Plastic is everywhere because plastic is an extremely useful material．It is cheap, strong and lightweight．What’s more, it can take on nearly any form or shape, from soft and stretchy （有弹性的） to hard and glasslike.
Plastic, however, is far from perfect．It may even be bad for us．Studies now suggest that poisonous chemicals can get out of some types of plastic, get into our bodies, and cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder （注意缺陷障碍）.
Two types of chemicals in particular have raised special concern lately．They are called phthalates （邻苯二甲酸盐） and Bisphenol-A （二酚基丙烷）, BPA for short． Not all plastic products contain them．But the ones that do are surrounded by controversy （争议）．That’s because experts disagree on how dangerous these chemicals are.
Plastic is a single word, but plastic isn’t just one thing．What all plastics share in common are plasticizers -- special chemicals that allow the material to be changed into nearly any shape or texture．Plasticizers （塑化剂） are added to plastic during the manufacturing process.
Phthalates and BPA are two types of plasticizers that work in different ways．Phthalates add softness to things like shampoo bottles, raincoats and rubber．They are also used in perfumes and makeup．BPA, on the other hand, gives a hard, clear, almost glasslike feel to products such as infant bottles．BPA also appears in food and soda cans, DVDs and other unexpected places.
How do these chemicals get into us? When plastic is heated in the microwave or dishwasher, chewed on or scratched, the chemicals can seep （渗透） out of the plastic．Even though we can’t see them, we eat them, drink them and breathe them in.
Scientists and parents are especially worried about young children, who tend to chew on everything, including plastic．Dozens of countries, including the European Union, Japan, Canada and Mexico have already banned phthalates from products made for children younger than three．California and Washington have done the same．And a number of other states are considering similar rules．As for BPA, Canada became the first country to ban the chemical from baby bottles．A dozen states are considering it.What can we know about the plastic from the first paragraph?
| A．Its characters and effects． |
| B．Its wide use and bad points. |
| C．Its importance and chemicals． |
| D．Its popularity and advantages. |
Which of the following products contains BPA?
| A．A soft plastic cup． | B．A pencil eraser. |
| C．A baby milk bottle． | D．A new perfume. |
Phthalates and BPA can get into us __________．
| A．through mouth or nose |
| B．through blood transfusion |
| C．by feeling plastic products |
| D．by heating in the microwave |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A new ban on plastic products． |
| B．Problems caused by the plastic． |
| C．Good points of the plastic． |
| D．The use of plasticizers. |
Many schools have established successful home visit programs. Home visits by teachers let parents and children know how much teachers care. Also, it is a way for teachers to learn more about their students , get the parents to pay more attention to th
eir children’s educati
on and bridge cultural gaps that might exist between students and teachers. Most teachers report that their home visits have a lasting effect on the child, the parents and on parent—teacher communication.
The Head Start program has used home 
visits for many years. Head Start teachers are required to make at least two home visits for each student, regardless of their ability, during each school year in addition to regular parent-teacher conferences at school. Many U.S. kindergartens also require home visits by 
teachers before school starts.
The visit approach varies from school to school and usually depends on the funding the source. In some schools, teachers prefer to visit in pairs. They feel more comfortable that way and sometimes need a translator in order to communicate with a child’s parents. Other teachers visit one-on-one with parents. Some interact with both the child and the parent. Many teachers may bring along learning activities for the child that also involve the parents participation. Normally, visits can last from 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the teacher and the activities.
When teachers get to know their students and their students’ families, the parents become more active in their children’s education. Home visits, not unnecessary as some people think, can give teachers the ideas they need to help all students succeed. Home visits by teachers can
| A．bridge cultural gaps existing between parents and teachers. |
| B．get students know that their teachers care about their parents. |
| C．get parents involved in their children’s education. |
| D．help establish good relationships between parents and children. |
From the second paragraph we know that home visits
| A．are not a new idea |
| B．are traditionally done by teachers before school starts |
| C．are meant for students with low marks |
| D．have replaced parent-teacher meeting |
What is the third paragraph about?
| A．Reasons for home visists |
B．Forms of home visits |
| C．Advantages of home visits |
| D．Tips for home visits |
What is the effect of home visits?
| A．Parents have more opportunities to play with children |
| B．Students can succeed more easily through their own efforts. |
| C．Parents play a decisive role in children’s education. |
| D．Teachers can learn more about how to help students. |
Every day Shairley tries to make at least one person she knows happy. For years she has become addicted to this and she can’t pass a day without making someone happy.
This started when she was 11 years old. That year, she wanted to travel to see her best friend. After she saved all the money needed, she packed her bags and went to the airport. By the time she got to pay for her ticket,she realised that her purse had been stolen.
She went to the restroom and cried. While she was in the restroom stall and totally at a loss what to do, someone knocked on the door. “Leave me alone” was the sentence she said over and over again after hearing the repeated knocking. After a long time, she opened the door and went out only to find an envelope at her feet. She opened the envelope and found a letter. It said,
“Dear child, you locked yourself inside and avoided facing the people who were outside and you might miss this letter. Reading it now means that after all you decided to face the outside world again. Never lock yourself in for any reason ! Never lose hope ! Never forget to trust yourself. Be a reason for other people’s smiles, sow hope in their hearts and you will gain your happiness in your own heart.”
She folded the letter to put it in the envelope only to discover that inside were a window seat ticket and double the money she needed. So she traveled and told the story to everyone she met. She said.“ From that day on ,I took it as my task, half for me and half for someone’s happiness.”Shirley found that her money had been stolen .
| A．when she was heading for the airport |
| B．when she was buying a ticket |
| C．after she packed her bags |
| D．when she went to the restroom |
Why didn’t Shirley open the door of the stall when she heard the knocking?
| A．Because she was disappointed and at a loss. |
| B．Because she was afraid of the person outside. |
| C．Because she wanted to keep calm by being alone. |
| D．Because she was crying and didn’t hear the knocking. |
What did Shireley learn from the letter?
| A．A letter is powerful enough to make one smile. |
| B．Face the outside world and never lose hope. |
| C．She should always notice who is outside her door. |
| D．She should try to make herself happy first and then others. |
We can learn that after reading the letter, Shirley was
| A．interested | B．disappointed | C．ashamed | D．encouraged |
Healthy eating habits are one of the most important lessons a child learns. Parents can make a plan of action for each child’s nutritional needs.
Creating healthy habits
Breakfast is necessary to provide the nutrition and energy for an active day. Studies show that children do better in school when they begin the day with breakfast.
Include your child as much as possible in meal planning and preparation. He is more likely to eat food that he has helped put on the table. Cooking at home and at school encourages curiosity and motivation to try new foods.
The mealtime enviroment has a lot to do with how your child will feel about food. Try to keep the time and location of your meals consistent. Keep the meal itself as the main event by reserving the use of toys, telephone calls and television for later.
Help them regard food such as fruit as being important every day, and other food such as chips as being an occasional treat. Prepare food in a variety of ways.
Snacks
Snacks provide necessary energy for children between meals. Be sure to have plenty of healthy snack choices such as fruit and yogurt available at these times. Snacks should not replace a meal but provide a valuable supplement.The passage is written mainly to
| A．teach children to develop good eating habits. |
| B．exchange ideas with experienced parents |
| C．learn about children’s food preferrences |
| D．offer parents some useful suggestions |
A child is more likely to try new foods
| A．when he spends time with other children |
| B．if he helps prepare the food himself |
| C．after he has had an active day |
| D．when he has no snacks |
The underlined word “reserving” most probably means
| A．putting into | B．calling for | C．talking about | D．setting aside |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．You are what you eat |
| B．Cook dinner for your child |
| C．Healthy eating for kids |
| D．Pleasure in everyday meals |
Goats are being hired to do the work of people near SanDiego. The fires that occurred in Hillborbough four years ago destroyed thirty homes, most of which have been rebuilt. While people were rebuilding the homes, the grasses and bushes were growing back. The area is now so overgrown in bushes that there is again a major danger of fire.
The city council asked for offers to remove the bushes. The lowest bid they received was $50,000-----and that was if the city provided breakfast and lunch for the workers for thr six weeks it would take to clear the overgrown area. The city only wanted to give unlimited coffee and a piece of bread a day for each person. When that offer was rejected, the city asked for help on its website.
A sheepherder（养绵羊的人） in Montanta and a goatherder（养山羊的人） in San Bernardino read about the city’s plight （困境）while surfing the Web on their laptops. They both offered to do the job for $25,000. The council chosed the goatherder because he lived closer. When he was told that the city dump（垃圾场） was overflowing , the gotherder said, “No problem. My goats will eat everything in your dump, except the car engines, of course.” So ,for another $5,000, the city killed two birds with one stone. If all goes well, they will invite the goatherder and his “family” back every three years. The goatherder said that he would probably visit San Diego while his goats were in the dump. “I want to go there by plane, I just hope we don’t crash. My goats will miss me a lot.” He said.Why did the city council want to remove the bush?
| A．Because the fires in hillborbough destroyed 30 homes. |
| B．Because people wanted to build their homes there. |
| C．Because the overgrown bushes could cause fires again. |
| D．Because two sheeherder offered to do the job. |
The goatherder was chosen to do the job because
| A．He offered to do it for the lower price |
| B．It was easier to transport his goat |
| C．Goats can do the job better than the job |
| D．The city wanted to raise more goats |
According to the passage,
A．the sheepherder off ered to do the job for $50.000 |
| B．the lowest bid to remove the bushes was $50,000 |
| C．the sheepherder and the goatherder were both addicted to surfing the Internet. |
| D．hiring goats to do the job saved the government lots of money. |
we can infer from the passage that
| A．the city will remove the bushes in this area regularly |
| B．the goatherder asked for $50,000 to kill the birds with stones. |
| C．the goatherder was invited to San Diego to do some sightseeing. |
| D．the city council was not kind to the people who worked for it. |
Not many people know that U.S. President Calvin Coolidge did not always live in the White House. Sometimes he lived in the nearby Willard Hotel.
Once, in the middle of a night, the President awoke to see a thief searching his clothes. Coolidge calmy spoke up from the darkness, “I wish you wouldn’t take that watch.”
“Why?” asked the shocked man.
Coolidged answered, “Take it near the window and read what is engraved on the back of it.”
The man read, “Presented to Calvin Coolidged, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court.” He was very surprised!
“Are you President Coolidge?” he asked. He had never thought he would find the president sleeping in a hotel!
“Yes, I am” Coolidge said. Then he asked, “Why are you doing this,Son?”
The young man explained that he and a friend traveled to Washington during their college vacation. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill and the train tickets back to school.
Coolidge added up those fees. It came to $32. That may not sound like much now, but it was a big sum then. “I’ll give you the $32 as a loan,” the President said, “And I expect you to pay me back.”
The youth thanked him. Coolidge left him with this warning: “Son, you are a nice boy, you are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are.”
It wasn’t until after the death
of Mr.Coolidge that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the Los Angeles Times. And the most interesting of all is that the President’s notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $32 loan in full..The president stopped the youth from stealing the watch because
| A．It was his favorite watch. |
| B．He wanted to give some money to the youth |
| C．He wanted to help the young man from getting into trouble |
| D．He used it for work and daily life |
It can be inferred from the passage that
| A．the youth’s family was in financial difficulty |
| B．hotel fees were rather expensive at that time |
| C．the youth never connected with the president again |
| D．the youth learned a lesson from his experience with the president |
How did people first get to know the story of the president with the youth?
| A．From the president himself |
| B．From a newspaper |
| C．From the youth’s notes |
| D．From the youth himself |
We can learn from the passage that
| A．possessions can be given up when necessary |
| B．generosity should be encouraged in some cases |
| C．people can benefit from their unforgettable experiences |
| D．an act of kindness may change a person’s life |
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