【推荐1】Around the world, 62 million girls are not in school. The White House’s Let Girls Learn effort aims to change that.

At 13, Hawa Abdulai Yorke left her family’s home, in Ghana, Africa, to live with an aunt who promised to send her to school. Instead, the aunt put Yorke to work as her maid. Determined to go to school, Yorke returned home and began selling water in a nearby city to raise
money for her education. She did that for three years. What hurt most was that her father had the money to pay the school fees. But he chose to spend the money on a motorcycle.

Yorke’s story is familiar to girls growing up in Ghana. There, a girl’s place is in the home. Educating girls is considered a waste of money.

“It happens more than it should, where parents have money to send their girls to school but choose not to,” says Ryan Roach, a Peace Corps volunteer in Ghana, where nearly 55% of girls are not enrolled in secondary school. “Cultural beliefs say education is not a wise investment(投资)”

The White House’s Let Girls Learn is working to change this view of girls’ education, in Ghana and in countries worldwide. First Lady Michelle Obama says parents have to be persuaded that girls’ education is a better investment than marriage or household labor. A World Bank study backs that up. It shows that for every year of secondary-school education, a girl’s earning power increases by 18%.

Today, Let Girls Learn works in 13 countries, and there are plans to expand the program. Recently, Let Girls Learn hosted a 24-hour event at which girls in different parts of Ghana joined Peace Corps volunteers, tech experts, and university students to brainstorm creative solutions for the barriers to girls’ education. Yorke’s team came up with an idea for an app that sends a recorded message to parents’ phones from a Ghanian celebrity about the benefits of girls 
attending school.

Yorke, now 22, is about to finish high school. Thanks to Let Girls Learn, she plans to attend college and study computer science. She says working alongside women college students at the Let Girls Learn event strengthened her determination. “I’m focused on my books,” says Yorke. “I know if I study hard, I, too, can go to the university and live a happy life.”

1. What was the attitude of Yorke’s aunt towards girls attending school?

A．She was against it.	B．She had no idea of it.
C．She was in favor of it.	D．She considered it hard work

2. According to Ryan Roach, the reasons for girls not receiving education is that ________.

A．they are too busy to go to school

B．their families are too poor to afford it

C．there are few secondary schools for girls

D．cultural beliefs prevent from attending school

3. What can we learn about Let Girls Learn?

A．It has spread all over the world.

B．It is a Ghana-based organization.

C．It aims to offer free education to girls.

D．It has got support from Michelle Obama

4. What’s Yorke’s next plan?

A．To further her studies.	B．To join in Let Girls Learn.
C．To write some books for girls.	D．To get a computer-related job.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．What people need is education

B．Encourage girls to attend school

C．Let girls to live a happy life

D．Educating girls is unnecessary

【推荐2】Beaches have been around in many schools. But a group of school kids in Cork in the south of Ireland are trying to do something a bit different with them. They have created a special bench called Buddy or Friendship Bench.

The idea for the bench came about last year, when Regina Farrell, school counselor at Mclntyre Elementary, was conducting a leadership group to help students overcome shyness and gain confidence. Four fourth-grade students came up with the idea when working with him.

The concept of the Buddy Bench is simple:Students who want to take part in playground games and activities, but may feel hesitant, can take a seat, which suggests to other children on the playground that they may needed an extra boost to participate. It builds kid’s self-esteem(自尊) to ask others to play with them. Likewise, reaching out to a peer who is feeling left out makes a great difference.

But do children actually use the benches? It’s something Sinead Mcgilloway from Maynooth University has been looking at. “We found that 40% of the children had actually used the benches at the time of the study. And over 90% said that they would talk to a child if that child sitting on the bench.”

“Since it was installed on Nov.16, the bench has been effective,” he added. “The simple concept has gained applause from the students, and already has created a more inclusive environment within the school community.”

“Each day, I go and see the Buddy Bench working,”Farrell said. “The lessons they are learning mow will benefit them their entire lives. It is simply a beautiful example of kids wanting to be kind and continue to be kind every day.”

1. From whom the idea for the Buddy Bench originated?

A．Regina Farrell	B．Left-out students.
C．Four students.	D．Sinead Mcgilloway.

2. What can shy students use the bench as?

A．A signal.	B．A defence.
C．An escape.	D．A boost.

3. What's the students' attitude to the bench according to Sinead?

A．They think it useless.	B．Their opinions divide.
C．Most of them accept it.	D．Most of them don't care.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Buddy Bench---A Simple Concept	B．Buddy Bench- More Than a Bench
C．Buddy Bench---A Beautiful Example	D．Buddy Bench---Everywhere in Schools

【推荐2】Handwriting has existed for about 6,000 years. It’s one of our most important inventions.    1     .

Most of us know, but often forget, that handwriting is not natural.    2     In early America, only wealthy men and businessmen learned to write. A “good hand” became a sign of class and intelligence as well as morality. Most, meanwhile, signed legal documents with a mere ‘X’ and the presence of a witness. Writing only spread to the masses in the 19^th century, after schools began teaching handwriting.

.    3     Left-handed students often had their arm tied tightly to their bodies, so they’d learn to write with the “correct” hand. In more modern times, you may remember spending hours learning the correct stroke(笔画), formation and spacing of upper- and lower-case letters.

But today, schools are shifting the focus to coursework in STEM – short for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. .    4     Technology has threatened writing long before every man, woman and child carried a phone. It came with the invention of the typewriter, which standardized written communication, and that same argument will reappear as technology advances.

I don’t know if handwriting will ever die. But today, the growing emphasis on typing is having far-reaching effects. To get a glimpse of the future, just look at the youth. Instead of curly Qs or crazy Ls, kids are using emoticons such as  or  to give a personal touch.

Typing is more democratic, too — it isn’t a complicated skill to master. Keyboards are changing the physical connection between writers and text, and people who can’t write by hand, like the blind, can now use tools to communicate only by touch.

Sure, I’ll miss the writing of letters, and the beautiful and well-practiced signature written with a pen.

A．Writing has always been serious business.

B．Without it, we wouldn’t be able to record knowledge or pass ideas from one generation to the next.

C．And while some pathways in our brains will weaken with the decline of handwriting, we’ll develop new ones as we swipe (滑动) and double-click our way into the future.

D．With limited hours and an increased pressure to meet higher standards, teachers are emphasizing technology and tablets and less of the written word.

E．It’s not like seeing or talking, which are what we are born with.

F．I suppose it’s easy to grieve over the passing of one era (年代) into another.

【推荐3】In Florida, a group of parents known as “the break moms” has been fighting to pass a law guaranteeing the state’s elementary-school students at least 20 minutes of daily free play.

In a survey of school-district administrators, roughly a third said their districts had reduced outdoor play in the early 2000s. Disadvantaged kids have been the most likely to be shortchanged (克扣). According to a 2003 study, just 56 percent of children living at or below the poverty line had break, compared with 83 percent of those above the poverty line a similar disparity (差异) existed between black children and their white peers.

The benefits of break might seem obvious-time to run around helps kids stay fit. But a large body of research suggests that it also promotes cognition (认知). Many studies have found that regular exercise improves mental function and academic performance. And an analysis of studies that focused specifically on break found positive associations between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in class.

In one series of experiments, researchers controlled break start times. Some days children were let out at 10 am. and other days at 10: 30. The kids attentiveness decreased when they had to wait longer for break and refreshed themselves after they played. And when fourth-graders in a break-free school were given a weekly break. Another group of researchers found that they had an easier time staying on task and were much less restless. These experimental findings are supported by an analysis of 10,000 questionnaires filled out by third-grade teachers: Even a single 15-minute daily break was connected with more-positive ratings of classroom behavior.

Perhaps most important, break allows children to design their own games to test their abilities, to role-play and to settle their own conflicts-activities that are key to developing social skills and managing complicated situations. Initial results from an ongoing study in Texas suggest that elementary-school children who are given four 15-minute breaks a day are significantly more sympathetic toward their peers than are kids who don’t get break.

1. What causes "the break moms" to start a fight?

A．Pupils lack of outdoor play.	B．Poor school management.
C．Absence of education laws.	D．Inequality among students.

2. In one series of experiments, researchers find that ________.

A．children behave better when let out earlier

B．kids waiting longer are unable to stay focused again

C．third-graders have difficulty in focusing on task

D．fourth-graders are more concentrated without a break

3. What can we infer if we can ensure children a certain amount of daily break?

A．They escape from life conflicts.

B．They may strengthen dependence.

C．They are more considerate towards others.

D．They are eager to manage complicated situations.

【推荐1】A child who suffers bullying(霸凌)usually has low self-esteem and ability to learn and be successful at school is greatly lessened. Therefore, bullying must be stopped.

The best and most obvious way to stop bullying in schools is for parents to change the way they raise their children at home. Of course, this is much easier said than done and everyone raises their children differently. Bullies, however, come from homes where physical punishment is used and children have been taught that physical violence is the way to handle problems and“get their way”. Bullies usually also come from homes where the parents fight a lot, so children have been modeled on such violence. Parental involvement is often lacking in bullies’ lives and there seems to be little warmth.

Early intervention(干预)is truly the best way to stop bullying, but parents of the victims or therapists(治疗师)cannot alter the bully’s home environment. Some things can be done at the school level, however. Most school programs that address bullying apply a multi-faceted method to the problem.

Hand out questionnaires to all students and teachers and discuss if bullying is occurring. Define exactly what constitutes(构成)bullying at school. The questionnaire is a wonderful tool that allows the school to see how widespread bullying is and what forms it is taking. It is a good way to start to solve the problem.

Get the children’s parents involved in a bullying program. If parents of the bullies and the victims are not aware of what is going on at school, then the whole bullying program will not be effective. Stopping bullying in school takes teamwork and concentrated effort on everyone’s part. Bullying also should be discussed during parent-teacher conferences and PTA meetings. Parental awareness is the key.

In the classroom setting. All teachers should work with the students on bullying. Oftentimes even the teacher is being bullied in the classroom and a program should be set up to teach about bullying. Children understand modeling behaviors and role-play and acting out bullying situations is a very effective tool. Have students role-play a bullying situation.

1. In the author’s opinion, bullies usually         .

A．experience or witness violence at home

B．know little of the harm of violence

C．look forward to parental involvement

D．have extremely high self-esteem

2. What does the underlined word “alter” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Understand

B．Remove.

C．Change

D．Approach

3. Paragraph 5 suggests that it’s important to         .

A．make parents conscious of bullying at school

B．let parents know their children are bullies

C．find the key to improving security at school

D．make a punishment program effective.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How to comfort those who are bullied.

B．What leads to violence in school.

C．What parents can do to stop bullying.

D．How to stop bullying in school

【推荐2】Having a hobby can greatly enrich a teenager’s life. However, many teens are unwilling to try a hobby. Here are some tips on how to help your teen explore his or her interests.

    1     A hobby is a lifelong interest that a person takes up for pleasure. No one can “assign” a person a hobby, as it’s a deeply personal thing. You can encourage a hobby, but it’s absolutely up to the teen.

Look for opportunities you think he or she might like. A good time for this is the beginning of a new school year, or the summer holidays.     2     At schools, there’s usually a system where teens are exposed to and encouraged to try out various interests.

Bring up ideas for interests, gently. Parents are the first people to spot opportunities for fun activities.     3     Mention possible enjoyable activities, but three times is generally enough. If your child does not want to do a hobby, respect it.

Be supportive of hobbies. It would be terrible to convince him or her to do something and then be too busy to help him or her enjoy it. Always be proud of what your teen accomplishes. If you know a lot about the hobby, just offer some advice if asked.     4    

Do not force your teen. If you attempt to force your teen to try something, it’s unlikely to end well.     5     Then stress that you’d really like him/her to continue, but the decision is not yours to make.

A．But avoid “taking over” a project.

B．Parents can never solve their teen’s problems.

C．But teenagers dislike being pushed into things.

D．He or she might be too stressed to accomplish it.

E．Hobbies are not something one is required to do.

F．If you are desperate, have your teen try something for just a week.

G．These are all times that various organizations and clubs are starting up.