Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting. But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10-15 minutes a day, and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60 to 70 minutes a day --which really for handwriting is pretty much.
Many adults remember learning that way--by copying letters over and over again. Today’s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.
Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency --writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high school.
But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is rarely done in elementary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board, which administers the SAT college admission test. More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay on the test rather than write in cursive.We can learn ________ from Paragraph 1.
| A．teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in teaching job |
| B．most teachers prefer to teach handwriting |
| C．teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting |
| D．a keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting entirely |
Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?
| A．The students are taught by practicing a long period. |
| B．The letters are repeated many times. |
| C．Handwriting includes two skills. |
| D．To write in cursive is taught first. |
The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means ________.
| A．easy to read | B．complex |
| C．unexpected | D．unreadable |
The best title for the passage is ________.
| A．How to improve handwriting in school |
| B．Right or wrong: the death of handwriting |
| C．Handwriting involves two skills |
| D．Handwriting lessons are on the way out |
The author’ s attitude towards whether still to learn handwriting in school is________.
| A．negative | B．objective |
| C．critical | D．optimistic |
The speech by President Obama in Shanghai
Good afternoon. It is a great honor for me to be here in Shanghai, and to have this opportunity to speak with all of you. What I’d like to do is to make some opening comments, and then what I’m really looking forward to doing is taking questions, not only from students who are in the audience, but also we’ve received questions online, which will be asked by some of the students who are here in the audience, as well as by Ambassador Huntsman. AndI am very sorry that my Chinese is not as good as your English,but I am looking forward to this chance to have a dialogue.
This is my first time traveling to China, and I’m excited to see thisgreatcountry. Here, in Shanghai, we see the growth that has caught the attention of the world—the highskyscrapers (摩天大楼), the busy streets and entrepreneurial(创业) activity. And just as I’m impressed by these signs of China’s journey to the 21st century, I’m eager to see those ancient places that speak to us from China’s distant past.
Tomorrow and the next day I hope to have a chance when I’m in Beijing to see the Forbidden City and the wonder of the Great Wall. Truly, this is a nation thathas both a rich history and a belief in the promise of the future.
The same can be said of the relationship between our two countries. Shanghai, of course, is a city that has great meaning in the history of the relationship between the United States and China. It was here, 37 years ago, that the Shanghai Communique opened the door to a new chapter（新篇章） of engagement between our governments and among our people. However, America’s ties to this city—and to this country—date back further, to the earliest days of America’s independence.How many times does President Obama has come to China?
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．four |
What can we infer from the the passage?
| A．the Shanghai Communique plays an important role in maintaining(维持) the relationship between the two countries |
| B．China has a long history |
| C．Shanghai has great meaning in the history of the relationship between the United States and China. |
| D．President Obama is eager to see those ancient places |
Put the following statements in the right order.
a. President Obama will see the Forbidden City and the wonder of the Great Wall.
b. President Obama is in Shanghai.
c. The Shanghai Communique opened the door to a new chapter（新篇章） of engagement between our governments and among our people.
| A．abc | B．cba | C．bca | D．bac |
What can be inferred after the last passage?
| A．It is about the earliest history of the relationship between the United States and China. |
| B．It is about America’s independence. |
| C．It is about the earliest days of America’s independence. |
| D．It is about the earliest history of Shanghai. |
Can't wait for the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort in 2015? Meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse and all their friends at the city's largest Disney exhibition at the Shanghai Super Brand Mall.
The exhibition invites visitors to have a taste of the Disneyland under construction, according to the organizer. Many of the exhibits have been transported from the Walt Disney Family Museum in Los Angeles, like the manuscripts of early animation producers.
The center of the mall's third floor has been transformed into a magic house with a giant Mickey above, greeting visitors. Classic cartoon figures, created by the company and its sub-companies over the past 90 years, are presented, including Winnie the Pooh.
Visitors can enjoy one of Disney's earliest film, Steamboat Willie. The film, which was screened in New York city in 1928, was considered the first fully synchronized sound cartoon. It was also the first time that Mickey and Minnie first appeared.
Visual and audio technologies have been applied to make the exhibition interactive.
In the Snow White section, a magic mirror on the wall astonishes visitors. Like the evil queen in the fairytale, visitors can stand before the mirror and ask: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" One can see images of Snow White appear in the mirror.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, produced by the company, was considered the world's first full-length animated featured film.
In the Lion King section, stand at a designated position and enjoy the songs from the film in surround sound. The Lion King, Disney's 32nd full-length animated film, was one of the most successful Disney films and was turned into a Broadway opera.
Still the most charming star of the exhibition is Mickey Mouse, while the brightest of all is a Mickey Mouse model inlaid with more than 20,000 Swarovski crystals.
Four young artists, Yan Wei and Guan Chun from the Chinese mainland, and Dorophy Tang and Kenny Wang from Hong Kong, created different series of Mickey Mouse models with their personal styles.
Besides Disneyland, in 2015, the Walt Disney Company China will open the world's largest Disney Store, which will cover about 5,000 sq m in Lujiazui, Shanghai's financial hub.Which of the following is not true?
| A．Many of the exhibits have been transported from the Walt Disney Family Museum in Los Angeles |
| B．in 2015, the Walt Disney Company China will open the world's largest Disney Store, |
| C．One can see images of Winnie the Pooh appear in the mirror. |
| D．In the Lion King section, stand at a designated position and enjoy the songs from the film in surround sound. |
You will not see_____ in the Disney exhibition.
| A．one of Disney's earliest film, Steamboat Willie.. |
| B．a Mickey Mouse model inlaid with more than 20,000 Swarovski crystals.. |
| C．Chinese Classic cartoon figures |
| D．a magic mirror on the wall. |
What type of writing is the article likely to be?
| A．Science fiction | B．A medical report | C．A news report | D．Advertisement |
The purpose of writing this passage is to ________.
| A．compare some Classic cartoon figures and its sub-companies over the past 90 years and decide which one is the best. |
| B．introduce some exhibits for visitors. |
| C．the Shanghai Disney Resort will open in 2015. |
| D．introduce the city's largest Disney exhibition and encourage parents to visit them with their children. |
The city of Taipei, Taiwan is offering its 2.6 million people a fast, low-cost way to travel around the city. City officials have launched a bicycle rental program called YouBike. Many Taiwanese are now using bicycles to go to work and other places. But the growing popularity of the program has led to new traffic problems.
Five years ago, motor scooters competed with taxis and buses for space on Taipei's narrow streets. Then the city supported a plan to start loaning bicycles to people who pay for their temporary use. Taipei followed the examples of places like Kyoto, Japan; the Chinese city of Hangzhou; and Daejeon in South Korea.
Since then, Taipei has loaned bicycles 11 million times, mostly during the past year. Bikers do not pay for the first half-hour of use. Each 30 minutes after that costs less than half of an American dollar.
Hsu Tsai-tung is a 37-year-old office worker. She rides a rented bicycle to parks, a university and her workplace.
She says one good thing about renting is that the first 30 minutes are free. And, she says biking is good because she does not move around much in her office job during the day. Waiting for a bus would mean spending time, which she saves by riding a bike. She calls biking a natural choice.
Ms. Hsu is not alone. Using the one-speed bicycles works well for many Taiwanese. The bikes can be left at any of more than 100 rental stations. The vehicles could also ease air pollution, which is a health problem in many Asian cities.
In China, for example, the city of Shanghai reported record pollution levels in December. The levels were nearly 20 times above the level considered safe by the World Health Organization.
Shen Shu-hung is with Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency. He wants to know whether bikes have reduced Taipei's pollution. Bad air has been found to endanger commuters and people living on low building floors.
Mr. Shen says Taiwan is studying whether the rental program has reduced air pollution. He is not discussing its effectiveness at present, in case the study finds that bike renters walked or rode public transportation in the past.
And, it appears that the 5,350 bikes on the streets of Taipei today have begun to cause new problems for city traffic. People who bike through the streets have to worry about cars making illegal sudden stops and fast right turns.
Some bikers have stopped riding on the streets and started riding their bikes on sidewalks. But this has angered or frightened many walkers.
Huang Huang-chia works at the Taipei Department of Transportation. He says no one single kind of incident has happened repeatedly. But he says riders need to be better educated.
He says the city's way of dealing with such incidents will be to educate people about every kind of bicycle safety needed in Taipei.
Taipei plans to complete its program with a total of 162 rental stations by the end of this year.The following cities applied a plan to start loaning bikes to people EXCEPT________.
| A．Taipei | B．Kyoto | C．Daejeon | D．Shanghai |
According to the passage，we know that__________.
| A．If you borrow a bike less than 30 minutes, you needn’t pay for it. |
| B．Each day costs less than half of an American dollar. |
| C．Taipei has a total of 162 rental stations or so now. |
| D．You must return your bike where you borrowed it. |
Which of the following problems is caused by bicycle riders?
| A．Waiting for a bus would mean spending time. |
| B．The rental program has reduced air pollution. |
| C．Some bikers have started riding their bikes on sidewalks. |
| D．Bad air has been found to endanger commuters |
What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．Bicycles riding can reduce air pollution. |
| B．Bicycles solve some problems in Taipei but create others. |
| C．Rental stations appears in Taipei. |
| D．City officials have launched a bicycle rental program. |
Where does this text probably come from ?
| A．A news report | B．Science fiction |
| C．An advertisement | D．A health report |
In the middle of a hot July afternoon, when the stifling air came with rippling waves of heat, I became a thief of some sort—a thief of music.
For the first time, I had created an original piano arrangement of one of my favorite songs. Not once had I looked for the help of premade sheet music or video tutorials on YouTube. Using only my ears and iPod, I had transformed a mix of intermingling sounds and intricate melodies into the tones of a single instrument; I had created complex harmonies and voices into something I could perform with only two hands. No help, no guide: I had done it on my own.
I’ve been a pianist since before my hands were big enough to reach an octave: with a musician and composer for a father, I was all but born on the piano bench. For many years, my musical identity was defined by the notes that others had written in centuries past.
This was why, when I added the finishing touches to my piano version of a modern rock song, I was proud of myself : this arrangement was mine. What I’d done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to “steal” a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something different and all my own. I was a thief, but I was also an artist.
In music, as in other aspects of life, I believe that trueoriginality rarely exists. Almost everything has, in one form or another, been done before. The most romantic novel may very well be a slightly changed version of a play by Shakespeare, which is likely to be borrowed from the works of Ancient Greece: same themes, different characters, different circumstances. But, the novel is no less deserving of praise just because its uniqueness is compromised. Adaptation is not a symbol for failure.
The gift of creativity is the ability to do what I did on the piano: to find something beautiful, to analyze and twist it and lose yourself in the mystery of its composition, and then to make it new. Such an act is not copying; it is finding inspiration and having the strength and the innovation to use it as fuel for your own masterpiece. The world is nothing more than collections of preexisting parts—scattered and often lost in the chaos of everyday life. I believe it is my job, as an artist, to rearrange this world into what I imagine it to be.
I refuse to live as if I were trapped within the walls of a museum: looking but never touching, afraid to ruin the so-called perfection of the artifacts inside. Therefore, I will embrace my ability to be a thief, because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer, I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.
My life is my own arrangement, and because of that, anything is possible.Which of the following can be the best title ?
| A．The passion to create music |
| B．Changes from a thief to an artist |
| C．A music thief |
| D．My piano arrangement |
According to the passage , which statement is true ?
| A．Actually ,there was originality only in music |
| B．The author created the original piano arrangement all by himself . |
| C．He was born on the piano bench . |
| D．The author was once a thief who stole music from his favorite band. |
Which word has the closest meaning with the underlined word “embrace”?
| A．accept | B． describe | C．adopt | D．quit |
The reason why the author felt proud of himself was that ___.
| A．he became a real artist without others’ help. |
| B．he could play the piano before he was shorter than the piano bench. |
| C．he has a father who was a musician and composer. |
| D．he changed one of his favorite songs into a piano arrangement on his own.. |
From the passage we can learn that the writer______
| A．is more of a follower than a leader. |
| B．likes to recreate songs whenever it is possible . |
| C．would like to lead his life the way he likes |
| D．is a stubborn person . |
By learning each other’s languages, and by showing such curiosity and respect for each other’s cultures, Mr. Schafer and Ms. Zhu and all of you are building bridges of understanding that will lead to so much more. And I’m here today because I know that our future depends on connections like these among young people like you across the globe.
That’s why when my husband and I travel abroad, we don’t just visit palaces and parliaments and meet with heads of state. We also come to schools like this one to meet with students like you, because we believe that relationships between nations aren’t just about relationships between governments or leaders -- they’re about relationships between people, particularly young people. So we view study abroad programs not just as an educational opportunity for students, but also as a vital part of America’s foreign policy.
Through the wonders of modern technology, our world is more connected than ever before. Ideas can cross oceans with the click of a button. Companies can do business and compete with companies across the globe. And we can text, email, Skype with people on every continent.
So studying abroad isn’t just a fun way to spend a semester; it is quickly becoming the key to success in our global economy. Because getting ahead in today’s workplaces isn’t just about getting good grades or test scores in school, which are important. It’s also about having real experience with the world beyond your borders —— experience with languages, cultures and societies very different from your own. Or, as the Chinese saying goes: “It is better to travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books.”
But let’s be clear, studying abroad is about so much more than improving your own future. It’s also about shaping the future of your countries and of the world we all share. Because when it comes to the defining challenges of our time – whether it’s climate change or economic opportunity or the spread of nuclear weapons -- these are shared challenges. And no one country can confront them alone. The only way forward is together.
That’s why it is so important for young people like you to live and study in each other’s countries, because that’s how you develop that habit of cooperation. You do it by immersing yourself in one another’s culture, by learning each other’s stories, by getting past the stereotypes and misconceptions that too often divide us.
That’s how you come to understand how much we all share. That’s how you realize that we all have a stake in each other’s success -- that cures discovered here in Beijing could save lives in America, that clean energy technologies from Silicon Valley in California could improve the environment here in China, that the architecture of an ancient temple in Xi’an could inspire the design of new buildings in Dallas or Detroit.
And that’s when the connections you make as classmates or labmates can blossom into something more. That’s what happened when Abigail Coplin became an American Fulbright Scholar here at Peking University. She and her colleagues published papers together in top science journals, and they built research partnerships that lasted long after they returned to their home countries. And Professor Niu Ke from Peking University was a Fulbright Scholarship -- Scholar in the U.S. last year, and he reported -- and this is a quote from him -- he said, “The most memorable experiences were with my American friends.”
These lasting bonds represent the true value of studying abroad. And I am thrilled that more and more students are getting this opportunity. As you’ve heard, China is currently the fifth most popular destination for Americans studying abroad, and today, the highest number of exchange students in the U.S. are from China.
But still, too many students never have this chance, and some that do are hesitant to take it. They may feel like studying abroad is only for wealthy students or students from certain kinds of universities. Or they may think to themselves, well, that sounds fun but how will it be useful in my life? And believe me, I understand where these young people are coming from because I felt the same way back when I was in college. （708）What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．We often visit palaces and parliaments and meet with heads of state. |
| B．The relationships between people are very important. |
| C．Study abroad programs is just as an educational opportunity for students. |
| D．Study abroad programs is a vital part of America’s foreign policy. |
The writer uses the Chinese saying to_________.
| A．emphasize that real experience is more important than test scores. |
| B．show us that studying abroad is fun. |
| C．emphasize that getting good grades or test scores in school, which are important. |
| D．show us that studying abroad is the key to success. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．studying abroad can only improve your own future. |
| B．studying abroad can develop that habit of lifestyle. |
| C．studying abroad can shape the future of your countries and of the world we all share. |
| D．China is currently the first most popular destination for Americans studying abroad. |
According to the last paragraph, what will the writer write in the next paragraph?
| A．The writer will write something about her college life. |
| B．The writer will write the advanges of studying abroad. |
| C．The writer will write that the America will offer more opportunities for foreign students. |
| D．The writer will write that the America will offer more money for the poor students. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Studying abroad is only for wealthy students. |
| B．Studying abroad is very important and she encourages young people to study abroad. |
| C．The highest number of exchange students in the U.S. are from China. |
| D．Building bridges of understanding will lead to bright future. |