Most parents of kids under age 8 don't worry about how much time they spend watching TV or using other media, from computers to smart phones to tablets PCs, according to a new survey that found a child's use of media often reflects how much time parents spend in the similar way．
¨We generally found that media use is not a source of conflict in the home" for families with young children, Ellen Wartella, a researcher from Northwestem University, told USA Today． She led a survey of 2,326 parents who have children 8 and younger．It found that in 80 percent of families, children's media use was not a problem, with 55 percent “not too" or“ not at all" concerned about it． It also showed parents have more positive than negative feelings about how media consumption affects a child's learning and the development of creativity．The exception is video games, which are viewed more negatively than TV, computers or mobile devices．“Parents rated video games as more likely to have a negative effect on children's school performance, attention time, creativity, social skills, behavior and sleep than any other medium," the researchers said in a news conference about the survey．
¨The findings exposes a generational shift （转移） in parental attitudes about technology's role in young children's lives," said Wartella．“Today's parents grew up with technology as a central pact of their lives, so they think about it differently than earlier generations of parents, instead of a battle with kids on one side and parents on the other, the use of media and technology has become a family affair． "
The researchers identified three media environments created by parents: media-centric （39 percent of families） , media-moderate （45%）and media-light （16%）． Children in media-centric families spend at least three hours more each day watching TV or using computers, video games and tablet PCs don't make parenting easier．And 88 percent of parents say they are most likely to turn to toys or activities to keep their children occupied．Slightly fewer turn to books （79%） and TV（78%）．
The survey didn't look at how media affects children． That's a topic that the American Academy of Pediatrics has handled a number of times． The AAP says studies have found too much media use can lead to attention- problems, school difficulties, sleep and eating disorders and being fat． In addition, the Internet and cell phones can provide platforms for illegal and risky behaviors．¨By limiting screen time and offering educational media and non-electronic formats （格式）such as books, newspapers and board games, and watching television with their children, parents can help guide their children's media experience． Putting questionable content into context and teaching kids a700ut advertising contributes to their media literacy （素养） ," it says．
The pediatricians' group says parents should have “screen-free zones" and TV should be turned off during dinner． At most, it recommends children and teens engage with entertainment media for no more than two hours a day and that should be high-quality content． It is important for kids to spend time on outdoor play, reading, hobbies and using their imaginations in free play．“ Kids under 2 should not use television and other entertainment media because their brains are developing quickly and they learn best from direct human interaction," the group says．
An article on screen time by t．he Mayo Clinic also notes problems linked t．o over screen time, including being fat, irregular sleep , behavioral problems , weak school performance , violence and less time for active and creative play． Parents have more negative than positive feelings about media consumption like ．
| A．computers | B．smart phones |
| C．video games | D．tablets PCs |
Most parents don't worry about kid's media use because ．
| A．they can limit the screen time |
| B．they want their children happy |
| C．they also grew up with technology |
| D．they can teach their children themselves |
From the data of the survey, we learn ．
| A．children in media-centric families are smarter than others |
| B．children in media-light families spend one hour watching TV |
| C．more than half of the parents think children's media use was a problem |
| D．media-centric children spend more than three hours each day on media use |
To make parenting easier, most parents probably ．
| A．try to persuade their children to read books |
| B．ask their children questions while watching TV |
| C．allow their children watching TV or using computers |
| D．turn to toys or activities to keep their children occupied |
Which of the following is a suggestion by the researchers?
| A．Media use time for babies under 2 should be limited． |
| B．Entertainment media use should be high-quality content． |
| C．Schools should provide more time for active and creative play． |
| D．Home media use should provide platforms for illegal and risky behaviors． |
A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany.
“Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men’s world,” said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study.
Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in “Women’ s Liberation(解放)”.
“I don’t wish that I were a man,” she says, “and I don’t think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work
, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you’re a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?”What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．60% women in West Germany wish that they were born men. |
| B．Most women in Western European countries wish that their babies were all boys. |
| C．60% Western European women wish that they were born men. |
| D．60% Western European women who wish that they were born men are from West Germany. |
“It is still men’s world.” means “______.”
| A．There’re more men than women in the world |
| B．There’re more men scientists or engineers than women scientists or engineers in the world |
| C．Women have not been given the same chance as men |
| D．Women cannot live without men |
Anne Harper considers that women should ______.
| A．live a better life than men | B．be really liberated |
| C．be well paid | D．get better jobs than men |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Usually the best jobs are not open to women. |
| B．Women are less paid than men for the same job. |
| C．There’re more men pilots, engineers and scientists than women ones. |
| D．Women are looked down upon because they’re the second-class citizens |
A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco．A street musician，whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day，was playing the saxophone on a street corner．His name was Clifford，and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance．After he finished，my friend introduced him to me and his daughter．Clifford asked her if she played any instrument．When she replied that she was taking trumpet (小号) lessons and played in her junior high school band，he said，“That’s fine，little lady．Learn your instrument well and you can play anything．”Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader．If you learn to read well，you can read anything you want—not just newspapers and magazines，but more difficult material like philosophy，film criticism，military history—whatever interests you as your confidence grows．You would not be limited in any way．If you have the vocabulary –or at least a good dictionary near at hand—you can pick up a book，concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer’s words．
In the United States，reading instruction often ends at elementary school，so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school．They must take their assignments，armed only with their elementary，school reading skills．The result，too often，is frustration (挫折) and loss of confidence．And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school．Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks：to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension，to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence，and to teach you to become an active reader．The talk between the girl and Clifford serves as an introduction to．
| A．the importance of reading |
| B．the connection between playing instruments and reading |
| C．the necessity of learning to play an instrument |
| D．the variety of reading material |
It can be inferred from the story that．
| A．Clifford was good at playing the saxophone |
| B．the writer’s friend was once a street musician |
| C．the 12-year-old girl played the trumpet very poorly |
| D．Clifford was a good music teacher |
We can infer from the last paragraph that Developing Reading Skills．
| A．is directed to elementary school students | B．centers around vocabulary building skills |
| C．aims at helping students read better | D．offers elementary reading skills |
With good reading skills，you can．
| A．understand anything you read without difficulty |
| B．work out the writer’s meaning if only you concentrate on the book |
| C．understand what you read with the help of a good dictionary |
| D．Concentrate on whatever you read |
The Man of Many Secrets
Harry Houdini was one of the greatest American entertainers in the theater this century．He was a man famous for his escapes—from prison cells，from wooden boxes floating in rivers，from locked tanks full of water．He appeared in theaters all over Europe and America．Crowds came to see the great Houdini and his “magic”tricks．
0f course，his secret was not magic，or supernatural powers．It was simply strength．He had ability to move his toes as well as to move his fingers．He could move his body into almost any position he wanted．
Houdini started working in the entertainment world when he was 17，in 1891．He and his brother Theo performed card tricks in a New York club．They called themselves the Houdini brothers．When Harry married in 1894，he and his wife Bess worked together as magician and assistant，but for a long time they were not successful．Then Harty performed his first prison escape，in Chicago in 1898．Harry persuaded a detective to let him try to escape from the prison，and he invited the local newspaperman to watch．It was the publicity(名声)that came from this that started Harry Houdini’s success．
Harry had fingers trained to escape from handcuffs(手铐)and toes trained to escape from ankle chains，but his biggest secret was how he unlocked the prison doors．Every time he went into the prison cell，Bess gave him a kiss for good luck—and a small skeleton key，which is a key that fits many locks passed quickly from her mouth to his．
Harry used these prison escapes to build his fame．He arranged to escape from the local jail of every town he visited．In the afternoon the people of the town would read about it in their local newspapers．and in the evening every seat in the local theater would be full．What was the result? Worldwide fame，and a name remembered today．According to the passage，Houdini’s success in prison escapes depends on．
| A．his magic tricks and inhuman powers | B．his special tricks and a skeleton key |
| C．his unusual ability and skeleton key | D．his inhuman talents and magic tricks |
According to the passage，how did Houdini get the key which helped him unlock prison door?
| A．He took the key from his wife’s mouth． |
| B．His wife passed it to his hand while kissing him． |
| C．His wife gave it to him by a magic trick． |
| D．He got it in his mouth through a kiss by his wife． |
It can be inferred from the passage that Houdini became famous．
| A．when he was about 24 | B．when he was about 17 |
| C．after the year 1894 | D．before the year 1898 |
Although there are no state controlled survival courses in Britain or the United States，there are various independent organizations offering similar activities．Students can participate(take part)in outdoor training courses through university clubs and societies．Anyone can register with such groups，which then organize courses，training and trips for all members．
One of the most popular outdoor training programmes in both the US and Britain is Outward Bound(户外训练)．It was founded in 1941 in Wales and attracts hundreds of thousands of adventurous types every year. The courses are intended to broaden minds through experiences that build confidence, self-esteem(自尊)and character．As well as specialist courses such as canoeing，leadership skills and sailing，participants can take part in week long adventure training camps which include a host of sports and survival training education skills．
Michael Williams，an American student，took part in an Outward Bound course last year．He said：“We learned lots of first aid skills，lots of natural history ,lots of environmental facts, and participated in a wildlife preservation programme．Beyond that，my favorite skills learned were sailing and rock climbing.”Courses can last up to 40 days and are open to anyone over the age of 14．Students must be in general good health，but do not need to be experienced in outdoor-sports．There is no selection process；everyone is welcome，although new participants are advised to pick a course matching their physical capacity．Most of the British courses take place in the Brecon Beacons in Wales．Another similar organization is the UK Survival School，which includes courses on learning to 1ive with the environment，sailing and winter survival．On a basic survival weekend students will learn how to get water and food, how to make fire and cook with it，to find and build a shelter，control survival life support，how to cross rivers．Send off a distress signal，and to use compasses(指南针)by day and night．
According to the leaders，such adventures are “an awakening, an exploration into the unknown.”Outward Bound believes that participants will “use mind and body traveling some of the Earth’s roughest wilderness areas．”In Britain and the United States，survival courses are popular with．
| A．old people | B．young people | C．dangerous people | D．weak people |
The advantage of the training courses is that.
| A．participants can make friends with others |
| B．participants can visit some places of interest |
| C．participants can experience different adventures |
| D．participants can learn how wonderful nature is |
In an Outward Bound course last year，the most exciting experience Michael Williams had was.
| A．learning first aid skills | B．collecting facts of environment |
| C．rock climbing and sailing | D．preserving wildlife |
They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of
the nation’s unemployed．A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored （政府资助的） youth center, even among those who ar
e continuing their studies．
“We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said．
After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12．3 million people, and the number is climbing．
The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent．The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France．
One form of protest（抗议） tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity．
Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents．Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them．
“And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault．"There is usually not much conversation．You look for happiness．Sometimes you even find it．”Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______
| A．one million people | B．250,000 people |
| C．1ess than half of the population | D．about 0.6 million people |
What Nicollete Steggerda said （Para．2） means that ________．
| A．the students cannot get work after graduation |
| B．what the students learn is more than necessary |
| C．the students’ aim in study is not clear |
| D．school education is not sufficient |
The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to ________．
| A．material enjoyment | B．a sense of expectation |
| C．happiness | D．a job |