Reading for pleasure is declining among primary-age pupils, and increasing numbers of "time poor" parents are dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children once they start school.
Research presented to a conference last week found that, while parents read to preschoolers , this later tails off, and by the final year of primary school only around 2% read to their children every day. Once children can read skillfully, parents tend to step back, and this usually happens at the age of seven or eight. The report also found that 820-/o of teachers blame the government's " target-. driven" education policies for the fact that fewer children are reading for pleasure.
They believe that a straitjacket (束缚) of strictly organized schooling is containing young people's ability to read more widely. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they lacked time in the school day to introduce a variety of books and that this was a " major obstacle to being able to develop a level of reading". Teachers also cited as main factors the reduction in the number of school librarians, who could put interesting books before children, and the rise in "screen time", switching children from reading to playing games.
The majority of teachers said the curriculum's (课程) " emphasis on reading as a skill to be mastered" was increasing the pressure. This was compounded by parents who saw reading just as a focus of learning, a skill critical to career advancement in a competitive world.
Reading habits and the digital revolution in publishing were key topics of debate at the conference. The theme of the lack of British culture was supported by children's writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote the scripts(手稿 ) for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics.
“We discovered the whole nation had forgotten that they did the industrial revolution," he said.
"Books are so central to it; books can be written by anyone. A lot of the pleasure of a book is listening to somebody read it to you. "
"We found a real love of reading al110ng teachers, and a strong desire ,to encourage more children to read for pleasure ,”said Rob Cheney," However ,the teachers also had an overpowering sense of frustration with their situation." "Touch-screen phone and tablets are naturally attractive to children," the survey said, and predicted a period of awkwardness as everyone else adapts. By 2018, children's television will have adopted the presence of this second screen ,and it "will be strange not to have children ,at home drawing along on tablets and then having these appearing live in the show ".
The hope is “that user-friendly screens could, if material is adapted and downloaded easily, present an opportunity for more ambitious publishing - for example, books children can either read or choose to have read to them; or digital books with moving pictures instead of photos to clarify factual and scientific points. Parental controls that are easy to use would be key, the conference was told, such as "a warning for when devices use the Wi-Fi, especially after bedtimes", to allow parents to shut off access to children in the home.
What leads to parents' dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children?
| A.Children have less time to spend with their parents after they start school. |
| B.Parents chink it unnecessary to do so when children can read themselves. |
| C.The government’s education policies have placed much burden on children. |
| D.Children don't like parents reading stories to them when they are seven or eight. |
Which of the following is not teachers' point of view?
| A.Children are prevented from reading widely enough in school. |
| B.Schools pay attention to reading skills instead of reading for fun. |
| C.Playing video games reduces children's time spent on reading. |
| D.School libraries can't provide good books for lack of money. |
The word "compounded" (Paragraph 4) most probably means ______.
| A.worsened | B.preserved | C.reduced | D.improved |
It can be inferred from the article that _____
| A.children don't like reading because books are not attractive |
| B.British people enjoyed reading books very much in the past |
| C.teachers forbid their students co read more books for fun |
| D.children should enjoy more freedom to use the Wi-Fi at home |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A.Parents should set a limit to their children's using electric devices at hoI11e. |
| B.Children are encouraged to read as l11any interesting books as they can. |
| C.Children miss out on pleasures of reading a good book in modern life. |
| D.Experts appeals to the government to reduce the heavy burden on children. |
A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and other things including cups-porcelain(瓷杯子), glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some elegant -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "I notice that all the nice looking and expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2011. And enjoy your hot chocolate in 2012!” When did they decide to go to see their professor?
| A.After the reunion. | B.During the get-together. |
| C.Before they graduated. | D.Just after the professor retired. |
Why did the professor offer them different cups?
| A.Because cups were not enough for everyone. |
| B.Because cups were beautiful. |
| C.Because the professor wanted to teach them something. |
| D.Because hot chocolate should be contained in different cups. |
What caused the professor to say those words?
| A.Their graduation. | B.Their reunion. | C.Their visit. | D.Their complaints. |
What does the word “cup” in this passage refer to?
| A.Life | B.happy things in life |
| C.hot chocolate | D.tools to hold and contain life |
What is the purpose of the professor’s words?
| A.To tell them life is not easy, so try their best to be happy. |
| B.To educate them that the happiest people don't have the best of everything. |
| C.To wish them to be grateful to their life and make the best of everything that they have. |
| D.To use different cups to tell them they should try different things in life. |
A new study suggests that the roundtheclock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may take a toll on family life. The study,which followed more than 1,300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone throughout the study period were more likely to report negative “spillover” between work and home life—and,in turn,less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover essentially(本质上)means that the line between work and home begins to become unclear. Work life may invade home life when a parent is taking jobrelated calls at home,for instance—or family issues may start to take up work time. For example,a child may call mum at work,telling her “microwave exploded”,explained Noelle Chesley,an assistant professor of sociology at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be that they are allowing for even more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women,the study found. Among men,consistent use of mobile phones seemed to allow more work issues to creep (潜入)into family time. But for women,the spillover tended to go in both directions. Being “connected” meant that work cut into home time,and family issues came into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchanges among family members. But there may be ways to control the spillover,according to Chesley. Employers, she said,could look at their policies on contacting employees after hours to make sure their expectations are “reasonable”.For their part,employees could decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said.What does the underlined phrase “take a toll on” probably mean in Paragraph 1?
| A.Explaining. | B.Founding. | C. Extending | D.Damaging. |
According to Chesley,what is the best solution to the problem caused by cell phones?
| A.Separate work hours from family time. |
| B.Refuse to use cell phones. |
| C.Ignore coming calls during family time. |
| D.Encourage women to stay at home. |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A.cell phones affect men as much as women |
| B.cell phones seem to be convenient to families |
| C.cell phones make the line between work and home unclear |
| D.we can do nothing to solve the problem |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A.How to control the negative spillover caused by cell phones. |
| B.How work life invades home life. |
| C.Consistent use of cell phones makes people feel less satisfied with their work. |
| D.Cell phones cause negative “spillover” between work life and home life. |
Insidethepleasinglyfragrantcafe,SoAllMayEat(SAME)indowntownDenver,t
hespiritof generosity is instantlynoticeable: donation box stands in place of
a cash register customersherepayonly whattheycanafford,noquestionsasked.
Ariskybusinessplan,perhaps,butSAMECaféhasdoneoneunchangeablethingi
ntheMileHighCityforsixyears:Openonlyatmidday,therestaurantallowsp
oorlocal customers who cannot pay to work as volunteers instead. They can act as
waitersandwaitresses,anddishwashers,orlookafterthebuildingsandequipment
forthecafe.It’sbasedontrust,andit’sworkingallright”,saysco-owne
rBradBirky,whostartedthecaféin2006.Previouslyvolunteeringatsoupkitc
hens,theBirkysweredissatisfiedwiththeoftenunhealthymealstheyservedt
here.“Wewantedtoofferqualityfoodinarestaurantwhereevery-onefeltco
mfortable,regardlessoftheircircumstances,”Birkysays.SAME’sspeciallunc
hmenuchangsdailyandmostfoodmaterialsarenaturalandgrownbylocalfarm
ers.Thecafénowaverages65to70customers(andeightvolunteers)aday.And
thespiritofgenerositybehindtheprojectappearstobespreading.Inearly
2007,onevolunteerwhohadclearedsnowforhismealsduringthelongwintersai
dgoodbyetotheBirkys.HesaidhewasgoingtoNewOrleanstohelpwiththehu
rricane clearingup,”saysBirky.What can we learn about the soup kitchens the Birkys previously worked for?
| A.They refused to have volunteers. |
| B.They offered low quality food. |
| C.They provided customers with a good environment. |
| D.They closed down because of poor management. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A.The customers who cannot pay can work as volunteers instead. |
| B.More volunteers will go to new Orleans for the hurricane cleanup. |
| C.Many new cafes will be opened to offer free lunches in the town. |
| D.The lunch menu has remained the same since the café was started. |
The author’s attitude towards running such a café is_______
| A.unfavorable | B.doubtful | C.cautious | D.approving |
What’s delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg.It can be steamed, fried, and baked.It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century BC.Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia.Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe.At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today.Instead, it’s like a white egg.Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name.In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple.” This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health.People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer.
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer.In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer.In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable.Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion.
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today.Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white.And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber.Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious.
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival.The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes.There is plenty more to do and see, though.Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all “egg – cite” festival - goers.Most people at the festival would agree—eggplant is an “egg—cellent” vegetable.Eggplant got its name because of its _____.
| A.appearance | B.taste | C.color | D.value |
Which of the following does NOT belong to the qualities of eggplant?
| A.It can be cooked in various ways. | B.It is easy to digest. |
| C.It can prevent cancer. | D.It is valuable and priceless. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A.Eggplant can be eaten to cure cancer |
| B.Eggplant used to taste bitter. |
| C.India produce the most eggplant in the world today. |
| D.Eggplant has a history of nearly 1,000 years. |
Most people come to the Loomis Eggplant Festival to_____.
| A.see arts and crafts | B.enjoy food with eggplants |
| C.take part in recipe contests | D.promote eggplant |
When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon (丝带)around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio(小儿麻痹症)at the age of seven. Her spine (脊柱)become bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and 1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last. What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most nearly mean?
| A.a far better artist | B.a far more gifted artist |
| C.a much stronger person | D.a much more famous person |
The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by .
| A.polio | B.back injuries |
| C.the operations she had | D.her bent spine |
Kahlo’s style had become increasingly independent since the .
| A.1950s | B. 1930s | C.1940s | D.1970s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kahlo?
| A.Devotion | B.Sympathy | C.Worry | D.Encouragement |