Remember those big, colorful books with large pictures of balls or apples when you were a little kid? Those have proven to be helpful, according to a number of studies. Between 1 and 5 years old, introducing books to Children can help greatly because this is usually the age when intellectual (智力的) capabilities form.
At age 1 to 5, a child can decide whether he wants to learn or wants to be a good learner. The road to learning starts here. Their curiosity (好奇) and imagination are fed with the many pictures, sounds and colors in the books.
Children normally began school at 5 years old. But today, they go to school when they are as young as one and a half years old. This is because many parents have recognized that influencing the child's formative years (性格形成时期) is very important. The fight influence can make the child want to read in the future.
Parents should play a part in encouraging children to read. Even just reading them bedtime stories can help children feel the joy and amazement connected to reading. This can help them become better readers and better learners as they grow older.
If children are interested in reading books rather than watching television, they can improve many skills besides reading and learning. Books can act as stepping stones to intelligence. However, parents must be very careful not to overpower their children. If they force children to read books that are too hard to understand, they might think reading is boring and lose interest in it.. This passage mainly ______.
| A．advises kids to spend less time watching TV |
| B．explains why reading is good for us |
| C．tells us that reading is good for children |
| D．suggests that parents spend more time with their kids |
.Why does introducing books to kids between 1 and 5 years old help them greatly?
| A．Because this is a good way to keep them away from television. |
| B．Because it makes them become interested in going to school. |
| C．Because it helps them learn much faster when they are older. |
| D．Because it is usually the age when intellectual capabilities form. |
.It is implied in the passage that _____.
| A．the writer read a lot of books when he was a child |
| B．parents should never force their children to do anything |
| C．the formative years may begin at one and a half years old |
| D．a child's formative years are earlier than before |
.In the writer’s opinion, _____.
| A．children should read all kinds of books |
| B．children should only read books with pictures |
| C．books can help children become cleverer |
| D．bedtime stories make children love their parents more |
The Swiss army knife is a popular device that is recognized all over the world. In Switzerland, there is a saying that every good Swiss citizen has one in his or her pocket. But the knife had poor beginnings.
In the late nineteenth century, the Swiss army issued（发给） its soldiers a gun that required a special screwdriver（螺丝刀） to take it apart and clean it. At the same time, canned food was becoming common in the army. Swiss generals decided to issue each soldier a standard knife to serve both as a screwdriver and a can opener.
It was a lifesaver for Swiss knife makers, who were struggling to compete with cheaper German imports. In 1884, Carl Elsener, head of the Swiss knife manufacturer（maker） Victorinox, seized that opportunity with both hands, and designed a soldier's knife that the army loved. It was a simple knife with one big blade(刀片), a can opener, and a screwdriver.
A few years after the soldier's knife was issued, the "Schweizer Offizier Messer," or Swiss Officer's Knife, came on the market. Interestingly, the Officer's Knife was never given to those serving in the army. The Swiss army purchasers considered the new model with a corkscrew（瓶塞钻） for opening wine not "essential for survival," so officers had to buy this new model by themselves. But its special multi-functional design later launched(发行) the knife as a global brand. After the Second World War, a great number of American soldiers were stationed in Europe. And as they could buy the Swiss army knife at shops on army bases, they bought huge quantities of them. However, it seems that "Schweizer Offizier Messer" was too difficult for them to say, so they just called it the Swiss army knife, and that is the name it is now known by all over the world.What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A．To explain the origin of the Swiss army knife. |
| B．To introduce the functions of the Swiss army knife. |
| C．To emphasize the importance of the Swiss army knife. |
| D．To tell a story about the designer of the Swiss army knife. |
What does "It" in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．The Swiss army needed a knife for every soldier. |
| B．Every good Swiss citizen had a knife in his pocket. |
| C．Swiss knives were competing with imported knives. |
| D．Canned food was becoming popular in the Swiss army. |
Why didn't the Swiss army purchase the Swiss Officer's Knife?
| A．The design of the knife was too simple. |
| B．The knife was sold out to American soldiers. |
| C．The army had no budget to make the purchase. |
| D．The new design was not considered necessary for officers to own. |
Who gave the name "the Swiss army knife" to the knife discussed in the passage?
| A．Carl Elsener. | B．Swiss generals. |
| C．American soldiers. | D．German businessmen. |
The day of my holiday arrived, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had little money and had only been able to afford to stay with my Aunt Rosa in Spain. So, I wasn’t really excited as I knew exactly what it was going to be like: lots of noisy cousins , and Aunt Rosa begging me to take her for a ride.
After I had checked in, I made my way slowly to the departure gate. As I was waiting to board the plane, I kept thinking about my ideal holiday destination: Jamaica, with its long, sandy beaches and crystal clear water.
As soon as the plane took off, I fell fast asleep and only woke to the sound of the announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten you seat belts, as we will shortly be landing in Kingston.” I froze in my seat. Was I dreaming? Kingston? Jamaica? I had boarded the wrong plane!
Immediately after the plane landed, I explained the situation to the authorities. It seems there were also three other passengers heading for Spain. Apparently it had been the airline’s fault, since the flight numbers for Spain and Jamaica were exactly the same! Therefore, with no flight back to London for a week, the airline had no choice but to pay for our stay.
So there I was, lying on the beach, enjoying the music and the marvelous food of Jamaica! As for Aunt Rosa, I suppose she just had to live without me!Why did the writer choose to spend her holiday with her aunt in Spain?
| A．She missed her cousins very much. |
| B．Her aunt begged her to go there. |
| C．She could hardly afford any better trip. |
| D．Spain was her ideal destination. |
In the story, the writer ended up _________.
| A．flying to London immediately |
| B．heading for Spain from Jamaica |
| C．complaining to the authorities |
| D．enjoying a free beach holiday |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
| A．A Lucky Mistake | B．A Terrible Adventure |
| C．A Nice Dream | D．A Well-Planned Trip |
It is a wonderful morning, as I write this: hot, but without being too hot．Outside my window, I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water．It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday, time is running out．
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday．This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it．You might say this sounds like saying you are not very good at drinking tea or listening to music．What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody．And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun．Somehow, packing a carefully itemized（详细列举的）list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it．
Thankfully, I am not alone． This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break． And a recent survey highlighted the downside（负面）of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal．And this year's the Idler magazine published its hook, Awful Holidays．Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically-damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website． Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life．The leisure（休闲）industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book ' s editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays．According to the first paragraph we can know that the writer．
| A．has a strong desire to book a holiday |
| B．wishes that the weather would change |
| C．finds it is too late to enjoy the sunshine |
| D．realizes it's time to decide whether to go on a holiday |
The reason why the writer dislikes going on holidays is that．
| A．it usually costs too much money |
| B．he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays |
| C．it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance |
| D．he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn't |
We can learn from the survey that．
| A．most people pretend to enjoy their holiday |
| B．all people fail to relax while they are on holiday |
| C．a lot of people feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited |
| D．many people have made the same decision as the writer and most of his friends |
The writer takes the book of Awful Holidays as an example to．
| A．damage the reputation of the magazine |
| B．prove the idea of living an easy, lazy life to be wrong |
| C．indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared |
| D．focus entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays |
Federal Child Labor Standards for Teenagers
Teenage labor in the United States
Federal Law sets child labor standards affecting teenage workers in the private companies and in federal, state, and local governments.
How can injuries be prevented?
Demand Training
Insist on adequate supervision（监督）and easy access to a supervisor at all times．
Demand sufficient training on equipment and chemicals you are required to use．Refuse to use unknown materials or machinery that is broken or improperly set up．
Wear protective equipment
Always use whatever protective equipment is supplied．Protective clothing includes non-slip shoes, gloves and other specific job-related protective gear．
Request reasonable protective equipment if it is not provided automatically．
Know your environment
Ask about workplace hazards and precautions（预防措施）that can help prevent injuries．
Workplace hazards are objects and situations present at your job that could potentially hurt you．Recognize safety hazards such as slippery floors, unsafe ladders, sharp knives, and heavy lifting．
Know the law
Learn about federal and state laws governing employment for teenagers and make you’re your supervisor enforces them．
How many working hours are allowed?
Teenagers （ages 14-15） may total no more than
■3 hours on a school day．
■18 hours in a school week．（A school week is any week in which school attendance is required for any part of four or more days．）
■8 hours on a non-school day．
■40 hours m a non-school week．
What are the responsibilities?
Employers and employees share the responsibility for keeping the workplace safe and healthy．As a teenage worker, you can do your part by taking these steps:
■Follow rules．
■Use safety equipment．
■Keep your work area clean．
■Report all injuries．
■Inform a supervisor if you feel sick．
■Report safety problems．If a teenager is asked to work with equipment out of order, he or she should_．
| A．demand enough training | B．refuse to work with the equipment |
| C．ignore the instructions on the machine | D．ask for necessary protective tools |
All of these are examples of workplace hazards EXCEPT.
| A．sharp knives | B．heavy lifting |
| C．slippery floors | D．steady ladders |
According to the passage, which of the following should a teenage worker do in the workplace?
| A．Depend on his own in any case． |
| B．Deal with his injuries himself． |
| C．Contact a supervisor when feeling uncomfortable． |
| D．Use any tool in hand． |
Picture the scene: the battery on your mobile phone has run out． You can't make any calls for help and no one can contact you． You are all alone - well, not quite． Just reach into your pocket and take out a piece of sugar．Put it into the battery, wait a minute, and you're back on the phone．
Thanks to a couple of American scientists, this situation could become real．Swadesh Chaudhuri and Derek Lovely have invented the"bacteria battery" - powered by bacteria that eats sugar and turns it into electricity．
"This is a special organism," Lovely said．"You can harvest enough electricity to power a cell phone battery for about four days from a spoonful of sugar．"
In the past, bacteria batteries have been expensive and not long-lasting． But this battery uses more efficient bacteria that can turn 80 percent of sugar into electrical energy． This is 30 percent more than similar batteries can manage．
The bacteria battery could become as small as a household battery． It's also cheap and stable, as sugar can be taken from waste and crops．
But the sugar to electricity process is slow: it could take weeks for the bacteria to digest a cup of sugar．And it produces "greenhouse" gases which pollute the environment．
The scientists understand there is a lot more work to be done． "It is still young," said Lovely．"Where we are now is where solar power was 200r 30 years ago．"
But he believes the battery could be used in scientific equipment at the bottom of the ocean．Other ideas include using sugar in the blood to run medical devices in the human body, and taking sugar from animal waste to provide energy to power homes in rural areas．This passage is mainly about_．
| A．how to change sugar into electricity |
| B．a scientific invention of a new kind of bacteria battery |
| C．a new way to reduce pollution caused by mobile phones |
| D．a new kind of mobile phones and its future |
Which of the following is not the strong point of the newly-developed battery?
| A．Convenient． | B．Stable． | C．Inexpensive． | D．Quick． |
The underlined sentence in the 7th paragraph actually means．
| A．the bacteria battery shares some similarities with solar energy |
| B．scientists will continue their work until they find solar power |
| C．there is much room for the improvement of the bacteria battery |
| D．the bacteria battery will get popular in 20 0r 30 years |
According to the passage, who will find the bacteria battery less useful?
| A．Farmers． | B．Divers． | C．Doctors． | D．Electricians． |