Many parents take on the role of being their children’s preschool teacher and the responsibility of readying them for kindergarten. To achieve this goal, it is important for parents to introduce a variety of subjects in a positive and playful manner.
“Learning should not be forced,”says Marion Godwin, who has taught first grade in Moorestown, N. J. for more than 30 years.“ It should be taught according to what they know and do best—and that is‘ play’. When teaching them, play games and have fun with the subject. And parents should always be looking for‘teachable moments’.”
“You want a child to be a lifelong learner, so you want to show them learning is everywhere,”she says.“If parents take the time to lay a strong educational foundation, their children will keep building on it.”
Introduce children to science with hands-on activities that interest them, such as growing plants from seeds, discussing animals and how to care for pets, and observing the chemical changes that occur during cooking”, she says.
“Sorting activities, simple patterns and counting games are a great way to teach children the basics of math, and taking them on field trips, singing songs and reciting rhymes also are ways to prepare them for the first day of school”, she says.
“I think children are naturals when it comes to computers,” she says.“Let them play educational games on the computer and teach them how to type their first names using the keyboard. When they are more familiar with using the computer, let them find pictures of animals and places on the web. ”
“Don’t criticize the child,” she says. “You can’t force them to learn something. If they don’t get something right, so what? Smile and be happy and make the experience joyful. Parents need to understand that if a child gets something wrong, they may think something is wrong with them. Keep working with them and when they get the right answer make sure you tell them how hard they worked to get the correct answer. ”Marion Godwin tells us that we should teach the children according to their_____ .
| A．subjects and needs |
| B．level and interest |
| C．teachable moments |
| D．strong educational foundation |
According to Godwin, children should ____________________ .
| A．keep a pet each and care for it |
| B．do some cooking every day |
| C．learn science with interesting hand-on activities |
| D．learn from the farmers and grow plants from seeds |
In Godwin’s opinion, children should be encouraged to_________ .
| A．learn all by themselves |
| B．play more computer games |
| C．learn to type their first names |
| D．learn online under instructions |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．How to prepare your children for kindergarten |
| B．Learning should not be forced |
| C．How to be a lifelong learner |
| D．Learning is everywhere |
Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms—football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion of climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “ matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment. What sports are popular among people in winter in the passage?
| A．Soccer and golf. | B．Skiing and skating. |
| C．Cycling and hockey. | D．Mountaineering. |
The underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ______.
A. strong emotion B. good wayMountaineering is a sport, not a game because_______.
| A．it has man-made rules |
| B．it is too dangerous for climbers |
| C．it can’t bring people joy or leisure |
| D．it is free for climbers to use their own methods |
We know from the passage that _______.
| A．mountaineering has no appeal for people |
| B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers |
| C．a mountain climber passes his best by the age of thirty |
| D．it is possible for an old man of fifty or sixty to climb the Alps |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Sports in winter | B．Team work in climbing |
| C．Mountaineering | D．The quality for mountaineering |
Today, almost everyone has heard of Harry Potter. The books detailing his experiences at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have aroused passion, creativity, and interest in readingthroughout theworld.
But have you ever considered why you are a fan of theHarry Potterseries?
JK Rowling has created a list of characters and an environment for them to inhabit that appeals to both adults and children.
The fantasy aspect of the wizarding world expands the imagination, and takes the mind to new and exciting places. Anything could happen there. Her stories contain parts of the believable and unbelievable, changing the predictability that readers commonly come across and bear in fiction.
The main theme of the series, including good versus evil, prejudice, love, death, sacrifice, friendship and loyalty, in actuality contributes to the ever-lasting nature of the stories.At the same time, these themes remind us of classic literature, offering mature readers tales that wear like a comfortable pair of shoes, while introducing younger readers to concepts they will meet throughout their lives.
Much of the appeal also comes from the characters. In each book, JK Rowling introduces and describes the characters in such a way that we wonder not only about their futures, but also about their pasts.Even supporting characters are suddenly more than just extras in the background. And what of Harry Potter himself? We care about Harry, because we watch him grow from an innocent boy to a powerful wizard. We see him as both Hero and Victim. He experiences endless love and extreme pain, and as readers, we experience them with him.
This perfect combination of emotion, suspense and fantasy, together with the fact that JK Rowling is a superb storyteller is the reason why we are Harry potter fans. People are fond of Harry Potter series. With books like these, it’s hard not to be. Harry Potter series become popular partly because ____________.
| A．they remind us of the childhood and environment we had in the past |
| B．they take us to a world beyond our imagination and expectation |
| C．they offer us ever-lasting nature of the stories |
| D．they set an example of hero for us to follow |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．The supporting characters are not necessary in the story. |
| B．Readers care only about Harry but not those supporting characters. |
| C．Even the supporting characters are attractive in the story. |
| D．Those supporting characters only appear all of a sudden. |
The themes of the Harry Potter series do not contain ____________.
| A．prejudice and love | B．good and evil |
| C．death and sacrifice | D．safety and peace |
People care for Harry Potter because ____________.
| A．they think of classic literature when reading the story |
| B．they find different experiences from theirs on Harry |
| C．they share the experiences with Harry |
| D．they like JK Rowling’s description very much |
STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes. What do you think the similarities of these parties are?
A．All the parties have very  strict rules for their members. |
| B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket. |
| C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers. |
| D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old. |
In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?
| A．Speed dating. | B．Lock and key party. |
| C．Dinner in the dark. | D．Message party. |
If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ____________.
| A．you have to wear night vision glasses |
| B．you have to eat with your hands |
| C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness |
| D．your dining partners will help you choose the food |
How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?
| A．1. | B．2. | C．3. | D．4. |
If you want to improve your child’s results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.
Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan (核磁共振摄影扫描), a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.
They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill (跑步机). The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.
Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. “We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development,” he said. “If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can’t really fix that, and it’s not easy to do something about your economic status. But here’s something that we can do something about.”If you want to improve your children’s result in school, ____________.
| A．it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise |
| B．you can have their brain scanned |
| C．it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise |
| D．you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The fitness level of the children is linked to their intelligence. |
| B．Children who have a larger hippocampus will probably have better memories. |
| C．You can do something about the genes from your parents. |
| D．Unhealthy children will probably have a smaller hippocampus than others. |
All the following factors that have some influence on one’s brain are mentioned EXCEPT ____________.
| A．genetic factor | B．economic status | C．physical fitness | D．economic development |
Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko U
chida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie’s arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko’s stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko’s stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled (咯咯响) when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city
, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she
used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up. The author tells about Mr. Toga’s false teeth in Paragraph 3 in order to ____________.
| A．show health care was not good enough in Berkeley during the 1930s |
| B．provide an interesting detail in Yoshiko’s life and stories |
| C．show Yoshiko’s young life was difficult and frightening |
| D．tell about a beloved relative who helped Yoshiko learn how to write |
In Paragraph 4 “the stars” probably refer to ____________.
| A．family relationships | B．terrors in the night |
| C．limitless possibilities | D．sacrifices to benefit others |
What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Yoshiko loved to write about parades. |
| B．Yoshiko met many interesting people. |
| C．Yoshiko liked to go for long walks with others. |
| D．Yoshiko preferred to talk to her pets instead of to people. |
What is the main idea of this story?
| A．People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country. |
| B．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with as many writers as possible. |
| C．Those who move to the United States often miss their homelands for many years. |
| D．Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material. |