Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. 90% of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting. But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One of this year’s studies found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 to 15 minutes a day, and then other teachers who basically teach it for 60 to 70 minutes a day — which really for handwriting is pretty much.
Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again. Today’s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts(专家) also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.
Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency(流畅) — writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop up until high school.
But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt says word processing is seldom done in primary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we learned from a spokeswoman for the College Board(大学委员会). More than 75 percent of students choose to print their essay(article) on the test rather than write in cursive.From Paragraph 1 we can learn .
| A．teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in the teaching job |
| B．most teachers prefer to teach handwriting |
| C．teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting |
| D．a keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting |
Which of the following is WRONG for traditional handwriting in the USA?
| A．Handwriting includes two skills. |
| B．To write in cursive is taught first. |
| C．The letters are repeated many times. |
| D．The students are taught by practicing a long period. |
The underlined word “legibility” in Paragraph 3 means .
| A．easy to read | B．easy to write |
| C．unexpected | D．unreadable |
The best title for the passage is .
| A．How to Improve Handwriting in School |
| B．Right or Wrong: the Death of Handwriting |
| C．Handwriting Involves Two Skills |
| D．Handwriting Lessons Are on the Way Out |
Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 AM. When I arrived there, I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” she said. “I’m on my way to a hospice(临终医院). I don’t have any family left. The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter(计价器).
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow down in front of a special building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
In the early morning, she suddenly said,” I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
“How much do I pay you?” she asked.
“Nothing.” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered. “Oh, there are other passengers,” I answered.
Almost without thinking, I gave her a hug(拥抱). She held on me and said, “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy.”
| A．show she was familiar with the city |
| B．see some places for the last time |
| C．let the driver earn more money |
| D．reach the destination on time |
| A．wanted to give her a hand |
| B．shut off the meter by mistake |
| C．had received her payment already |
| D．was in a hurry to take other passengers |
| A．No pains, no gains. |
| B．People should respect(尊重) each other. |
| C．An act of kindness can bring people great joy. |
| D．People should learn to enjoy our life. |
Because earthquakes happen without warning, it’s important to take steps now to prepare.
Because you don’t know where you will be when an earthquake happens, prepare some supplies for your home, workplace, and car.
1. Water.
A person needs at least 1 or 2 gallon of water daily just for drinking. Store at least 1 gallon of water per person per day and be prepared for a 72-hour period. It is suggested that you buy bottled water. Keep bottled water and do not open it until you need to use it. Also, do check the “use by” date.
2. Food.
It’s always a practical idea to keep food that can be stored easily. Have an enough supply of canned food, powdered milk, dried fruits, non-salted nuts and canned juices for at least 72 hours.
3. Flashlights(手电筒) and spare batteries.
Keep a flashlight beside your bed, at your place of work, and in your car. Do not use matches or candles after an earthquake. Maybe it’s dangerous. Prepare a battery-powered radio and spare batteries. Most telephones will be out of service, so radios will be your best thing of information.
4. Clothes.
If you live in a cold place, you must think about warmth. You might not have heat after an earthquake. Think about your clothing and bedding supplies.
| A．Because earthquakes can be known before they happen. |
| B．Because earthquakes take place without warning. |
| C．Because earthquakes take place at times |
| D．Because it’s people’s daily work to prepare the earthquakes. |
| A．A person should prepare 0.5 gallon of water for one day. |
| B．You’d better use your own bottle to keep water. |
| C．We should drink water after the “use by” date. |
| D．You shouldn’t open the bottled water until you need it. |
| A．we can keep some fresh fruits for at least 72 hours. |
| B．a telephone is the most important prepared thing. |
| C．flashlights but not matches are first used after earthquakes. |
| D．clothes are used to protect your head. |
SPECIAL EVENTS!
Long March exhibit
The Shanghai History Museum is putting on an exhibition to remember the Long March(长征). On show are more than 220 photos and 40 other things that explain with pictures how the Red Army went through all the difficulties in Jiangxi Province and fought its way to northern Shanxi province in the mid-1930s. The show will end on November 20.
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm.
Address: 1286 Hongqiao Road
Admission: 20 yuan each and half price for students
Thai elephants
Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at Changfeng Park by riding bikes, playing basketball, balancing on a beam, dancing and blowing a mouth-organ. People are encouraged to have a tug-of-war(拔河) with the animals or lie on the ground and have the elephants walk over them, The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30 am,3:30 pm and 8:00 pm and there is an additional show at l:30 pm at weekends.The show will end on November 15.
Address: 189 Daduhe Road
Admission: 10 yuan
Dancing dolphins
Dolphins jumping from the water to touch a ball, swaying their bodies to music, kissing people and doing maths by tapping their tails have made the dolphinarium in Peace Park an attraction for children. Seals and sea lions also perform.
Hours: 10:30 am, 4:00 pm, and 7:30 prn
Admission: 10 on weekdays 20 yuan on weekends
| A．many articles written by famous writers. |
| B．260 things used by the Red Army. |
| C．many photos and pictures about the Long Match. |
| D．many books on the Long March. |
| A．Riding bicycles | B．Blowing a mouth-organ |
| C．walking with visitors | D．Having a tug-of-war with people |
| A．less than 80 yuan | B．80—100 yuan |
| C．100—120 yuan | D．more than 120 yuan |
We go to school every day to become a better person. So how can we become powerful and start changes in our own life? Perhaps we can get tips from the US First Lady Michelle Obama. During her visit to China, from March 20–26, Mrs Obama shared her views on education with students.
The first lady encouraged Chinese students to aim high and get a good education. In Chengdu No 7 High School, she told students that having poor roots doesn’t matter as long as you have perseverance (毅力).
Mrs Obama said her family was not rich. Like many Chinese students, her parents had big dreams for her. She felt the weight of her parents’ sacrifices (牺牲) on her shoulders and worked hard to make them proud.
Persevering was not easy, though. Sometimes she had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. and study late into the night. “But whenever I got tired or discouraged… I would remember something my mother always told me. She said: ‘A good education is something that no one can take away from you.’”
Mrs Obama also encourages Chinese students to study abroad. “As the Chinese saying goes: It is better to travel 10,000 miles than to read 10,000 books,” she said. It’s not enough to get good grades in school. It’s also important to have real experience with languages, cultures and societies different from your own, she noted.
Studying abroad could also gain future international relations. It could help young people from different countries work together to deal with problems such as climate change, Mrs Obama said.
Views from Michelle Obama on
| Tips |
|
To aim and get a good education |
*To have perseverance. If you insist, you will *To feel the weight and encouragement from her *To study |
To study |
* It’s important to have real experience with *To gain *To work together to deal with problems |
Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise (表扬) him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain’s idea of childhood is magical – a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.
Twain’s writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That’s why he is so loved in the US – he wasn’t afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.
He also believed strongly in women’s right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a great hero once more – the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.
According to the writer, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think__________.
| A．it’s not worth all the praise |
| B．it’s as wonderful as you imagined |
| C．it’s better to read it with teachers |
| D．it’s even better than you imagined |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．A brief description of the novel. |
| B．Where Twain’s idea of childhood comes from. |
| C．How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is. |
| D．What makes Tom Sawyer’s adventures so wonderful. |
What does the underlined word “mock” mean?
| A．make changes to | B．make fun of |
| C．give reasons for | D．give examples of |
Why is Twain so loved in the US according to the article?
| A．He supported women’s right to vote. |
| B．He wrote bad things about US wars abroad. |
| C．He criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly. |
| D．He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love. |