The Yosufs' house is unlike any other house. In the sitting room, instead of a television there is a blackboard on the wall. For two hours every day Mr Yosuf writes complex mathematical problems on the board. His daughter, Zuleika, copies them into an exercise book and solves them.
Zuleika is special. She's five years old, but, instead of watching cartoons, or playing computer games, her favorite pastimes(消遣) are solving problems and reading books. She already spends hours every day in a university library. Next year, Zuleika will become Britain's youngest "A" level student.
Not surprisingly, the Yosufs are a very clever family. Zuleika's two sisters and brother, aged 16, 14 and 12 are also good at maths and are already at university. Her father, who specializes in maths research, has taught them all. "Zuleika is very competitive, " says her father, "She sees her brother and sisters working every day and she can't wait to catch up with them. I remember teaching the others maths when they were eight. Zuleika solves the same problems now, although she took up maths much earlier. We could see she was interested in numbers at a much younger age.
So what is the secret of their success? When their first child arrived, Mr Yosuf and his wife made up their minds to teach all of their children at home. They say that home teaching combined with love and understanding has helped their children to succeed. "We'll be patient and supportive, and they take pride in what they do, " says Mr Yosuf. "Maybe Zuleika has a natural talent for maths, but I believe given the right surroundings, any child could do well."
One thing all child prodigies(神童) have in common is a complete love of their subject. They spend many more hours working at it than the average child, and this extra effort is reflected in their achievements. It is not necessary to be extremely talented to be a child prodigy, but you do have to have a lot of motivation.
1. What does Mr. Yosuf use the blackboard for? (No more than 15 words)2. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2? (No more than 10 words)
3. What does the underlined word "surroundings" in paragraph 4 probably mean? (1 word)
4. What do all child prodigies have in common according to the text? (No more than 10 words)
5. What do you think of studying at home? Give your reasons. (No more than 20 words)
相似题推荐
Parents are creating an “I want it now” generation by indulging children’s every demand at Christmas，say experts.Youngsters are becoming increasingly selfish，claim the education analysts.
Consumersavvy children are forcing their families into racking up huge debts and risk becoming spoilt and dissatisfied in the future.
Behavioural consultant Chris Calland said，“Parents are desperate to make Christmas into a magical fairy tale for their kids.There’s nothing wrong with that as such.The problem arises when it means always giving into all our children’s demands—even if they are beyond our price range or not ageappropriate.”
Ms Calland，who runs “Santa Says No” style sessions with colleague Nicky Hutchinson，added，“Many of us go into so much debt providing the gifts our children want that we spend the rest of the year paying off the bills.Yet so often the parcels we’ve carefully wrapped，once opened，are just pushed away because the very thing our little boy or girl was once so desperate for，they have now lost interest in.”
Ms Calland and Ms Hutchinson have drawn up a list of guidelines to help parents manage their offspring’s Christmas lists this year.They say that adults can actually improve their relationships with their children by resisting “pester (纠缠) power”．
Ms Calland said，“All too often we say yes because we want an easier life when the fact is that we’re only building up problems for the future.We are helping create a generation of youngsters who are blind to the needs of others and the necessity of hard work.”
“Children learn fast—if we sometimes change our mind，they quickly realise it might be worth lying on the floor and screaming for it.Make sure you and your partner are working together on this.Be consistent.And try not to get caught up in competition with other families or friends.”
1. What is the main problem with the “I want it now” generation?
| A．They are quite selfcentered. |
| B．They like to live in fairy tales. |
| C．They waste a lot of money on gifts. |
| D．They can’t keep their interest in gifts. |
| A．To advise on how to wrap gifts properly. |
| B．To keep children’s interest in the gifts. |
| C．To tell parents how to say no to children’s demands. |
| D．To advise parents on what gifts to buy for children. |
| A．analyze children’s behavior |
| B．give advice to parents |
| C．introduce a new generation |
| D．give her support to parents |
| A．buy nothing for children at Christmas |
| B．choose gifts carefully for children |
| C．let children choose their own gifts |
| D．avoid competing with others |
It was a cold December, and things were tough. Mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own in our small community. We relied on social assistance to keep us clothed, and although our clothes were secondhand, we thought they were beautiful.
Looking back, I realized what Mum went through sending us kids to school. Every morning she would tuck (塞) a new piece of cardboard in our shoes because our soles (鞋底) were worn out. When we got home, Mum would have French toast ready for us. Our rent was $100 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it, and we knew we would move out right after Christmas on the first of January.
The holidays were fast approaching, and we were entitled to (有资格获得) $100 for Christmas from social services. It was four days before Christmas. Mum said that instead of buying food, she was going to use the money to pay our back rent. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer. Then she told us that there would be no Christmas gifts.
What Mom didn’t know was that I had been selling Christmas trees, sweeping snow and doing part-time jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots -- boots that weren’t patched (缝补); boots with no cardboard in it. I knew exactly which boots I wanted. They were ten-inch, Top-Genuine, Pierre Paris boots, and they cost $23.
The big day for getting my boots came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very excited as I hurried up the shopping center for it. On the way, I noticed a grocery store(杂货店).
1. What difficult situation was the author caught in? (3 points)2. What would the author do finally? (3 points)
3. What lesson has the author learnt from the experience? (4 points)
【推荐3】One of the greatest tests of a parent’s patience comes at night when you trying to get your children to fall asleep. You know you need to rock them, stroke their backs or just keep a comforting hand on them until they nod off.But that time is playing a zero-sum game(零和游戏)with your own need for sleep and something else you need to do:work, zone out on Netflix or just enjoy the quiet after the kids have gone to sleep.
When my older daughter was just a baby, I figured out a way to control my impatience: I’d count to 100,along with the slow back-and-forth sway or the calm and steady strokes of her back. It gave me the light at the end of the tunnel that almost always did the trick. My impatience would die down because I knew that I’d reach the goal.
The result was surprising. By not thinking over the activities waiting for me, I focused on my daughter instead. The numbers from 1 to 100 became the calm breath.I couldn’t hold complex thoughts on the top of counting, so deeper emotions surfaced, specifically love and appreciation of the small person I was holding and touching. I was less likely to get pulled away by unnecessary streams of thoughts and soon began to deeply enjoy these moments.
My daughter benefited from the extended touch as well. Science shows that the physical touch releases three chemicals in our brain associated with emotional and physical health benefits. These chemicals promote feelings of happiness and well-being, and increase pleasure while regulating mood and relieving anxiety. By holding and stroking our children, we’re conveying safety and trust, relieving stress and activating(激活)our bodies’ special nerves. This is what actual bonding with our child looks like.
My daughter is 11 years old now, and I still continue this nighttime ritual(惯例): Give her comforting and loving strokes and frequent hugs, maintaining a physical connection.
1. What probably causes parents to be extremely impatient at night?| A．Making their children fall asleep. |
| B．Staying up late for extra work. |
| C．Facing too much housework. |
| D．Searching for information online. |
| A．He got completely lost in thought. |
| B．He thought of traveling through the tunnel. |
| C．He came to realize his deep love for his child. |
| D．He was constantly interrupted by other thoughts. |
| A．Ways to calm ourselves down. |
| B．Advantages of the physical touch. |
| C．Benefits of keeping a good mood. |
| D．Roles of special chemicals in brains. |
| A．The challenge for children to fall asleep |
| B．The balance between family and career |
| C．A solution to conveying my impatience |
| D．A night routine to bond with my daughter |
【推荐1】Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn’t look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn’t offend the nose so much, either. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup!
1. Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin’s chicken house regularly?| A．To earn some money for the family. | B．To collect manure for his crops. |
| C．To get rid of the terrible smell. | D．To set a good example to us. |
| A．It is popular among the neighbors. | B．It contains honey and vegetables. |
| C．It looks very wonderful. | D．It tastes quite delicious. |
| A．To attract. | B．To upset. | C．To air. | D．To shut. |
| A．He is an experienced cook. | B．He is a troublesome father. |
| C．He has a positive attitude to life. | D．He suffers a lot from his disability. |
【推荐2】I know when the snow melts and the first robins (知更鸟) come to call, when the laughter of children returns to the parks and playgrounds, something wonderful is about to happen.
Spring cleaning.
I’ll admit spring cleaning is a difficult notion (概念) for modern families to grasp. Today’s busy families hardly have time to load the dishwasher, much less clean the doormat. Asking the family to spend the weekend collecting winter dog piles from the melting snow in the backyard is like announcing there will be no more Wi-Fi. It interrupts the natural order.
“Honey, what say we spend the weekend beating the rugs, sorting through the boxes in the basement and painting our bedroom a nice lemony yellow?” I say.
“Can we at least wait until the NBA matches are over?” my husband answers.
But I tell my family, spring cleaning can’t wait. The temperatures has risen just enough to melt snow but not enough for Little League practice to start. Some flowers are peeking out of the thawing ground, but there is no lawn to seed, nor garden to tend. Newly wakened from our winter’s hibernation (冬眠), yet still needing extra blankets at night, we open our windows to the first fresh air floating on the breeze and all of the natural world demanding “Awake and be clean!”.
Biologists offer a theory about this primal impulse to clean out every drawer and closet in the house at spring’s first light, which has to do with melatonin, the sleepytime hormone (激素) our bodies produce when it’s dark. When spring's light comes, the melatonin diminishes, and suddenly we are awakened to the dusty, virus-filled house we’ve been hibernating in for four months.
I tell my family about the science and psychology of a good healthy cleaning at spring’s arrival.
I speak to them about life’s greatest rewards waiting in the removal of soap scum from the bathtub, which hasn’t been properly cleaned since the first snowfall.
“I’ll do it,” says the eldest child, a 21-year-old college student who lives at home.
“You will? Wow!” I exclaim.
Maybe after all these years, he’s finally grasped the concept. Maybe he’s expressing his rightful position as eldest child and role model. Or maybe he’s going to Florida for a break in a couple of weeks and he’s being nice to me who is the financial-aid officer.
No matter. Seeing my adult son willingly cleaning that dirty bathtub gives me hope for the future of his 12-year-old brother who, instead of working, is found to be sleeping in the seat of the window he is supposed to be cleaning.
“Awake and be clean!” I say.
1. According to the passage, “… spring cleaning is a difficult notion for modern families to grasp” means that spring cleaning______.| A．is no longer an easy practice to understand |
| B．is no longer part of modern family life |
| C．requires more family members to be involved |
| D．calls for more complicated skills and knowledge |
| A．Beating the rugs. | B．Cleaning the window. |
| C．Restoring Wi-Fi services. | D．Cleaning the backyard. |
| A．The production of melatonin in our bodies varies at different times. |
| B．Melatonin is more likely to cause sleepiness in our bodies. |
| C．The reduction of melatonin will cause wakefulness in our bodies. |
| D．The amount of melatonin remains constant in our bodies. |
| A．Surprised and skeptical. | B．Joyful and hesitant. |
| C．Relieved and optimistic. | D．Optimistic and hesitant. |
【推荐3】Lately,my 90-year-old mom has been more and more quiet and sleepy.This is very odd and disturbing.At the same time,my 92-year-old father has been suffering his own health problems.It is terrible to see my father struggle to get her to talk,say something,when she doesn’t have the energy.
The other day,I recalled how my mother used to visit a woman named Mrs.Demopolis,a Greek immigrant,who made the best baklava（果仁饼）!She gave lessons on baking hem to my mother.Also,my mom used to bake baklava often for a time and that was absolute pleasure.As I spoke of this over the phone,my silent mom cheered up and said how much she’d like o have one again.
Now,they live in Florida and I like in Wales,UK with my husband and children,so I can’t go and bring her some baklava or even make some in her kitchen.But what I did suggest was that my father or sister should buy some baklava at a Greek Restaurant and I should do she same,and wouldn’t it be fun to eat our baklava at exactly the same time and so,be together sharing the moment and the pleasure?Both parents loved the idea and we decided to do it.It was lovely to hear a little happiness in her voice.
Tow days later we both had our baklava and shared the experience.It meant a lot to my parents,and to me,to do this.My mother said she wants to do this again,maybe with another food or even baklava again! Why not?And as she only keeps losing weight instead of gaining,it is good for her to find foods that appeal to her appetite.It is becoming harder to find ways to communicate over the phone,but this was this was at least a very good way to do so.And it was nice,as well,to remind us of pleasant memories of our past.
1. What has mainly worried the author lately?| A．Her father is suffering from illness. |
| B．Her mother is becoming less active. |
| C．Her mother refuses to talk with her father. |
| D．She has difficulty helping her sick parents. |
| A．Mrs Demopolis should buy some baklava for her mother. |
| B．Her mother should make some baklava in her kitchen. |
| C．Her family should get together to comfort her mother. |
| D．Her family should eat the same food at the same time separately. |
| A．She is getting thinner. |
| B．She is still unconscious. |
| C．She will only eat baklava. |
| D．She has found her favourite foods. |
| A．The author’s father has lost ability to talk to his wife. |
| B．The author’s mother learned to make baklava from a Greek immigrant. |
| C．The author’s mother had little excitement when hearing the suggestion. |
| D．The author’s author and her parents live separately in different counties in the UK. |
【推荐1】Parents often think that their kids should be good at studies and do well in sports. That’s usually the case because parents feel that could get their children admission to top colleges. However, Melissa and Mark Wimmer think differently.
Their 14-year-old son, Mike, is a prodigy. He is a member of Mensa, which is the world’s top IQ club. He completed his high school, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees all in three years. That’s not all. He also ran two tech companies, founded a third one that works towards controlling the population of lionfish, an invasive (入侵的) species.
But the parents are proud that they were able to help Mike with his social skills along with his intellectual skills. Melissa told CNBC that people expected “Young Sheldon” before they met her son. Young Sheldon is a television show about a child talent who is an indoor man and lacks social skills. “But once they talk to Mike, they understand that he’s just a normal 14-year-old that happens to be able to do amazing things,” said Melissa.
Mark and Melissa got to know about their child’s intelligence when he entered preschool. A child psychologist told them that their son would need a different course to support his fast-track development. Many parents aren’t comfortable with putting their children with 18-year-olds, but Mike’s parents saw the value in letting their child go through it. “I wanted him to be social and be able to deal with all the different personalities in the classrooms with older children,” said Melissa.
The parents shared that they were able to do this by letting Mike find his own voice and put it to use. “We let him order food when he’s 3 or 4 from the waiter or waitress and introduce himself to people. Those kinds of things are done to encourage him to engage with everyone else and be more comfortable talking to others outside of our environment,” said Melissa.
Thanks to his parents, Mike has learned to get along with young and old alike.
1. What do the underlined words “a prodigy” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A gifted person. | B．A famous student. |
| C．A brilliant biologist. | D．A successful businessman. |
| A．He likes to make friends. | B．He is a well-rounded man. |
| C．He is a popular child actor. | D．He is poor at dealing with people. |
| A．Through a recommendation from a child psychologist. |
| B．Through observing Mike’s behavior in preschool. |
| C．Through participating in a special educational program. |
| D．Through the information provided by Mike’s school teachers. |
| A．Teach him some communication rules. | B．Encourage him to speak in class. |
| C．Place him in social situations. | D．Let him go to school alone. |
【推荐2】When it comes to generation gap (代沟), we usually think of different tastes in music, or pastimes. But now the generation gap is handwriting. After one teacher in Tennessee discovered that she had students who couldn’t read what she was writing on the board, she posted it on the Internet saying that handwriting should be taught in schools.
Others who are against it claim that handwriting has become out of time in our modern world. Typed words have become a main form of communication. Once a practical skill, handwriting is no longer used by most of Americans. It is no longer taught in schools, and some claim that the time that it would take to teach it could be put to better use, for example, by teaching the technical skills.
But even in today’s world there are still plenty of reasons to pick up a pen and write on the paper. In America, signatures (签字) by hand are still often required, for example, signing for a registered letter and buying a house. And original signatures are much more difficult to fake (伪造).
There is also strong evidence that writing by hand is good for the mind. It makes a different part of the brain active and improves fine moving skills in young children. People are also more likely to remember what they write by hand than what they type, and the process of writing by hand has been shown to stimulate ideas. Not only those, studies have shown that kids who write by hand learn to read and spell earlier than those who don’t.
Yes, we live in a modern world, but we live in a modern world of basic and important values.
1. What did the teacher find in her class?| A．Her students were too lazy to follow her class. |
| B．Her handwriting was too terrible to understand. |
| C．There was something wrong with some students, eyes. |
| D．Some students could not recognize her written words on the board. |
| A．handwriting is a practical skill |
| B．handwriting is no longer popular |
| C．it’s difficult to fake typed signatures |
| D．handwriting is no longer used by Americans |
| A．3. | B．4. | C．7. | D．8. |
| A．cause | B．collect | C．exchange | D．influence |
【推荐3】According to a recent study, most people hold the strong belief that much imagination has gone away.
Make connections. It involves taking unrelated ideas and trying to find connections between them.
Set no limits. Imagine that normal limitations do not exist. You have as much imagination as you want.
| A．Be someone else. |
| B．In fact, they are mistaken. |
| C．Do something different from others. |
| D．This may affect your work and your life. |
| E．Here are some ways to fire your imagination. |
| F．Think about the problem to solve or the job to do. |
| G．Consider your goal and the new possibilities carefully. |
【推荐1】Hard work really does pay off. Scientists find that perseverance(坚持不懈)leads to better grades and higher achievements in school.
“Being passionate(热情的)is not enough to ensure academic success,” says researchers, who thought of “courage” as a key to success. This is also regarded as effort in reaching long-term goals, and determination to continue one’s efforts in spite of hardships.
Researchers think that the finding could help create new training to help children develop the skill and help ensure their future success.
Researchers from the Academy of Finland studied more than 2,000 students from Helsinki. They were followed through their academic career from 12 to 16, the sixth grade until the ninth grade in local school years. Researchers found that the factor that best predicts courage was related to goals, with previous academic achievements playing no role in developing the skill.
Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro, who led the study, said, “Courage means a young person is really interested in his or her studies and does not give up easily. A key element of courage is high perseverance when facing difficulties and hardships. The important finding is that these factors are the key to success and well-being. Our study shows the power of courage.”
Professor Salmela-Aro also thinks it is important to develop new practices and qualities to improve courage in teenagers. She added, "Young people should see everyday school work as part of their life in a broader context and establish achievable goals for themselves. Schools must also serve as a place where it is safe to fail and learn to deal with weaknesses. One must not be discouraged by weaknesses, but draw strength and new energy from them.
1. What can we learn about the research?| A．It takes at least three years. | B．It helps students make progress. |
| C．It meets many difficulties. | D．It follows 2,000 students abroad. |
| A．Focus on former grades. | B．Achieve their dreams. |
| C．Try all their best. | D．Forget sadness. |
| A．A picture book. | B．A literature book. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．An educational magazine. |
| A．Being passionate is the key to success. |
| B．Courage counts in better achievements in school. |
| C．Professor Katariina’s finding is amazing. |
| D．Young people should set achievable goals. |
【推荐2】When mothers I know talk about their gifted kids, I will have a lot of conflicting emotions. I get it that the moms are proud, and surely, I don’t mind hearing about the kids’ other amazing achievements. It’s the gifted thing that gets me.
I would probably feel differently if my daughter Violet was some great prodigy. Maybe I would be out there bragging (吹嘘) with some mothers if she was reading on an eighth grade level instead of struggling through “I’ll Teach My Dog a Lot of Words”. Like every other parent, I had dreams of Violet being some kind of combination of Lincoln and Mozart. But in schoolwork at least, Violet seems solidly normal, ahead of some in her class, behind when compared to others.
But why do I care? Normal is a good thing! Normal is great! As it is, what I’d like to brag about seems like a thing people never care about. My Violet is a really great little girl. She’s a little hothead, with a temper, but she also cares about other people’s feelings. When friends of hers are sick, she wants to make them little cards and pictures to help them feel well. A new little girl came to her classroom last week, and Violet noticed she was feeling lonely and scared, so she asked the new girl to play at break.
But no one brags how nice their kid is. Too bad. That’s the kind of thing I’d like to hear. I don’t think I’d mind listening to lots of stories of kindness. “Oh yeah? Well, my kid took his plate to the sink without asking!” “Yeah? My kid lined up his shoes in rows in his closet and then sat on my lap and told me I was pretty!” Listening to those kinds of stories makes me feel cheery. They make me feel like the world is a good place, full of people who care for each other. Unlike those about kids who are trying to be the best.
1. Hearing other moms bragging about their gifted kids, the author feels______.| A．calm | B．proud | C．uncomfortable | D．surprised |
| A．A person who studies hard. | B．A person who acts unwisely. |
| C．A person with unusual abilities. | D．A person with a great personality. |
| A．She is intelligent. | B．She is kind-hearted. |
| C．She is a perfect girl. | D．She is sometimes lonely. |
| A．kids’ happy lives | B．kids’ achievements |
| C．kids’ good character | D．kids’ wonderful talents |
【推荐3】As a children’s author, I don’t just write books. I build bridges. I carefully construct each of my stories to connect readers to the story itself, to the characters in the story, and to other readers.
My goal is to build kids’ social-emotional learning skills to help improve healthy relationships and prevent peer cruelty. And since October is National Bullying Prevention Month, this is the perfect time to share with you, dear book lovers, how literature can be used as an effective tool to address hurtful behaviors.
What I’m describing here is nothing new. For years, children’s literature has been used by advisors, parents, teachers, and librarians to address tough issues kids face in their everyday world.Researchers report that literature, with proper adult guidance and assistance in a safe social setting,can help form viewpoint and empathy (同情) in young readers. And let’s face it: the more empathy and compassion kids have in their hearts, the less room there is for arrogance and contempt (蔑视) of others.
I love what Dr. Zipora Schectman, author ofTreating Child and Adolescent Aggression Through Bibliotherapy, said in the book: “Through the imaginative process that reading involves, children have the opportunity to do what they often cannot do in real life — become thoroughly involved in the inner lives of others, better understand them, and eventually become more aware of themselves.”
Because the social world of today’s children is very complex, I try to include in my stories the wisdom and insights of young readers, so that my books go hand in hand with their life experiences and views.
There are also many other wonderful books that generate thoughtful conversations (my website lists my top picks-from pre-school to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction). If you’re looking for ways to turn stories into teachable moments, visit authors’ or publishers’ websites for ready-made lesson plans. With lessons in hand, you’re ready to open the hearts and minds of young readers to new perspectives and possibilities!
1. Why is it important to teach kids to have empathy and compassion?| A．They will help kids address tough issues. |
| B．They will make kids treat others equally. |
| C．They will make kids more optimistic toward life. |
| D．They will make kids form right attitude to life. |
| A．The influence of literature on children. |
| B．Tough issues children face today. |
| C．The importance of imagination. |
| D．Interaction between children. |
| A．ask us to visit his website |
| B．make a summary of his view |
| C．call attention to his books |
| D．recommend more books to us |
| A．Social-emotional learning skills are important to children. |
| B．Children can’t go without wonderful books. |
| C．Literature can help to handle emotionally damaging manners. |
| D．Literature can have powerful influence on children. |
