I have always known my kids use digital communications equipment a lot. But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention. My son had come up to nearly 2,000 incoming text messages, and had sent nearly as many. Of course, he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance. Nevertheless, he found time to keep a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with thumb.
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal. "Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average, " Nielsen Mobile said.
Some experts regret that all that keyboard jabber(键盘闲聊) is making our kids stupid, unable to read non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, gestures, posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude. Unlike phones, text messaging doesn't even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses, says Mark Bauerlein, author called The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that, though, I'm not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend. I' ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids' texting. But over time, I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects, and he gains a big benefit, continuing contact with others.
I don't think texting make kids stupid. It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you at the same time. And it may make them distracted, when buzzing text message interrupt efforts to noodle out a math problem or finish reading for school.
But I don't see texting harming teens' ability to communicate. My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family. I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance. because he is constantly available by means of text message and responds with faithfulness and speed.What is Mark Bauerlein ' s attitude to texting?
| A．It is convenient for teens to communicate with others. |
| B．It is likely to cause trouble in understanding each other. |
| C．It is convenient for teens to text and call at the same time. |
| D．It will cause damage to the development of teens' intelligence. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．For Teens, Texting Instead of Talking |
| B．For Parents, Caring Much for Their Kids |
| C．Disadvantages of Texting |
| D．The Effect of Communication |
What does the underlined word "distracted" in the fifth paragraph mean?
| A．Confused. | B．Absent-minded. |
| C．Comfortable. | D．Bad-tempered. |
For well over a thousand years，smallpox was a disease that everyone feared．The disease killed much of the native population in South America when the Spanish arrived there in the early sixteenth century．By the end of the eighteenth century，smallpox was responsible for about one in
ten deaths around the world．Those who survived the disease were left with ugly scars on their sjun．
It had long been well known among farmers that people who worked with cows seldom caught smallpox；instead，they often caught a similar but much milder disease called cowpox (牛痘) ．A Bridsh doctor called Jenner was extremely interested in this，and so he studied cowpox He believed that，by vaccinating (给接种疫苗) people with the disease，he could protect them against the much worse disease smallpox．In 1796，he vaccinated a boy with cowpox and，two months later，with smallpox．The boy did not get smallpox．In the next two years，Jenner vaccinated several children in the same way，and none of them got the disease．
News of the success of Jenner’s work soon spread．Vaccination soon became a common method to protect people against other diseases caused by virus，such as rable (狂犬病)，and vaccines (疫苗) were sent across the world to the United States and India．
It took nearly two centuries to achieve Jenner’s dream of getting free of smallpox from the whole world．In 1967，the world Health Organization (WHO) started a great vaccination program，and the last known case of smallpox was recorded in Somalia in 1977．The story of vaccinations does not end there，however．There are many other diseases that kill more and more people every year．Besides，many new diseases are being discovered．The challenge for medical researchers will，therefore，probably continue for several more centuriesSmallpox was so serious thatby the end of l8th century
| A．its death rate was up to ten percent |
| B．those who caught it were certain to die |
| C．one in ten people in the world died of smallpox |
| D．one in ten deaths in the world was caused by smallpox |
Edward Jenner discovered that vaccination with cowpox could
| A．make smallpox much milder |
| B．stop people from getting smallpox |
| C．protect people against any disease |
| D．prevent people’s scars after smallpox |
Which of the following statements is not true?
| A．The first experiment with cowpox was made by a British doctor |
| B．After 1977 smallpox disappeared around the world according to WHO． |
| C．Vaccination had existed among ordinary farmers before being discovered |
| D．Vaccination can be used to protect people in the world against not only smallpox |
The author of the passage thinks that
| A．vaccinations bring many new problems |
| B．vaccinations end the spread of diseases |
| C．there is a long way to go to fight against diseases |
| D．there is along way to go to discover new diseases |
The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain 
turn on their TVs．Yes，it’s Top of the pops!
Top of the pops is an amazing 45-year-old programme．Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV prograrnme．After about 2340 shows，it’s still the most popular pop
music show in Britsin．So what’s the secret?
“We get lots of babds to perform live in the studio，”says producer Chris Cowey“That just doesn’t happen on other shows”
Chris starts the preparations for the programme over a week before it goes out．His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show．When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday，Chris can start to book the bands
Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound，lighting and camera workers．They listen to each song and plan the show．
Tuesday is paperwork day．There are bookings to make sure of，letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make．The show is on Thursday．Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o’clock in the morning and start practising．Tonight’s presenter，Jo Whiley，practises too
First the bands go to make up．Judy and Issy are the make-up artists．“We see the stars with no make-up on，looking terrible，”says Issy．Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars
Back in the studio things are happening．The audience is practising their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme，then Chris edits it all night long．The final version is exactly 29 minutes longWhat make (s) Top of the Pops the most popular in Britain?
| A．The famous singers of the bands |
| B．The live performances in the studio |
| C．The large nurnbers of pop fans in Britain |
| D．The jobs carefully done by the workers of the TV station |
When the bands receive the invitations to the perfomlance，
| A．they mast decide what songs they will perform |
| B．they have no idea what songs they will perform |
| C．they don’t have to decide what songs they will perform |
| D．the songs that will be performed haven’t been decided on |
Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage?
| A．The programme time on TV is exactly controlled |
| B．All the stars must make up before their performance |
| C．The producer plays the main role in planning the programme |
| D．There are no audience to join in the performance at the TV station |
How is the music programme made at the TV station?
Which is the proper title for the passage?
| A．A Stage for Pop Stars |
| B．Go Backstage of Top of the Pops |
| C．Great Success Comes from Hard Work |
| D．The Most Popular Is the Most Successful |
As a school librarian，I’m often asked what books are most appropriate for teaching particularconcepts．As the mother of a toddler，I’m now teaching my son to recognize letters and learn thealphabet．Boaks are a great help in teaching a child letters．Here is this librarian and mom’s picks for the best books to help teach your child letters．
Eric Carle’s ABC
Eric Carle is one of my favorite children’s authors and this colorful book is perfect for helping teach the alphabet．The block-style letters are easier to read
and recognize for toddlers than mitten ones．Each letter is tied to an animal name，so your child will have fun looking at the animals，and 1earn the animal
names while also learning letters．
Baby Einsstein：My First Book of Letters
The Baby Einstein books always promote thinking skills and creativity in
young children．Baby Einstein；My First Book of Letters is no exception．This
book includes letters in both upper and lower case，and asks questions about nature that go with each letter for your child to answer．This colorful book is great for helping teach your child letters．
Dr．Seuss’ABC
Dr．Seuss lends his wonderful writing and illustrating（插图）talent to this
great teaching book．His classic writing and funny pictures can be found throughout this alphabet book．The letters are block style，solid-colored，and easy
to read．Your child will love learning letters from this fun book．
Kipper’s A to Z：an Alphabet Adventure
In this book，children follow the little dog Kipper as he works his way through the entire alphabet．The clean，solid font used for the letter makes them
easy to read for young eyes．Author Mike Inkpen does a great job in this book，
which tells more of a story than the other books
Teaching your child letters can be a hard task．It’s import to try to make the alphabet fun and interesting for your child．In Paragraph I，“toddler”probably means
| A．baby | B．teenager | C．student | D．young child |
If you want to make your son or daughter interested in nature you should choose
| A．Eric Carle’s ABC | B．Baby Einstein；My First Book of Letters |
| C．Dr．Seuss’ ABC | D．Kipper’s A to Z；an Alphabet Adventure |
Why did the author write the passage?
| A．To recommend the books． | B．To sell the books |
| C．To adverfise the books | D．To criticize the books |
To extinguish （熄灭）different kinds of fires, several types of fire extinguishers have been invented. They must be ready for immediate use when fire breaks out. Most portable （手提式的）kinds operate for less than a minute, so they are useful only on small fires. The law requires ships, trains, buses and planes to carry extinguishers.
Since fuel（燃料）, oxygen and heat must be present in order for fire to exist, one or more of these things must be removed or reduced to extinguish a fire. If the heat is reduced by cooling the material below a certain temperature, the fire goes out. The cooling method is the most common way to put out a fire. Water is the best cooling material because it is low in cost and easy to get.
Another method of extinguishing fire is by cutting off the oxygen. This is usually done by covering the fire with sand, steam or some other things. A blanket may be used do cover a small fire.
A third method is call
ed separation, which includes removing the fuel, or material easy to burn, from a fire, so that it can find no fuel.
The method that is used to put out a fire depends on the type of fire. Fires have been grouped in three classes（级别）. Fires in wood, paper, cloth and the like are called Class A fires. These materials usually help keep the fire on. Such fires can be stopped most readily by cooling with water. If a fire breaks out on a bus, which of the following should be ready there for you to use?
| A．Sand | B．An extinguisher | C．A blanket. | D．Water |
To cover a small piece of burning wood with a basin in order to stop the fire i
s an example of _______.
| A．separating the fire | B．cutting off the oxygen |
| C．removing the fuel | D．reducing the heat |
In choosing how to put out a fire, we should first be clear about_______.
| A．when it breaks out | B．how it comes about |
| C．what kind it is | D．where it takes place |
What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Another class of fires | B．Another type of extinguishers |
| C．How fires break out. | D．How fires can be prevented. |
The crowd cheered and cheered. The man with the horn（号）waved and smiled his great smile. “More! More!” cried the crowd. And Louis Armstrong took his horn and began to play again.
Here he was in England. Now a famous man, he was rich. He knew many important people. Wherever he went, people knew his name. They wanted to hear his music. As he played the sad, slow songs, Louis thought of his home in New Orleans. He lived there as a boy. It was a busy, exciting city. But Louis’s family was very poor. He went to work to help his mother. He also went to school. One of Louis’s teachers asked him to join the school band. “This horn is yours until you leave our school,” his teacher said. Louis’s music was jazz a
nd he loved it. He remembered all the music he heard. He didn’t learn to read music until he was a man.
When he left school, he played on many bands. He loved his work and people loved him. They knew that he had a wonderful talent. Louis played in little towns and in big cities. Armstrong’s horn had as many sounds as ten horns—sometimes slow and sometimes sweet; sometimes fast and hot, high and low. His music was always strong and exciting. “He does make wonderful music,” said the man who listened happily. “Yes,” said another man, “he makes that horn speak. ”
The music ended and the crowd cheered. Louis Armstrong spoke with tears in his eyes, “I think, my friends, you can listen to as much jazz as I can play. I thought jazz was my music; but now I understand it is ours. It is beautiful that music brings us together. ”Louis went to work when he was _______.
| A．a schoolboy | B．a musician | C．famous | D．a man |
Louis was very smart but he didn’t learn to read music until ______.
| A．he left school. | B．he was in the the school band. |
| C．he became a grown-up. | D．he became famous. |
He was famous for ______.
| A．his horn | B．his sad songs |
| C．his wonderful jazz music | D．his love for music |
Which of the following is the best title for this story ?.
| A．Musician | B．A beautiful horn. |
| C．The man with the horn. | D．Sweet smiles. |