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 |
阅读理解：共20题 每题2分 共40分
The influence of America is increasing in my country. Spanish people drink Coca Cola, wear blue jeans, watch Hollywood movies, listen to American music, and eat fast food, and they do these things every day.
I think that American movies are a good way to spread American culture because people are often influenced by what they see in the movies. Most of the programs and documentaries (纪录片) we watch on TV are from America, and most of the movies we go to see are made in Hollywood. In the last few years, the government has tried to protect the Spanish movies. Now, in our cinemas, at least twenty percent of the movies which are shown must be from Spain or from other countries in Europe.
American culture is a part of Spanish life now. It’s certain that many things from America are as much a part of people’s lives as Spanish things. For example, Coca Cola is as familiar to everybody as any typical Spanish product. I’ve known about Coca Cola for my whole life.
However, it’s different with Western fast food. For example, I don’t think McDonald’s is as successful in Spain as it is in other countries. In my opinion, one of the reasons may be the lifestyle of the Spanish people. The Spanish people normally eat at home. On the other hand, maybe McDonald’s hamburgers will eventually replace the famous Spanish tapas. It’s true that in every city in Spain you can find a McDonald’s, and it is more popular among the Spanish children than among the adults. In any case, it’s obvious that American culture is becoming more and more a part of our lives every day.From the first paragraph we can know that ____.
| A．the influence of America on Spain can be found everywhere |
| B．most Spanish people don’t like to listen to their own music |
| C．fast food spreads from Spain to the United States |
| D．some Spanish actors go to America to improve their acting skills |
What plays an important part in the spreading of American culture in Spain?
| A．American novels | B．Hollywood movies. |
| C．McDonald’s. | D．American music. |
Why did the government set some rules for the films shown in Spain?
| A．To protect foreign culture in Spain. |
| B．To earn more money from Spanish films. |
| C．To limit the number of foreign movies. |
| D．To unite the European Community. |
What do you think Spanish tapas might be?
| A．The name of a drink. |
| B．The name of a restaurant. |
| C．A clothing brand. |
| D．A certain kind of food. |
With the right encouragement and tools, children can develop leadership qualities that are important to help them succeed in all areas of life．Leadership activities and games help build these skills by enabling children to become more self-aware and improve their self-respect．
Good leaders can convey their thoughts and feelings effectively．Poetry, short stories or drawing are ideal activities to introduce children to the concept of leadership． Ask children to think about what makes a great leader and then express their ideas． Games like blind obstacle courses can build communication skills as well．
Planning and organizing is a fundamental leadership quality．Children can learn this skill by helping to plan a concert or play．Instead of assigning just one leader, divide the group into several small ones and assign leaders to each group．One group can be in charge of assigning roles and the second could be in charge of making invitations．How you distribute leadership roles will vary depending on the age of the
children and what you have chosen to perform．
Compromise is a skill of many effective leaders．Goals are obtained faster when arguments don't slow the process．Activities that teach children the art of compromise help them to negotiate with friends and family naturally．Group science projects, for example, can help enable children to learn how to compromise and negotiate．The success or failure of the project will depend on the children's ability to negotiate and
work together．
The ability to work well with others is another important leadership skill．Team sports like baseball can teach children how to work as a group and that their contribution is important to the overall success of the team．This builds their confidence and encourages them to think beyond themselves and their individual needs．What activities can be used to introduce children to the concept of leadership? （No more than 5 words）（2 marks）
How can children learn an important leadership quality according to Paragraph 3? (No more than 8 words)(2 marks)
What is the principle of distributing leadership roles when planning a play? （No more than 8 words）（3 marks）
What's the main idea of Paragraph 4?（No more than 8 words）（3 marks）
C
Texting pedestrians arena' t just an annoyance to their fellow walkers, but something dangerous to themselves．
“1 was checking emails while walking to work this morning," said Wilbert van den Hoorn．“But it has a serious influence on the safety of people who type or read text while walking．"
Anecdotes back him up．A tourist from Taiwan walked off a port near Melbourne last month while checking Face book-bringing an abrupt, and icy end to a penguin- watching visit． Another shopper in the U．S． was too addicted to his mobile phone to notice the fountain ahead! walking straight into it．
And as mobile-phone use has grown-to about 77% of the world's population, the study says-so has the number of phone-related accidents．The number of U．S．emergency-room visits linked to phone use on the move doubled to as many as l,500 between 2005 and 2010, an Ohio State University study recently showed．
Authorities world-wide have taken note．Signs on Hong Kong's subway system advise passengers in three languages to keep their eyes off their phones．Police and transport authorities have also warned the danger in Singapore, where the Straits Times newspaper ranked it as No．2 Bad Habit"' due to the rising number of road deaths．Some U．S．states, including New York and Arkansas, are even considering bans on this act．
The Australian study used 26 volunteers, a third of whom admitted having hit objects while texting．They were fitted with different equipment in different parts of their body, and asked to walk 8．5 meters three times-once without a phone, once while reading a text and once while writing a text-while eight cameras captured the action．
Volunteers using the phone walked slower and with shorter steps （and slowest of all when typing）, and! more seriously, they locked their arms and elbows in-like “robots", in the researchers' words．That forced their heads to move more, throwing them off balance．
“In a pedestrian environment, inability to maintain a straight path would be likely to increase potential for hits, falls and traffic accidents," said Mr．van den Hoorn．“The best thing to do is to step aside and stop, or keep off the phone．"Which of the following about” Texting pedestrians" is WRONG?
| A．People who type while walking． |
| B．People who phone while walking． |
| C．People who text while walking． |
| D．People who read text message while walking． |
The writer uses the two examples in Paragraph 3 to show
| A．the advantages of mobile phones |
| B．the use of mobile phones in water |
| C．the use of mobile phones in a wrong way |
| D．the popularity of mobile phones |
What is New York and Arkansas' attitude to texting pedestrians?
| A．Considering forbidding their acts． |
| B．Ranking it as” No．l Bad Habit"． |
| C．Setting up signs to warn them． |
| D．Equipping them with advanced machines． |
Why are texting pedestrians likely to hit or fall according to the passage?
| A．They walk too fast． |
| B．They lock their arms and elbows． |
| C．They are out of balance． |
| D．They walk with longer steps． |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Text message or e-mail only? |
| B．Ways to avoid falls |
| C．Mobile phones for entertainment |
| D．Safety or text message? |
What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was． |
| B．The recorder was impatient and rude． |
| C．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society． |
| D．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced． |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A．Puzzled． | B．Curious． |
| C．Upset． | D．Frightened． |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A．Angry． | B．Calm． |
| C．Unconfident． | D．Annoyed． |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A．Because the author cared little about rewards． |
| B．Because she admired the author's research work in the lab． |
| C．Because the author did something she had little knowledge of． |
| D．Because she thought the author did admirable work． |
What is the author's purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To show that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect． |
| B．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it． |
| C．To show that the author had a grander job than Emily． |
| D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work． |
A
Over the last 30 years, Bangkok, once a small fishing village, has transformed into a rich, concrete, high-rise city that it is today．The spreading metropolis and its population of 12 million now produces 35 per cent of Thailand's economic wealth．
As a magnet for foreign companies, Bangkok attracts many overseas managers and business people from different fields, including tourism! automobiles and electronics．The city's population of foreigners is in the high hundreds of thousands, with tens of thousands of Japanese, Chinese and western employees working alongside hundreds of thousands of Burmese who mostly do unskilled jobs shunned by Thais．
For those used to the good life, the variety and quality of the city's food is a key attraction, says one US manager, before listing many of his favorite Italian, Mexican and, of course, Thai restaurants．Most offer quality meals for less than the cost of a takeaway sandwich in London．
Great choice and value can be found in Bangkok's other attractions, too．For overseas business people who enjoy shopping in luxury and air-conditioned comfort! The city has hundreds of modern shopping malls．Some foreigners, however, prefer the charms of Chanukah Market, where anything can be bought at a good price by the skilled bargainer．
When the time comes to talk business many overseas business people prefer to move out of the markets and onto the golf course．Thailand has thousands of courses, which can provide a welcome break from the busy and noisy city life．But most business people go to the golf course because it's the perfect place to discuss the next big deal．
Because of the fast-paced life some foreign business people see Bangkok as a place to stay for the short term! rather than a lifetime．Australian computer software designer Sarah Huang is seven months pregnant but still working full-time in her Bangkok office．She says the city is” definitely a place I want to stay for the next five, ten years"．Nannies and home help are affordable, but high fees for quality secondary education have convinced Ms．Huang to return to Australia when her child reaches high school age．According to the first two paragraphs, we know that
| A．Bangkok offers many working opportunities for people |
| B．Bangkok has always been a rich Thai city |
| C．most foreigners coming to Bangkok are tourists |
| D．Burmese in Bangkok mostly work for Thais |
The underlined word” shunned" in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
| A．forgotten | B．unwanted |
| C．appreciated | D．rewarded |
What is the main attraction of golf for business people according to the passage?
| A．It is the most convenient way for them to get regular exercise． |
| B．It is a good place in which to discuss business matters． |
| C．It is a great way to escape from the noise and pollution of the city． |
| D．It gives them the opportunity to meet local people in a social setting． |
Sarah Huang says she’ll eventually leave Bangkok because.
| A．she is going to have a baby |
| B．her working hours are too long |
| C．it's not easy to find suitable home help there |
| D．the cost of a good education there is too high |
The main purpose of the passage is to．
| A．explain the reasons for Bangkok's rapid economic growth over the past 30 years |
| B．promote the many attractions Bangkok has to offer tourists visiting the city |
| C．describe the attractions of living in Bangkok for foreign business people |
| D．compare the lifestyles of Burmese workers and foreign business people in Bangkok |