When should a child start learning to read and write? This is one of the questions I am most frequently asked. There is no hard and fast rule, for no two are alike, and it would be wrong to set a time when all should start being taught the intricacies（复杂）of reading letters to form words.
If a three-year-old wants to read（or even a two-year-old for that matter）, the child has the right to be given every encouragement. The fact that he or she might later be “bored” when joining a class of non-readers at child school is the teacher’s affair. It is up to the teacher to see that such a child is given more advanced reading material.
Similarly, the child who still cannot read by the time he goes to junior school at the age of seven should be given every help by teachers and parents alike. They should make certain that he is not dyslexic（having difficulty in reading）.
Although parents should be careful not to force youngsters aged two to five to learn to read（ if badly done it could put them off reading for life ）, there is no harm in preparing them for simple recognition of letters by labeling various items in their rooms. For instance, tie a nice piece of cardboard to their bed with BED written in neat, big letters.
Should the young child ask his parents to teach him to read, and if the parents are capable of doing so, such an attraction should not be ignored. But the task should never be made to look like a hard job and the child should never be forced to continue, or his interest should start to flag.This passage is mainly about ____.
| A．what qualities people teaching children reading should have |
| B．when and how children should be taught reading |
| C．different age groupings of children to be taught reading |
| D．various problems of children who start learning to read |
In the writer’s opinion, children start learning to read ____.
| A．at different times | B．from word games |
| C．by a certain rule | D．early and fast |
The purpose of labeling items in the room is to ____.
| A．make it more colorful |
| B．help children recognize simple letters |
| C．force children to develop the habit of reading |
| D．teach children to write neatly |
The writer suggests that ____.
| A．children should ask their parents to teach them to read |
| B．children starting to read should ask specialists for help |
| C．children should be taught with patience, care and a sense of humor. |
| D．children should not feel bored if given advanced reading material |
What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.We can infer from the first paragraph that ________.
| A．learning better at school shows power in your job |
| B．the better you are at school subjects, the more helpful they are in your career. |
| C．learning each subject well is an ability in many jobs. |
| D．we should think about how to find our career |
From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he will _____.
| A．have no hope in his future work |
| B．be hopeful to find a suitable job |
| C．regret not having worked harder at school |
| D．have an opportunity of a new beginning in his future work |
The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “_________”.
| A．heavy- handed | B．the best | C．important | D．skilled |
The passage mainly discusses ___________.
| A．The relationship between school performance and career |
| B．how to get a job |
| C．How to show strengths in your work |
| D．working experience and knowledge at school |
Lots of kids go through times when they’d like to change their hair. Often, it’s girls who are most concerned(关心的), but boys may be interested in how their hair looks, too. Sometimes hair will change as you get older----all by itself----when you go through puberty(青春期).
Maybe it used to be lighter and now it’s darker. Or maybe it’s oilier than it used to be, and now you need to wash it more. It’s also normal, as you’re getting older, to notice your appearance more often. You might suddenly decide you want a hairstyle like other kids at school have. But some styles and looks require chemical treatments and long hours in the chair at the hair salon. Some people dye(染)their hair a different color, get a bunch of braids(辫子），or make their hair straight when it’s curly（卷曲). Are these treatments OK for kids? That’s something you should discuss with your parents. At any age, any chemical or heat applied to(应用于) the hair can damage the hair or cause it to break off.
Any styling that pulls hard on the hair can also hurt the scalp(头皮) or cause hair loss. Styling tools, such as curling irons and straightening irons, get very hot and can cause burns. And chemicals used to color, curl, or straighten hair can be very harmful if they get into your eyes or onto your skin.The word “kid”in this passage refers to ____________.
| A．girls | B．boys | C．students | D．not only girls but also boys |
Which of the following is NOT the cause of changes of one’s hair mentioned in the passage?
| A．Change the hair style to act in a play. |
| B．It changes naturally with the age. |
| C．You want to make yourself look beautiful or cool. |
| D．A boy’s hair may become darker and darker when he gets older. |
What’s the main idea of the last two paragraphs of this passage?
| A．If you want to change the color of your hair, you have to use chemical. |
| B．Hair can be straightened with an instrument. |
| C．You’d better change your hair with the help of your parents. |
| D．Hair change by chemicals or instruments can harm the hair or the scalp。 |
When my daughter was in the fifth grade, she came home from school almost every night with three or more hours of homework. It was my duty to help her get it done. One night she worked until midnight doing her homework.
I felt annoyed, but I didn’t want the teacher to think I was lazy. So I never complained. I wasn’t sure, but it seemed to me that five hours of homework was a bit too much for a fifth grade student.
Later, I found out that parents and educators have discussed about homework for more than a century. Parents who like more homework want to give their children every advantage to succeed in today’s world. Some educators see homework as a way to help students perform better in tests.
Other parents dislike the recent trend toward more homework. They don’t want to stay up until midnight helping their children. They would prefer to spend their time going to the park or reading some really good books with their children. Added to the opposition(反对)are those who say that homework increases the gap(差距)between the rich and the poor. That’s because middle class families do better when it comes to helping their children with their homework.
So, who is right? Is homework an enemy or a help? According to experts, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.The author thought that her daughter’s homework _________.
| A．was too difficult |
| B．was too much to finish |
| C．was done more carefully than other students’ |
| D．could be done as long as she helped her daughter |
The author never complained to the teacher because _________.
| A．she was too angry to talk with the teacher. |
| B．she did not like complaining. |
| C．she was afraid of being thought lazy by the teacher. |
| D．her daughter would be annoyed if she complained. |
In the last paragraph, experts __________.
| A．think middle school students should do lots of homework. |
| B．haven’t come up with any idea to solve this problem. |
| C．think homework should be given, but not too much. |
| D．support the idea that homework is good for students. |
As most people know, in the past few years, sandstorms have swept across many cities and areas of North China, polluting the air and disturbing daily lives of human beings. People look dirty and suffer many kinds of illnesses, such as breath difficulty. The sandstorm is such a serious problem that it has not only undermined the industrial and agricultural development of our country but also caused a lot of trouble to the living conditions of the Chinese people. It is expected that effective(有效的) measures should be taken as soon as possible through our joint efforts to limit its occurrence.
So what should we do with the frightening sandstorms? Some experts put forward practical suggestions as follows: For one thing, more funs(基金)ought to be put into tree planting and forest protection so as to keep more water resources within the surface of the earth. For another, governments of all countries should make laws on environmental protection.For example, banning the use of throw-away chopsticks and punishing illegal tree cutting. Scientists should also study and find ways to cut down the degree of its destruction and to improve the whole environment.
How people look forward to sunny days with little breeze(微风)touching their faces now and forever! Nevertheless, I am fully confident that the golden days can come back so long as everyone tried his best to protect natural environment from today on.The underlined word”undermined”(in Paragraph 1)means __________.
| A．weakened | B．encouraged | C．kept | D．made |
From the first paragraph, we can infer _________.
| A．China has taken no measures to prevent sandstorms. |
| B．sandstorms can cause much damage to human beings and their daily lives. |
| C．the sandstorm is the most dangerous natural disaster to human beings. |
| D．more sandstorms will happen in the near future in North China. |
How many ways do some experts put forward to fight against sandstorm?
| A．5 | B．4 | C．3 | D．2 |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the situation to sandstorms’ problems?
| A．Unconfident | B．Optimistic | C．Regretful | D．Satisfied |
Rome had the Forum. London has Speaker' s Corner. Now always-on-the-go New Yorkers have Liz and Bill.
Liz and Bill, two college graduates in their early 2Os, have spent a whole year trying to have thousands of people talk to them in subway stations and on busy street corners. Just talk.
Using a 2-foot-tall sign that says, "Talk to Me," they attract conversationalists, who one evening included a mental patient, and men in business suits.
They don't collect money. They don't push religion (宗教). So what's the point?
"To see what happens," said Liz. "We simply enjoy life with open communication(交流)."
Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, they decided to walk from New York City to Washington, a 270-mile trip. They found they loved talking to people along the way and wanted to continue talking with strangers after their return.
"It started as a crazy idea," Liz said. "We were so curious about all the strangers walking by with their life stories. People will talk to us about anything: their jobs, their clothes, their childhood experiences, anything."
Denise wanted to talk about an exam she was about to take. She had stopped by for the second time in two days, to let the two listeners know how it went.
Marcia had lost her husband to a serious disease. "That was very heavy on my mind,” Marcia said. "To be able to talk about it to total strangers was very good," she explained.
To celebrate a year of talking, the two held a get-together in a city park for all the people they had met over the past year. A few hundred people showed up, as well as some television cameramen and reporters.
They may plan more parties or try to attract more people to join their informal talks. Some publishers have expressed interest in a book, something they say they'll consider.What did Liz and Bill start doing after September 2001?
| A．Chatting with people. |
| B．Setting up street signs. |
| C．Telling stories to strangers. |
| D．Organizing a speaker's corner. |
What they have been doing can be described as______.
| A．pointless | B．normal |
| C．crazy | D．successful |
Why are Denise and Marcia mentioned in the text?
| A．They knew Liz and Bill very well. |
| B．They happened to meet the writer of the text. |
| C．They organized the get-together in the city park. |
| D．They are examples of those who talked to Liz and Bill. |
What will Liz and Bill do in the future?
| A．Go in for publishing. | B．Do more television programs. |
| C．Continue what they am doing. | D．Spend more time reading books. |
How do they like the idea of writing a book?
| A．They have decided to wait a year or two. |
| B．They will think about it carefully. |
| C．They agreed immediately. |
| D．They find it hard to do that. |