Why Recess（课间休息） is So Important for Children
Recess used to be a daily thing﹣if you drove past your local school after lunch，you'd see hundreds of children running， playing and just being children． （1） ． Recent research have found that recess is important for more than just keeping children healthy and fighting children fatness﹣it also helps improve cognitive（认知） skills． （2） ．
1．Social Benefit（利益）
Children start learning social skills as soon as they start communicating with their parents． Once they reach the school age， their communications turn into with other children．（3） ．These skills will carry them through childhood and into their adult lives．
2．（4）
Besides the social benefits， recess also has some cognitive benefits that are just staring to be developed． Science has shown that recess helps children to get information better， learn new things faster and improve creativity． Recesses from the school day are good for both the body and mind， and they help keep children more active in their studies and get the information they're taught in class．
3．Physical Benefits．
（5） ．At present，about 18.5 percent of children in the United States are considered fat．Much of this problem can be caused without recess．Kids might spend their time on computer games at least 30 minutes a day， recess can help them run， jump play and just be kids． Now it's summer time， get them to spend some time in the swimming pool to get their weekly exercise．
A． Cognitive Benefits B． Behavioral Benefits C． Here are 3 ways that recess benefits children D． But now the push toward good test grades has changed that E． Childhood fatness is a growing problem in the world． F．Recess helps to build and improve social skills in a way that can never be taught in the classroom |
If you think you are too shy and want to be a little bit braver, just try the following things:
You can make it. Tell people you are shy. There is no need to hide it. When they get to know you are a shy kid, they will understand you better. This also helps feel more at ease in talks.
Try to smile more. When you smile, people think you are friendly and easy to talk with. Remember that other people have feelings, too; and most people will stay away from an angry—looking face.
Learn to be a good talker. If you find it hard to start a conversation, say something nice about people around you. Think about how great you feel when someone says something nice to you. Doesn’t it make you want to keep talking to that person?
Get your attention elsewhere. Think more about ways to enjoy parties or games. Don’t waste time worrying about your book or whether people like you or not.
Take one small step at a time. Each time when you say: “Hi!” or smile at someone, say to yourself: “You can make it.” Keep trying and one day you’ll never feel shy when you talk to others.How many pieces of advice does the writer give?
| A．four | B．Five | C．Six | D．seven |
What does the underlined phrase “at ease” mean in Chinese?
| A．难受 | B．尴尬 | C．害羞 | D．自在 |
If you find it difficult to start a talk, you can _________.
| A．say nothing but smile |
| B．say something nice about others around you |
| C．look others up and down |
| D．tell others you are a shy person |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Don’t keep smiling too often |
| B．Never say something nice about people. |
| C．Think less about ways to enjoy parties or games |
| D．One day you’ll never feel shy when talking to others. |
Be careful on April 1st! When your classmates say "Your shoes untied（解开的）!", it may not be true. And if you find your alarm clock is set back an hour, this may be a joke too.
April Fool's Day（愚人节）is a traditional festival. On that day people play harmless（无害的） jokes on others and then shout, "April Fool!" It's a "for-fun-only" day, so people don't buy gifts or get the day off work or school.
April Fool's Day started in France in the 16th century（世纪）. At that time, New Year's Day was between March 25th and April 1st. When New Year's Day changed to January 1st in the mid-1560s, some people still celebrate it on April 1st. Others played jokes on them and called them "April Fools".
Each country celebrates April Fool's Day differently. In France, it is called "April Fish". The Frenchmen fool their friends by sticking (粘) paper fish to their friends' backs. When someone finds out this joke, they shout, "April Fish!" In England, it is bad luck to play an April Fool's joke on someone in the afternoon. Americans play small tricks on friends and strangers alike.April Fool's Day started in ___________ in the sixteenth century.
| A．the USA | B．England | C．China | D．France |
When was New Year's Day about five hundred years ago in France?
| A．On March 25th. |
| B．Between April 1st and April 25th. |
| C．Between March 25th and April 1st. |
| D．On April 1st. |
“April Fool's Day” is called “April Fish” because the French ___________.
| A．must eat fish for dinner on that day |
| B．like eating fish very much |
| C．fool their friends by sticking paper fish to their friend's backs |
| D．like to give their friends fish as a treat |
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said, “I am blind, please help.”
There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy heard his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”
The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”
What he had written was, “ Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.” Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course, both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the beauty of the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind.
The first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.A blind boy sat on the steps of a building in order to_________.
| A．wait for some people |
| B．get money from others |
| C．make the writer help him |
| D．hold up a sign |
The man _________when he saw the blind boy.
| A．took away the blind boy’s money |
| B．gave the boy a new hat |
| C．brought the boy a sign |
| D．gave the boy some money and wrote some words on the sign |
What happened to the blind boy after the man wrote the words on the sign?
| A．The boy was taken away by the police |
| B．Nobody gave the blind boy money any more |
| C．More people dropped money into the boy’s hat |
| D．The blind boy could see the beautiful day |
What do you think of the sign written by the man?
| A．It has the different meaning to the first sign |
| B．It has the same meaning to the first sign and is expressed in another better way. |
| C．The man’s sign tells people it is a beautiful day. |
| D．People know the boy is blind after reading the man’s sign. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．It’s helpful of us to help people in need. |
| B．There are many poor people in the world like the blind boy. |
| C．It’s a good way to make money by holding a sign. |
| D．We should learn to speak to others in a suitable way. |
David hated spending money. When he had to buy something in a shop, he always tried his best to knock down the price, even for the cheapest things. If he wanted to buy a bottle of orange, for example, and the shopkeeper asked for $ 2, David would say, “Make it $ 1.9 and I’ll buy it.” Sometimes the shopkeepers agreed to reduce their prices a little. “What’s ten cents?” They asked themselves. “If it makes this man happy, it won’t hurt me very much.” In this way David saved a few cents here and a few cents there, and by the end of the year he had saved several hundred dollars.
One day he had a very bad toothache and had to go to the dentist. The dentist looked at the tooth and said, “This tooth will have to come out. It’s too serious to save.” “How much must I pay you to take out a tooth?” David asked. “Forty dollars,” the dentist said. “How long will it take you to pull out the tooth?” He asked. “About two minutes,” the dentist answered. “Forty dollars for two minutes’ work!” He shouted, “That’s robbery.” The dentist smiled. “You’re right,” she said. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll pull your tooth out very slowly. How about if I take half an hour?”In the passage the underlined word “reduce” means “___________”.
| A．feel worried about |
| B．be interested in |
| C．get higher |
| D．make less |
How much had David saved by the end of the year?
| A．A few dollars. |
| B．Thousands of dollars. |
| C．Three or more hundred dollars. |
| D．Three hundred dollars. |
After the dentist answered David’s question, he became very________.
| A．angry | B．sad | C．afraid | D．worried |
David thought that two minutes was_____________.
| A．too little time to pull out a tooth |
| B．too little time to pay the dentist $ 40 |
| C．too long to pull out a tooth |
| D．too short for the dentist to finish the operation |
What kind of person do you think David was?
| A．He was very kind to others. |
| B．He was very clever. |
| C．He was very generous. |
| D．He was very stingy. |
Now people use a new way to decide who are the top students in school. The best students not only get high marks, but also follow the rules and the behavior (行为) for middle school students. Here are some of the new rules and standards (标准).______________ Have you ever copied someone else’s answers in an exam? If you have, then don’t do it again! That’s not something an honest student should do. If you have played computer games for two hours in your room, don’t tell your parents you did homework.
______________ Good students love animals and care for other people.
_____________ It would be more fun when more people work together. Did you quarrel (争吵）with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. Be friendly to the people you are with. Try to think of others instead of only yourself.
______________ Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you’ll discover EarthⅡsome day. Don’t look down on new ideas. Everyone’s ideas are important. You should welcome them because new ideas make life better for everyone.
______________ The Internet can be very useful for your studies. Some websites on the Internet aren’t for kids, so make sure to visit the web pages that are good for you. You can use the web for fun or homework. Can’t you find any good websites for children?
| A．Use the Internet carefully. |
| B．Be open to new ideas. |
| C．Learn to work together with others. |
| D．Learn to be loving and caring. |
E. Tell the truth.