The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphones, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic(怀旧的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching,many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful-----both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks----both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot(发现) spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct them over time.
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?
| A．Theabsenceofblackboardsinclassrooms. |
| B．Theuseofnewtechnologiesinteaching. |
| C．Thelackofpracticeinhandwriting. |
| D．Thepopularuseofsmartphones. |
Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________.
| A．focusedonthedifferencebetweenwritingbyhandandonacomputer. |
| B．indicatedthatstudentsprefertowritewithapenandpaper. |
| C．foundthatgoodessaysaremadeupoflongsentences. |
| D．discussedtheimportanceofwritingspeed. |
Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?
| A．Spellingimprovesone’smemoryofwords. |
| B．Spellingabilityiscloselyrelatedtowritingability. |
| C．Spellingbenefitsthetranslationfromwordsintoideas. |
| D．Spellingslowsdownfindingexactwordstoexpressideas. |
What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean?
| A． Window. | B．Soul | C．Picture. | D．Imagination. |
What conclusion could be drawn from the passage
| A．Computerscanhelppeoplewiththeirchoiceofwords. |
| B．Spellcheckscantaketheplaceofspellingteaching. |
| C．Handwritingstillhasaplaceintoday’sclassrooms. |
| D．Functionalspellingabilitydevelopsfastinthefifthgrade. |
Our eating habits are very important for good health and a strong body. There are times when most of us would have sweets and ice-cream rather than eat meat and rice. Sweets and ice-cream are not bad for the stomach if we eat at the end of a meal. If we drink beer at meals, it may take away our appetite. It is important for us to eat our meal at the same time each day. When we feel hungry, it is a sign that our body needs food. When we feel angry or excited, we may not want to eat. A long time ago, in England, some judges used to decide whether a man was telling the truth by giving him some dry bread. If the man could not swallow the bread, it was a sign that he was not telling the truth. Although this seems very strange and rather foolish, it is indeed an excellent way of finding out the truth. A man who is worrying about something has difficulty in swallowing anything dry. Because he is worried, he loses his appetite and does not want to eat. Why do we have to form good eating habits?
| A．Because we want to eat more. |
| B．Because we enjoy our meal. |
| C．Because we want to save time. |
| D．Because we want to keep fit. |
When do you think it is good to eat sweets and ice-cream according to the passage?
| A．When we are happy |
| B．When we have a good appetite. |
| C．After a meal. |
| D．Before a meal |
The word“swallow” means______.
| A．take into the stomach through the throat |
| B．eat with difficulty |
| C．break with the teeth before taking in |
| D．drink like a fish |
When does the writer think it would be better to have our meal?.
| A．When our work is over. |
| B．At the fixed time every day. |
| C．When we feel happy. |
| D．When every family member is home. |
What could a man do if he told a lie according to some judges in old England?.
| A．He could eat a lot of food. |
| B．He could hardly need any food. |
| C．He could swallow some dry bread easily. |
| D．He could not swallow any dry bread. |
After a day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping enables your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your muscles relax little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, from time to time you will dream. Scientists who study sleep state that when dreaming occurs your eyeballs begin to move quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people recommend breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will help make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep.A good title for this passage is _______.
| A．Sleep. | B．Good Health | C．Dreams | D．Work and Rest |
The word “drowsy” in the last paragraph means_______.
| A．sick | B．asleep | C．a little sleepy | D．noisy |
This passage suggests that not getting enough sleep might make you _______.
| A．dream more | B．have poor health | C．nervous | D．breathe quickly |
During REM ________.
| A．your eyes move quickly | B．you dream |
| C．you are restless | D．both A and B |
The average number of hours of sleep that an adult needs is_________.
| A．approximately(大约) six hours. | B．around ten hours. |
| C．about eight hours | D．not stated here. |
Miss Popular
I was awkward in middle school: bony and athletic, with a high grade in science and a low one in self-esteem. Though I had a few friends, I wasn’t popular. I was picked last in football and I sometimes ate lunch by myself.
I remember the day Brittany came to our school. Her teeth were crooked(歪斜的), and she was a little overweight. Not that this mattered though, because she walked around like she was better than all of us. She was outspoken and incredibly frightening, making people lose confidence.
Around Brittany, I tried my best to go unnoticed. Standing out or stealing her spotlight could only result in one thing: conflict. Brittany was always the first girl picked for teams; I was lucky if I was picked at all. I was thrown the ball while she stood with the quarterback, chatting about the last party she’d gone to. I had never been to a party before or kissed a boy.
One day, a classmate asked me to the school dance. I was flattered. Then Brittany told me during science class that she had persuaded him to invite me. She asked in front of everyone, “Why would anyone even want you?” I went home and cried.
Although she was seemingly perfect in everyone’s eyes, I wanted to be everything that she wasn’t and yet a million times more perfect. Brittany was so frightening and violent, but I wanted to be calm and not at all aggressive.
I found Brittany’s online profile a few weeks ago. She still had the same chubby(圆胖脸) face and mocking（嘲笑的）simile, and had posted half-naked pictures of herself. But as I read on, I realized that Brittany had died in a drunken driving accident a year ago. She had been 16 and pregnant at the time. Suddenly my view of Brittany changed from a bad influence into a struggling little girl whose life was taken before she could understand right from wrong. My experience with Brittany taught me that though we are all innocent in our youth, the choices we make will have great effects on us forever. I will always remember Brittany as that loud, overconfident girl. As part of that shy insecure person I used to be will always keep me modest.Fromthefirst three passages wecanconcludethat .
| A．the author was trying to avoid conflict with Brittany |
| B．the author secretly envied Brittany for being popular |
| C．Brittany’s appearance made her popular with boys |
| D．Brittany was puzzled at how she could be popular |
Which of the following is TRUE about Brittany?
| A．She didn’t mean to hurt the author. |
| B．She took delight in hurting others. |
| C．Her confidence came from her popularity. |
| D．Her overweight made her more outspoken. |
According to the passage we can learn that the author.
| A．was afraid of Brittany and followed her lead |
| B．saw the influence that low self-esteem can have |
| C．was determined to be better than Brittany |
| D．knew she was quietly different from Brittany |
Thelast passage is meant to .
| A．tell us the reason for Brittany’s death |
| B．present the changed attitude to Brittany |
| C．show the influences of the youth |
| D．stress the importance of behaviors |
Good news for game lovers― a tank game has come out recently. In this game you are in a tank and the screen shows your view of the landscape outside. You gain points by shooting enemy tanks, super tanks, missiles and flying saucers（飞碟）.
Expert players can gain scores of around 150,000 points at this game. To get a high score you have to destroy twenty tanks as quickly as possible. After this, the super tanks, missiles and flying saucers appear. These are worth far more points than the ordinary tanks. However, the number of tanks you have to destroy before the super tanks appear varies on different machines.
Try to get close to an enemy tank from the side or the back, so it cannot shoot at you. Then, when you get close, turn to face it, line it up in your sights and fire before it turns to shoot at you. If you miss or are too slow, quickly escape by moving out of the enemy’s line of fire. You can then move around the enemy and come in from another side.
When a super tank appears, try to destroy it as quickly as possible. Then wait safely behind an obstacle（障碍物）for a missile or flying saucer. The cubes are useful objects to hide behind as you can fire over them without exposing yourself to danger. The missiles will fly straight at you, but they are difficult to hit, so do not shoot at them until they are quite close. The saucers are much easier to hit, but do not follow them as you will be open to attack from enemy tanks.This passage is an about a game.
| A．experiment | B．invention | C．expression | D．instruction |
If you hide behind the cubes during an attack, which of the following may not happen?
| A．Avoiding being exposed to danger. | B．Being hit by a missile. |
| C．Destroying a missile. | D．Firing over missiles or flying saucers. |
If you can destroy a super tank, missile or flying saucer, you will get.
| A．a machine to play with | B．many more points |
| C．an ordinary tank | D．nothing |
From the last sentence we can see that you are likely to be attacked by tanks if you.
| A．hit a flying saucer | B．shoot at enemy tanks |
| C．fire straight at a missile | D．run after a flying saucer |
“There are no real friends or enemies in the business world”. This saying may have been on the minds of bosses at China’s main online video providers, Youku.com Inc and Tudou Holdings Ltd, when the one-time rivals（对手）agreed to merge (合并) on March 12. The deal will create the country’s largest company in the online video industry, Youku Tudou Inc.
Three months ago, the two companies were involved in a copyright dispute. On December 12, Tudou charged Youku.com with illegally airing the entertainment series, Kangxi is coming. Tudou was the only company which had rights to the series. In response, Youku filed a lawsuit（诉讼） against Tudou, claiming the company was broadcasting more than 50 Youku-owned TV series.
According to analysts, the deal came out of the market battle between the two companies. Each spent so much money buying licensed content that they ended up in the red last year. “Funding pressures are the main reason for the deal,” said Shi Jialong, a Hong Kong-based analyst with CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. “After the merger, there might be a fall in copyright purchase prices, which is good for the industry in the short term.”
The new company will face competition from Web portals(门户网站) providing similar services. Youku owned 21.8 percent of Chin’s online video market in the last quarter of last year and Tudou 13.7 percent, but Sohu.com followed close on the heels with 13.3 percent, according to domestic research company Analysys International.
Some analysts do not feel the deal will secure the market for Youku Tudou. Shi Yu, CEO of media company KU6, said the merger was unlikely to have a “one plus one more than two” effect. In his opinion, video-hosting sites need to find new ways of generation profit to succeed in the market.The main reason for Youku.com Inc and Tudou Holdings Ltd to merge is that .
| A．the two companies were in great demand of money |
| B．they were charge with illegally airing the entertainment series |
| C．the two companies created the country’s largest company |
| D．they intended to cut down the prices of copyrights |
The underlined words “in the red” in the third paragraph mean “”.
| A．in a big fight | B．in a great trouble | C．at a loss | D．at a distance |
What do the last two paragraphs imply?
| A．Shi Yu doesn’t think it a good idea for the two companies to merge. |
| B．The merger is really a win-win deal for the companies involved. |
| C．The merger may not promise a bright future for Youku Tudou. |
| D．The new company will be more competitive after the merger. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The merge will benefit the online video industry to some degree. |
| B．The two companies spent lots of money building video-hosting sites. |
| C．Youku Tudou Inc currently controls half of the online video market in China. |
| D．The new company has taken charged of all the entertainment series. |