Reading is the key to school success, and like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking.
Educators (教育家) call it "automaticity (自动性)”．
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With more and more practice, he stumbles less and less. As a result, he can read by the phrases and soon by sentences. With automaticity, he doesn't have to think about the meaning of words, so that he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading, not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 t0 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice. "Reading is the key to school success" means that reading_______.
| A．helps school develop faster |
| B．is a key to a successful school |
| C．helps students go to a key school |
| D．can improve students' learning results |
Children with "automaticiy" can read faster because they_______.
| A．know how to read the words |
| B．pay attention to the meaning of the text instead of the words |
| C．read by themselves without any help |
| D．do not have to think while reading |
The underlined word "stumble" in the second paragraph means“ ”in Chinese.
| A．结结巴巴地读 | B．全神贯注地读 |
| C．心不在焉地读 | D．声情并茂地读 |
The best title for the passage is“_______”．
| A．IQ is the Key- to the Automaticity |
| B．TV is Bad for Children's Reading |
| C．Automaticity Needs a Lot of Practice |
| D．Automatic Readers Must Be Successful |
Which color do you like best? Everyone has his own favorite color, but how do people feel about colors? It depends on their cultures. The same color sometimes has different meanings in different countries.
In England, the right color for a bride(新娘) to wear is white. But in China and other eastern countries, brides often wear red. Why? It is because the red color is a sign of good luck.
Red is used as a sign of danger in England. Road signs are often in red. In eastern countries, red does not mean you have to be careful.
In England and other western countries, black is the color of death. But in many eastern countries, most people think white is the color of death.
In England, green is used in traffic lights to tell people that it is safe to go. Green is often seen as a lucky color, but wearing green at a wedding is unlucky.
Many people like the color orange because it is bright and exciting. But some advertisers will not use orange in their ads because they believe it suggests that their products(产品) are cheap and perhaps not of high quality.
As is known to all, red is the most popular color in China while in England it is blue.Most Chinese people like red because they think ______.
| A．it is safe to go |
| B．it can bring good luck |
| C．it is bright and exciting |
| D．it has different meanings |
In many eastern countries, most people think ______ is the color of death.
| A．black | B．green | C．white | D．yellow |
In England, people think ______.
| A．red is the color of death |
| B．it’s lucky to wear green at a wedding |
| C．the right color for a bride to wear is white |
| D．it’s dangerous to go with the green traffic lights |
The underlined word “advertisers” in the passage means ______.
| A．广告商 | B．生产商 |
| C．制片人 | D．合伙人 |
The first lady of America Michelle Obama visited China not long ago. During her trip, she went to Chengdu No.7 High School. She gave the students a wonderful speech(演讲) to tell them about her own experience. She said she was born in a common(普通的) family. There were four people in her family and they lived in a small house. Her father was a worker and didn’t make much money, but the little home was filled with love. They took care of each other and liked to share their stories during dinner time. Although her parents were only at high school education level, they still sent both Michelle and her brother to universities. Life at that time was not easy for them, especially for her father because he was ill. No matter how tired he was or how much pain he got, Michelle’s father hardly ever missed a day of work in order to give a better life to his two children. Every day, like so many of us, Michelle felt the weight of her parents’ hope on her shoulders. She wanted to make them proud, but it wasn’t easy. Whenever she got tired, she would just think about how hard her parents were working for her. And she always remembered what her mother said, “A good education is something that no one can take away from you.”Michelle Obama gave the speech at a High School in ______.
| A．Beijing | B．Chengdu |
| C．the UK | D．the USA |
In Michelle’s family, ______ went to university.
| A．only Michelle |
| B．only Michelle’s brother |
| C．both Michelle’s father and mother |
| D．both Michelle and her brother |
Michelle’s father worked really hard because ______.
| A．he never felt tired |
| B．he wanted to go to university |
| C．he didn’t want to miss a day of work |
| D．he wanted to give a better life to his children |
From the passage, we have learned that ______.
| A．Michelle always lives in a big house |
| B．Michelle was born in a rich family |
| C．a family with love is important for children |
| D．a better life is quite important for children |
What do you plan to do this spring? Why not join us in a trip?
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Place: Tongnan Activity: Enjoy rape flowers(油菜花) Price: Adults(成人): 120 yuan Children: Free Time: Saturday morning Transportation: Bus Tel: 13672340981 |
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Place: Baishiyi Activity: Pick up strawberries Price: Adults: 80 yuan Children: Half of adult price Time: Sunday morning Transportation: Subway and bus Tel: 13426789107 |
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Place: Gele Mountain Activity: Climb up the mountain Price: 10 yuan each Time: Every day Transportation: On foot Tel: 13356788992 |
You can choose what you like and call us.If you want to enjoy rape flowers, you can take a ______.
| A．bus | B．subway | C．walk | D．train |
Mrs. White wants to pick up strawberries with her 9-year-old son this Sunday morning. She will pay ______ yuan.
| A．80 | B．120 | C．160 | D．240 |
You can climb Gele Mountain ______.
| A．on Saturday morning | B．on Sunday morning |
| C．on Friday afternoon | D．every day |
Smog is a big problem in many Chinese cities. But it seems that besides wearing a mask (口罩), few of us know what has caused the smog and what to do to beat it. Chai Jing, former news anchor with Chinese Central Television, discussed the questions in her documentary Under the Dome (穹顶之下).
The 103-minute film was released on major Chinese video-sharing websites on Feb 28. In the film, Chai visits polluted places and talks to officials and scientists. She concludes that burning too much coal and oil are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog.
To make things worse, according to Chai, the coal and oil we are burning is of poor quality and doesn’t meet the standards (标准) for environmental protection. Therefore Chai says more harmful gas and particles (颗粒) have been produced to pollute the air. To solve the problem, Chai suggests that we should clean our coal and oil or replace(代替) them with cleaner energy such as natural gas.
In her film, Chai also suggested that we should do something to help control smog too. For example, she says we can live a greener life by using more public transportation. Or if we see things that harm the environment, we will try to stop it. In one scene from the film, Chai saw a dirt mound in a building site exposed in the air, she asked the person in charge to cover it. When she saw a restaurant cooking without any suitable filter facilities (过滤设备), she called the hotline 12369. The restaurant installed the filter a week later.
Chen Jining, the new minister of environmental protection, praised Chai. “This film encourages ordinary people to care for the environment. This is what we need in the future.”Many people in China know the causes of smog, don’t they?
How long does the film Under the Dome last ?
What are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog?
Why does Chai say more harmful gas and particles have been produced to pollute the air ?
What energy can replace coal and oil to reduce air pollution?
What do you think of Chai’s film? How should we control smog as an ordinary person? (at least two suggestions)
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of (感到难为情) my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her Chinese English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother realized that she was poor at English. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on phone to pretend I was she. I was made to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker(股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent(青少年的) voice that was not very certain, “This is Mrs. Tan.” My mother was standing beside me saying, “Why he doesn’t send me check, already two weeks late.” And then, in perfect English I said: “I’m getting rather worried. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.” My mother then talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York to tell him in front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t accept any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed(令人尴尬) me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped me see things, express ideas, and make sense of the world.Why was the writer’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often treated unfairly. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
From Paragraph 2, we know that the writer was ____________.
| A．good at pretending |
| B．rude to the stockbroker |
| C．ready to help her mother |
| D．not willing to phone for her mother |
After the writer made the phone call, the writer and her mum___________.
| A．received the check at once |
| B．still failed to get the check |
| C．went to New York immediately |
| D．spoke to the stockbroker’s boss at once |
What does the underlined phrase “make sense of” in last paragraph mean?
| A．confuse | B．surprise. |
| C．understand | D．refuse. |
We can know from the passage that Chinese English ___________.
| A．is clear and natural to native speakers |
| B．is well received by native speakers |
| C．is widely used in America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
The best title of the passage might be __________.
| A．Great Mother |
| B．Natural English |
| C．Mother’s Chinese English |
| D．Perfect English |