Should Children Be Allowed to Get Bored？
Children need time to stand and stare．They should be allowed to get bored so that they can develop their ability to be creative．
Children are expected by their parents to be reading a textbook all the time．However，research shows that it may hamperthe development of their imagination，while boredom can give them opportunities to develop creativity．
Boredom is often linked with loneliness，but a writer named Meera Syal said boredom had helped here in developing her mind．She told researchers about her childhood．Having few things to do，Syal often talked with her neighbors．She also tried to do things like learning to bake cakes．"But importantly，I thought and wrote a lot，because I was bored，"Syal said．She kept a diary，filling here time with short stories and poems she made up．
Grayson Perry，an artist，grew up in a family with little money．He enjoyed himself by making up stories，drawing pictures for his stories and reading many books in the library．Bored but free，he spent hours looking out of the window，watching the changing clouds and seasons．Perry filled up his free time with what he liked．He became creative，because he could think freely．
Dr．Belton is an expert on the effects of emotions on learning．"Boredom could be an uncomfortable feeling，"she said．"But some young people cannot deal with that boredom creatively．So sometimes they may break a classroom window，or drive a car out for a mad race．"
Usually，when children have nothing to do，they would turn on the TV，the computer，or the phone．Their time on these things has increased，yet they need to have time to think about their experiences through play or just watching the world around them．
It is this kind of thinking that can inspire the imagination．On the other hand，the TV or phone may cut short the thinking process．That can be harmful to the development of creativity．"For developing the ability to be creative，"Dr．Belton advised，"perhaps we need to stand and stare，and stay off﹣line from time to time．"
53．What does the word"hamper"in Paragraph 2probably mean？
| A． |
Slow down． |
| B． |
Keep up with． |
| C． |
Go beyond． |
| D． |
Give rise to． |
54．The writer talks about Syal and Perry to ．
| A． |
stress the great differences between them |
| B． |
introduce a popular writer and a famous artist |
| C． |
suggest good ways of going through boredom |
| D． |
show effects of boredom on developing creativity |
55．What can we learn from the passage？
| A． |
Boredom provides children with space to think freely． |
| B． |
It's much better for children to be busy than be bored． |
| C． |
Boredom helps children deal with difficulties properly． |
| D． |
It's boring for children to think about their experiences． |
Sydney Tower is ____________ in Sydney, Australia.
| A．the busiest street | B．the biggest station |
| C．the most beautiful park | D．the highest point |
Sydney Tower opens at ____________.
| A．8:00 am | B．9:00 am | C．10:30 pm | D．11:30 pm |
If an adult with two children goes to visit Sydney Tower, he has to pay ___________.
| A．$60 | B．$90 | C．$120 | D．$150 |
请根据材料内容，完成各题。
We always seem to want those things we don't have. Moreover, we are often convinced（使相信） that if we had those things we want so badly, we would finally be happy.
The truth is that happiness is an attitude(态度). _________is not something created by outside circumstances(环境), ______ instead is completely within your control.
Nothing will give you a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness, unless you cultivate (滋养)happiness consciously. Below are some simple yet specific steps you can take to cultivate happiness.
Be grateful.
Create a sense of gratitude for what you have, for what is working, for what is wonderful and sweet in your life. A morning or evening gratitude list, written each day, can do wonders for helping you feel grateful.
Take care of yourself.
Identify（辨别） the small things in life that make you feel good, and do one daily. A short walk, a few minutes of writing in your journal, a short meditation, watching the sunset…whatever, will improve your outlook on life.
Read inspirational(励志的) material.
It helps to be reminded of positive thoughts and positive attitudes. Get a small book of positive, inspirational thoughts and keep it by your desk. Read one or two thoughts each day.
Is the glass half empty or full? Life works better when the glass is half full regardless of your life status.
No matter how many wonderful things you do to create a positive, happy, satisfied life, you could still end up unhappy. Ultimately, happiness, gratitude, a feeling of satisfaction is a choice. So, from now on, choose to be happy! 在划线处填入所缺单词：___________ ___________
How many ways can we take to cultivate happiness? ______________________________
将短文中划线的句子译成汉语。
________________________________________________________________________找出同义句：We are sure if we can have the thing we want so much ,we will be very happy. _________________________________________________________________________
找出文章的主题句
______________________________________________________________________
If you have failed in the past to try to make big changes in life, try again now, one tiny step at a time.
Every year it's the same. As December comes to an end, you think about the new year and all the ways you want to improve your life. But as you start to write down your hopes for the new year, you think about the last year. You excitedly write down all the changes you are going to make, but by the end of January those ideas get lost in your busy life.
Here's a suggestion : Forget the too big, hard-to-achieve goals and just think about the small ones. "We often think that we have to do everything in big steps, even though it's so hard for us to reach it," said Robert Maurer, who recently wrote the book One Small Step Can Change Your Life. "What we try to do is to begin with such a small step that we can't find any excuse not to do it. "
“Kaizen”, a Japanese word, is used to mean to change behavior and attitudes. During World War II, American factory managers were able to increase productivity by trying small, continuous improvements instead of sudden changes. After the war, the idea was brought to a rebuilding Japan. It made Japan develop fast. The Japanese called it “kaizen”, which means “improvement”.
Maurer studied the idea and did some experiments with it. "Kaizen" could possibly help people succeed in doing everything.At the end of December, people usually________.
| A．fail to make big changes | B．plan for the last year |
| C．think about the new year | D．try to lose their ideas |
Robert Maurer wrote a book to tell us_________.
| A．we should do everything in big steps |
| B．how to change one's life with one small step |
| C．we should try a lot of sudden changes |
| D．how to find a small step without any excuse |
The underlined part "increase productivity" in the passage means “________”.
| A．提高生产率 | B．增加成本 | C．增加出口量 | D．提高待遇 |
The writer of the passage suggests we should_________.
| A．make changes at the end of the year |
| B．do few experiments with "kaizen" |
| C．do things with hard-to-achieve goals |
| D．take a tiny step to achieve big goals |
Which of the following is true from the passage?
| A．You can achieve your goals if you are not too busy. |
| B．Robert Maurer studied “kaizen” and found it helpful. |
| C．You can’t find any excuse not to reach a big goal. |
| D．“Kaizen” was brought to Japan during World War II. |
Once a small boy lived on a farm which seemed so far away from everywhere.
He needed to get up before sunrise every morning to help his father on the farm. During sunrise he would take a break and climb up on the fence along the side of the farm. He could see a house with golden windows. “If they could afford golden windows, then there must be other nice things inside the house.” He imagined how great it would be to live there. Then he promised himself, “Some day I will go there and see this wonderful place.”
One morning, his father would go to the town and told him to stay at home for a rest. Knowing that this was his chance, he took a sandwich and headed across the field towards the house with the golden windows.
As the afternoon went on, he began to realize how wrong he was. The house was much farther than he had expected. As he went near the house, he saw no golden windows but instead a place in bad need of a painting. A small girl very close to his age came out of the poor house and stood by the broken fence. He asked her if she had seen the house with the golden windows. The girl said, “Sure, I know.” And invited him to sit on the porch (门廊 ). As he sat there, he looked back from where he just came. There he saw the sunset turned the windows of his house to gold! Now he understood that everyone had his own house with golden windows.During his break every morning, the small boy would________.
| A．fix the fence | B．eat sandwiches |
| C．climb up on the fence | D．walk around the farm |
One morning, when knowing he would stay alone, the boy thought it was a chance for him to__________.
| A．go to the town | B．play on the field |
| C．go to see the house | D．make the golden windows |
What did the boy find when he got there?
| A．Nobody lived in the poor house. |
| B．No golden windows were in the house. |
| C．The house was as old as he expected. |
| D．The house was nearer than he thought. |
The story tells us that people sometimes may have the thought “______.”
| A．Like father, like son | B．Love me, love my dog |
| C．Every dog has its day | D．The grass is greener somewhere else |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Golden Windows. | B．Father and Son. |
| C．A Wonderful Place. | D．A Boy's Promise. |
A lift is wonderful. It is really only a small room. Rooms usually stay in one place. Lifts travel up and down all day long.
Sometimes a worker stands in the lift. He or she operates it up and down. In modern lifts there is no worker. The people walk in. They know what floor they want. They push a button and the lift goes to that floor. It is all very fast and easy.
Lifts are very important to us. Why? Think about a tall building. Maybe it has twenty floors. Maybe it has fifty or more. Who can walk up all the stairs? Maybe people can climb them one time. Can someone climb thirty floors to an office every day? Can small children walk up to their room on the twenty-fourth floor? Can their mother and father carry food up all those stairs? Of course not.
We can have high buildings because we have lifts. We could not have all the beautiful tall buildings in the world without lifts. They are really wonderful.A lift looks like______.
| A．a small room | B．a small house | C．a small ladder | D．a small stair |
Which of the following is true?
| A．A modern lift has no buttons. |
| B．A modern lift has a worker to operate it. |
| C．A modern lift can go up and down with no worker in it. |
| D．A modern lift knows what floor people want. |
If you want to go to the floor you want, you_______.
| A．ask for help | B．open the door of the lift |
| C．ring the bell | D．push the right button |
Why do people have to use lifts? Because________.
| A．they have tall buildings |
| B．they can't walk up and down |
| C．old people and children need them |
| D．lifts are wonderful |
Choose the best title for this text.
| A．Buttons | B．Lifts | C．Tall Buildings | D．Climbing Stairs |