After commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores, the average parent has just 30 minutes to devote to their children in the evenings, according to a new study. One in four working parents worry that half an hour simply isn’t enough, while almost half fret(担心)that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week.
However, parenting experts believe just 12 minutes a day may be enough for mothers and fathers to fully reconnect with their child — as long as they ask the right questions. Child psychologist Dr Claire Halsey said asking a series of open-ended questions can help improve parents’ relationship with their children.
Among the questions recommended in the research are: “How many times have you smiled today — what made you laugh?”; “Can you act out what you did at breaktime?”; “Who is taller — mummy or your teacher?” and “What are the names of the toys you played with today?” Parents of older children are advised to start up a conversation with: “I’ve got a great story for you but I want one in return… you first!” or “Tell me some school gossip … I’m all ears!”
Dr Halsey, working with the makers of Ribena Plus, who commissioned(委任)the research, said: “There is no one as tough on their own parenting skills as a parent — but this study shows there is no need for parents to be so harsh. It’s hard for working parents to juggle(尽量兼顾)all their responsibilities and it can feel like guilt is simply a parent’s lot — but it’s absolutely not. By using clever tactics(策略)such as a little preparation alongside use of open-ended questions — such as ‘Tell me what the best bit about your day was?’ — parents can reduce the time worrying about chores and work and spend more time learning about their children’s day.”The underlined word reconnect in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ________.
| A.discuss | B. communicate |
| C. understand | D. combine |
According to Paragraph 1, almost half of the working parents ________.
| A.can spare only about half an hour to be with their kids every day |
| B.spend their daytime commuting, cooking dinner and doing household chores |
| C.worry that half an hour’s stay with their kids is far from enough |
| D.fear that they aren’t a good enough parent during the week |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
| A.I will be glad to listen. |
| B.I will be very interested. |
| C.I will listen carefully. |
| D.I will call your teacher at school. |
Which of the following open-ended questions is for a three-year-old child?
| A.Where are you off to with your friends this weekend? |
| B.Who played the best in your football match today? |
| C.What science project are you doing at the moment and can I help with it? |
| D.What are the names of the toys you played with today? |
What does Dr Halsey intend to tell us in this passage?
| A.It is not necessary for parents to spend too much time with their children. |
| B.It is natural that working parents do not afford more time to reconnect with kids. |
| C.It is important that working parents learn more parenting skills. |
| D.It is clever that parents ask their kids questions instead of doing chores. |
More than seven hundred years ago, the Prince(王子)of Wales had a very big and brave dog called Gelert.
One day the Prince wanted to go hunting with his men. He told his dog to stay at home and look after his baby son. The baby was in a small wooden bed.
When the Prince came back from hunting, Gelert ran out to meet him. He wagged his tail and jumped up to put his paws on the Prince's chest. Then the Prince saw the blood on his head. He rushed into his house and found the bed lying on its side on the floor. The clothes were torn and there was blood on them.
The prince thought the dog had killed his son and took out his sword, killing the dog. Just as Gelert was dying, he managed to bark. Then the Prince heard a baby call to the dog. The Prince ran out of the house and saw his son lying on the ground unhurt. Near him was a dead wolf.
The Prince ran back into the house but it was too late. Gelert was dead. The Prince was very sad indeed. Tears ran down his face when he realized he had killed his faithful friend. The Prince carried the body of his brave dog to the top of a mountain and buried him there. After this, the Prince never smiled again.
If you go to Mount Snowdon in Wales, people will show you where Gelert is buried. There is a sign by his grave. It reminds people of a brave and faithful dog. The Prince told the dog to when he was leaving.
| A.watch the door | B.take care of his baby at home |
| C.welcome his friends | D.stop the strangers |
. The dog was verywhen his master came back from hunting.
| A.glad | B.sorry |
| C.afraid | D.upset |
. The underlined word “faithful” in Paragraph 5 most probably means .
| A.友好的 | B.温顺的 |
| C.忠诚的 | D.聪明的 |
The Prince never smiled again because .
| A.the wolf was killed by Gelert |
| B.he had buried the dog on the top of mountain |
| C.Gelert had killed his baby son |
| D.he had killed his faithful friend Gelert |
| Hello! I’m Ella! Let’s meet these famous pig stars! They come from stories and movies. |
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Hello, I’m McDull. I have a birthmark on my right eye. I have a kind heart. I’m not clever but happy, not rich but have many dreams. I want to visit Disneyland, and eat chicken at Christmas. I have a happy family and many good friends. |
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Happy New Year, everyone! I’m Piglet! I like going on exciting experiences with Teddy Bear. I’m a small but lovely pig. I live in the Hundred Wood with my friends. I wish my friends happiness and health. |
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We’re Pig Brothers! We are good at building houses. We like to be called “Pig Engineers”. We help others build houses in the countryside. Have you ever read our story? In the story, we build a stone house and drive the wolf out. |
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Long time no see! I’m Zhu Bajie, a very famous pig in a Chinese story Journey to the West. I’m good at kungfu(功夫), but I don’t like working. In my spare time, I like eating and sleeping. |
. What does Piglet like doing?
| A.Eating and sleeping. | B.Building houses. |
| C.Doing Chinese kungfu. | D.Going on exciting experiences. |
. Which of the following can we use to describe “Pig brothers”?
| A.Shy. | B.Lazy. |
| C.Helpful. | D.Dangerous. |
Which of the following about Zhu Bajie is true?
| A.He is from a Chinese story. | B.He has no free time. |
| C.He likes working. | D.He is poor in kungfu. |
The koala is small and cute. It spends most of its lifecycle (生命周期) in the trees. It eats, sleeps and nurses (养育) its baby there, and it only comes down to the ground if necessary. The koala is loved by many people for its small size and cartoon-like feature.
A mother gives birth and raises only one baby koala at a time. During the mother’s lifecycle, she will produce up to six baby koalas. A newborn baby koala does not look like an adult because it is born blind with undeveloped features.
After the baby koala is born, it makes its way to the mother’s pouch (育儿袋) and lives inside. Then it develops its eyes, legs and fur. In fact it lives in the mother’s pouch for about six months.
At last the baby koala gets out of its mother’s pouch, and the mother carries her baby on her back. Some baby koalas want to use the safety of the pouch longer than necessary, but their size is too big for them to climb back inside. When the next baby koala is born, it is time for last season’s baby to say goodbye.
根据短文内容,判断句子正(T)、误(F)。The koala spends most of its lifecycle on the ground.
A mother koala gives birth and raises six baby koalas at a time.
A baby koala lives in its mother’s pouch for about half a year.
Baby koalas can’t get back to their mothers’ pouches again if they are too big.
This passage mainly tells us how baby koalas are born.
Everyone worries. But how do you deal with your worries? Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps to deal with your worries:
1. Try to find out what you're worried about
Sometimes, you will know what you're worried about. Other times, you might not. Try to find it out first; if you can't, you can ask for help.
2. Think of ways to make it better
There is always something you can do to help you feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it won't solve your problem.
Grades at school are often top worries for kids. If you're worried about grades, ask yourself these questions:
★ Why are grades important? What do grades mean to me?
★How do I get ready for class? Do I go over my notes even when there isn't a test?
★ Do I have a good place to do my homework?
★ Have I tried different ways of studying?
If your worry is about a fight you had, you might write down all the things you could do: write a note to him or her, invite him or her to a basketball game, say sorry to him or her, etc. Once you have a list of things you could do, you can choose the one that gets your friend back.
3. Ask for help
When you're worried, it can help to find someone to talk to. You can ask your parents, friends, or teachers for help.
根据短文内容,选择最佳答案。How should you deal with the worry first if you don't know what we're worried about?
| A.We should try to find it out. | B.We should ask others. |
| C.We should help others first. | D.We should sit there worrying. |
When can you ask “What do grades mean to me”?
| A.When my friends don’t like me. |
| B.When I don’t try different ways of studying. |
| C.When I finish my homework. |
| D.When we're worried about grades. |
Which is the meaning of the underlined phrase “go over” in the passage?
| A.翻滚 | B.复习 |
| C.转向 | D.越过 |
According to the passage, what will you do if you have a fight?
| A.I will make a new friend. |
| B.I don’t want to talk to him or her any more. |
| C.I will have another fight |
| D.I will invite him or her to a basketball game. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A.who is often worried | B.when people are worried |
| C.how to deal with our worries | D.what kind of worries people have |
Henry was a carpenter(木匠)of our village. Once I asked him to make a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size to fill the space between the two windows. When I arrived home that evening, Henry was drinking a cup of tea and writing his bill for his work. .
My wife said to me,quietly,“That’s his ninth cup of tea today.” But she said loudly, "It's a beautiful table, dear, isn't it?"
"I won't decide about that until I see that bill.” I said.
Henry laughed and gave me his bill for the work. It said:
| BILL One dining table June 10,2013 Cost of wood $ 17.00 Paint(油漆) $ 1.50 Work,8 hours(1 an hour) $ 8.00 Total(总计) $ 36.50 |
When I was looking at the bill,Henry said,"it’s been a fine day,hasn’t it? Quite sunny.”
"Yes,” I said. "I’m glad it is only the 10th of June.”
"Me too” , said Henry. "If you wait, it'll be a bit hotter by the end of the month.”
"Yes. Hotter and more expensive. Dining tables will be 20 more expensive on June 30th, won't they,Henry?”
Henry looked hard at me for half a minute. There was a little embarrassed smile in his two blue eyes. It seemed that he had done wrong. I gave his bill back to him.
"If it isn't too much trouble, Henry, ” I said,"Please add it up again. You can forget the date.”
I paid him $26. 50 and he ran away in a hurry.When the writer got home, Henry _______.
| A.was talking with the writer’s wife | B.was waiting for him |
| C.had finished the dinning table | D.had drunk ten cups of tea |
Henry talked about weather when the writer was looking at the bill because _______.
| A.he didn’t know how to say except weather |
| B.he wanted the writer to look at the bill carefully |
| C.he wanted to tell the writer what the weather was like |
| D.he didn't want the writer to go through the bill carefully |
The writer thought Henry would ask for ______dollars if he made a dining table on the last day of June.
| A.26.50 | B.56. 50 |
| C.46.50 | D.20.00 |
When the writer gave him the money, Henry was _______.
| A.embarrassed | B.angry |
| C.surprised | D.sad |
From the story we know that Henry _______.
| A.didn’t make a mistake in the bill |
| B.got $36. 50 for his work in the end |
| C.had written out the bill before the writer got home |
| D.wanted to try to get more money for his work |