Poor parenting is to blame for a major deterioration（变坏） in the behavior of primary school pupils over the past five years,a study suggests.
Classroom disorder is a big problem for teachers, according to researchers ar Cambridge University.In interview with teachers, Professors Maurice Galton and John Macbeath found that many blamed their pupils’ bad behavior on the inability of parents to control children at home.
Many pupils lacked the social skills required to get on in class, said the researchers. “The teachers describe ‘highly permissive’ parents who admitted to indulging(纵容) their children,often for the sake of peace,” the author added.
Examples included a mother who,after great effort,succeeded in getting her five-year-old son to bed at 1 am instead of 3 am,and a boy of seven who broke his Sony PlayStation in a tantrum(发脾气),and then would not behave for a week until his mother bought him a new one.
Professors Galton and Macbeath were also told of parents who would do anything to shut their children up”just to get some peace”.
The researchers,who visited schools they studied five years ago,added,”There appeared to have been a bad influence on school life from a rapidly changing social scene”
“Motivating certain children, it was claimed, had become more difficult because by the time they came to school many of these children had become expert in dealing with adults.”
According to Galton and Macbeath, the top five difficulties to teaching are poor pupil behavior, lack of time for reflection, large class sizes, too many initatives and an overloaded curriculum. “Children arrive at school knowing too much and not enough.”They said.According to many teachers, some students behave badly at school because___.
| A．teachers didn’t give them an interesting lesson |
| B．they lack parental control at home |
| C．their parents have a poor education themselves |
| D．they can’t receive enough attention from teachers. |
Why are some parents highly permissive according to the passage?
| A．To show their strong love to their children. |
| B．To encourage their children to do what they like |
| C．To give their children freedom to choose what they are interested in |
| D．To avoid being disturbed by children. |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Teachers have the duty to control their students |
| B．Parents get the blame for bad behavior of children |
| C．Teachers are responsible for what their students do |
| D．Parents are the models for their children |
When the Farnsworth family moved to their new farm in 1919, eleven-year-old Philo was surprised to find it wired for electricity. This unusual circumstance contributed to his fate — to become an important inventor of the twentieth century.
By thirteen, Farnsworth had become a self-taught electrical engineer. He was able to fix the farm’s generator（发电机）when none of the adults could. In 1922, he read an article about a new idea of John Baird, a Scottish scientist, who had been working with the cathode ray tube (阴极射线管) for the transmission of electronic pictures and wanted to attempt it himself.
Farnsworth studied everything he could find on the subject. Although many older engineers with money backers were already developing television, Farnsworth made a bold decision — he was going to perfect a working model of it before anybody else.
In college, Farnsworth continued his research with cathode ray and vacuum tubes, but the death of his father, the only money maker in the family, forced him to give up this research and find a job. His first job was for George Everson, with whom Farnsworth discussed his dream of television. While acknowledging the achievements of those who came before, Farnsworth thought that he could get closer. Everson agreed to risk $6,000 for the research.
Backers came in 1927 to see the first American television, one year after Baird’s. They were astonished to see the image of a single white line resolve itself on the screen before them, and agreed that this new invention was worth putting money into.
In 1930, Farnsworth won a patent (专利权) for his all-electronic TV. By the time he died, he had earned over 300 American and foreign patents for electronic and mechanical devices. When Farnsworth was at a young age, he _______
| A．had to drop out of school to help on the family farm |
| B．was sent to school to study electrical engineering |
| C．wanted to be the first person to invent the television |
| D．had shown a surprising ability in the electrical field |
What difficulty did Farnsworth meet when he first began his research on the television?
| A．His parents didn’t support his work. |
| B．He didn’t have enough knowledge in this field. |
| C．He didn’t have enough money for his research. |
| D．No one was interested in this research. |
How old was Philo Farnsworth when he invented the first American television?
| A．11. | B．13. | C．19. | D．22. |
From the passage, we can learn that Farnsworth is ______.
| A．the first person who worked for the transmission of electronic pictures |
| B．an inventor who improved on somebody else’s idea |
| C．an inventor who always came up with an original idea |
| D．a person who earned over 300 American patents for electronic devices |
What makes a person a scientist？Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others？The answer is “no”. It isn’t the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools which make him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter(木匠).You will probably agree，too，that knowing how to investigate(调查)，how to discover information，is important to everyone. The scientist，however，goes one step further；he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer he gets to many questions is into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist’s knowledge must be exact. There’s no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different，any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration(实证)must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason why investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein，who developed the Theory of Relativity，arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy(正确性)of his mathematics was later tested through investigation. Einstein’s ideas were proved to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations(计算)that may test his investigations.What makes a scientist according to the passage？
| A．The tools he uses. | B．His ways of learning. |
| C．The way he uses his tools. | D．The various tools he uses. |
“...knowing how to investigate，how to discover information，is important to everyone.” The writer says this to show_______.
| A．the importance of information |
| B．the difference between scientists and ordinary people |
| C．the importance of thinking |
| D．the difference between carpenters and ordinary people |
A sound（合理的） scientific theory should be one that_______.
| A．works under one set of conditions at one time and also works under the same conditions at other times |
| B．doesn’t allow any change even under different conditions |
| C．leave no room for improvement. |
| D．can be used for many purposes |
What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．Scientists are different from ordinary people. |
| B．The Theory of Relativity. |
| C．Exactness is the core(核心)of science. |
| D．Exactness and way of using tools are the keys to making of a scientist. |
Newspapers in Great Britain vary greatly in their ways of carrying the news. There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad. There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment to information.
The London newspaper that is best known outside Great Britain is probably the Times. It began in 1785, and is well accepted for believable news and serious opinions on the news. It calls itself an independent paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party. Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper.
Letters to the editor are printed in the newspaper. These parts of the Times are always interesting. Most of the letters are serious subjects. But from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion of dress, or the bad manners of the young people, compared with manners of thirty years ago. If you want to get pleasure, please buy yourself .
| A．a serious newspaper | B．foreign newspaper |
| C．any independent paper | D．a popular newspaper |
The Times is an independent paper because.
| A．it supports no political parties |
| B．it is not controlled by the British Government |
| C．it gives special support to all the political parties. |
| D．the editor’s opinions are not examined by the owners of the paper |
The underlined word “vary” in the passage probably means “”.
| A．improve | B．compete with each other |
| C．are different | D．keep in touch with each other |
Across the planet there are millions of people who engage in some type of meditation, the practice of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace, at least a semi-regular basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, this is part and parcel of their religious practice.
For others, particularly in Western cultures, meditation tends to be a response to stress. With the world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their home, it’s a way for people to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being.
For those interested in taking up the practice, instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in literally thousands of sources.
One of the most popular styles of mediation in the West, with classes offered in most major cities, is called Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark.
Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals. As a general principle, it might be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness that is different to our ordinary state of awareness. They attempt to train people to clear their minds and achieve a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but of the huge number of people experiment with meditation, very few are able to maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due to frustration over the inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects.
This is quite a sad state of affairs, that so few these days are willing or equipped to persist in something that doesn’t provide immediate life-changing results. It reflects a culture in which demands for discipline and sustained effort are considered unnecessary or even unfair. It is no surprise therefore that many people abandon their efforts at meditation before they have a chance to bear fruit.
But for anyone who does decide to take up this worthwhile practice, please remember. You must clear your mind, relax and “take it as it comes”. Maintain the practice with a sense of discipline and devotion, and eventually benefits of inner peace and calm will be yours. The underlined part “part and parcel of” in paragraph 1 is nearest in meaning to ________.
| A．closely associated with | B．an important element of |
| C．very different to | D．usually sent from |
The goal of meditation is ________.
| A．to develop a technique | B．to practice a religion |
| C．to clear the mind | D．to carry out an experiment |
What can we infer about meditation from the passage?
| A．It has two main types. |
| B．Its benefits are not immediately obvious. |
| C．It is practiced by many famous artists. |
| D．Most people find it a very good way to relax. |
According to the writer, what has attracted many Western people to meditation practices in recent years?
| A．Their improved understanding of foreign culture. |
| B．The need to fill in their growing free time. |
| C．Migration from countries in which meditation is traditional. |
| D．Increasing employment instability. |
Who is the probable audience for this article?
| A．People interested in starting to learn meditation. |
| B．Experienced meditation practitioners. |
| C．Buddhists and Hindus. |
| D．People who are very religious. |
It's common for parents to feel emotional when the moment comes for their child to leave home and go to university. Even parents who don't speak about the event are likely to feel a sense of sadness because it’s the end of an era where you and your family were at the centre of your child's world. As a parent you’ll probably continue to support your child in different ways, but the main job of raising your child is over. It's a huge change for everyone involved.
There are a few things that you can do to make the transition easier. Plan carefully for your child's departure and think about how you can help. Many parents take their child to university for the first time. If you decide to do that, be ready to feel a real wrench when the time comes to say goodbye. Your child will probably be as nervous as you are about the moment when you finally say goodbye – but that might not show!
Be positive and cheerful about the choice your child has made to continue studying, and plan to leave once you've unpacked the car and looked around your child's new living accommodations. If you can, save your tears for the car – you'll make things easier on your child and yourself.
The more you've invested in being a parent, the more you'll feel a sense of loss, so the sadness you feel now is a sign that you've been a good mom or dad. Remind yourself that parenting is all about raising an independent and confident child who functions well without you. If your child quickly settles and starts enjoying himself, you should congratulate yourself.
It's also only fair to allow yourself some time to grieve(悲痛). Don't expect to pick yourself up and move on straight away. But you may decide to find a hobby or sport to fill your extra time. Perhaps you've always wanted to learn a new language, go to yoga classes or take up swimming. You may decide to spend more time with family and close friends, who are likely to be feeling the absence of your child as well.
Agree on the best approach to staying in touch before your child leaves, and stick to your agreement. Try not to panic if your child doesn't respond immediately – remember, they're starting a new and busy life.Why do parents feel sad when their child leaves home for college?
| A．Because the absence of their child makes them feel lonely. |
| B．Because their children will start a new life in college. |
| C．Because they are no longer the main focus of their children’s life. |
| D．Because it means the end of love between parents and their child. |
The underlined word “wrench” in Paragraph 2 means a feeling of ________.
| A．sorrow | B．regret | C．anger | D．love |
What does good parenting consist of?
| A．Supporting your child in different ways all the time. |
| B．Congratulating yourself when your child goes to college. |
| C．Investing as much as possible in the growth of your child. |
| D．Preparing your child to stand on their own feet in the future. |
What’s NOT advised as the way to recover from your child’s departure?
| A．Staying in touch with your child. |
| B．Learning a new language. |
| C．Spending more time with close friends. |
| D．Developing a new hobby or sport. |
What would be an appropriate title for the whole passage?
| A．Staying in Touch with Your Child |
| B．Preparing to Say Goodbye to Your Child |
| C．Dealing with Your Child Leaving Home for University |
| D．Life after Your Child Has Left Home for University |