The Case for Classics
Many high school students complain when they look at a course syllabus for Chinese and know they should read The Story of the Stone and other pieces of classic literature.
Furthermore, as students read classic works, they begin to see history in a new way. Living in the modern world, most teens don't think about that human civilization has been around for a longtime.
One of the most important reasons to study classic literature, however, is to expand one's mind.
| A．Clearly, that's why it is so important. |
| B．These were things that were on people's minds at that time. |
| C．Students often wonder why they have to study “ancient” writing. |
| D．To sum up, classic literature is important in a high school education. |
| E．They don't realize they have the same experiences with ancient people, either. |
| F．Reading writings from long ago can be like going back through a time machine. |
| G．Appreciating the writing style in classics can stretch the brain and make it stronger. |
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【推荐1】Drinking can make teens feel good, but that lasts only a short time. Alcohol clouds your brain and limits your ability to make decisions. Excessive drinking gradually makes your brain shrink and can cause serious damage. Over-drinking can cause learning disabilities and damage your memory. It distorts your vision and leads to blackouts. Teenagers often think that drinking will give you more energy, but alcohol isn’t an energy drink; it’s a depressant.
Drinking and driving is one of the top causes of death for teen boys. An alcohol-related motor vehicle crash kills one person every 33 minutes and injures someone every two minutes. The rate of teenagers driving drunk is so high that the government is trying to pass new laws restricting(限制) teen driving.
When we get to high school, friends start pressuring us to drink. High school students see alcohol a way to become popular. I created a survey at my school. Twenty-four of the 63 respondents predicted they would drink in high school. Eleven said maybe, and 28 said they don’t plan on drinking. Regardless of what they say now, things can change. Teens starting high school want to fit in.
Some people will do anything to be accepted, including potentially hurting themselves. They think that one drink won’t do anything. A little bit of alcohol probably won’t kill you, but it can lead to poor decisions. High school is the time to experiment with what you want to do in life, but if you’re experimenting with alcohol you could hurt someone, including yourself.
1. The government is passing laws to restrict teen driving because _________.| A．Teens’ drunk driving cause deaths easily |
| B．Many teens like driving |
C．Alcohol weakens the d riving skills of teens |
| D．Most teens are poor in driving skills |
| A．They think drinking is quite interesting |
| B．They want to fit in with the surroundings |
| C．They want to imitate adults around them |
| D．They don’t think high school an important period |
| A．Most teens in high schools like drinking |
| B．Teens who drink are mostly forced to do so |
| C．One little sip of alcohol ruins one’s memory |
| D．The start of drinking potentially damages one’s life |
| A．Drinking can make teens feel good for a long time. |
| B．Drinking is becoming very common in high schools. |
| C．Surrounding people and environment affects teens in drinking. |
| D．Drinking is bad to one’s brain but good to one’s body. |
【推荐2】Some high school students think it useless to receive higher education.
Though we are limited (限制) within the walls of the educational places, we openly explore other cultures of the world!
When there’s a decrease in the economy (经济), those who attended college will be more likely to find a new job than those who only finished high school and have a limited skill set. The more education you have, the more chances you will get to improve the quality of your life as you have a better job and earn more money.
When you’re skillful and knowledgeable, you can get close to people of similar backgrounds and tastes.
| A．So they choose not to go to college. |
| B．We come to know that ours is not the only culture. |
| C．A good education makes you a more interesting person. |
| D．It means a good education leads to excellent networking. |
| E．There is a very terrible side to earning a good education too. |
| F．Schools and universities are the first places to get knowledge. |
| G．It has long been understood that an education can lead to long-term financial (财政) success. |
【推荐3】When 1 speak to other parents about how responsible my kids are, I often get laughed at or they make a comment about how strict a parent I must be. Giving kids responsibilities is a must. It is parent’s job to make their kids become responsible adults and to prepare them for the real world and life as an adult.
Kids as young as toddlers (学走路的孩子) can be given small jobs to do and can help you around the house, in the garden, at the grocery store, etc. They can do little jobs like setting the table, helping to make the bed, washing dishes, washing the car and so on. When you let children do small jobs at a young age and make it fun, encourage, praise and thank them, it quickly becomes normal and a part of life. Kids who are given different responsibilities grow up with a much greater sense of self-worth, self-esteem and are more confident. As the children grow, their responsibilities grow and expand.
Doing everything for children or not allowing them to make mistakes and learn from them is not being a positive, responsible parent. The kids will more than likely end up with bad attitudes, and usually have no respect for their parents or other adults and at times have no respect for themselves. When your kids are ready to leave home, they should be responsible, capable and confident.
It is my opinion that parents arc to be thanked or to be blamed (责备) for just how kids take control of their lives. They are a product of their environment, mirroring what they have seen and what you have taught them. Parenting is the hardest job in the world and none of us are perfect, but it is our job!
1. What do other parents think when the author says her child is responsible?| A．They think it not rare. | B．They think it acceptable. |
| C．They think it not good. | D．They think it lucky. |
| A．making small jobs fun | B．giving them simple jobs to do |
| C．praising and encouraging them | D．setting a good example to them |
| A．is bad for their development | B．shows no respect for children |
| C．is difficult for every parent | D．shows parents’ responsibility |
| A．To explain the responsibilities of parents. |
| B．To show her experience in raising children. |
| C．To advise parents to make children responsible. |
| D．To encourage kids to be responsible. |
【推荐1】Life has a way of shaping us. Life can make you doubt or question your purpose.
Poetry prepared me for my purpose. I did not see this initially, so I tried taking a different direction.
In my journey towards purpose, poetry became my safety net. Poetry was my outlet from bullying by peers, which gave me low self-esteem.
However, writing poetry lacks financial stability.
Where you are is preparing you for your purpose. Your purpose is waiting for you!
| A．I pursued teaching instead |
| B．I started writing poems at age 5 |
| C．My original plan never worked out |
| D．The only person standing in your way is you |
| E．It showed me how to make sense of the world |
| F．Poetry is my voice to be seen, heard and known |
| G．However, when you live out your purpose, you are unstoppable |
【推荐2】Arthur Miller(1915--2005)is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists (剧作家) of the 20th century. Miller’s father had moved to the USA from Austria-Hungary, drawn like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 the family lost everything. As a teenager, Miller delivered bread every morning before school to help the family. At college he worked several jobs to pay for his tuition (学费).
Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with his worth. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment (多愁善感):If he can’t do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.
1. Why did Arthur Miller’s father move to the USA?| A．He failed to manage his family business. |
| B．He hoped his son would be well educated. |
| C．He experienced severe financial difficulty. |
| D．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”. |
| A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world |
| B．focuses on the skills in performing successful business |
| C．introduces employees’ proper behaviors in the company |
| D．explains the reasons for the death of American salesman |
| A．family | B．play |
| C．death | D．marriage |
【推荐3】William Wordsworth wrote that “the human mind is capable of excitement without the application of violent stimulants(刺激)”. And it appears that simply reading those words proves his point.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and the like had a beneficial effect on the mind. It can catch the reader's attention and trigger(触发) moments of self-reflection.
Using scanners, they monitor the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their original form and in a modern translation.
And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more challenging prose(散文) and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the easier versions.
The research also found poetry, in particular, increased a activity in the right part of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical(自传式的) memory”, which helped the reader to reflect on their own experiences. The researchers said this meant the classic were more useful than self-help books.
The brain response of 30 volunteers were watched in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in different forms.
In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious aged man him have you madded”, before reading the simpler version: “A father and a gracious aged man; him you have annoyed”. Shakespeare's use of “mad” as a verb caused a higher level of brain activity than the straightforward prose.
The next stage of the research was looking at the degree to which poetry could affect psychology and provide therapeutic(治疗的) benefit. Volunteers' brains were scanned while reading four lines by Wordsworth, and four “translated” lines were also provided.
The first version caused more brain activity, wake up not only the left part of the brain connected with language, but also the right part that relates to autobiographical memory and emotion.
“Poetry is not just a matter of style. It is also about deep versions of experience that add the emotional to the cognitive(认知的),” said Prof Davis, who will present the findings at the North of England education conference in Sheffield this week.
1. The words by William Wordsworth in paragraph 1 are used to________.| A．prove the poet's point | B．introduce the topic |
| C．serve as an example | D．stress the importance of reading |
| A．It excites the reader’s mind. |
| B．It reflects the reader's experience. |
| C．It arouses the reader's curiosity. |
| D．It monitors the reader's brain activity. |
| A．Comparing responses. | B．Analyzing data. |
| C．Observing activities. | D．Testing ability. |
| A．its style | B．its language |
| C．its depth | D．its writer |
