“It hurts me more than you,’’and “This is for your own good.’’These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin,clean my room,stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in educafion in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school.The schools and the educators made it easy on us.They thought that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators,turned on the television,left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers,faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years,are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake.One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students-“so passive”-and-wonders what happened.Nothing was demanded of them,she believes. Television,says Klompus,contributes to children’s passivity.“We’re not training kids to work any more,” says Klompus.“we’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry.They have learned somebody will always do it for them. Instead of saying ‘go look it up’,you tell them the answer.It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes,it does.It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work.It’s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good.It’s time to start telling them no again.Why are children becoming more inactive in study?
A.Because they watch TV too often |
B.Because they have done too much homework. |
C.Because they have to fulfill too many duties. |
D.Because teachers are too strict with them. |
To such children as described in the passage
A.it is easier to say no than to say yes |
B.neither is easy-to say yes or to say no |
C.it is easier to say yes than to say no |
D.neither is difficult-to say yes or to say no |
We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to lay emphasis on
A.1earning Latin |
B.natural development |
C.discipline |
D.education at school |
By “permissive period in education’’the author means a time .
A.when children are allowed to do what they wish to |
B.when everything can be taught at school |
C.when every child can be educated |
D.when ehildren are permitted to receive education |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Parents should leave their children alone, |
B.Kids should have more activities at school. |
C.It’s time to be stricter with our kids. |
D.Parents should always set a good example to their kids. |
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea.People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea.Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added.She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess (公爵夫人) found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o’clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born.
Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?
A.The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
B.Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
C.The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
D.It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
This passage mainly discusses_____________.
A.the history of tea drinking in Britain |
B.how tea became a popular drink in Britain |
C.how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea |
D.how tea-time was born |
People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because.
A.it tasted like milk |
B.it tasted more pleasant |
C.it became a popular drink |
D.Madame de Sevinge was such a lady with great social influence that people tried |
to copy the way she drank tea
We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly
due to the influence of ________.
A.a famous French lady | B.the ancient Chinese |
C.the upper social class | D.people in Holland |
As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of the Independence. He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress. As a result, he became famous.
Born in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later, was much interested in politics.
Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.
Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.
Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom on America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as President, Jefferson never vetoed a bill which Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American Independence.
From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in ___.
A.1786 | B.1776 | C.1842 | D.1800 |
How old was Thomas Jefferson when he became Governor of Virginia?
A.He was 26. | B.He was in his forties. |
C.He was 36. | D.We don’t know. |
Which of the following statements is true?
A.Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome. |
B.Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with. |
C.Jefferson was an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public. |
D.Not being politically-minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress. |
Jefferson’s greatest contribution in American history should be that ___.
A.he did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia |
B.he was strongly against the slavery |
C.he was for the right of free speech |
D.he wrote the Declaration of Independence |
More than seven hundred years ago, the Prince of Wales had a very big and brave dog called Gelert. One day the Prince wanted to go hunt-ing with his men. He told his dog to stay at home and look after his baby son. The baby was in a wooden cradle, which was like a small bed. When the Prince came back from hunt-ing, Gelert ran out to meet his master. He wagged his tail and jumped up to put his paws on the Prince's chest. Then the Prince saw the blood on Gelert's jaws and head.
"What have you done?" the Prince said. He rushed into his house and looked for his baby son. The cradle was lying on its side on the floor. The clothes were torn and there was blood on them.
"So you have killed my son?" the Prince said angrily. "You unfaithful dog!" He took out his sword and killed the dog. Just as Gelert was dying, he managed to bark. Then the Prince heard a baby call to the dog.
The Prince ran out of the house and saw his son lying on the ground unhurt. Near him was a dead wolf. Then the Prince knew that Gelert had defended the baby and killed the wolf.
The Prince ran back into the house but he was too late. Gelert was dead. The Prince was very sad indeed. Tears ran down his face when he realized 'he had killed his faith-ful friend. The Prince carried the body of his brave dog to the top of a mountain and buried him there. After this, the Prince never smiled again. Every morning at dawn, he walked up the mountain and stood by the dog's grave for a few minutes.
If you go to Mount Snowdon in Wales, people will show you where Gelert is buried. There is a sign by his grave. It reminds peo-ple of a brave and faithful dog.
Gelert was the dog of the Prince of ___.
A.Scotland | B.England | C.Ireland | D.Wales |
The Prince told the dog to _____ when he was leaving.
A.watch the door | B.take care of his baby at home |
C.welcome his friends | D.stop the strangers |
The dog was very ____ when his master came back from hunting.
A.glad | B.fearful | C.afraid | D.tired |
The Prince never smiled again because __
A.the wolf was killed by Gelert | B.he had buried the dog on the top of mountain |
C.he had killed his faithful friend Gelert | D.Gelert had killed his baby son |
He's an old cobbler (修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me: “I haven't time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street ; he'll fix them for you right away.”
But I'd had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman (手艺人). “No,” I replied, “the other fellow can't do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” -- without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap (鞋带) you might as well just throw away the pair.
My man saw I wouldn't give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron ( 围裙), looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work. ”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption (消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.
Which of the following is true about the old cobbler.'?
A.He was equipped with the best repairing tools. | B.He was the only cobbler in the Marais. |
C.He was proud of his skills. | D.He was a native Parisian. |
The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend.” ( paragraph 7 ) implies that
A.nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
B.it was difficult to communicate with this man |
C.the man was very strange |
D.the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to .
A.realize their abilities | B.gain happiness | C.make money | D.gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that ________ .
A.craftsmen make a lot of money | B.whateve![]() |
C.craftsmen need self-respect | D.people are born equal |
Seattle International Film Festival :Future Wave Shorts Program
Seattle Washington
May/June annually
Deadline:March
A presentation of original short films created by youth aged 18 and under. Entries must be no longer than 10 minutes(including end titles).The juried Future Wave winner receives a $500 each prize!
http://www.siff.net
Contact:Dustin Kasper 【dustin.Kasper @siff.Net 】
Entry fee:$20
University if Toronto Film and Video Festival
Toronto
February
Deadline:January
Annual Festival accepting all lengths and genres(流派),with an emphasis on student work.Submission (提交)form on festival website.
http://www.uoftfilmandvideofestival.ca
Contact: Steven Hoffner 【uoftfilmfest@harthousetheatre.ca】
Entry fee:$15 (early) $20(final)
Young Cuts Film Festival
Toronto Ontario
August 23th-27th
Deadline:April 30th
The Young Cuts Film Festival is one of the world’s most important film festivals for film makers under the age of 25 and is for student film makers and non-student film makers alike. It’s important because we not only evaluate young film makers’ short films for our own Festival competition,but we can also evaluate your film with an eye to establishing its market potential. For more information please go to our website at www.youngcuts.com or emai
l us at info@youngcut.Com
Contact:Peter Bailey 【info@youngcut.Com】
Entry fee:$60.00—$90.00
Scene First Student Film Festival
Wilmington North California
June 14th-16th
Deadline:May
The 3-day national film competition provides student film makers with an opportunity to show their short films, network with industry professionals, and learn from academic and industry leadership ——all in a relaxed social environment.
http://www.scenefirstfestival.com
Contact: Sam Connelly 【samc@campusentertainment.net】
Entry fee:$12
If you want to enter Seattle International Film Festival,you have to ______.
A.be above 18 years of age |
B.apply before May |
C.make a film no more than 10 minutes in length |
D.make![]() |
Those who enter Young Cuts Film Festival can _______.
A.win some prize money |
B.have their films sold at the film market |
C.meet very professional film makers |
D.know whether it is possible for their films to go into market |
If a student film maker want to ask famous film makers for advice,he should go to ________.
A.Seattle International Film Festival |
B.University if Toronto Film and Video Festival |
C.Young Cuts Film Festival |
D.Scene First Student Film Festival |