I created a writing group at my school this year, and it has become a hit with all students who enjoy writing. Now students of the group make rapid progress in their writing. Let me share a few tips that you can use to start your own writing group.
Set up separate groups for different ability levels
You probably don’t want to mix a gifted eighth grader with a second grader who writes very little. In a larger school, you could have a beginner group, a more advanced group, and a publishing group. Members can move to more appropriate groups if they are not comfortable in the current one.
Advertise the group in different ways
Send advertisements home with students, and put an advertisement on the school website or in the school newsletter.
The first meeting should be very open
At the first meeting, you should tell the students that this group is all about them. It is not a class, not a grade and not a requirement. Then tell them what some other writing groups do, and ask what they would like to do.
Set up a time to meet once or twice a month
It is important that students bring their writing with them. The group could go in any direction: criticize each other’s work, read your writing aloud, read silently, publish your work in a booklet (小册子), play creativity games or do an online chat with a published author.
It will take a little while to find out what works best for your group
Search for creativity exercises and role plays. You might even be able to set up a special section of your school’s website just for your writing group.
The purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．introduce how to start up a writing group |
| B．offer some advice on how to teach writing |
| C．train highlevel students to start up a writing group |
| D．compare different tips on starting up a writing group |
What does the underlined word “hit” probably mean?
| A．problem | B．test | C．tool | D．success |
Which of the following is NOT the activity of a writing group?
| A．Practice role plays. |
| B．Meet a published author. |
| C．Criticize each other’s work. |
| D．Play creativity games. |
An advertisement
| One of the finest buys on the market in Tara. Spacious home with large living room, separate 15-foot dining with built-in shelves, family room with fireplace, huge kitchen with lots of cabinets（柜厨）, big breakfast room, 2 baths, 4 huge bedrooms (one is separate and could be a playroom or offers a guest room with a separate entrance). There is a beautiful courtyard. Better than new with new air conditioners. Call Lane Hitch (home) 926-6043. |
Who might buy the house after reading the above advertisement?
| A．Some young students. |
| B．A couple with little money |
| C．A big rich family |
| D．A big poor family |
What room has several possible uses?
| A．The living room. | B．The bedroom. |
| C．The dining room. | D．The kitchen. |
What is emphasized（强调）in the description of each room?
| A．Floor. | B．Entrance. |
| C．Size. | D．Windows. |
A man had two large pots. One of the pots had a crack in it, so while the other pot always delivered (运送) a full pot of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to his house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. This went on every day for years.
One day a neighbor asked the man, “One of your pots has been broken for years. It can only deliver half its load, so you don’t get full value from your efforts. Why don’t you buy a new one?”
The man smiled and said, “Please follow me to my house, and you may see some beautiful flowers.” On the way to the man’s house, the neighbor took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path.
The man said to the neighbor, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on one side of the path, but not on the other side? That’s because I have always known about the flaw (缺陷) of my pot. I planted flower seeds on one side of the path. Every day when I walk back from the stream, the broken pot waters them. For years, I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate (装饰) my house. Without the broken pot, I would not have this beauty.”How much water did the man carry home every day?
| A．A full pot. | B．Two full pots. |
| C．Half a pot. | D．One and a half pots. |
What did the man do with the broken pot?
| A．He threw it away. |
| B．He used it to water flowers. |
| C．He changed it for a new one. |
| D．He planted some flowers in it. |
We can learn from the passage that the man ______.
| A．told a lie to his neighbor |
| B．accepted his neighbor’s suggestion |
| C．took advantage of the flaw of his pot |
| D．didn’t like his broken pot |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．A man and his neighbor |
| B．A way of planting flowers |
| C．A story of a broken pot |
| D．A warm-hearted man |
What is language for? Some people seem to think it's for practicing grammar rules and learning lists of words—the longer the lists，the better．That's wrong．Language is for the exchange（交流）of ideas and information．It's meaningless knowing all about a language if you can't use it freely．Many students I have met know hundreds of grammar rules, but they can't speak correctly or fluently．They are afraid of making mistakes．One shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes when speaking a foreign language．Native speakers make mistakes and break rules, too．Bernard saw once wrote, "Foreigners often speak English too correctly．"But the mistakes that native speakers make are different from those that Chinese students make．They're English mistakes in the English language．And if enough native speakers break a rule, it is no longer a rule．What used to be wrong becomes right．People not only make history, they make language．But a people can only make its own language．It can't make another people's language．So Chinese students of English should pay attention to grammar, but they shouldn't overdo（做过头）it．They should put communication first.Language is used to ________.
A．express oneself
B．practise grammar rules
B．talk with foreigners only
D．learn lists of wordGenerally, when an American or an Englishman speaks English, he ________.
| A．never makes mistakes |
| B．often makes mistakes |
| C．can't avoid making mistakes |
| D．always makes mistakes |
"Foreigners often speak English too correctly．"This sentence means that ________.
| A．foreigners speak correct English |
| B．foreigners speak incorrect English |
| C．foreigners speak English according to the grammar rules |
| D．foreigners never make mistakes when they speak English |
When we speak a foreign language, we should ________.
| A．speak in Chinese way |
| B．speak by the rules |
| C．speak to native speakers |
| D．not be afraid of making mistakes |
A beautiful woman took a plane on business. She found her seat and sat down next to a young man. The man was just thinking of making a few dollars on the plane. When he saw the woman, he got an idea.
“Hey! Would you like to play a game?” he asked the woman. “No, thank you. I just want to take a nap (打盹),” the woman answered.
“It’s really easy. All you have to do is to answer the questions that I ask you. If you don’t know the answer, you give me five dollars. If I don’t know the answer to your question, then I’ll give you five dollars.”
“No,” the woman still refused.
“OK. If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll give you five hundred dollars. How about that?” the man said. Then the woman became interested and decided to join in the game.
“OK. How many moons does Jupiter (木星) have?” asked the young man. The woman reached into her purse and took out a five-dollar bill.
“What goes up the mountain with three legs and comes back with four?” the woman asked. Then the young man took out his computer and searched the Internet for an answer. Minutes later, the young man handed five hundred dollars to the woman.
After a few hours, the young man really wanted to know the answer to the question. So he asked the woman, “What is the answer to your question?” The woman reached into her purse and handed the young man a five-dollar bill.Why did the man ask the woman to play a game?
| A．He wanted to show his kindness. |
| B．He wanted to have a pleasant journey. |
| C．He wanted to earn some money from it. |
| D．He wanted to make friends with the woman. |
How much did the woman get at the end of the story?
| A．$ 500. | B．$ 5. | C．$ 10. | D．$ 490. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The woman told the man the answer to her question. |
| B．The woman gave the man’s money back to him. |
| C．The woman asked the man another question. |
| D．The woman didn’t know the answer, either. |
We can learn from the story that the woman is ______.
| A．clever | B．friendly |
| C．polite | D．honest |
The Rockford police chief and some city officials want to install video cameras in all 100 police cars. They think this will reduce the number of lawsuits(诉讼) against the city. In the last five years, Rockford has paid out more than five million dollars to settle about 40 lawsuits.
The chief said, “If cameras had been in those cars, we wouldn’t have had to pay one penny. We’re always pulling over drunks or drug users who try to fight the policemen or shoot them. Then they always say that the police started beating them first or started shooting at them first. What nonsense!”
The cost of installing cameras will be about $500 per car. The city council(委员会) will vote on the plan next Monday. Ten of the 13 council members, when asked about the plan, said that they liked the idea. One member said that it made good financial sense and common sense. If the cameras are supported, they can be installed in all the cars within six weeks.
The police officers gladly support camera use. One officer said that too many people thought the police were liars; cameras would show citizens that the police told the truth.
Citizen reaction to the idea of police car cameras is mixed. One person said that the police should have started doing this years ago when video cameras were invented. But an elderly man said that cameras were against privacy. “These police are trying to stick their nose into everything,” he said. He was going to attend the council meeting to fight the plan. He hoped that other citizens would join him.How did most council members feel about the plan?
| A．Worried. | B．Surprised. |
| C．Disappointed | D．Satisfied. |
The underlined word “liars” refers to the people.
| A．who tell lies | B．who catch thieves |
| C．who give advice | D．who buy products |
What are the public’s attitudes towards the plan?
| A．They will attend the council meeting. |
| B．They strongly support the elderly man. |
| C．They hold different opinions about it. |
| D．They think highly of video cameras. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Cameras in Police Cars. |
| B．A Plan Against the City. |
| C．All the Citizens, United! |
| D．Shooting at the Police. |
Rockford should pay about $dollars for the plan.
| A．5,000,000 | B．50,000 |
| C．40,000 | D．1,300 |