Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your other meals.During the test, those who were tested were given ________.
| A．no breakfast at all |
| B．very rich breakfast |
| C．little food for breakfast |
| D．different breakfast or none |
The results of the test show that ________.
| A．breakfast has great effect on work and studies |
| B．breakfast has little to do with a person’ s work |
| C．a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast |
| D．those working with brains should have much for breakfast |
The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.
| A．lose weight | B．not lose weight |
| C．be healthier | D．gain a lot of weight |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．Poor breakfasts affect those who work with brains. |
| B．Morning diet may cause one to get fatter. |
| C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less value in weight losing. |
| D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight. |
According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.
| A．he will fall ill |
| B．he will fail to listen to his teacher |
| C．he will not make progress in his study |
| D．his mind will work more slowly |
As a parent, you might never guess all the ways a good imagination benefits your child. It helps a preschooler.
Develop social skills
As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and co-workers and learn more about how people interact. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients. Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play helps develop empathy (同情) for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build self-confidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers (摩天大楼) or a superhero defending the planet is empowering to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought. Children who can see a king’s castle in a mound (堆) of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically (象征性地). This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numerals symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking. This helps boost their vocabulary, improve sentence structure and promote communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work out their fears and worries. When children role-play about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn’t seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids vent (发泄) confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or compete with a new sibling (兄弟姐妹).
To encourage your youngster’s imagination, read to him every day. Books offer children the opportunity to visit other worlds and create new ones of their own.
For generations children have enjoyed reading the story of Peter Pan because Peter takes them on fascinating adventures. Reader’s Digest Young Families offers a beautiful typical Disney edition of Peter Pan, which is an iParenting Media Awards winner. Click here to find out how you can get this classic story along with 2 free books－Bambi and Pinochio.What’s NOT the advantage of children having a good imagination?
| A．Understanding the other people’s feelings and problems |
| B．Expressing their feelings like anger. |
| C．Having a strong faith in their own abilities and potential. |
| D．Helping them form a good habit of reading story. |
What does the underlined word “Boost” mean?
| A．Improve. | B．Limit. | C．Push. | D．Praise. |
What’s the purpose of writing the article?
| A．To tell readers the benefits of encouraging children’s imagination. |
| B．To introduce some wonderful Disney stories to readers. |
| C．To provide ways of helping make kids more imaginative. |
| D．To persuade parents to buy the Disney edition of Peter Pan. |
Today our life and work rarely feel light or pleasant. Instead, the whole experience of being alive begins to melt into huge responsibility. It becomes the standard greeting everywhere: I am so busy.
We say this to one another with no small degree of pride. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, to be unable to find time for the sunset, to speed through our responsibilities without time for a single mindful breath — this has become the model of a successful life.
Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We lose the nourishment(营养) that gives us help. We miss the quiet that gives us wisdom. Poisoned by the belief that good things come only through tireless effort, we never truly rest.
This is not the world we dreamed of when we were young. How did we get so terribly rushed in a world filled with work and responsibility, yet somehow lack of joy and delight?
We have forgotten the Sabbath (安息日). Sabbath is the time to enjoy and celebrate what is beautiful and good — time to light candles, sing songs, tell stories, bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, nap and walk. It is time to be nourished and refreshed as we let our work, our chores and our important projects lie fallow, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world when we are at rest.
Sabbath is more than the absence of work. Many of us, in our desperate drive to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. But the Sabbath has proven its wisdom over the ages. Many of us still recall when, not long ago, shops and offices were closed on Sundays. Those quiet Sunday afternoons remained in our cultural memory.Nowadays, when we greet people by saying, “I am so busy”， we feel ________.
| A．sorry | B．proud |
| C．unhappy | D．responsible |
If a person lives a successful life, he is expected ________.
| A．to be always available to his family and friends |
| B．to be able to enjoy a leisure holiday |
| C．to be occupied with too many obligations |
| D．to become a model for everyone else |
According to the author, we should do the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．showing interest in beautiful things |
| B．having time to get refreshed |
| C．putting away obligations and resting when necessary |
| D．believing that good things come only through tireless effort |
How to Study Smarter, Not Harder
Here are some of our favorite study tips that will help any student study smarter, not harder:
Recite As You Study
Reciting—saying things out loud should first take place as you read through each paragraph or section. Test yourself. This will help you to understand as well as learn faster because it is more active than reading or listening. It will also help you to notice your mistakes and the topics you have trouble understanding.
Take Fuller Notes
Notes should be in your own words, brief and clear. They should be tidy and easy to read. Writing notes will help you better than just underlining as you read, since it forces you to rewrite ideas in your own words.
Study the Middle
The best time to review is soon after you’ve learned something. You are more likely to remember the material at the beginning and the end of the lesson, so make sure you focus on the middle when you review.
Sleep On It
Study before going to bed, unless you are very tired. It’s easier to remember material you’ve just learned after sleeping than after an equal period of daytime activity, because your brain continues to think even after you’ve fallen asleep.
Combine Memory and Understanding
There are two ways to remember: by memorizing and by understanding. Multiplication tables, telephone numbers, and math formulas are better learned by rote. Ideas are best learned by understanding.
The more ways you have to think about an idea, the more meaning it will have; the more meaningful the learning, the better you can remember it. Pay attention to similarities in ideas and concepts, and then try to understand how they fit in with things you already know. Never be satisfied with anything less than a completely clear understanding of what you are reading. If you are not able to follow the thought, go back to the place where you first got confused and try again.You can notice your mistakes by _______.
| A．taking notes | B．saying things out aloud |
| C．studying the middle | D．sleeping on it |
When taking notes, you should _______ to better help you with reading.
| A．write notes in your own words |
| B．underline important notes |
| C．take down every detail |
| D．write as quickly as possible |
The writer advises you to _______ as it is easier for you to remember material.
| A．study after a period of activity |
| B．do some exercise after studying |
| C．study before going to sleep |
| D．study as soon as you get up |
Which of the following is NOT helpful for your understanding?
| A．Thinking about an idea in different ways. |
| B．Relating ideas and concepts with what you already know. |
| C．Going back to what first made you confused and start again. |
| D．Reading from the beginning to the end without stop. |
Wildlife faces threats ( 威胁 ) from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighborhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.
1.Create wildlife friendly areas in your backyard.
When trying to make your garden more beautiful , you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife . This will also help cut down on pollution . Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.
2. Avoid harming the natural ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) in your area.
Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
3. ________________________________________________.
By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you . Take buses or the subway when you can, turn off electric devices when you’re not using them , take shorter shower, and keep your room temperature at or below 68 degrees during the winter.
4. Buy products that are wildlife friendly
Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps , catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.
5. Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.
You can give money to organization or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighborhood.We infer that the purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now |
| B．suggest that we protect wildlife through actions |
| C．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions |
| D．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think. |
Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
| A．Loss of habitat | B．Animal diseases |
| C．Pollution | D．Hunters |
What’s the best title for the third point ?
| A．Use less water and fewer fuels. | B．Have a greener lifestyle. |
| C．Take a bus when you go out . | D．Try a new kind of life. |
The writer suggests that we _________.
| A．not buy products made from animals |
| B．share cars with others when we go out |
| C．provide shelters for birds and bats in our gardens or yards |
| D．grow as many kinds of plants in our gardens as possible |
Hobbs was an orphan（孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
| A．study abroad | B．work abroad |
| C．learn to paint pictures | D．pay off the debts |
What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” （in Paragraph 2） probably mean?
| A．Frightened. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.
| A．planned to have a happy life for a few days |
| B．decided to give up his work in the factory |
| C．had no idea what to do |
| D．was to give a dinner to his friends |
Hobbs was asked to _______.
| A．read his uncle’s will |
| B．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
| C．tell the lawyer what was to be done with the money |
| D．buy some pictures |