In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．A lot of amusements compete for children’s time nowadays. |
| B．Children have lots of fun doing mindless activities. |
| C．Rebecca is much too busy to enjoy her leisure time. |
| D．Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing. |
What did the author say about her own writing experience?
| A．She was constantly under pressure to write more. |
| B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| C．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
| D．Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
| A．She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
| B．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
| C．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| D．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
The underlined sentence probably means that the author was _______.
| A．trying not to let her daughter enjoy her own life |
| B．trying to get her daughter to do the thing as the author wished |
| C．making sure that her daughter would win the contest |
| D．helping her daughter develop real skills for writing |
This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers (young people aged from 13-19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U. S. schools, meet U. S. teen-agers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teen-agers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected --much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual(个人). Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it."
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should criticize American schools", he says. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens(公民). There ought to be some middle ground between the two. " This year _____ teen-agers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.
| A．twenty three hundred | B．thirteen hundred |
| C．over three thousand | D．less than two thousand |
The whole exchange programme is mainly to _____ .
| A．help teen-agers in other countries know the real America. |
| B．send students in America to travel in Germany |
| C．let students learn something about other countries |
| D．have teen-agers learn new languages |
Fred and Mike agreed that _____ .
| A．American food tasted better than German food |
| B．German schools were harder than American schools |
| C．Americans and Germans were both friendly |
| D．There were more cars on the streets in America |
What is particular in American schools is that _____ .
| A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings |
| B．there are a lot of after-school activities |
| C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all |
| D．students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car |
After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought _____ .
| A．a better education should include something good from both America and Germany |
| B．German schools trained students to be better citizens |
| C．American schools were not as good as German schools |
| D．the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students |
Today anyone will accept money in exchange for goods and services. People use money to buy food, furniture, books, bicycles and hundreds of other things we need or want. When they work, they usually get paid in money.
Lots of the money today is made of paper. But people used to use all kinds of things as money. One of the first kinds of money was shells. Shells were not the only things used as money.
In China, cloth and knives were used. In the Philippine Islands, rice was used as money for a long time. Some Africans once used elephant tusks, monkey tails, and salt as money.
The first metal coins were made in China. They were round and had a square hole in the center. Different countries have used different metals and designs for their money. Later, countries began to make coins of gold and silver.
But even gold and silver were inconvenient if you had to buy something expensive. Again the Chinese thought of a way to improve money. They began to use paper money. The first paper money looked more like a note from one person to another than the paper money used today.
Money has had an interesting history, from the days of shell money until today. In the Philippines Islands ______ was once used as money.
| A．rice | B．knife | C．cloth | D．wheat |
What was first used as money? ______.
| A．Elephants tusks | B．Cloth | C．Salt | D．Shells |
The first metal coins looked like ______.
| A．square-shaped with some designs on them |
| B．square-shaped with a round hole in the center |
| C．round-shaped with a square hole in the middle |
| D．round-shaped with a round hole in the middle |
The first paper money ______.
| A．was passed from west Asia to China | B．looked like a note used today |
| C．was first used in Europe | D．looked like a piece of fur |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A．paper money isn’t difficult to make |
| B．money must be suited to carry |
| C．people need money to exchange goods with each other |
| D．people prefer metal coins to paper notes |
“Mobile phone killed my man,” screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.
F
or anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.
One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous “memory loss” s
tudy. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can’t comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive（认识的）abilities. “I’m pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory,” he says.
Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses（神经元突触） exposed to microwaves become more — rather than less — receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.
An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a
team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.
“If it doesn’t certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn’t going to cause cancer in humans,” says William. And while there’s still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don’t be afraid. Mobile phone users are worried because ______.
| A．they are not sure whether mobile phones can cause memory loss |
| B．it’s said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects |
| C．one headline reported “Mobile phone killed my man” |
D．a British newspaper s howed mobile phones could heat the brain |
According to this passage, we can know that _____.
| A．the mobile phone is a most wonderful invention |
| B．there’s no need to worry about the radiation from mobile phones |
| C．something must be done to stop people using mobile phones |
| D．mobile phone companies shouldn’t cheat customers |
What would be the best title for this passage? ______.
| A．New Mobile Phones. | B．Special Mobile Phones. |
| C．New Special Investigation: Mobile Phones. | D．New Investigation. |
Australia －a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia. Australia－more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing.
Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live. Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments. Australians are a suburban（郊区的） people. The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance. As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products.
The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure. The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular.
Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modern city located inland. Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy(议会民主). The representatives of other countries have their embassies here. Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors.
Australia is a strange land
, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today.
Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology. This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources. Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures（牧场） and crops.
But Australia is changing. The land of wool and wheat is now 
a land of large-scale industry and mining. The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too.
Australia — a young and developing nation. Australia — a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors. Australia is an island located ______ of Asia and its big cities lie ____ of the coast.
| A．to the south; on the southeast | B．to the north; on the southwest |
| C．to the east; on the northeast | D．to the east; on the southwest |
We can infer from the passage that the Australian likes outdoor activities for the _____ climate.
| A．dull and wet | B．fine and shiny | C．gloomy and rainy | D．wet and cold |
____ is the most precious source in Australia.
| A．Mineral resource | B．Animal | C．Desert | D．Water |
Which of the following statements about Australia is wrong?
| A．Australians are a suburban people |
| B．Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy. |
| C．Australia prefers to live in the downtown of big cities. |
| D．Wool and wheat used to be the main products of Australia. |
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells go
od or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds 
and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life. We can infer from the text that humans and animals _________.
| A．depend on one sense in choosing food | B． are not satisfied with their food |
| C．choose food in similar ways | D．eat entirely different food |
Which of the following eats only one type of food?
| A．The white butterfly. | B．The small bird. |
| C．The bear. | D．The fox. |
Certain animals change their choice of food when ___________.
| A．the season changes | B．the food color changes |
| C．they move to different places | D．they are attracted by different smells |
We can learn from the last paragraph that __________.
| A．food is chosen for a good reason | B．French and British food is good |
| C．some people have few choices of food | D．some people care little about healthy diet |
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