The stories we share with one another are important. They show wisdom and provide inspiration. They are important to our development. But sometimes people choose not to tell.
Consider the negative effects of not sharing a story in the news: People are wondering if public health officials are holding back too much information about the recent outbreak of Ebola.
There is a danger in holding back stories that ought to be told. Bobette Buster said it like this, “The fact is, history has shown us that stories not told can become like a dangerous genie (妖怪) left in a bottle. When they are finally uncorked, their power to destroy is set free.”
There are a number of reasons why we hide parts of our story: they often show our weaknesses or expose our disadvantages; they require courage and strength to share; and of course, there are some stories that should be kept secret—especially those that embarrass someone else.
Most of us have two selves: the one we display on the outside and the one we actually are on the inside. And the better we get at hiding the stories that show our true selves, the more damage we may be causing to ourselves and to others.
Honesty and openness is important: It proves we are trustworthy. It displays we are human. We are not perfect or better. It highlights the importance of hard work and personal development. Hard work may not allow us to overcome our disadvantages completely. But with hard work, we do not have to be restricted to our mistakes.
Does this mean we admit every weakness, every disadvantage, and every secret regret to everybody we meet? No, of course not. There is a time and a place and a certain level of relationship necessary for some stories to be told in an appropriate manner.What’s the function of the example in Paragraph 2?
| A．It reflects that people are concerning about the spread of Ebola. |
| B．It shows the bad effect caused by sharing a story. |
| C．It proves not sharing a story can cause trouble. |
| D．It concludes that one should share a story at a proper time. |
One of the reasons why people are unwilling to share experiences is that _______.
| A．story-sharing highlights the importance of hard work |
| B．people are used to exposing their weaknesses |
| C．people sometimes have no courage to share their stories |
| D．some stories make themselves feel uneasy |
Which is close in meaning to the underlined word “uncorked” in Paragraph 3?
| A．freed | B．broken |
| C．unfolded | D．untouched |
The writer aims to convince us to _______.
| A．be open to people close to you by sharing some secrets |
| B．share stories appropriately for the good of others and ourselves |
| C．remove the dangers that can be caused by untold stories |
| D．realize the importance of being honest when making friends |
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people think it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future.
Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up.
14. Many parents give children an allowance regularly to ______.
A. meet children’s basic need for life B. give control over their children
C. see whether they have financial mistakes D. help children learn how to manage money
15. For Children who receive allowances, they’d better not ________.
A. waste money to buy gifts for their parents or friends
B. buy their favorite clothing or electronics for themselves
C. save money like their parents or other adults
D. ask for the next allowance before the decided date.
16. If children are required to save their allowance, they ______.
A. can experience the three things related to money
B. can understand the relation between goals and sacrifice
C. will do more work around the house
D. help themselves found the basis for their future life
17. What does the underlined phrase “compound interest” mean?
A. The interest based on the original money and unpaid interest.
B. A way of helping children earn two percent interest.
C. The interest intended for children to earn money.
D. A saving account opened for children’s allowance.
18. What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Give Children an Allowance
B. Spend Your Allowance within a Budget
C. Allowance Helps Children Learn about Money
D. Doing Housework Earns Children Allowance
Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academiclly than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States. France and Germany , and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic insturction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She avocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.
1．According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.
A. prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching
B. teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest
C. push the kids to memorize pieces of information
D. care about the kids’ physical development
2．What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. did better than B. looked down upon
C. caught up with D. performed worse than
3．According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning ______.
A. is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability
B. needs to be improved to develop children’s academicability
C. will cause problems to children in their future learning
D. has more advantages than disadvantages
4．The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _______.
A. can start at different times in different countries.
B. should not be started too early
C. is best carried out in Finland and Sweden
D. should include teaching children social and manual skills
5．Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?
A. Children should be taught through first-hand experience.
B. Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children.
C. Running a shop can help children get good marks.
D. Puppet shows and drawing are useful easy in teaching children.
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people think it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future.
Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up.
14. Many parents give children an allowance regularly to ______.
A. meet children’s basic need for life B. give control over their children
C. see whether they have financial mistakes D. help children learn how to manage money
15. For Children who receive allowances, they’d better not ________.
A. waste money to buy gifts for their parents or friends
B. buy their favorite clothing or electronics for themselves
C. save money like their parents or other adults
D. ask for the next allowance before the decided date.
16. If children are required to save their allowance, they ______.
A. can experience the three things related to money
B. can understand the relation between goals and sacrifice
C. will do more work around the house
D. help themselves found the basis for their future life
17. What does the underlined phrase “compound interest” mean?
A. The interest based on the original money and unpaid interest.
B. A way of helping children earn two percent interest.
C. The interest intended for children to earn money.
D. A saving account opened for children’s allowance.
18. What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Give Children an Allowance
B. Spend Your Allowance within a Budget
C. Allowance Helps Children Learn about Money
D. Doing Housework Earns Children Allowance
New fast food debuts in U.S. fairs—fired Coke
A new fast food is making its debut(首次演出) at U.S. fairs this fall----fried Coke. Abel Gonzales, 36, a computer analyst from Dallas, tried about 15 different varieties before coming up with his perfect recipe----a batter mix made with Coca-Cola syrup, a drizzle of strawberry syrup, and some strawberries.
Balls of the batter are then deep-fried, ending up like ping-pang ball sized doughnuts（面团）which are then served in a cup, topped with Coca-Cola syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon(桂皮)sugar and a cherry on the top.
“It tastes great,” said Sue Gooding, a spokeswoman for the State Fair of Texas where Gonzales’ fried Coke made its debut this fall. “It was a huge success.”
Gonzales ran two stands at the State Fair of Texas and sold up to 35,000 fried Cokes over 24 days for 4.50 dollars each –and won a prize for coming up with “most creative” new fair food.
Ray Crockett, a spokesman for Coca-Cola Co., said: “we’re constantly amazed at the creative ways folks find to enjoy their Coke and make it part of celebrations like fairs and festivals. This is one is definitely different!”
16. The passage is likely to .
A. be an advertisement B. appear in a newspaper
C. make a comment on a new food D. give us some advice
17. The new fast food probably is the computer analyst’s ____________.
A. 15th attempt B. disliked food
C. most creative food D. excellent recipe
18. We are sure that ____________.
A. this new kind fast food will be popular in the future
B. this new food has been sold 157500 dollars
C. the food was bought by Coca-Cola Co.
D. this is a new kind of Coke
19. According to Ray Crockett, ___________.
A. fried Coke is a completely different form of Coca-Cola.
B. fried Coke is a very creative use of Coca-Cola.
C. folks enjoy this new kind of food very much.
D. he is amazed at the U.S. fairs this fall.
Bicycles are a great way to get around. They’re fun to ride, especially down hills. And, as you speed along the road, you might also think of ways in which you could improve your bike— make it safer, more efficient, or more comfortable. In fact, the two-wheeled machines make for some cool science projects.
This year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held last May in Cleveland, featured（had）three bicycle projects from three countries. Like many of the other experiments presented at ISEF, the bike projects showed that some of the most interesting scientific research often begins by taking a closer look at things you care about.
Renato Angulo Chu had even grander ambitions. The 12th-grader from Lima, Peru, wanted to address some of his country's economic troubles.
"I see a problem in my country," Renato said. "If you go to the forests in Peru, in some places you cannot find electricity. If you go with my bicycle, you can turn on the lights."
Renato, 16, spent 3 years designing his special Multibike. The device looks like a fixed exercise bike. It has wires fixed along the frame and a blender strapped(fastened) to the back. Turning the pedals operates the blender. The same principle can be used to sharpen knives or sweep city streets.
The Multibike can work either as a fixed bike or as a bicycle able to travel city streets and country roads. It's made from inexpensive materials, and the user gets exercise while pedaling to operate a machine.
"You pedal the bike, and you can mix any drink you want," Renato said. More importantly, he added, the same concept could be used to bring light to houses in remote regions of the rainforest.
19. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Bicycles are the best way to go about
B. Bikes should be made more comfortable to ride.
C. You can improve your bicycle for science research.
D. Many inventions are connected with the bicycle.
20. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. ISEF is an exhibiton displaying bicycle experiments designed by students.
B. Looking closely at things you are concerned about can lead to scientific research.
C. Renato’s improvement of the bicycle has solved the country’s great problem.
D. Renato’s special bicycle will soon be put into use in remote areas.’
21. The underlined word “address” in the third paragraph probably has the same meaning as _______.
A. make address written B. give up C. work at D. speak at
22. Renato’s special Multibike has all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. making knives sharp B. mixing any kind of drinks
C. producing electricity D. operating a machine with its own electricity
23. It can be inferred that Renato’s special bicycle is mainly designed for ________.
A. distant areas in the rainforest without electricity.
B. the use of his own family to make life easier.
C. the competition of ISEF to win money to support remote rainforests
D. enough exercise by pedaling it
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