Cursive(草书) writing is about to become extinct.Do we raise the red flag? To teach or not to teach cursive writing is a question that several state education departments are meeting with.
Before you read this text, do a simple exercise.Pick a pen and paper and start writing in cursive.Yes, that fancy handwriting that you learned in grade school.You may not have forgotten the good times you had while writing curly(弯曲的) Ms and Ns.However, the chances are that you won’t be able to write it as excellently as you used to.Some people are good at making the perfect curls, while some are bad.I am still terrible at it.
Cursive writing is hardly used by kids anymore as even adults don’t write in this style, unless they are using it for their signature.Learning it was a usual practice in school for several decades.However, in 2011, the Indiana Department of Education made it optional(可选择的) for schools to teach cursive writing to the students.In fact, there are 46 more states that have also done the same.
There are some who believe that it is high time for cursive writing to retire from school curriculum.After all, if we don’t leave the past behind, we cannot make way for new things.If you walk into any classroom, you would find children using keyboards to communicate in the written form.On the other hand, fans of cursive writing insist on its usefulness.They remind us that if we stop teaching and learning cursive writing in school, very soon most of our historical documents will become hard to us.Where do we stand on this subject? Is it the right time to erase an almost forgotten writing style and live in the keyboarding world? Or can we do both without compromising on our school curriculum? Let me know your thoughts on this matter by leaving a comment in the section below.From the second paragraph, we know that the author ___________.
| A．didn’t learn cursive writing in grade school |
| B．is poor at making the perfect curls |
| C．often writes in cursive |
| D．often does physical exercise |
In Indiana schools, children ___________.
| A．must learn cursive writing |
| B．are interested in cursive writing |
| C．can choose to learn cursive writing |
| D．learn cursive writing every day |
It can be inferred that the author __________.
| A．prefers to learn cursive writing |
| B．is a cursive writing teacher |
| C．welcomes people to show their opinions |
| D．is a very famous expert in education |
Which of the following could be the best title for the text?
| A．Is cursive writing necessary? |
| B．Is the keyboarding world good? |
| C．How to write in cursive |
| D．How to improve cursive writing |
When Jane put out the idea of homeschooling to her parents, the first reaction they gave was, “You are cutting the child off the world.’’ “Did the child really get cut off or did the child socialize better?”
The moment we hear of homeschooling, we think the child will have no opportunities to interact with peers. However, in my friend’s opinion, we forget that when attending a regular school, the child is not into socializing all the while. The child is restricted to so many other activities. Studies take a major role in a child’s life. The child hardly has the time to interact at school.
The child might be meeting and studying along with many peers; however, how many kids interact with all the kids in a class? But in homeschooling system, as my friend mentioned, the kid has all the time and can plan his day accordingly. During the day the child studies just like other school-going kids but with no burden of homework and project work, the child has so much free time in the evening as to effectively interact and play with peers. The quality time the child spends in education is really impressive.
Homeschooled kids have the opportunity to socialize more often as they have a lot of time in their hands. They can also make socializing a regular habit. Just as my friend said, her child goes to a neighboring park almost every day and has a set of friends who go there daily. Other children get back home to finish off homework and project work whereas her child who is already through with studies gets the opportunity to spend time with family members.
When I heard this, I really felt how lucky the child was. Definitely the child had a better opportunity to socialize when compared with my kid. However, I might not consider homeschooling for my kid, as I am so used to the conventional schooling system and feel regular schooling the safest bet.The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to_____________.
| A．express his views on homeschooling |
| B．explain what homeschooling is |
| C．share his ways of teaching his children |
| D．promote homeschooling |
What is the biggest advantage of homeschooled children?
| A．They will become braver. | B．They can be more popular. |
| C．They can socialize better. | D．They will know how to arrange time. |
What do we know about homeschooled children?
| A．They don’t interact with their peers often. |
| B．They have more spare time to play. |
| C．They are restricted to certain activities |
| D．They can’t gain enough knowledge. |
How does the passage mainly develop?
| A．By following the order of importance. |
| B．By following the order of time. |
| C．By making comparisons. |
| D．By presenting data. |
Disease, poverty, hate, love－Charles Dickens’ stories opened his readers eyes to the most important themes of his age. Two hundred years on, his stories still speak volumes across the world, proving that Dickens’ legacy（遗产）was far greater than just “great-literature”.
February 7 marks the 200th anniversary of the writer’s birthday. To mark this date, BBC writer Alex Hudson listed six things Dickens gave the modern world. Let’s take a look at two of them.
A White Christmas
Dickens is described as “the man who invented Christmas” － not the religious festival, but the cultural aspects that we associate with the festive season today.
In the early 19th century, Christmas was barely worth mentioning, according to critic and writer Leigh Hunt. The committee which ran the Conservative Party even held ordinary business meetings on Christmas Day－unthinkable in the West nowadays, when everyone but the most necessary workers takes at least three days off.
Many people believe that Dickens’ popular descriptions of the festive period became a blueprint for generations to come. In his classic novel, A Christmas Carol, he not only put forward the idea of snow at Christmas, but also painted a picture of glowing warmth－“home enjoyments, affections and hopes”.
In his biography of Dickens, Peter Ackroyd wrote: “Dickens can be said to have almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.”
“Dickens” poverty(贫穷)
Dickens was one of the first to take an honest look at the underclass and the poor of Victorian London.He helped popularize the term “red tape” to describe situations where people in power use needless amounts of bureaucracy(官僚作风) in a way that particularly hurts the weaker and poorer members of society.
“Dickensian” has now become a powerful word for describing an unacceptable level of poverty. In 2009, when the president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in the UK wanted to talk about poverty in some areas of Britain, she did not use words like “terrible” or “horrific”, but rather described it as “life mirroring the times of Dickens”.The article is mainly about____________
| A．a brief introduction to Charles Dickens |
| B．Charles Dickens’ influence on the world |
| C．the characters in Charles Dickens’ stories |
| D．Charles Dickens’ achievements in literature |
Why is Dickens called “the man who invented Christmas”?
| A．Because he created both religious and culture festival. |
| B．Because all his novels have something to do with Christmas. |
| C．Because one of his novels helped to shape Christmas celebrations. |
| D．Because he was the first man to have proposed celebrating Christmas. |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．Dickensian is widely used to describe the Christmas |
| B．Charles Dickens’ novels reflect the true life at his age |
| C．Every person can take three days off for Christmas |
| D．The theme of Charles Dickens’ stories is about poverty |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish.It is a person.But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy.Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got.A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise---he was left out in the cold.And it is not a pleasant place to be.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “____”.
| A．I think he is a cold fish |
| B．I give him the cold shoulder |
| C．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.
| A．she is a cold fish | B．she is out in the cold |
| C．she is a cold-blooded killer | D．she gets cold feet |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
| A．cold feet | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold-hearted | D．cold-blooded |
The topic of this passage is about _________.
| A．some expressions about friendship |
| B．how cold weather comes into being |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．the relationship between cold and our body |
◇Share flats happy valley big flat, 1 room ready for use immediately. quiet and convenient, fully furnished, park view. $6, 800 including bills with maid. female nonsmoker. no pet. sara 25720836 or 10077809.
◇ moving sale 2 armchairs, red/brown at $400 each; coffee table, black, wood, $800; oil painting, big, $900; tianjin carpet, green 3×7, $600; double bed, $500; mirror, big, square, $500; fridge, big, double-door, $1000; old pictures, $140, up, each; plants, big and small. tel: weekend, 2521-6011/weekday, 2524-5867.
◇ part-time laboratory assistant wanted required by busy electronics(电子) company to help with development of computer. should have an electronics degree and some practical experience of working in an electronics laboratory. hours 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. mon.-fri. fourteen days paid leave. salary ￥6598-￥10230 dependent on experience. letter of application to: mrs. g chan, nova electronics, 45 gordon rd, hung hom kowloon.The one who put on the first ad probably wants to _______.
| A．rent(租) a beautiful flat of her own in happy valley |
| B．find another lady to share the cost to rent a flat |
| C．share her room in a flat with whoever has no pet |
| D．take on a maid to look after herself and the flat |
According to the ads, you may _______.
| A．call at 2521-6011 and see a beautiful park |
| B．buy an old picture for $150 |
| C．buy two armchairs for $ 400 |
| D．hire a maid by paying $6 800 |
If you want to buy some old furniture, you may_______.
| A．get in touch with nova electronics |
| B．call at 2524-5867 any day except Monday |
| C．do it before you move to another place |
| D．call at either 2524-5867 on Monday or 2521-6011 on Saturday |
Once you can get a part-time job in nova electronics, _______.
| A．you have to work at least 4 hours a day |
| B．you should write a letter to mrs. g chan |
| C．you will get no more than $6 598 each money |
| D．you will be given 14 days off each year besides weekends |
DALLAS – A suburban Dallas woman accused of killing her two young children told a 911 operator that she first tried to poison them because they were autistic(自闭症) and she wanted "normal kids," then choked(窒息) them with a wire until they stopped moving, according to the recorded call.
Irving police on Wednesday released recordings of the 911 call after Saiqa Akhter was charged with capital murder in the death of her 5-year-old son, Zain Akhter and her 2-year-old daughter, Faryaal Akhter. Police said the children were attacked at the family's apartment Monday night.
In the recording released Wednesday, the woman identified herself as Saiqa Akhter and repeatedly told the operator she killed her two children. At one point, the woman hung up and the dispatcher(调度员) called her back.
"I killed both of them. I told you," she told the operator. Later, she explained that both children were lying motionless on the bed in the master bedroom.
"They are not doing anything. They are just blue and they are not taking any breaths and ... their heart is not beating," she said.
She told the operator she initially tried to poison the children with bathroom cleaner but they refused to drink it. When that didn't work, "I used a wire on their necks," she said.
When the operator asked the woman why she attacked her children, she said, "They're both not normal, not normal. They're autistic. Both are autistic." Pressed further, she said, "I don't want my children to be like that. ... I want normal kids."
Later, the dispatcher asked the woman what she was feeling. "Nothing," she responded.
At one point, water could be heard running in the background and the dispatcher asked what the woman what she was doing. She told the operator she was trying to wash the smell of cleaner off of her hands. The dispatcher then told the woman to go sit on a couch in the living room and wait for police.
At the end of the recording, police can be heard arriving at the home.The woman killed her two young children by____.
| A．poisoning them |
| B．choking them |
| C．first poisoning and then choking them |
| D．striking them with bathroom cleaner |
According to this passage, the killing happened_____.
| A．on Wednesday | B．on Monday night |
| C．on Monday morning | D．after the woman telephoned the 119 |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The woman`s two children were autistic. |
| B．The woman did not take the killing seriously. |
| C．The woman hanged up immediately after she called 911. |
| D．The children did not drink the bathroom cleaner. |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．A Dallas Mom Killing Her Two Children |
| B．A Woman Who Suffers From Autism |
| C．A Woman and Her Two Children |
| D．A Dallas Woman Murderer |
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