Whenever the house gets quiet, Mrs. Smith knows just where to find her 6-year-old daughter Maria: lost in the world of stories.
“I like to read every time of the day,” said Maria, a student at Creel Elementary School in Australia.
Maria’s headmaster, Mrs. White, wants each of her 850 students and their families to learn the love of reading this year. She wants reading at home to become an activity of choice in every family, even during holiday breaks. “I truly realize reading should be an important part of everyone’s life, and nothing should stop it.” said Mrs. White.
“The aim we want most of all is to help children understand they can enjoy reading, as well as practice their skills,” said Hannas, an education researcher. He suggested parents take their children to the library and allow them to pick out books that interest them.
Each night, students take home two books to read with their parents or other family members. They have to return the books the next day with a signed note from their parents showing that the books were read, and have passing tests that check how well they understand the books.
“We’re trying to get parents into the habit of reading with their kids.” said the headmaster. “Nothing is better than sitting on a sofa with your child and reading and laughing.”
Through books, Mrs. Smith, a parent, said she’s able to give her two daughters more experiences than she could.
“I think reading opens all the doors and creates imaginations in children,” she said, “I think if you read well, you can succeed in anything in life.”The aim of the at-home-reading activity is to __________.
| A．show the parents how important reading is |
| B．ask each of the students to learn from Maria |
| C．let parents care about their children |
| D．help the students and their families enjoy reading |
To make sure how well the students understand the books, the school has to ________.
| A．give the students tests |
| B．ask their parents to write a note |
| C．return the books the next day |
| D．check how many books they have read |
From the article, we know that the at-home-reading activity __________.
| A．can bring everything we want |
| B．has influenced the students at Creel Elementary School |
| C．helps family members understand each other better |
| D．makes parents understand school better |
Napping(小睡) after learning something new could help improve your memory…as long as you dream, scientists say.
They found people who dream about a new task do it better on waking than those who do not sleep or do not dream.
Volunteers were asked to learn the layout(设计) of a 3D computer maze(迷宫) so they could find their way several hours later. Those allowed to take a nap and who also remembered dreaming of the task, found their way to a landmark (地标) quicker.
The researchers think the dreams are a sign that unconscious(无意识的) parts of the brain are working hard to process information about the task.
Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, said dreams may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem at many levels.
Study tips
Co-author Dr. Erin Wamsley said the study suggests our non-conscious brain works on the things that it deem (认为) are the most important.
"Every day we are gathering lots of information and new experiences," she said. "It would seem that our dreams are asking the question, "How do I use this information to inform(影响) my life?"
The scientists say there may be ways to use this phenomenon(现象)for improving learning and memory. For example, students might be better studying hard before bedtime, or taking a nap after a period of afternoon study.Scientists say_______ could help improve your memory.
| A．dream | B．nap |
| C．nap and dream | D．nap without dream |
What were volunteers asked to do?
| A．Take a nap. |
| B．Dream a task. |
| C．Learn about 3D computer. |
| D．Find their way out of a maze. |
Which is right about dreams?
| A．They are a sign that parts of the brain is unconscious. |
| B．They can help us fall asleep and improve learning and memory. |
| C．They tell us how to use this information to inform our life. |
| D．They may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem. |
When is the best time for study?
| A．Before bedtime. | B．After bedtime. |
| C．Before taking a nap. | D．In the afternoon. |
Mr Swales wanted to find out what his students' parents did. He had just called Jodie when some girls burst out laughing. Shirley shouted, "Jodie's Daddy is a Garbage man(垃圾清理工)！"
Everybody in the class laughed out loud, except Jodie. She felt her face turn red.
"Silence!" Mr Swales said, "Being a garbage men is a difficult and useful job. We should all be grateful to Jodie's father."
Jodie's father came to walk her home from school as usual, but she didn't run up to him the way she always did. When they got back home, Jodie went to her room and cried for a long time.
Her father came into her room, "What happened, Jodie? Why are you so sad?"
Jodie told her father what had happened and looked at him. He didn't seem angry or hurt. "Well," he said, "they are right. Being a garbage man is a dirty job. Tomorrow's Saturday. Come to work with me, Jodie."
The place really smell too good. Jodie wrinkled her nose. "Don't worry, kid. In five minutes you won't smell a thing." said her father.
Everybody there was working hard, and they seemed to have a good time. Jodie's father handed her a pair of gloves(手套) and told her to get the little plastic bags and throw them into the truck.
It was fun, but also hard work. Jodie's arms soon got tired. At last, no more garbage was left and Jodie felt very happy.
"Garbage is disgusting (令人厌的) , but when we clear it away, everything's nice and clean. You can make yourself happy only by making others happy. That's why I like being a garbage man so much."
Jodie gave her dirty, smelly garbage man daddy a big kiss, She said, "When I grow up, I will be a garbage girl!"
Now whenever someone asks Jodie what her daddy does, she says, "He's a garbage man! Everybody makes garbage, but my daddy takes it away!"What happened in My Swale's class?
| A．He wanted to show what job was the most useful. |
| B．He asked an improper question. |
| C．Jodie gave an honest answer. |
| D．Jodie was laughed at for his father's job. |
Why did Jodie's father take her to his workplace?
| A．To make Jodie calm down. |
| B．To show how dirty his job was. |
| C．To help Jodie learn about his job. |
| D．To keep Jodie away from her classmates. |
Jodie gave her father a big kiss mainly because_______.
| A．he was practical | B．he was unselfish |
| C．he was cheerful | D．he was hard-working |
How does Jodie feel about her father now?
| A．Sad | B．Curious | C．Shy | D．Proud |
People have been interested in color and its effects for hundreds of years. More recently, research has turned to the question of how different colors can help students learn better.
Believe it or not, some colors can affect a child's IQ（智商）. For example, a simple black and white color scheme may cause IQ to become low, while the good use of reds and oranges may raise it as much as 15 points. Be careful not to use too much, however; a little red is exciting, but too much makes people uncomfortable. Bright yellow is exciting to the brain, while the color green is thought to encourage creativity.
Use blue and green to calm yourself. Blue, especially, can cause you to calm down. Something blue in a reading area, for example, may help you focus（集中于） on what you are reading. But too much dark blue can make you sad, so use light blue on walls or large floor areas.
If you are struggling to read, try a different color of paper. According to a study, 80 percent of children who had difficulty in reading improved their understanding when they put something grey or blue over their pages. Do not use bright colors here, as they become difficult to look at after a while.
However, use bright colors like red, orange and yellow for important points. These colors attract the eye and may help you notice details.
The same color of the walls of a room do not help you focus on your studies, but make you slow in understanding. Colors, on the other hand, make the senses active and encourage learning. Use primary colors red, yellow and blue in a proper way. Then how do you make your choices of color? It mainly depends on（取决于）your space, the lighting and the function (功能) of the room.The color grey may help you_______.
| A．read better | B．calm down |
| C．raise IQ | D．feel creative |
If you want to remember some important points, you may use the colors_______.
| A．green and blue | B．grey and blue |
| C．red and yellow | D．black and white |
Which is the most important when you choose the color for your room?
| A．Your IQ and abilities. |
| B．The use of your room. |
| C．Your likes and dislikes. |
| D．The location of your room. |
Which might be the proper title for the passage?
| A．What should we learn about colors? |
| B．Why are people interested in colors? |
| C．Where should we be careful with colors? |
| D．How do colors affect our learning abilities? |
Sydney Tower
Address: 100 Market St, Sydney Phone: 02 9333 9222
Fax: 02 9333 9203 Open time: 9:00 a.m. t0 10:30 p.m. (Saturdays t0 11:30 pm)
Ticket: $60 (for an adult) $30 (for a child) Website: www.sydneytower.com.au
How to get there: train to Town Hall Station and a short walk along Market Street
How to book tickets: by phone/fax or through the web
Attractions: Sydney's best views are just the beginning! Sydney Tower takes you to the highest point above Sydney for exciting 360° view of our beautiful city.If you want to book a ticket to Sydney Tower, you can't_______.
| A．email sydneytower @ hotmail. com | B．fax 02 9333 9203 |
| C．search www.sydneytower.com.au | D．call 02 9333 9222 |
Last Saturday, Johnson went to visit Sydney Tower. He had to get down the tower_______.
| A．after 11:30 p.m. | B．before 11:30 p.m. |
| C．at 10:30 p.m. | D．by 10:30 p.m. |
The passage above is probably_______.
| A．a piece of news | B．a conversation |
| C．a story | D．an advertisement |
Parents should stop complaining themselves because there’s not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I’ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted(坚持) that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling（四肢摊开）himself on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was only a quick look at me. His mother was ashamed. “I don't know what to do with him these days,” she said. “He’s forgotten all the manners we taught him.”
He hasn't forgotten them. He’s just decided that he’s not going to use them. She admitted（承认）that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, “I don’t like your dress; it’s ugly.” One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
“Where did we go wrong?” her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.This text is most probably written by ______.
| A．a specialist in teenager studies |
| B．a headmaster of a middle school |
| C．a parent with teenage children |
| D．a doctor for mental health problems |
The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to ______.
| A．the change from good to bad that’s seen in a child |
| B．the way that parents often complained about themselves |
| C．the opinion that a child has of his parents |
| D．the advice that parents want their children to follow |
The boy on the sofa would most probably be described as ______.
| A．clever | B．quiet |
| C．unusual | D．rude |
From the second example we can infer that the parents of the two daughters ______.
| A．pay no attention to them |
| B．are too busy to look after them |
| C．have come to hate them |
| D．feel helpless to do much about them |
What is the author' s opinion about the sudden change in teenage children?
| A．Parents have no choice but to try to accept it. |
| B．Parents should pay still more attention to the change. |
| C．Parents should work more closely with school teachers. |
| D．Parents cause the change in their children. |
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