Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don't seem to learn from history." Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
The second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less (更不必说) try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio (录音机) tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures(人物) are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |
The main purpose of this passage is to ____________.
| A．inspire the parents to teach their children history |
| B．show the importance of history in politics |
| C．explain the reasons why children study history |
| D．introduce the writer' s own way of teaching history |
Americans like to visit the national parks．In 1996, over 250,000,000 people visited areas which are managed by the National Park Service．Experts say that by 2012, 500,000,000 people per year will visit the parks．As a result, people are trying to think of ways to protect the parks from the crowds．
The crowding of the parks has caused several problems．One is that there is not enough space for all of the people who want to use the parks．To deal with this problem, you may have to book your tickets a few months ahead of time．The Park Service may also raise entrance fees (费) ．
Another problem caused by increased park use is pollution．Some garbage and waste can be cleaned up, and the cleanup can be paid for by increased entrance fees．To cut down on noise
pollution and air pollution, the number of cars allowed in parks may be limited．If this happens, people may use buses to travel around the parks．Officials may also limit the use of jet-skis, snow-mobiles, motor-boats, and sightseeing helicopters and planes．
The parks may also be in danger because of development that is going on around them．For example, around Yellow Stone Park, many hotels, golf courses, resorts, and other tourist attractions have been built．Some of these developments have effect on areas that are used by animals．People will have to learn to agree about ways to protect the parks．If they do not, there will soon be no reason to visit these national treasures．According to experts, by 2012 the number of visitors ______．
| A．may be doubled |
| B．may rise to 50% |
| C．will reach 250 million |
| D．will go up by a second |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Visitors will pay less than before． |
| B．The parks are not big enough to hold all visitors． |
| C．Visitors may not necessarily buy tickets ahead of time． |
| D．Only buses are allowed to enter the parks． |
What is the most possible meaning of the underlined word “limited” in Paragraph 3?
| A．Enlarged． |
| B．Admitted． |
| C．Controlled． |
| D．Concerned． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．High fees may probably keep some people out of parks． |
| B．Helicopters and planes will not be used in parks any longer． |
| C．The bus will become the only tool in parks in order to cut down pollution． |
| D．National Park Service will always welcome as many visitors as possible． |
"Bad luck always comes in three" and last Saturday seemed to prove it．After trouble with the car, the television, we spent the evening waiting for the next trouble．Shortly after dinner we both smelled smoke．My wife, who was often careless when cooking, ran to the kitchen but returned looking puzzled．I rushed up the stairs to see smoke coming from under our bedroom door．I went to the bathroom and tied a wet cloth over my face．Then I returned to the bedroom, opened the door and crawled(爬) in—there would be less smoke at floor level．With one hand reaching out in front of me I advanced carefully feeling for the switch to turn off the electric blanket．At that moment I heard the bell of a coming fire engine．Thank goodness my wife had not been wasting her time．The wife rushed into the kitchen because ______．
| A．the smoke came out of the kitchen |
| B．she left something in the kitchen |
| C．she was afraid the smoke was caused by her carelessness |
| D．things in the kitchen were easy to cause fire |
The cause of the fire might be______．
| A．the fire |
| B．the kitchen |
| C．electricity |
| D．bad luck |
When the husband was upstairs trying to stop the smoke______．
| A．the wife telephoned the firemen |
| B．the firemen saw the smoke and came |
| C．thewife was downstairs doing nothing |
| D．they were in great danger |
The passage wants to express that______．
| A．an unlucky person will have trouble one after another |
| B．an unlucky person will only have trouble three times |
| C．"THREE" is an unlucky number |
| D．"THREE" always comes with a bad luck． |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项。O．Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories．His real name was William Sydney Porter．He was born in North Carolina in 1862．As a young boy he lived an exciting life．He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know．When he was about 20 years old, O．Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs．He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank O．Henry was believed to have stolen it．Because of that, he was sent to prison．During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories．After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing．He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there．People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise． In which order did O．Henry do the following things?
a．Lived in New York．
b．Worked in a bank．
c．Travelled to Texas．
d．Was put in prison．
e．Had a newspaper Job．
f．Learned to write stories．
| A．e．c．f．b．d．a |
| B．c．e．b．d．f．a |
| C．e．b．d．c．a．f． |
| D．c．b．e．d．a f． |
People enjoyed reading O．Henry’s stories because
| A．they had surprise endings |
| B．they were easy to understand |
| C．they showed his love for the poor |
| D．they were about New York City |
O．Henry went to prison because ．
| A．people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper |
| B．he broke the law by not using his own name |
| C．he wanted to write stories about prisoners |
| D．people thought he had taken money that was not his |
What do we know about O．Henry before he began writing?
| A．He was well-educated． |
| B．He was not serious about his work． |
| C．He was devoted to the poor． |
| D．He was very good at learning． |
OUR KIDS ARE AMAZING－especially compared with everybody else’s (who seem to cry all the time)．How do you show your love for your kids this holiday season? With toys that are smooth and colorful, interactive and exciting．And with ones that have educational value－because you are the boss．
1.FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET
Here is a toy that doesn’t need power－and the kids have to put it together themselves．This 50-piece puzzle set is made of soft-edged hardwood and makes a complete hospital, with an X-ray room．It also includes eight patients, a car and a driver．$135; flaxart.com.
2.TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL
Sure, it’s cool, but this colorful baby toy also develops problem solving and motor skills．It has a head and legs, a magnetic(磁性的) hand and a tail．Suitable for little ones from 6 to 36 months．$19.95; tinylove.com.
3.ROBOSAPIEN
This small, remote-control robot is really powerful．It performs 67 preprogrammed functions, including throwing, kicking, picking up and dancing．You can even program your own function-which, sadly, does not include doing windows．$99; robosapienonline.com.
4.MINI PEDAL CAR
Want a Mini Cooper but can’t fit the family inside? Get one for the kids．They can jump into this Mini car, which comes in hot orange with a single adjustable seat, and ride away．But it could spoil them for that used car they’ll be driving when they turn 16.For ages 3 to 5.$189; mininss．com (click on “gear up,” then “Mini motoring gear”).Which toy is said to have the special design for children’s safety?
| A．ROBOSAPIEN |
| B．MINI PEDAL CAR |
| C．FLAX ART HOSPITAL PUZZLE AND PLAY SET |
| D．TINY LOVE ACTIVITY BALL |
Which toy are fit for three-year-old kids?
| A．1 and 3 |
| B．2 and 4 |
| C．1 and 2 |
| D．3 and 4 |
This passage is written for _______．
| A．parents |
| B．children |
| C．the writer |
| D．the boss |
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments －mostly for entertainment purposes －is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals．However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats．Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.
Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty．Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range．The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs．www．
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise．This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis．A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages．Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered．Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild．Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out．In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers．Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them．Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?
| A．Dangerous． |
| B．Unhappy． |
| C．Natural． |
| D．Easy. |
In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.
| A．remain in cages |
| B．behave strangely |
| C．attack other animals |
| D．enjoy moving around |
What does the author try to argue in the passage?
| A．Zoos are not worth the public support． |
| B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. |
| C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings. |
| D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. |
The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _________.
| A．pointing out the faults in what zoos do |
| B．using evidence he has collected at zoos |
| C．questioning the way animals are protected |
| D．discussing the advantages of natural habitats |