Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. However, scientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important. New evidence suggests that the link between handwriting and educational development is deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they are also better able to create ideas and remember information. In other words, it’s not only what we write that matters — but how.
A study led by Karin James, a psychologist at Indiana University, gave support to that view. A group of children, who had not learned to read and write, were offered a letter or a shape on a card and asked to copy it in one of three ways: draw the image on a page but with a dotted outline（虚线）, draw it on a piece of blank white paper, or type it on a computer. Then the researchers put the children in a brain scanner and showed them the image again.
It was found that when children had drawn a letter freehand without a dotted outline or a computer, the activity in three areas of the brain were increased. These three areas work actively in adults when they read and write. By contrast, children who chose the other two ways showed no such effect. Dr. James attributes the differences to the process of free handwriting: Not only must we first plan and take action in a way but we are also likely to produce a result that is variable. Those are not necessary when we have an outline.
It’s time for educators to change their mind and pay more attention to children’s handwriting.What do scientists mean by saying “it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important”?
| A．Handwriting is not very important to children. |
| B．Handwriting has nothing to do with education. |
| C．Handwriting should not be ignored at present. |
| D．Handwriting can not be learned in a short time. |
What does “that view” in Para. 3 refer to?
| A．Children read quickly when they write by hand. |
| B．How we write is as important as what we write. |
| C．Children create ideas and remember information. |
| D．A group of students should know what to write. |
Which is NOT the children’s task in the experiment?
| A．Copy the image on a page but with a dotted outline. |
| B．Draw the image on a piece of blank white paper. |
| C．Type the image directly on a computer. |
| D．Put a brain scanner and show the image again. |
According to the passage, the author obviously _______ giving up handwriting.
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is responsible for | D．doesn’t care about |
Several interesting American museums tell about health subjects. One is the Doctor Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. It is at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. That is where the first college in the world to train dentists began. The museum tells about the history of the medical treatment of teeth. Visitors can see some frightening devices that once were used to remove infected (受感染的) teeth. They also can see sets of teeth made of animal bone. They were made for a famous American -- the first President, George Washington.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However, the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit. He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Another museum collects devices that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world. They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid. It is common for people to think it uneasy to pay a visit to ____.
| A．the University of Maryland | B．the Museum of Dentistry |
| C．the Hearing Aid Museum | D．the dentist |
The text mainly tells about _____.
| A．museums in the US | B．interesting American museums |
| C．American museums with health subjects | D．the history of the medical treatment of teeth |
What do we learn about George Washington from the text?
| A．He once visited the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| B．He considered the Museum of Dentistry a fun place to visit |
| C．His artificial teeth were collected in the National Museum of Dentistry. |
| D．His teeth seemed to be made of animal bone. |
The underlined word “devices” in the first and last paragraph probably means _____.
| A．museums | B．strategies | C．hearing aids | D．tools |
Li Denghai, with his muddy boots and tanned(晒黑的) face, may not look like he is one of China’s famous agricultural pioneers. But the 61-year-old man from Shandong Province has made scientific breakthroughs(突破), which made great contributions to China’s food security(安全). His main work has been in achieving the higher output of corn production.
Li, who holds the world record for the highest output of summer corn, once says, “Corn has a life; it sings and dances. If you listen clearly, it can speak to you.” He started his research in 1969 when he was 20 and just dropped out of a high school. He then read an article which pointed that corn output per mu in the USA was six times higher than that in China. He was shocked and set out to work on just a small piece of land round the clock to see if he could increase the output. He often went to the field with a flashlight late at night, if he had been away during the day. By careful nurturing (照料) he managed to double the output.
Li Denghai was awarded the “China Award for Significant Contribution to the Maize (玉米) Industry” in 2005, and the same year the company named after his own name came into the market on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Li, however, is never happier than when he is in the middle of his cornfields. “I can forget my tiredness when talking to my corns,” he says.When Li Denghai began the study of corn, .
| A．he just graduated from an ordinary high school |
| B．he was shocked that the corn output in China was so low |
| C．he was only in his thirties |
| D．he wasn’t really fond of his work |
The underlined phrase “round the clock” means.
| A．day and night | B．sooner or later | C．face to face | D．now and then |
From Mr. Li’s words in this passage, we can learn that.
| A．he is not good at communicating with people |
| B．he is too tired to go to the corn fields |
| C．he talks to his corn when feeling lonely |
| D．he loves his career deeply |
In 1933 an unknown American called Clarence Nash went to see the film-maker Walt Disney. He had unusual voice and he wanted to do work in Disney’s cartoon films for children. When Walt Disney heard Nash’s voice, he said, “Stop! That’s our duck!”
The duck was the now-famous Donald Duck, who first appeared in1934 in the film The Wise Little Hen. Donald lived in an old houseboat and wore his sailor jacket and hat. Later that year he became a star after an eight-minute Mickey Mouse film. The cinema audiences liked him because he was lazy and greedy, and because he lost his temper very quickly. And they loved his voice, when he became angry with Mickey’s eight nephews. Soon Donald was more popular than Mickey Mouse himself, probably because he wasn’t goody-goody like Mickey.
In the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Donald and his friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto make hundreds of Disney cartoons. He also made educational films about the place of the USA in the world, and safety in the home. Then in 1966 Donald Duck and his voice disappeared—there were no more new cartoons.
Clarence Nash died in February, 1985. But today’s children can still see the old cartoons on television and hear that famous voice.Walt Disney ______.
| A．played the part of Donald Duck | B．made Donald Duck films |
| C．had Donald Duck’s voice | D．drew cartoons |
Walt Disney chose Clarence Nash ______.
| A．because his voice was right for Mickey Mouse |
| B．because his voice was right for the duck in a new cartoon film |
| C．because he was fond of playing jokes |
| D．because he was quite humorous |
The first Donald Duck film ______ .
| A．appeared in 1934 | B．was shown in 1933 |
| C．was greatly appreciated in 1966 | D．was popular in 1930 |
Which of the following in NOT true?
| A．Clarence Nash had Donald Duck’s voice. |
| B．People liked Donald Duck better because he was lazy and greedy and became angry quickly. |
| C．Donald Duck’s voice disappeared in 1966. |
| D．Mickey Mouse wasn’t a goody-goody. |
If you find that your teacher is unfair to you, think about what is happening. Try to find out whether your teacher really dislikes you, or whether something else is going on. Here are some questions to ask yourself:Ask your classmates if they are having trouble with the teacher, too. If they say yes, perhaps your teacher is to blame.
Are you working up to your ability? Maybe you got a C in your last test, and your teacher told you that you could do better. And the kid sitting beside you got a C, too.Isn’t this unfair? Well, it could be that your teacher knows that you could do better if you put more effort into it.
There’s nothing wrong with being sensitive (敏感的) ，but if you react to criticism quite differently from others, this could be a reason why you think your teacher doesn’t like you.
Does your teacher seem to act unfairly all the time, or just once in a while? Think about the harsh (苛刻的) things your teacher has done to you. Are these things happening every day, or just once or twice a month? If your teacher really hates you, you would probably be picked on all the time.
| A．Are you the only person being treated badly, or is your teacher rough on the whole class? |
| B．Are you getting along well with your classmates? |
| C． Are you more sensitive than other students? |
| D． Are you interested in your lessons? |
E . If your teacher has acted unfairly only a few times, then there’s probably something else going on.
F．Teachers often grade students by different standards.
G．But the teacher didn’t say anything to him！
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.The main purpose of this passage is to __________.
| A．instruct the parents how to teach their children history |
| B．show the importance of history in politics |
| C．explain the reasons why children study history |
| D．introduce the writer’s own way of teaching history |
Which of the following is not the reason for studying history according to the author?
| A．One can learn from history in order not to make the same mistakes. |
| B．It can help us to understand the current political climate. |
| C．Without history, one can be nothing but a fool in every aspect. |
| D．One can know the principle of doing something and not doing something. |
Some positive historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show __________.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |