Zeng, the chief strategy officer for Alibaba, a giant Chinese Internet firm, predicts that digital transactions on his firm's platforms will top l trillion yuan（$159 billion）this year-more than Amazon's and eBay's combined．That is a bold claim, but consider what happened on Singles Sunday．
Invented a few years ago by students and seized upon by digital marketers, this festival for lonely hearts falls annually on the llth day of the llth month （since l is the loneliest number）．It is like St Valentine's Day, only worse．Singletons shower each other with tender gifts: a barrage of pearls; a storm of sweets．
This November llth they spent a surprising 19 billion yuan on Alibaba's online platforms ----- a fourfold increase on a year ago, and more than double what Americans spent online last Cyber Monday（the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers urge Americans to shop online）．About 100m purchases were logged, accounting for 80% of the packages shipped that day．Couriers（怏递员） were buried in parcels．
So life is good for China's e-tailers, then? Not exactly．The number of digital marketers is increasing and online sales are booming．Consumers are enjoying lower prices, better service and more variety．The problem? The pressure on profits in Chinese e-commerce is worse than in America, reckons Elinor Leung of CLSA, a broker． "Almost no one makes money," she says．
The fiercest battles are being fought between online retailers and their bricks-and-mortar（实体的） rivals．Dangdang, a firm, that resembles Amazon,and 360buy, another online retailer, have cut prices fiercely． Tencent, a cash-rich online giant known for its instant-messaging software, is splashing out to win market share．360buy has also just raised $400m from investors to do the same．But it is unclear how much longer such firms can burn through capital．What's the best title of this passage?
| A．The Ambition of Alibaba |
| B．Fierce Competition between Retailers |
| C．A Newly Sprung Festival for the Singles |
| D．Chinese Booming and Developing E-commerce |
According to Zeng Ming, this year Alibaba will．
| A．outweigh Amazon and eBay in worldwide influence |
| B．rank top among all the Internet firms |
| C．have more than 159 billion dollars' sale |
| D．create another sales miracle just like the one on Singles Day |
How many packages were shipped on November ll th from Alibaba's online platforms?
A． About 80 million． B． About 100 million．
C． About 125 million． C． About 180 million．What's the author's attitude towards online retailers in China?
| A．Optimistic． | B．Concerned． |
| C．Sympathetic． | D．Indifferent． |
Bedford Castle: The Home Of Bedfordshire Royalty
Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and a number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!
Bedford Castle was built initially to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse. It was built in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, but was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later.
There is a long history behind the Bedford Castle that involves several kings. It repeatedly offered the kings of England shelter against various attacks from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound(土堆) and the castle that preceded it.
The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it. So enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself!What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A．Many foreigners prefer to visit Bedford Castle. |
| B．Bedfordshire had it fair share of royal visits. |
| C．Most of the ancient buildings are still in use today. |
| D．Bedford Castle is no longer as glorious as before. |
The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______ .
| A．first of all |
| B．at the beginning |
| C．for one particular purpose |
| D．for a short time |
The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______ .
| A．to seek temporary protection |
| B．to visit the Duke of Bedford |
| C．to enjoy the beauty of nature |
| D．to escape from the bad weather |
Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire？
| A．It is the major heritage in that region |
| B．It reflects the history of Bedfordshire |
| C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting |
| D．The castle is still in good condition |
| Museum of the Moving Image ( MMI ) ( Monday Closed ) As the best museum in New York City and with a balance of hands-on（实际操作的）activities and information , it’s the rare bird that can entertain and educate people of different ages . It’s a perfect destination for a family trip of a couple of hours . Pros—Excellent movie screenings . Easy subway access . Cons—Difficult to reach by car . |
| New York Hall of Science ( NYHS ) ( Monday Closed ) Being New York City’s only hands-on science and technology center , it is an interactive science museum focusing on its audience of children . It has the most hands-on exhibits in an NYC museum , and it’s a fun destination for ages 5 and up . Older folks might take great interest in the NASA rockets outside the museum , but don’t bother unless you’ve kids to keep you company . Pros—Cool interactive science exhibits , the rockets . Cons—Hard to reach by public transportation . |
| Queens County Farm Museum ( QCFM ) ( Year-round 7 days a week ) It is an actual farm in New York City and home to animals your kids can feed and a yard full of a climbing plant whose fruit can be made into wine . Good chance to meet sheep , goats , pigs , chickens and cows ! The animals are mostly readily accessible to visitors . And the museum sells food for young hands willing to get licked by sheep and goats . Pros—Outdoor fun . Cons—Expensive festivals , long bus ride , no subway . |
| Queens Museum of Art ( QMA ) ( Monday and Tuesday Closed ) Opened in 1972 to serve as a cultural center for the borough（行政区）, it exhibits art by local and international artists . Its best exhibits are on the two World’s Fairs , and of course , the Panorama of New York City , a giant , highly detailed diorama（透景画）of all five New York City boroughs . Pros—The Panorama , great gift shop . Easy subway access . Cons—Not much for kids . |
The least likely choice for 5-year-old Jack to make among the museums is __________ .
| A．QMA | B．TNYHS | C．TMMI | D．QCFM |
According to the text , which of the following is NOT true ?
| A．All the museums mentioned above lie in New York City . |
| B．No other museum in New York City is better than MMI . |
| C．NYHS has the most hands-on activities in America . |
| D．Lucky visitors can see grapes in one of the museums . |
In which museum can you enjoy outdoor fun ?
A. MMI . B. QCFM . C. NYHS . D. QMA .
A policeman was questioning 3 blondes who were training to become detectives． To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the first blonde a picture for5 seconds and then hides it．
“This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The first blonde answers, "That's easy, we'll catch him fast because he only has one eye!" The policeman says, "Well．．．uh．．．that's because the picture shows his profile．"
Slightly confused by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for 5 seconds at the second blonde and asks her, "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The second blonde giggles, flips her hair and says, "Ha! He'd be too easy to catch because he only has one ear!"
The policeman angrily responds, "What's the matter with you two? Of course only one eye and one ear are SHOWING because it's a picture of his profile!! Is that the best answer you can come up with?"
Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third blonde and in a very testy voice asks "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?" He quickly adds, "Think hard before giving me a stupid answer．"
The blonde looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, "Hmmmm…the suspect wears contact lenses．"
The policeman is surprised and speechless because he really doesn't know himself if the suspect wears contacts or not． "Well, that's an interesting answer．．．wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I’ll get back to you on that．" He leaves the room and goes to his office, checks the suspect's file in his computer, and comes back with a beaming smile on his face． "Wow! I can't believe it．．．it's TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact lenses． Good work! How were you able to make such an acute observation?"
"That's easy," the blonde replied． "He can't wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear．"Why did the policeman show a picture to the three blondes?
| A．To inquire about their relationship with the suspect． |
| B．To test their potential of being detectives． |
| C．To train them as qualified police officers． |
| D．To show the skills in recognizing a suspect． |
What's the policeman's attitude towards the first blonde's answer?
| A．Angry． | B．Puzzled． |
| C．Embarrassed． | D．Satisfied． |
What did the second blonde think of the task?
| A．Demanding． | B．Easy． |
| C．Ridiculous． | D．Confusing． |
How did the third blonde know that the suspect wore contact lenses?
| A．By coincidence． |
| B．By random guess． |
| C．By logical and reasonable analysis． |
| D．By checking the file in the computer． |