Teaching a child to read at a young age gives him a valuable start in life. Reading is the basic part of education and a child’s reading ability will influence his school success greatly. Learning difficulties, many of which begin from poor reading skills, can damage a school child’s confidence and affect his future achievement. Young children are programmed to learn and they can learn better with encouragement. Ten to twenty minutes of reading a day still leaves plenty of time for play.
Many parents are concerned that learning to read is too challenging a task for a pre-school child, but they should also remember that most children learn to speak by the time they are 3. Learning a language is probably the single most challenging task any individual can undertake, yet children do it without formal instruction, achieving the fluency much better than adult language students.
There is a window of opportunity in terms of IQ development, which is most open during a child’s early years. A scientific study, carried out by Dr. Peter Huttenlocher at the University of Chicago, showed that the number of connectors, called synapses（神经元突触）, between the nerve endings in a newborn baby’s brain is similar to the number in the average adult brain. These synapses increase rapidly during early childhood. By 12-24 months a child’s brain has about 50% more synapses than the average adult brain. After that the synapses which are not in use begin to atrophy（衰退）. For most people, from age 16, the number remains steady. It begins to drop again as we move into our golden years. Doing intellectual activities at a young age, such as learning to read, can stimulate（刺激）and preserve these connectors in the brain resulting in a long-term beneficial（有益的）effect on IQ development.
Another notable study is probably the Milwaukee project. This study took a group of babies, all of whose mothers had low IQs, and gave them special training for seven hours a day, five days a week, until they started first grade. By the age of 6 these children had an average IQ 30 points higher than their contemporaries. The overwhelming conclusion is that the early intellectual stimulation can have a positive, long-term effect on a child’s brain development.
From birth you should talk to and explain things to your baby. Reading to him can be a wonderful way of spending quality time with your child. The enjoyment of books and being familiar with the idea of print will pave the way for（为……铺平道路）learning to read later.
If your child is a fast learner you can help him realize his potential by introducing him to the joy of the printed word at an early age. This will lay the foundations（基础）for both a high achieving school career and a lifelong love of reading. If your child shows early signs of reading difficulties, your efforts may help him get rid of such problems before he goes to school.
It can be difficult to teach your own child because emotional（引起情绪激动的）issues arise easily. Online programs for learning to read English are excellent options. They allow children to repeat new materials as many times as they need to, without wearing out the parents’ patience.What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．Children should be taught to read at an early age. |
| B．Children can read better than most adult students. |
| C．Children have more synapses than most adults. |
| D．Children are supposed to learn to read on the Internet. |
Why does the author mention the study by Dr. Peter Hutten locher?
| A．To remove parents’ worry. |
| B．To explain IQ development. |
| C．To explain how a baby’s brain works. |
| D．To show the parents’ wrong ideas. |
How can children benefit from learning to read at a young age?
| A．It can build up great confidence in their mind. |
| B．It can help preserve the connectors in their brains. |
| C．It can help produce more connectors in their brains. |
| D．It can help them find both their weaknesses and strengths. |
At the end of this passage the author advises _______.
| A．parents not to get angry too often |
| B．children to enjoy reading as early as possible |
| C．children not to wear out their parents’ patience |
| D．parents to get their children to take an online program |
Doctors recognize obesity as a health problem．So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?
The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don’t know what to say．
So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there, said Christine C．Ferguson, director of the Stop Obesity Alliance．Without being told about options for diabetes, she said, “Doctors don’t feel they have good information to give．They felt they didn’t have adequate tools to deal with this problem.”
The lack of dialogue hurts patients, too．The patient survey, of over 1,000 adults, found that most overweight patients don’t even know that they’re too heavy．Only 39 percent of overweight people surveyed had ever been told by a health care provider that they were overweight.
Of those who were told they were overweight, 90 percent were also told by their doctors to lose weight, the survey found．In fact most have tried to lose weight and may have been successful in the past — and many are still trying, the survey found．And many understand that losing even a small amount of weight can have a positive impact on their health and reduce their risk of developing obesity-related diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
Dr．William Bestermann Jr., from Holston Medical Group, said the dialogue had to be an ongoing one and could not be dropped after just one mention of the problem．“If you’re to help your patients successfully, you have to talk to them at actually every visit about their progress, and find something to encourage them about and coach them,” he said.
He acknowledged that many doctors find it hard to be optimistic．
“Part of this is that it’s commonly believed, even by doctors, that overweight people are weak-willed and just don’t have any willpower and are self-indulgent and all that business,” he said．“If you think that way, you’re not going to spend time having a productive conversation.”
61．What is most probably Stop Obesity Alliance, as in Paragraph 3?
A．An organization of doctors specializing in obesity.
B．An organization of patients suffering from obesity.
C．A research group that conducts special surveys about overweight people.
D．A research group dealing with doctor-patient relationship.
62．How many of the patients surveyed have been advised by their doctors to lose weight?
A．About 350. B．About 390. C．About 900. D．1000.
63．What can be inferred about obesity patients in Paragraph 5 ?
A．They are not as hopeless as doctors think they are.
B．Most of them have tried hard to lose weight, but in vain.
C．Without their doctors’ constant coaching, there is little chance of their succeeding in losing weight.
D．Most of them have just given up their hope of becoming less heavy.
64．According to the passage, which factor contributes to the lack of dialogue between doctors and patients?
A．Most doctors just never think of warning their patients about their weight problem.
B．Many doctors find it difficult to persuade overweight people to lose weight.
C．Most patients are too weak-willed to do anything about their weight.
D．Many patients tend not to trust their doctors about their weight problem.
65．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．Obesity in the U.S.
B．Trouble of overweight Americans
C．Talk more, help better
D．Doctors or patients — who to bear more blame?
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION
Directions: Read the following three passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
Short reader-submitted stories -- for the woman you should think of today!
Compiled by Amy Zerello
Great Minds Reminded of Mom
After a long, exhausting day, a friend of mine, Allen, headed home．On the road, he passed an elderly woman who was standing by a car with a flat tire．If that were 
his mother, he thought, he would want someone to help her．With a tired sigh, he turned around and drove back．
Just as he reached the poor woman, a truck pulled up and a burly man got out．"Kind of reminds you of your mom, too?" the man asked as the two of them pitched in together to change the tire for her．
Contributed by Katherine L．Houge
Your Biggest Fan
While waiting in a bookstore for a guest author to sign her latest book, I leafed through some of the Civil War novels she had written．The woman in line behind me commented, "Those are the best books I've ever read．I couldn't put them down."
Before I could reply, the author, frowning, looked over and said, "Oh come on, Mom!"
-- Contributed by Marilyn Kopp
Head of the Household
My husband, Jeff, and I came across several problems while assembling our new computer system, so we called the help desk．The man on the phone started to talk to Jeff in computer jargon(行业术语), which confused us even more．
"Sir," my husband politely said, "please explain what I should do as if I were a four-year-old."
"Okay," the computer technician replied．"Sweetie, could you please put your mommy on the phone?"
-- Contributed by Lena Worth
How does it feel to tickle your mom’s funny bone?
Now send your own funny story to us! You could earn up to $300!
56．Who w
ould the burly man be in the first joke?
A．Another kind helper. B．The old lady’s son.
C．Allen’s friend. D．A policeman.
57．What was the guest author’s mom trying to do in the second story?
A．Push hard to get her daughter’s signature．
B．Promote her daughter’s books by pretending to be a fan.
C．Show her pride in her daughter’s achievement.
D．Persuade Marilyn Kopp to buy her daughter’s book.
58．The computer technician on the phone in the third story ________.
A．actually could find no way to solve Jeff’s problems
B．teased Jeff about his poor knowledge of computer jargon
C．wanted to talk to Lena instead
D．believed that Jeff’s mom would know more computer jargon
59．What is the main purpose of the jokes?
A．To make fun of moms. B．To honor moms.
C．To educate moms. D．To amuse moms．
60．The passage is most possibly found ________.
A．in a storybook B．in a commercial ad
C．in a magazine D．in a student’s text book
The January fashion show, called FutureFashion, exemplified how far green design has come．Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time．Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges．Scott Hahn, cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find．“Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren’t comparable fabrics that can just replace what you’re doing and what your customers are used to,” he says．For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once put into a dress．But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents.
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support．Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs（企业家） who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable．It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago．This week Wa
l-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material．“Mainstream is about to occur,” says Hahn.
Some analysts are less sure．Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that ecofashion exists, up from 6% four years ago．Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer．When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied: “Not that I’m aware of.” Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she’s on the hunt for “cute stuff that isn’t too expensive.” By her own admission, green just isn’t yet on her mind．But—thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers—one day it will be.
67．What is said about FutureFashion?
A．It inspired many leading designers to start going green.
B．It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.
C．It served as an example of how fashion shows should be organized.
D．It convinced the public that fashionable clothes should be made durable.
68．According to Scott Hahn, one big challenge to designers who will go organic is that .
A．much more time is needed to finish a dress using sustainable materials
B．they have to create new brands for clothes made of organic materials
C．customers have difficulty telling organic from non-organic materials
D．quality organic replacements for synthetics are not readily available
69．What is Natalie Hormilla’s attitude toward ecofashion?
A．She is doubtful of its practical value. B．She doesn’t think it is sustainable.
C．She doesn’t seem to care about it. D．She is very much opposed to the idea.
70．What does the author think of green fashion?
A．Green products will soon go mainstream．
B．It has a very promising future.
C．Consumers have the final say.
D．It will appeal more to young people.
Wugging, or web use giving, describes the act of giving to charity at no cost to the user．By using Everyclick.com, which is being added to a number of university computers across the UK, students can raise money every time they search, but it won’t cost them a penny.
Research shows that students are extremely passionate about supporting charity — 88% of full time students have used the Internet to give to charity．This age group is often the least likely to have their own income．19% of 22 to 24 year olds have short-term debts of more than £5,000．With rising personal debt levels in this age group, due to university tuition fees or personal loans and a lack of long-term savings, traditional methods of donating to charity are often not appealing or possible.
Beth Truman, a 21-year-old recent university graduate, has used Everyclick.com to donate to her chosen charity, the RSPCA, for two years and has seen the “wugging” movement grow in popularity with students．“When you’re at university you become more socially aware, but it’s sometimes hard to give to others when you have little money yourself,” says Beth．“Wugging is great for people in this age group as it allows them to use the technology on a daily basis to give to charity, without costing them a single penny.”
Wugging is perfect for people who want to be more socially aware and supportive but don’t feel they have the means to do so．Students using the web can raise money for causes they care about without costing them anything in terms of time or money, and charities get a valuable source of funding．
Everyclick.com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can decide which of the UK’s 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks．Everyclick.com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity．Launched in June 2005, Everyclick.com is now the eighth largest search engine and one of the busiest charity websites in the UK.
63．According to the passage, “wugging” is actually ______.
A．a website B．a charity-related action
C．a school organization D．a student movement
64．In the case of charity, Everyclick.com ______.
A．frees students from the financial worries
B．receives much money from students
C．offers valuable information to students
D．praises students for their money-raising
65．What does Beth Truman think of the “wugging” movement?
A．It makes Everyclick.com popular in the UK．
B．It becomes easy to do charity because of it.
C．It results in students’ more social awareness．
D．It helps students to save money.
66．What would be the best title
for this passage?
A．“Wugging”, a new popular term on the Internet.
B．British people show strong interest in charity.
C．More Britain charities benefit from the Internet.
D．Students raise money for charity by “wugging”.
One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister．On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend．I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones．Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out．I called home with this happy news．But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone．“I’ll give him a lesson,” I said．I decided they must be outside．Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house．After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered．“Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone．I was not my usual calm, rational self．After all, one of
the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers．“Where are the children?” I said．He said they were with him．They had done nothing wrong．My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake．This was too good to be believed．Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it．It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday．My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts．Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
59．The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because _____ _.
A．she knew that his girlfriend was a good baby-sitter
B．she believed he could take good care of the younger ones with the help of his girlfriend
C．the older children have always loved the younger ones
D．she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night
60．Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ______.
A．her son had brought his girlfriend home
B．her son had left home with his girlfriend
C．she shouldn’t have completely trusted her son
D．she should have taken the children along with her
61．The sentence “It was only part of the truth.” （Para．5） implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but also ______.
A．had a birthday party B．framed some photographs
C．had their pictures taken D．showed off their best clothes
62．Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A．An Evening Out B．Modern Teenagers
C．Mother and Children D．A Precious Birthday Gift