Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too horrible for their young children, a study found.
Research revealed one in five parents dislike old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel and are in favor of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are about kidnapping and crimes. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.
The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six episodes based on traditional fairytales. The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their children.
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to calm down children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children.”
“As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five-year-old child with an over active imagination could take things too seriously. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story.”
The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.
However, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.Why don’t some parents want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?
| A．Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing |
| B．Rumplestiltskin is too difficult |
| C．Rumplestiltskin is too long |
| D．Rumplestiltskin may have bad influence on Children |
We can learn from paragraph 3 that Grimm is _____.
| A．a fairytales book |
| B．a movie for children |
| C．a play loved by children |
| D．a drama based on traditional fairytales |
Which of the following may Steve Hornsey agree to?
| A．There is a moral to a classic fairytale. |
| B．Fairytales are dark. |
| C．Adults take fairytales too seriously. |
| D．Fairytales are not good for children's sleep. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards traditional fairytales?
| A．Optimistic | B．Not mentioned | C．Casual | D．Disapproving |
Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to? Try some of these places:
Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids’ interest. Many offer workshops for making hand-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings (签名) by children’s favorite writers, and even musical performances and other arts.
Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.
Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet (木偶) making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.
Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They’ll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums.If a child is interested in the universe, he probably will visit ________.
| A．an art museum | B．a hands-on science museum |
| C．a Youtheater | D．a natural history museum |
What can kids do at a Youtheater?
| A．Watch puppet making. | B．Give performances. |
| C．See dinosaur models. | D．Look at rock collections. |
What does “hands-on science” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Science games designed by kids. | B．Learning science by doing things. |
| C．A show of kids' science work. | D．Reading science books. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A museum guide. | B．A tourist map. |
| C．A science textbook. | D．A news report. |
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in a terrible mood. Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me. I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in. “Want to go for a ride, today, Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning.
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later. I forgot to be mad at them and went. I came home to find a note on the table. My mother put it where I would be sure to see it. “Dad has had an accident. Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”.
When I reached the hospital, my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911, thank God! If he had moved Daddy, there’s no telling what might have happened. A broken rib (肋骨) might have pierced (穿透) a lung....”
My mother may have said more, but I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words: Leave me alone. My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more. How much had I hurt him when I hurled (愤慨地说出) those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation. I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him.
“Daddy... I am so sorry....”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ll be okay.”
“No,” I said, “I mean about what I said to you that day. You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly. He looked at me and said, “Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though.” He managed a weak smile.
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power. They can hurt or they can heal. And we all have the power to choose our words. I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because ________.
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father. |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning. |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident. |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital. |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that ________.
| A．he had a poor memory |
| B．he didn’t want to forgive his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son |
| D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly. |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words. |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident. |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small things |
Once there was a man who liked to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived – a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people’s problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.
Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout, “What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?” The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry, “If I could just come down, I would show you!”
That’s what everybody wanted – that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense, as to what would happen next! Some wanted to chastise the sage, but they didn’t. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge（复仇）.
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really saved him because he induced（引诱）him to try his best and save himself.
“I should be thankful and not angry.” From the story we know that the sweetest mango must be the one .
| A．on the very top of the tree |
| B．hidden in the middle of a tree |
| C．on the tree for the longest time |
| D．exposed to sunlight less often |
What happened after he had picked a few sweet reddish mangoes?
| A．He slipped and fell to the ground suddenly. |
| B．He was climbing down quickly |
| C．He remained hanging helplessly on the tree. |
| D．He shouted loudly for help but no one helped. |
How did the man feel when the sage hit him with a stone?
| A．He was nervous. | B．He kept silent | C．He felt surprised. | D．He was angry. |
What do you think motivated the man to climb down?
| A．Courage. | B．Revenge. | C．Carefulness. | D．Assistance. |
In his lowest days when few people bought his records, Taiwan singer Steve Chou (周传雄) lived alone in Canada and did little. One day, he passed by a local CD store and accidentally heard a song that greatly enchanted (迷住) him. His passion for music was suddenly rekindled (重新点燃).
“My heart tells me that music is the thing I truly want to do, not for fame or money,” Chou told Teens. “So I asked myself, ‘why not start all over again?’”
That's how we luckily regained this music genius, who has since then composed lots of hits for the pop music charts (排行榜). His emotional voice is enthralling (迷人的). "Sometimes we need to get close to nature to look deeply into our souls and see what we genuinely (真正地) want to follow," he said.
Following the success of Turkey in Blue, he has recently released his latest work Lovers Genesis. In this album he explores human relationships in the Internet age. This time, he takes the role of a calm observer rather than a struggling insider. "Technology itself is a good thing, but it depends on how you're going to use it," is Chou's advice to teenagers. Chou often gets his music ideas from trips. He has traveled to many places around the world and believes that learning a country's language is the fastest way of experiencing the culture behind it.How was Steve Zhou’s passion for music rekindled?
| A．He was encouraged by his friends. |
| B．When he passed by a store and heard a song that enchanted him. |
| C．He decided to rebuild his reputation. |
| D．A good idea suddenly occurred to him. |
Which of the following songs belongs to Steve Zhou ?
| A．Heal the world | B．I swear | C．Lovers Genesis | D．Lemon tree |
How does Zhou get his music idea ?
| A．From his work life | B．From his trips | C．From his friends | D．From musical books |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Technology is always a good thing. |
| B．Technology by no means is a good thing. |
| C．If you use it properly, it will be helpful to your life. |
| D．We should not believe technology too much. |
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.
The Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill (国会山). It is also the location of several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honor and the Memorial Chamber. The present Centre Block is the second iteration of the building，after the first was destroyed by fire in 1916，and it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Canada.
Downtown Ottawa is the commercial and economic centre of the city. Most of the buildings are office towers. While most of Ottawa’s high tech industry is based elsewhere, it has a significant presence in the downtown core. The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges.
The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada’s premier art galleries. The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it also holds works by some noted American and European artists.
The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America. At the very beginning，the purpose of the Rideau Canal was military, as it was intended to provide a secure supply and communication route between Montreal and the British naval base in Kingston. It remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures undamaged. The locks on the system open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October.The underlined word "iteration" in the 2nd paragraph probably means _____.
| A．repair | B．design | C．copy | D．landmark |
In the core of Downtown Ottawa, we could see _____.
| A．a large number of tall towers |
| B．head offices ofOttawa’s high tech industry |
| C．a number of apartments and hotels |
| D．the older single family homes and townhouses |
Collections in the National Gallery of Canada are mainly _____.
| A．paintings and drawings | B．sculpture and photographs |
| C．works by Canadian artists | D．artwork by Americans and European |
Which of the following is true about the Rideau Canal? _____.
| A．It is the oldest canal system inNorth America |
| B．It was originally for the military purpose |
| C．The original structures remain never changed |
| D．People can only go boating from May to October |
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