My son loves video games very much. He spends hours every day playing video games in his room. Is there any redeeming（补偿的）educational value to video games? Some seem like they could help him learn strategy. But I worry others may be too violent or numb（使麻木）his mind.
Cecilia
Some games may improve kids’ hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. Games that require kids to actually move or manipulate（操纵）the game through their own physical movement can even get sedentary kids moving, though not as much as they could if they actually played outside or participated in sports or other outdoor acuities. Others, though, don’t have such benefits, and violent video games have been shown that they might increase kid’s aggressive behavior.
Like a lot of aspects of raising kids, when it comes to video games, the healthiest approach is actually self-control.
The American academy of Pediatrics(AAP) recommends that kids should spend no more than 2 hours each day on screen time, including watching TV or movies, or playing computer or video games. So consider setting limits at least that strict to keep game playing from affecting their schoolwork, household responsibilities, and the physical activity your son needs very day.
Make sure that he’s playing games which are suitable for his age group. All video games are rated and labeled by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Steer clear of（避开）any rated “M” for mature. Those are for ages 17 and older and can contain heavy-duty violence, strong language, and sexual content.
Try to keep the video game console（游戏机控制板）in a common area of the house, not your son’s room. That way you can catch any inappropriate content in the games he’s playing, and he’ll be in a position to interact with others in the house while he’s playing.
Make sure your son has appealing alternatives, too, such as sports, activities, opportunities to socialize with peers; and downtime to be creative. If you continue to have concerns about his video game activity, talk with your doctor.
Reviewed by：Mary L. Gavin, MDWhat is the opinion of Mary L. Gavin about playing video games?
| A．Whether it’s beneficial or harmful depends on what the video games are. |
| B．It always improves kids’ hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills. |
| C．It will make kids more violent and increase their aggressive behavior. |
| D．Kids should give it up and put their hearts fully into their schoolwork. |
The underlined word “sedentary” in the first paragraph of the answer letter is the nearest in meaning to “______”.
| A．unhealthy | B．lively | C．bright | D．inactive |
According to Mary L. Gavin, which of the following is encouraged to do by parents?
| A．Keep the video game console out of their house. |
| B．Allow their children to play only such video games as rated “M” |
| C．Let kids play video games as much as possible if it doesn’t affect their lessons. |
| D．Help their children develop other healthy hobbies such as sports and painting. |
Which is the best title of this passage?
| A．Should children play video games? |
| B．Kids’ playing video games is harmful. |
| C．Is playing video games good for kids? |
| D．Help children choose video games. |
In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather (同甘不共苦的) friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!
Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?
| A．Understanding. | B．Honesty. |
| C．Reliability. | D．A sense of humor. |
If you have fair weather friends, __________.
| A．they will give you all that they have when you need help |
| B．you will be refused when you get into trouble |
| C．you will become rich |
| D．you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to ___________.
| A．always point out each other's mistakes |
| B．be helped with money |
| C．understand each other's feelings |
| D．have money or luck |
This passage mainly discuss __________.
| A．the qualities of a friend |
| B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends |
| D．the importance of having a friend |
Over the holidays, I took my three young children into a fancy chocolate shop to buy gifts. Halfway home, I noticed my 7-year-old son playing with a plastic noisemaker. Long story short: He had stolen the toy. I kept my cool -- even when he said, "but it was only $1.50, Mom!" --and explained why it was unacceptable to take things we didn't buy.
A few hours later, I marched my son back to the store with two dollars from his piggy bank. He walked embarrassedly to the counter and told the clerk that he had taken something without paying for it, that he was sorry to break it and that he would pay for it now.
I know exactly how terrible he was feeling. Returning to the scene of the crime is the same shame-causing punishment I received when I was five and stole something from a store. 1 remember my dad sending me back to return the item. It remains one of my clearest child－ hood memories. After that day, I never stole again. My dad taught me such an important lesson 30 years ago and I saw an opportunity to do the same for my son. But now I wonder if it was the fight thing to do.
"Returning to the store is absolutely the right thing to do," Laura Markham, Ph.D., a child psychologist and author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, says. "Many children steal -- they' re not born knowing the rules so it' s our job to teach them."
And stay calm when you set them. "If you overreact or yell, you might create a fascination with the behavior and a willful child will be more likely to fight against you," she says. Having a child physically return the stolen item helps him or her grasp the situation -- and the consequence.
But don't talk about it for too long. "lf you continuously bring up the incident, the child will believe they' re a thief and that they' re bad," she says.
Only time will tell if this experience will have the same powerful effect on my son as it had on me, but at the same time I can rest if I haven' t dealt with the situation badly.
When the author' s son was caught playing with a stolen toy, he________.
| A．responded calmly |
| B．felt very ashamed |
| C．didn't think it was a big deal |
| D．didn't admit stealing the toy |
The author punished her son like that because __________.
| A．her father asked her to do so |
| B．it had been popular for 30 years |
| C．she knew it was the right thing to do |
| D．the same punishment had worked on her |
According to Laura Markham, if parents shout at their kids' stealing behavior, the kids may _______.
| A．feel frightened |
| B．steal again |
| C．think they are bad |
| D．remember what happened clearly |
What does the author think of Laura Markham' s words?
| A．They are doubtful. |
| B．They are unacceptable. |
| C．They help her to stop feeling worried. |
| D．They have taught her a good lesson. |
◆The Big Cake Show comes to the WestPoint Arena in Exeter, England, March 21-22. Hopefully, cakes of all sizes will be on sale and on show. An impressive list of famous people sharing their great knowledge and skill includes Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and Gregg Wallace. Tickets, from ￡12, are available online (bigcakeshow.com).
◆From January 17 to March 8, RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey, England has some special guests to brighten the winter: beautiful butterflies. Butterflies in the Glasshouse introduces a group of butterflies from other countries feeding on fruit and the juice-rich plants of the Exotic Zone, Tickets for adults are ￡13.20, for children are ￡6.60. For a family with 2 adults and 2 children, they should pay ￡32.75 in total. For groups of more than 10 adults, each should pay ￡10.80 (rhs. org.uk/wisley).
◆The week-long London Wine Week starts from May 18. Buy a ￡5 wristband to qualify for a pocket-sized guidebook and discounted wine around the capital. Partnering with London' s best bars and restaurants, we will be organizing events such as master classes and meet-the -maker time, plus offering discounts to wristband wearers ( londonwineweek.com ).
◆The World Shakespeare Festival begins in April, with everything from foreign productions of Shakespearean plays at Shakespeare's Globe to Shakespearean plays at the Royal Opera House. Plays will run until the end of the year in London, Birmingham, Newcastle and Gateshead. And there' s a programme of events such as director talks and family workshops, Prices start from ￡60 (worldshakespearefestival.org. uk).We can infer that Paul Hollywood is most likely to be ___________.
| A．a ticket dealer | B．a professional cook |
| C．the event organizer | D．the cake show host |
If you want to buy wine at lower prices, you should _____________.
A. eat in the specific restaurants
B. pay ￡5 for a discount card
C, buy a wristband first
D. obtain a guidebookWhich of the following activities lasts for the longest time?
| A．The Big Cake Show. |
| B．The London Wine Week. |
| C．Butterflies in the Glasshouse. |
| D．The World Shakespeare Festival. |
Liverpool city council want to clear the city of fat pigeons. They say that people are feeding the birds, which makes them fat. The pigeons get bigger because their normal diet would consist of seeds and insects, not high-fat junk food they are eating in the city centre.
The council want people to know that everyone who feeds the pigeons is responsible for the streets being so crowded with these birds. They hope to encourage the birds to move away from the city centre and into parks and open spaces.
Ten robotic birds have been brought into the city centre to scare the pigeons away and visitors are asked not to give the pigeons any food. The mechanical birds - known as “robops” - will sit on the roofs of buildings. They can be moved around to different locations. They look like a peregrine falcon, which is a bird that kills pigeons. They even make noises and flap their wings to scare the pigeons. They hope that the pigeons will go away before the city becomes the European Capital of Culture in two years.What do Liverpool city council try to do?
| A．They want people to feed the pigeons with healthy food. |
| B．They want the pigeons to move out of the city centre. |
| C．They want people to keep the pigeons at home. |
| D．They want to keep robotic birds instead of pigeons. |
The robotic birds are used to _________.
| A．help feed the pigeons | B．make the city colorful |
| C．drive away the pigeons | D．show people directions |
This passage is most probably a(n) __________.
| A．news report | B．notice |
| C．short story | D．Advertisement |
Today is Sarah’s birthday. She is seventy-five. We asked a few old friends to dinner.
Like most elderly people, I suppose, we spent most of the evening talking about old times. Thirty years ago, the village used to be a quiet place. Now it has changed. Every Sunday hundreds of cars pass through the village at what I think a dangerous speed. They make the village almost as noisy as the streets of a large town. As a boy I enjoyed riding on the backs of the farm horses. Things are different now. Today there are very few horses working on the farms. The farm workers today drive tractors, not horses. A man is not of much use on a farm unless he knows all about machines. Now almost every house in the village has a TV set. Is it a good thing for children to spend the evening sitting in front of a TV set? When I was young I did not waste my time indoors. I would spend the long summer evenings outdoors. I would play with my friends, go fishing or walk by the river. When my grandchildren asked me the reason why I haven’t bought a TV set, I tell them there are many books I still want to read. I can’t find time for both reading and watching TV.The old like to talk about _______.
| A．themselves | B．others | C．the past | D．nothing |
When I was a boy, I _______ riding on farm horses.
| A．used to see people | B．disliked |
| C．was fond of | D．saw some elderly people |
Which is NOT right according to the passage?
| A．In the past the village was a quiet place. |
| B．It is a good time for children to watch TV all evening. |
| C．On Sundays many cars pass through the village at a dangerous speed. |
| D．When I was young I didn’t waste my time indoors. |
I would rather _______ than _______.
| A．watch TV; do some reading |
| B．play with friends; go fishing |
| C．do some reading; watch TV |
| D．go fishing; play with friends |
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