When was the last time you did something really fun with one of your parents—just the two of you?
Parents who take their young children to music, swimming and art classes often stop arranging such activities once their kids are older and in school all day. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Doing something enjoyable with your kids just might make you look at each other in a whole new way, especially if you do it through a class or an event. When parent and child become students together, it puts them on the same level, at least for a while.
“I really like parents to come to class with their kids—they start sharing things and talking about what they’re doing and what they like,” said art teacher Pyper Dixon.
However, finding something new in common is a big choice for them, especially when kids get involved in sports and other after-school activities. But it’s possible to learn a new skill or hobby together.
That’s certainly true of Lauren, 11, of Silver Spring, who is in Dixon’s class with her father, Dennis. “I was just going to drop her off,” Dennis said, “but Dixon persuaded me to stay.”
Now Lauren gets to nag her father about doing his art homework. “He always leaves it to the last minute,” she said. “But then he’ll turn around to do amazing drawings,” she added, “We have different styles of drawing, so it’s interesting to talk it over with him.”
Without the Saturday morning art class, Dennis said, he would be reading the paper, and Lauren would be on her own in her room or on the computer. But they talk more now. “I can’t think of an experience where you communicate with your kid so closely,” he said. The author raises the question at the beginning to_______.
| A．expect an answer |
| B．criticize some parents |
| C．introduce the topic |
| D．support his argument |
What does Dixon think is the benefit of parent and child studying art together?
| A．They will become equal. |
| B．They will communicate more. |
| C．The child will learn art much better. |
| D．The parent will learn something new. |
The underlined word “nag” in the text probably means _______.
| A．urge |
B．help |
C．miss |
D．teach |
We can learn from the text that_______.
| A．Lauren used to talk a lot with her father |
| B．Dennis enjoys studying art with Lauren |
| C．Lauren dislikes her father’s drawings |
| D．Dennis likes playing computer games |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels. People who are unhappy _______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
| C．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| D．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “_______”.
| A．makes others unhappy |
| B．has a good taste with social life |
| C．tend to scold others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _______.
| A．show no respect and politeness to them |
| B．prevent any communication with them |
| C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
The Asian elephant has been respected for centuries and is still used today for ceremonies and religious purposes. It is respected, not only because it plays a role in Asian culture and religion, but also because it is a key biological species in the tropical forests of Asia.
The Asian elephant is the largest land mammal in Asian. It is smaller than the African elephant, with relatively smaller ears. Asian elephants have a single “finger” on the upper lip of the long trunk, while African elephants have a second on the lower tip. A number of adult male Asian elephants have no tooth, and the percentage of males carrying ivory(象牙）is different from only about 5% in Sri Lanka to 90% in south India. Asian elephants keep their ears in constant motion in order to free the heat they produce. The species is reported to have well-developed hearing, vision, and smell , and they are also fine swimmers.
Asian elephants prefer to convey something to form groups surrounding 6 to 7 related females that are led by the oldest female. Like African elephants, these groups occasionally join others to form herds, although these associations are relatively temporary.
More than two thirds of the day may be spent feeding on grasses, but large amounts of tree bark, roots, leaves and small stems are also eaten. Crops such as bananas, rice and sugar plants are favored foods. Besides, they need to drink at least twice a day so the source of water is quite important.
The Asian elephant used to live from modern Irap and Syria to the Yellow River in China at first, but it is now found only from India to Vietnam, with a tiny population in the extreme southwest of China’s Yunnan Province. More than 100,000 Asian elephants may have existed at the start of the 20th century. The population is estimated to have fallen by at least 50% over the last 60-75 years.What can we learn from Paragraph2?
| A．The Asian male elephant is the largest animal in the world. |
| B．The population of Asian male elephants with ivory varies by district. |
| C．The Asian elephant has two “fingers” on the lips of the long trunk. |
| D．Asian elephants continuously move their ears to warm themselves. |
The Asian elephants are most likely to fed themselves______.
| A．in a very large forest |
| B．in the field with leaves and stems |
| C．close to a river with grasses and leaves |
| D．on the hillsides with grasses and trees |
What makes the author worried in the last paragraph?
| A．That there are fewer and fewer Asian elephants. |
| B．That Asian elephants originally ranged more widely. |
| C．That Asian elephants may suffer some diseases. |
| D．That there was too much killing in the last century. |
The passage introduces Asian elephants mainly in the aspects of ______.
a.the diet habit
b. the social structure
c. the life circle
d. the physical description
e. the skin color
f. the population and distribution
g. the cultural status
| A．b-c-d-e-f | B．c-d-e-f-g |
| C．a-b-c-d-f | D．g-d-b-a-f |
When the evening is coming, my dear son and I are preparing for the tape time. “Shoes on,” I remind 9-year-old Sam. “Snakes are always waiting for the chance to kiss you. But with our feet stepped into my car, we are safe.” We take blankets and cups of milk and head out to the shelter that serves as our garage. This has become our bedtime habit.
I press “play.” A motherly voice fills the car. My mother and my aunt send us books on tape obtained from secondhand shops or rescued from the back of drawer. Maybe no one in England lays cassettes anymore, but I still love them.
Sam rests on his seat. He’s sitting in the front seat. I am listening to the cassette. But I am also thinking. In a month’s time, my boy will be 10. Next year, he will be 11. And so it will go on, until he leaves me and his father and his sister to live out his own stories---as it is only right and proper he should.
Will he think back to the times when he sat in the dark in a car in Africa, listening to tales of Wales in World War Ⅱ, the finest lady detective of Botswana, or a country he has visited, and tells me he finds them “very interesting”? Will he think , when he is grown-up, the poor mum always makes the ancient tape player which is out of date work?
I like to believe that he will recall those wonderful moments. By then, perhaps, my child will realize a deep love of sharing and understanding by listening to the old tape player. I hope Sam will think that these evenings we spend in the car are a story themselves. It is his own first chapter. In time my boy will ease off the hand brake and roll out into the world. Until then, I’ll keep pressing “play”.What habit did the writer and her son develop?
| A．To play outside in the evening |
| B．To listen to tapes in a car |
| C．To drive in the evening |
| D．To read books together at night |
How does the author think about Sam’s leaving the family in the future?
| A．Interesting. | B．Common and natural. |
| C．Absurd. | D．Unbearable. |
In paragraph4, the two questions can prove that ________.
| A．playing with children is fun for parents |
| B．listening to stories is a good way to enjoy life |
| C．children need to ask questions in reading |
| D．Listening experiences will be part of Sam’s life |
The best title for the passage may be “_______”.
| A．A gift of a story player |
| B．A childhood full of love and story |
| C．Deep love for the tape player |
| D．The future life of our children |
Fascinated with images from the Mars Rover? It turns out you don’t have to go to space. The following spots may look like they are on another planet, but they are right here on earth.
* Socotra Island, Indian Ocean
The largest of the four-island Socotra Archipelago, the island has about 250 species of plants that are not found anywhere else in the world. This includes the canopy-topped dragon’s blood tree, which has blood-red resin(树脂）that runs down if the trunk is cut deep. It can grow to 10 feet with a bulbous(球根的）trunk that swells with water absorbed in case of dry weather.
See it for yourself: There are regular flights from the Yemen capital of Sanaa on(Felix Airways) ($ 180 each way)
* Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
This wilderness in Northern Arizona/southern Utah is home to some of the most striking landscapes in the American Southwest. The nearly 300,000-acre site is known for its abundance of colorful shale（页岩）and Navajo sandstone that has been eroded(侵蚀）by the elements to create cliffs that rise as high as 3,000 feet. In the northwest of the park is the Coyote Buttes, where you’ll find The Wave, a wall of red sandstone that twists and turns in a way that just doesn’t look natural ---but is.
See it for yourself: Permits are required to hike in Vermilion Cliffs. Paria Canyon and Buckskin Gulch permits are available at on-site pay stations or in advance ($5 per person).
*Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina
The huge size of the Perito Moreno Glacier is unbelievable---it is more than 50 miles in length and 500 feet deep. The terminus(终点）of the glacier is Lago Argetino, where a 50-foot blue-hued ice wall rises from the lake. The Perito Moreno is also one of the only glaciers left on earth that is still growing.
See it for yourself: Many tour companies offer day trips to Perito Moreno from El Calafte. Viator’s full-day tour includes transportation from a local hotel and a guided tour for $ 106 per person.Which is true about the canopy-topped dragon’s blood tree?
| A．It grows where there is little rain. |
| B．It has blood-red skin. |
| C．It is shaped like a dragon. |
| D．It stores water for dry season. |
What do we know about The Wave?
| A．It is created in a natural way. |
| B．It is created by waves. |
| C．It is as high as 3,000 feet. |
| D．It looks quite natural. |
How much does a couple pay for a trip to Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina?
| A．$106 | B．$ 212 | C．$ 360 | D．$ 420 |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A geography book. | B．A tourist guidebook. |
| C．A news report. | D．A TV program. |
The world consumes hundreds of billions of single-use plastic bags each year. They are difficult to recycle, wasteful and damage the nature. Environmental activists want to ban plastic bags or---as many communities have done ---charge a fee for them. But the plastic bag industry defends their use, saying people reuse plastic bags, and industry officials argue recycling is a matter of personal responsibility and should not be forced.
City officials say New Yorkers use 5.2 billion plastic bags each year. They are offered free with nearly every supermarket, or convenience store purchase. Many people like them, even if they sometimes feel guilty about using them. But what happens to those bags after they’ve been used in a huge environmental problem. They are found on beaches. They are caught in trees. They are swallowed by marine life.
Plastic bags are made of petroleum products and natural gas, and do not biodegrade (分解). And they are difficult to recycle. So New York City spends nearly $ 10 million dollars a year to send 100---thousand tons of plastic bags to landfills out of state.
In Washington, D.C., a five percent charge on all single-use bags led to about a 60 percent reduction and in Los Angeles County in California , a 10 cent charge on single-use bags led to a 95 percent reduction. With a 10 cent charge on bags, customers are much more likely to stop and think about whether they need a bag or not. And that’s really all that these laws are doing.Who object to the limit of using plastic bags?
| A．Plastic bag makers. | B．Government officials. |
| C．Stores and supermarkets. | D．Most of the consumers. |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us _____.
| A．the difficulty about dealing with plastic bags |
| B．the popularity of plastic bags in New York |
| C．the great convenience brought by using plastic bags |
| D．the usage and problems of plastic bags in New York |
What measure does the writer introduce to reduce the use of plastic bags?
| A．Reducing the production of plastic bags. |
| B．Charging for the use of plastic bags. |
| C．Offering paper bags instead of plastic bags. |
| D．Making people realize the harm of plastic bags. |