When was the last time your family sat down together to have a dinner?
The speed at which we live today no longer allows for slow eating habits. Most people work long hours. There is lots of fast food and eating out is now on the increase. Often, food is eaten in front of the television in silence, or a child eats alone in front of the computer.
When I was a child, every evening around the same time, one of the children would be asked to set the table, and then we'd go and wash our hands: before the meal. This was the time of day when we would talk about our day at school. But now things have changed a lot.
A family environment plays an important role for children in learning to communicate with others and understanding table manners, such as waiting for others to finish before leaving the table and not speaking with a mouth full of food. Parents’ likes and dislikes of a certain food will also influence a child's own likes and dislikes. Studies have shown that children who often eat with their families have better results at school than children who eat with their families less than twice a week.
Regular meal times give children the chance to discuss their problems with family members. They can also learn to respect others around the table. Talking to your children over dinner is the best way of having their-trust. Children learn good eating habits from their parents at a very young age. Family meals are important. Prepare them for your children.Some families eat less together because __________.
| A．most children live in a school |
| B．people are busy with their work |
| C．table manners change a lot |
| D．food in the restaurant is better |
Children who often eat with their families _________.
| A．turn out to do better in their studies |
| B．prefer to share food with others |
| C．show concerns about families |
| D．are interested in cooking |
Which word can best describe the writer's attitude towards eating together with families?
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Worried. | D．Grateful. |
Which would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Table manners of a family | B．The importance of meals |
| C．Why should the family eat together? | D．How to choose food for your family? |
People turn to magic(魔力)chiefly as a form of insurance--that is, they use it along with actions that actually bring results. For example, hunters may use a hunting charm(咒语). But they also use their hunting skills and knowledge of animals. The charm may give hunters the extra confidence they need to hunt even more successfully than they would without it. If they shoot a lot of game(猎物), they credit the charm for their success. Many events happen naturally without magic. Crops grow without it, and sick people get well without it. But if people use magic to bring a good harvest or to cure a patient, they may believe the magic was responsible.
People also tend to forget magic's failures and to be impressed by its surface successes. They may consider magic successful if it appears to work only 10 per cent of the time. Even when magic fails, people often explain the failure without doubting the power of the magic. They may say that the magician made a mistake in reciting the spell or that another magician cast a more powerful spell against the magician.
Many anthropologists(人类学家) believe that people have faith in magic because they feel a need to believe in it. People may turn to magic to reduce their fear and uncertainty if they feel they have no control over the outcome of a situation. For example, farmers use knowledge and skill when they plant their fields. But they know that weather, insects, or diseases might ruin the crops. So farmers in some societies may also plant a charm or perform a magic rite to ensure a good harvest.From the passage, we can learn that the writer of the passage may be _______.
| A．a hunter | B．a farmer | C．a magician | D．an anthropologist |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．Magic and Hunting. | B．Magic and Farming. |
| C．Why Magic Works? | D．Why People Believe in Magic? |
The underlined word “spell”(Paragraph 2) most likely means______.
| A．magic words. | B．magic events. | C．words or expressions | D．magicians. |
Some say everyday miracles(奇迹) are predestined(注定的)----the right time for the appointed meeting. And it can happen anywhere.
In 2001, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York. It was an early evening in late July. Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game. Swinging his bat back and forth, giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give. The boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest. His heart stopped.
When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid. Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(换班)at the hospital had been changed to see her son’s performance. She was given the night off. Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions. And he revived in the end.
After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life. He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time.
Kevin, now 18, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table. He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat. She was choking.
Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands. Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts. The food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed. The color began to return to her face.
"The food was stuck. I couldn't breathe," she said. She thought she was dying. "I was very frightened."
Who was the woman?
Penny Brown.The author wrote the passage to show us that_______.
| A．miracles are predestined and they can happen anywhere |
| B．whoever helps you in trouble will get a reward one day |
| C．God will help those who give others a helping hand |
| D．miracles won’t come without any difficulty sometimes |
Which of the following statements is True of Kevin Stephan?
| A．He was hit on the face by a boy and almost lost his life |
| B．He was a volunteer junior firefighter, teaching the players first-aid skills |
| C．He worked part-time in a local restaurant to save money for college |
| D．He saved Penny Brown though he didn’t really know how to deal with food choke |
Why did Penny Brown change her shift and was given the night off that night?
| A．She was invited to give the players directions |
| B．She volunteered to give medical services |
| C．She was a little worried about his son’s safety |
| D．She came to watch her son’s game and cheered him |
When Kevin knew the woman was Penny Brown, probably he first felt _____.
| A．happy | B．surprised | C．sad | D．worried |
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school.And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It's faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that's why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
"When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it."
"I'm not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper."
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said "Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer's emotion. Through one's handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them"
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
| B．To Type or To Hand Write |
| C．Writing By Computer Will Replace Writing By Hand |
| D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.
| A．they are usually asked to e-mail their Homework and Essays |
| B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China. |
Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE of the advantages of handwriting?
| A．Handwriting contains the writer's emotion. |
| B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting, |
| C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence |
| D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
Jeremy Wirick, 9, has been back in school for less than two months, but he has already had several asthma(哮喘)attacks. A recent attack happened on October 2, after he pushed himself too hard in gym class. Running, power walking, jogging and push-ups took their toll. When Jeremy got home an hour or two later, he was out of breath. He needed to use a nebulizer, a machine that helps send medicine quickly to the lungs, to get his breathing back to normal.
Asthma attacks like Jeremy increase in September and October. More than six times as many asthma sufferers who are elementary-school age need hospital treatment in the fall as in the summer.
Experts believe many factors can contribute to back-to-school asthma. Kids get together in close spaces, they start passing viruses around. A viral infection can cause an asthma attack. There are also certain fall allergies(过敏症)that can cause attacks. Exercise is another common cause of an attack. Besides, the stress of school can make asthma worse.
Parents can play a big role in helping kids with asthma start the school year right. Dawne Gee’s10-year-old son, Alexander, has had asthma since he was a baby. Before the school year starts, she tells school workers in writing about her son’s asthma.
The Gees live in Kentucky, which has passed laws allowing students to carry their asthma medication(药物治疗)with them at school. Alexander’s mom makes sure he has his inhaler(人工呼吸器)with him when he goes to school and that he keeps it on hand at all times. In Delaware, where Jeremy lives, kids are allowed to carry their inhalers at school.
The American Lung Association says that about 6.2 million American children suffer from asthma. Asthma is the chronic (慢性) illness that causes students to miss the most days of school. There are many things that schools can do to help students control their asthma The passage mainly deals with _______.
A. how to prevent and treat Asthma. what Asthma is and its symptoms
C. the side-effects Asthma has on kids
D. the causes of Asthma and its treatment By saying “Running, power walking, jogging and push-ups took their toll.”, the writer means that_____.
| A．physical exercise affected their health |
| B．physical exercise gave them a deep thought |
| C．asthma attacks made them like physical exercise |
| D．asthma attacks could be cured through physical exercise |
Which of the following statements is NOT supported by the passage?
| A．Kids are likely to suffer asthma attacks in the fall |
| B．Stress can add to the risk of asthma attacks |
| C．Medical officials should be blamed for asthma attacks |
| D．Asthma attacks will need necessary medical treatment |
The passage lists many factors that cause asthma attacks except_____.
| A．A viral infection | B．unhealthy habits |
| C．certain fall allergies | D．physical exercise |
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and ,at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively（不引人注目地）and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite（野营地）seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.You needn’t ask for permission when camping in.
| A．national parks in England | B．most parts of Scotland |
| C．crowded lowland Britain | D．most parts of England |
The author thinks that a good campsite is one.
A. with easy accessB. used previously
C with modern conveniences D. far away from beachesThe last paragraph mainly deals with
A. protecting animals B. building a campfire
C camping in woodlandD. finding a campsite with privacyThe passage is mainly about
| A．the protection of campsites | B．the importance of wild camping |
| C．the human influence on campsites | D．the dos and don’ts of wild camping |