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 |
My name is Mary Green. I live in a new house with my parents. There is a beautiful and a small room for me. I like it very much.
Now let me tell you something about my new house. My new house is on a busy street. There is a big, new and clean park across from my house. I can see the flowers in it from my room. We often take a walk in the park after dinner every evening. There is a big supermarket near my house. It is between a hospital and a cinema. We can buy fruits, vegetables and food in the supermarket. They are good but cheap. My school is near my house. So I always go to school on foot. I like my new house. Do you like it?How is the park?
A.old | B.big | C.dirty | D.small |
Where is the cinema?
A.It is across from my house. |
B.It's between a bank and a supermarket. |
C.It's beside a park. |
D.It's beside a supermarket. |
We can't buy _______in the shopping mall.
A.fruits | B.vegetables | C.food | D.flowers |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.I walk to school from Monday to Friday. |
B.There is no cinema near my house. |
C.The street is very quiet. |
D.My first name is Green. |
Hi Jane,
I hope you and your family are all well. I'm e-mailing you to tell you about my new hobby, surfing.
My brother, Peter, is at home from college(大学)for the summer holiday. He is very good at surfing. We go to the beach every day and Peter teaches me to surf. I don't do well in it but it's fun. Most days we bring a picnic and stay on the beach all day. Surfing is a good exercise and an interesting way to get a suntan(晒黑)! All my friends think it's a great new hobby.
Bye for now.
Love,
RoseWho is the e-mail from?
A.Jane | B.Rose | C.Peter | D.Love |
What is Peter?
A.He is a middle school student. | B.He is a surfing teacher. |
C.He is a college school student. | D.He is a surfing player. |
What does Rose like now?
A.exercising | B.e-mailing | C.surfing | D.picnic |
In most parts of the world, many students help their schools make less pollution(污染). They join "environment(环境)club". In an environment club, people work together to make our environment clean.
Here are some things students often do.
No-garbage(垃圾)lunches. How much do you throw away after lunch? Environment clubs ask students to bring their lunches in bags that can be used again. Every week they will choose the classes that make the least garbage and report them to the whole school.
No-car day. On a no- car day, nobody comes to school in a car- not the students and not the teachers. cars give pollution to our air, so remember: walk,
Turn off the water! Did you know that toilets(抽水马桶)can waste twenty to forty tons(吨)of water an hour? In a year, that would fill a small river! In the environment clubs, students mend those broken toilets.
We love our environment. Let's work together to make it clean.Environment clubs ask students
A.to run to school every day. | B.to take exercise every day. |
C.not to forget to take cars | D.not to throw away lunch bags |
From the passage we know the students usually have lunch_______.
A.at school | B.in shops | C.in clubs | D.at home |
On a no -car day,_______ will take a car to school.
A.both students and teachers | B.only students |
C.only teachers | D.neither students nor teachers |
The writer wrote the passage to ask students to_______
A.clean school | B.make less pollution | C.join clubs | D.help teachers |
She was a poor girl who worked to get money to pay for her lessons. She became the famous woman scientist of her time. That's the story of Marie Curie's life. She didn't mind working and she didn't care about the honors(荣誉)that were given to her in later years.
Marie was born in 1867. Her name was Marie Sklosovska then. She lived in Poland. Her father was a teacher. Everyone soon saw that Marie had a quick mind.
Marie's mother died when her youngest daughter was only ten. From then on, Marie knew that she would have to work hard at her lessons if she wanted to be successful(成功的)in her life. She studied very hard and was one of the best students at her school.
Marie and her older sister, Bronya, wanted to study in France at the Sorbonne. But their father didn't have enough money to send them there. It was Marie who had an idea: she would teach at home and send her money to Bronya. After her sister finished studying in Paris, she would get work and send Marie the money to study there herself. So Marie worked very hard for six years to pay for her sister's studies. At last it was Marie's turn but when she got to France, her sister was married and could not give her much help.
Again Marie worked. She studied in a small room without heat or light. She lived on bread and tea most of the time. But all she thought of was her maths and science. This was her world.
After four years' hard work, Marie and her husband found something which was called radium(镭). They were given the Nobel Prize(诺贝尔奖)for their great discovery(发现). But they were too ill to go Stockholm themselves to receive it.
Marie always said that it was because of her children that she want her work. And she discovered a hidden power and gave it to the world. It was the same power, however, that killed Marie in 1934.Marie Sklodovska was born in_______.
A. France B. Poland C. Stockholm D SorbonneMarie did not go to Paris with her sister because_______.
A.She did not want to |
B.He always thought of her maths and science first. |
C.She had to earn money to pay for her sister's study. |
D.She thought it more useful to make money. |
She received her higher education(教育)at_______.
A. Poland B. Stockholm C. the Stockholm D FranceThe greatness(伟大)of Marie's life in fact is that_______.
A.She received two Nobel Prizes |
B.She was the first woman to work at the Sorbonne |
C.She helped her sister finish school. |
D.She worked hard without taking care of the fame and honors she received |
Do you remember when your grandma told you the story of Snow White? Ah, the happy days of childhood!
But did you know that Snow White comes from Germany? It's just one story from the 209 in Grimm's Fairy Tales (《格林童话》 ). The Grimm brothers started to collect fairy tales in 1806. Their first book came out (出版) in 1812. Why are German fairy tales so interesting? Maybe it's because they come from a great place famous for its stories - the Black Forest. The Black Forest is in southwest Germany. It's the largest forest in the country - and one of the most beautiful. It's famous for its trees and lovely views, There are valleys and waterfalls(瀑布) there. It's a good place to start a story.
Don't forget to bring something back if you visit. People there are good at making clocks, musical instruments and watches.From the story, we know that _______ is the hometown of Snow White.
A.England | B.Japan | C.America | D.Germany |
How long had the Grimm brothers been collecting stories?
A.Four years | B.Five years | C.Six years | D.Seven years |
From the story, we cannot guess that the Black Forest is very_______.
A.large | B.beautiful | C.boring | D.famous |
The story mainly tells us_______.
A.who wrote the story of Snow White |
B.some things about Black Forest |
C.people should visit Germany |
D.Snow White is a very famous fairy tale. |