Six Ways to Improve Reading Comprehension
Help your child keep what he reads—a crucial skill, especially as he gets older and needs to gain important information from textbooks.
Have him read aloud. This forces him to go slower, which gives him more time to process what he reads. 71
Provide the right kinds of books. Make sure your child gets lots of practice reading books that aren’t too hard. 72 Stopping any more often than that to figure out a word makes it tough for him to focus on the overall meaning of the story.
73 To gain meaning from text, your child needs to read quickly and smoothly—a skill known as fluency. Rereading familiar, simple books gives your child practice at decoding words quickly so he'll become more fluent.
Talk to the teacher. If your child is struggling hard with comprehension, he may need more help with his reading—for example, building his vocabulary or practicing phonics skills.
Supplement class reading. If his class is studying a particular theme, look for easy-to-read books or magazines on the topic. Some prior knowledge will make his way through tougher classroom texts.
Talk about what he's reading. This “verbal processing” helps him remember and think through the themes of the book. 74 For example:
●Before: “What interests you in this book? What doesn't?”
●During: “ 75 Is it turning out the way you thought it would? ”
●After: “Can you summarize the book? What did you like about it?”
| A．Reread to build fluency. |
| B．What's going on in the book? |
| C．Look up new words in the dictionary. |
| D．Do you know all the characters in the story? |
E. Ask questions before, during, and after a reading session.
F. Plus, he's not only seeing the words, he's hearing them, too.
G. He should recognize at least 90 percent of the words without any help.
Hollywood movies are regularly filled with sex and violence. They can be exciting films but sometimes all you want is a little light-hearted entertainment.
Have you heard of Bollywood? All singing, all dancing and unrealistic, it is the perfect alternative to normal Hollywood movies. Bollywood is the Indian film industry, based in Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. Yet Bollywood is the largest producer of films in the world. This year the Indian Filmgare Awards, Bollywood's Oscars, turn 50 years old.
The typical Bollywood movie usually has the following ingredients: a cup of romance, a tea-spoon of comedy, a dash of international sight-seeing, served with a huge slice of singing and dancing. There will also be one brave hero, one beautiful heroine and one baddie.
Bollywood films are full of ideal things and free of daily worries. The actors change clothes and locations within a single song. But the audience don't mind. To Indian movie lovers, especially the poor, such films are a gateway to heaven and the stars are their gods. The films take them to a magical world away from their everyday troubles. The films tell them the impossible is possible and that true love conquers all.
Behind the beautiful scenes, Bollywood still emphasizes traditional family values. In most films, if two lovers want to break an arranged marriage, they can't just run away. They must win over their parents.
Bollywood is a decent refreshing replacement for those over-stimulating Hollywood films. They will take you to a brighter, cheerier and more colorful world, where it's still cool to dance around a tree and sing a love song.
| A．Bollywood has gradually won its reputation on the world stage. |
| B．There is never any mention of politics, poverty or war. |
| C．Most Chinese school kids have probably never seen an Indian film. |
| D．Bollywood films are mostly comic romances with light-hearted incidental music. |
E. Bollywood pays great attention to traditional values.
F．The result is a fun-filled musical.
G．So if you're tired of all that Hollywood actions, check out the following Bollywood films.
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The Dark Age of GreeceAmong early civilizations, we call the low points "dark ages", because civilizations often dropped to such a low level that it is hard to get an accurate picture of their history during these periods. During a dark age, a civilization may not have produced monuments, statue, or other objects which we use to learn about early civilizations.
One' of the most important dark ages was the dark age of Greece,which lasted from about 1100 BC to 900 BC. Prior to-that-time,Greece had a highly advanced society called the Mycenaean civilization. The Mycenaeans were a trading civilizationIn fact, the Mycenaean civilization was so important that when it collapsed in the 12th centuryBC,most other civilizations in the region collapsed as well.The next 200 years are like a blank page to historians and we know very little about this period.
The collapse of the Mycenaeans brought an end to writing in the area, and thus an end to the written records historians rely on.
The little that we know about this period has been learned from archaeology. It seems that civilization became much less advanced. The pottery from this period is much simpler and less artistic. This suggests that there was lack of wealthy people to buy higher quality products. This would suggest a large decrease in population, possibly due to a widespread lack of food and consequent starvation.
Sometime around 800 BC, the Greeks began to emerge from this dark age, most probably due to the influence of other civilizations. They had lost their early writing system, but began to use the writing system of the Phoenicians at this time.Over the next 300 years, their civilization continued to rise, and their dark age was forgotten.
| A．Many civilizations undergo a series of high points and low points during their history. |
| B．Many early civilizations underwent dark ages, but Greece never recovered from its dark age. |
| C．They began constructing larger cities and trading with their neighbors again. |
| D．Another interesting point is that most of the large cities of earlier time periods appear to have been abandoned in favor of much smaller settlements. |
E.Many pieces of evidence suggest that there was a huge increase in population during the dark age of Greece.
F.and they did much to spread their culture across the eastern Mediterranean.
G.One major reason for this is that writing basically stopped.
Getting away for a short time always seems like a great idea—until you have to pack. The rule is: pack light. Here are some tips to help you pack.
1. Make a list. Think of what you need from your head to your toes. When you’ve done this once, it’ll be easier next time.
2. Consider buying small-size samples of shampoo, toothpaste, and other items at your local drugstore. You can reuse the plastic containers next time you go away too.
3. Choosing which clothes to bring is probably the hardest packing decision to make. Think once again from head to toe — hat, shirts, jeans, sneakers, etc. Once you’ve picked out what you want to bring, think carefully. Do you really need that extra pair of jeans? If so, fine.Don’t try to fool yourself. You are the one who will be left holding the bag.
4. Weather is an important factor in your packing. If it’s cold, you could wear a jacket, a - sweater, a regular shirt, and a T-shirt. Putting them on will keep you warm. Remember how much easier it will be to carry your bag! As for shoes, you may want to call ahead to see if dress shoes are necessary. If so, one pair will be enough, along with one pair of comfortable shoes.
Remember that it is you who have been invited somewhere, not your things.So, do it right—pack light.
| A．Mixing and matching is a smart and easy way to lighten your load. |
| B．But packing won’t be a problem if you remember one simple rule. |
| C．You will have an easier time if you’re weighed down. |
| D．But make sure they’re really worth the extra weight. |
E. It’s best to bring these things with you.
F. And it’ll leave more room in your bag.
G. Keep the list for future reference.
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Why Exercise Is Cool?
1. Exercise Strengthens Muscles
Did you ever do a push-up or swing across the monkey bars at the playground? By using your muscles to do powerful things, you can make them stronger. For older teens and adults, this kind of workout can make muscles bigger, too.
2.
Can you touch your toes easily without yelling ouch? Most kids are pretty flexible, which means that they can bend and stretch their bodies without much trouble. Being flexible is having “full range of motion,” which means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling tightness or pain.
3. Exercise Keeps the BalanceYour body needs a certain amount of calories every day just to function, breathe, walk around, and do all the basic stuff.
If you’re not very active, your body won’t need as many calories.
Whatever your calorie need is, if you eat enough to meet that need, your body weight will stay about the same. If you eat more calories than your body needs, it may be stored as extra fat.
4. Exercise Makes You Feel Good
It feels good to have a strong, flexible body that can do all the activities you enjoy—like running, jumping, and playing with your friends. It’s also fun to be good at something, like scoring a basket, hitting a home run, or perfecting a dive.
But you may not know that exercising can actually put you in a better mood. It’s just another reason why exercise is cool!
| A．So you want to do some aerobic (有氧的) exercise right now? |
| B．Food gives your body fuel in the form of calories, which are a kind of energy. |
| C．When you exercise, your brain releases a chemical, which may make you feel happier. |
| D．Those are exercises that can build strength. |
E. Exercise Makes You Flexible
F. Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy
G. But if you’re active, your body needs an extra measure of calories or energy.
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My daughter Chloe is starting out in college in the fall. With her newfound independence will come the newfound responsibilities of dealing with money. Now I have a few lessons I’d like to share with Chloe, and with anyone else starting out in college.
OK, this is almost the only lesson you need. The biggest reason you get into money problems is that you spend money you don’t really have. Then you end up in the hole, and it’s hard to get out of the hole. You work too many hours to keep up with your spending. And you end up with a life that’s about nothing but trying to pay for all the spending on something you don’t really need.
Make a very simple budget. It’s a terrible thing for people who’ve never done a budget, but it will become very simple and easy if you know how to do it. If the bills add up to more than the income, remove some bills.
Pay bills right away. If you have the money, pay the bill as soon as it comes in. You can usually do this online, but if not, it’s just a matter of writing a check, putting it in an envelope, and writing out an address — two minutes. If you let the bill-paying get pushed back, it becomes a terrible thing.
That’s all you need to know. If you save when you’re in college, avoid debt, and pay bills on time, you’re golden.
| A．Why not enjoy your life in college? |
| B．Spend less than you earn. |
| C．So spend less, work less, worry less, be happier. |
| D．Like many young people, she hates thinking about money. |
E. First, list your income, and then list your bills.
F. Find ways to get things done you need to get done.
G. Do this two-minute action at once, so you don’t have to worry about it later.