During the seasons of fine weather, kids can play outside, happy and active. But when winter comes around, it is wet, windy and cold. Since they can’t go outside to play, kids get restless and miserable.
Fun activities for kids are pretty much necessary at that time of year, and they need to be kept entertained. One way to do this is to have an indoor treasure hunt, where children can look for clues and then get to the treasure. Treasure doesn’t even need to be much, because just the activity is fun enough.
Art activities are always fun, and if you start off with some paper in different colors they can draws shapes on the back, cut them out and stick them on the white paper to make all sorts of things. Cardboard boxes, stuck together and then painted, can be made into buildings or robots. You can keep all boxes in a bag in the loft. Then you have something you can draw on when the weather is bad and the children need to play indoors.
Dressing up is another fun indoor activity. Why not read a book to them and then ask them to act it for you? That can keep them busy and develop their imagination. When you encourage children to use their imagination, you are giving them confidence in themselves, in their own creative abilities; by suggesting they put on a play you are encouraging them to work together and develop teamwork skills.
The best way to help your kids have fun when it is rainy outside is to let them come up with some ideas. When you feel that they are old enough, let them write their ideas on a piece of paper and you can pick an idea that you find practical. That way, every day can be fun!Kids are most likely to be unhappy in winter because .
| A．it is very cold and windy |
| B．they lead a miserable life |
| C．they like spring very much |
| D．they can’t enjoy themselves outside |
The indoor treasure hunt is an activity in which kids .
| A．would like to get much treasure |
| B．are eager to find something |
| C．are forced to stay indoors |
| D．try to help each other. |
Dressing up can help kids to develop their .
| A．confidence, creation and teamwork skills |
| B．creation, interest and determination |
| C．teamwork skills, hobby and creation |
| D．imagination, hobby and bravery |
Holidays
| Holiday News Vacancies (空位) now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home lies near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices for low season. |
| The Snowdonia Center The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a mountain lesson. The beginners' costs are ￡57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment is included except walking shoes, which can be hired at a low cost. You must be in good health and prepared to go through a period of body exercises. This could be the beginning of a lifetime mountain climbing adventure. |
| The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime Our World Sea Trip of 2008 will be unlike any holiday you have ever been on before. Instead of one hotel after another, with all its packing and unpacking waiting and traveling, you just go to bed in one country and wake up in another. On board the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin like your home. During the trip, you can rest on deck(甲板), enjoy yourself in the games rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play. You will visit all the places most people only dream about - from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong. For a few thousand pounds, all you've ever hoped for can be yours. |
What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?
| A．Choose the holiday in Devon. |
| B．Go to the Snowdonia Center. |
| C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2008. |
| D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii. |
In what way is the Snowdonia Center different from the other two holidays?
| A．It provides chances of family gathering. |
| B．It providers customers with good food. |
| C．It offers a sport lesson. |
| D．It offers comfortable room. |
What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?
| A．You can have free meals on deck every day. |
| B．You can sleep on a ship and tour many places. |
| C．You will have chances to watch and act in a play. |
| D．You have to do your own packing and unpacking. |
At the Snowdonia Center, the beginner’s costs of ￡57 do not cover___?
| A．food. | B．rooms. |
| C．body exercises. | D．walking shoes. |
Asian parents are spending billions of dollars on private tutors (家庭教师) for their children and the practice is growing despite doubts about its effectiveness, according to an Asian Development Bank study published Wednesday, AFP reported.
"Shadow education" is an expanding business not only in wealthy countries, but also in some of the region's poorer nations as parents try to give their children the best start in life, the study said. Nearly nine out of 10 South Korean elementary pupils receive private tutoring, while the figure for primary school children in India's West Bengal state stands at six out of 10.
The study estimated that the costs of private tutoring in South Korea were equivalent (相等的) to 80 percent of government spending on public education. Japan spent $12 billion on extra teaching in 2011, while the figure for Singapore stood at US$ 680 million in 2009.
Extra academic work aims to help slow learners and support high achievers. Many Asian parents view it as a constructive way for adolescents to spend their spare time. However, it can also reduce the students' time for sports and other activities important for their overall development as well as cause social tensions as richer families are able to pay for better-quality tutoring, the study said.
The study calls for a review of educational systems to make such extra teaching less attractive.Why is “Shadow education" an expanding business?
| A．Because parents want to spend their money. |
| B．Because children don't want to go to school. |
| C．Because parents want their children to stay with teachers. |
| D．Because parents want to give their children the best start in life. |
According to the article, what is the purpose of extra academic work?
| A．To aid slow learners and support high achievers. |
| B．To prepare children for all kinds of academic contests. |
| C．To increase children's hobbies and interests in many fields. |
| D．To gain the most knowledge that students can't get in class. |
Which disadvantage of extra academic work is NOT mentioned?
| A．Causing social tensions. |
| B．Spending more extra money. |
| C．Lacking the chance to communicate with others. |
| D．Reducing the students' time for sports and other activities. |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The government policy on educational systems. |
| B．How to provide the best education for children. |
| C．The importance for children's overall development. |
| D．The reasons for the popularity of private tutors for children. |
NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid（小行星）by 2025 and then Mars in the 2030s—goals outlined in NASA’s official documents 2014．
Mars is a rich destination tor scientific discovery and robotic and human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system．Future exploration could uncover evidence of life，answering one of the fundamental mysteries：Does life exist beyond Earth?
While robotic explorers have studied Mars for more than 40 years，NASA’s path for the human exploration of Mars begins in low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station．Astronauts on the orbiting laboratory are helping us prove many of the technologies and communications systems needed for human missions（任务）to deep space，including Mars．The space station also advances our understanding of how the body changes in space and how to protect astronaut health．
Our next step is deep space，where NASA will send a robotic mission to catch and redirect an asteroid to orbit the moon．Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will explore the asteroid in the 2020s，returning to Earth with samples．This experience in human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit will help NASA test new systems，which we’ll need to send cargo（货物）as part of human missions to Mars．Beginning in FY 2018，NASA’s powerfull Space Launch System（SLS）rocket will enable these "proving ground" missions to test new technologies．Human missions to Mars will rely on Orion and an evolved version of SLS that will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown。
A lot of robotic spacecraft and rovers（探测器）already are on and around Mars，greatly increasing our knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way of future human explorers．The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover measured radiation on the way to Mars and is sending back radiation data from the surface．This data will help us plan how to protect the astronauts who will explore Mars．Future missions like the Mars 2020 rover，seeking signs of past life，also will demonstrate new technologies that could help astronauts survive on Mars．
Engineers and scientists around the country are working hard to develop the technologies astronauts will use to one day live and work on Mars，and safely return home from the next giant leap for humanity．NASA also is a leader in a Global Exploration Roadmap，working with international partners and the U．S．commercial space industry with human missions to the surface of Mars as the driving goal．
It can be learnt from the first three paragraphs that .
| A．Mars is the perfect place for scientific discovery and human settlement |
| B．astronauts’physical changes in the space station should be recorded |
| C．NASA intends to send robotic explorers and humans to Mars in 2025 |
| D．astronauts in the space station are testing technologies for better life on the Earth |
The Orion Spacecraft_________.
| A．will send cargo to Mars |
| B．was built to explore low-earth orbit |
| C．needs SLS rocket to finish its mission |
| D．will bring back samples of an asteroid |
What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
| A．the U.S．commercial space industry is a leader in exploration to Mars． |
| B．Many protective measures are needed when exploring Mars． |
| C．NASA is an agency that plans to explore Mars in secret． |
| D．Curiosity rover is the first rover to be sent to Mars． |
Which can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Future life on Mars |
| B．Research for the Solar System |
| C．NASA’s Journey to Mars |
| D．Exploration of life Beyond Earth |
It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around.
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept(无能的)People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual(虚拟的)some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that .
| A．you are able to turn to others for help |
| B．others are able to call you anytime and anywhere |
| C．others are unable to get in touch with you by smartphone |
| D．you are unable to contact others without your smartphone |
The experiment by researchers indicated that without electronic products, one could .
| A．recognize more facial expressions correctly |
| B．lose the sense of direction frequently |
| C．tell different emotions immediately |
| D．more pictures of faces easily |
Overusing smartphones, people will probablyaccording to the passage
| A．lose face-to-face communication skills |
| B．have no sense of numbers |
| C．weaken their senses of hearing and sight |
| D．fail to find their destination |
The passage mainly tells us that many people are .
| A．becoming no smarter than smartphones |
| B．benefiting from smartphones' intelligence |
| C．losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones |
| D．trying hard to break away from smartphones’intelligence |
The writer’s attitude towards electronic products is .
| A．critical | B．sympathetic |
| C．supportive | D．optimistic |
Traveling to a new country isn't as simple as just buying a ticket and boarding a plane. In fact, it can be easy for an awkward situation to occur. Different customs can often cause misunderstandings and even trouble. So an article in the Daily Mai highlighted taboos in certain countries. Let’s take a look.
| France When visiting France ,you’d better not be caught cutting your lettuce（生菜）with a knife and fork. It’s rude to the chief cook and suggests that the salad hasn’t been prepared correctly. The correct way to eat lettuce in France is to fold it with your fork to make it fit in your mouth. |
Italy 02 It’s actually best to be a little less friendly than usual when you visit Italy. It’s considered strange to make small talk with strangers, as the locals are reserved. Too much familiarity from a stranger can be seen as threatening, so keep greetings short. |
| In Mexico , bringing an expensive gift to someone’s home is a no-no ,as ye could be seen as something for you .Something simple like flowers and chocolates would be accepted. But you can’t take along marigolds （金盏花）or red flowers , because in Mexican culture, they symbolize death and can be associated with the use of magic. Mexico |
You have to be careful with gifts of flowers in Germany too. Fox example, carnation (康乃馨) are used for a religious ceremony for burying a dead person .So if you want to give your host flowers, ask them what their favorite flowers, And if your bring your host eight flowers . he or she won't be happy, for an even numbers considered unlucky. Germany 04 |
The underlined word“ taboo” in the first paragraph refers to a social custom that mean a particular activity must be .
| A．Held | B．Avoided | C．undertaken | D．protected |
According to the passage，as a tourist, you can.
| A．send red flowers or chocolates to your friend in Mexico |
| B．never talk with strangers happily for a short time in Italy |
| C．visit your friend with eleven marigolds he or she likes best in Germany |
| D．never fold your lettuce with your fork to make it fit in your mouth in France |
The purpose of the passage is to helpin a new country.
| A．acquire the latest information |
| B．deal with an awkward situation |
| C．learn how to get on with strangers |
| D．prevent an emharrassing mistake |