Do American children still learn handwriting in school? In the age of the keyboard, some people seem to think handwriting lessons are on the way out. Ninety percent of teachers say they are required to teach handwriting. But studies have yet to answer the question of how well they are teaching it. One study published this year found that about three out of every four teachers say they are not prepared to teach handwriting. Some teachers are teaching handwriting by providing instruction for 10 ~15 minutes a day, and then other teachers basically teach it for 60 ~ 70 minutes a day — which really is pretty much for handwriting.
Many adults remember learning that way — by copying letters over and over again. Today’s thinking is that short periods of practice are better. Many experts also think handwriting should not be taught by itself. Instead, they say it should be used as a way to get students to express ideas. After all, that is why we write.
Handwriting involves two skills. One is legibility, which means forming the letters so they can be read. The other is fluency — writing without having to think about it. Fluency continues to develop until high school. But not everyone masters these skills. Teachers commonly report that about one fourth of their kids have poor handwriting. Some people might think handwriting is not important any more because of computers and voice recognition programs.
But Steve Graham at Vanderbilt University says word processing is rarely done in elementary school, especially in the early years. American children traditionally first learn to print, and then to write in cursive, which connects the letters. But guess what we have learned? More than 75 per cent of students choose to print their essays on the test rather than write in cursive.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1? ________.| A．Teaching handwriting is a basic requirement in the teaching job |
| B．Most teachers prefer to teach handwriting |
| C．Teachers spend little time in teaching handwriting |
| D．The keyboard has taken the place of the handwriting entirely |
| A．The students are taught by practising for a long period. |
| B．The letters are repeated many times. |
| C．Handwriting includes two skills. |
| D．To write in cursive is taught first. |
| A．How to improve handwriting in school |
| B．Right or wrong: the death of handwriting |
| C．Handwriting involves two skills |
| D．Handwriting lessons are on the way out |
| A．negative | B．objective |
| C．critical | D．unconcerned |
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【推荐1】It has long been believed that the smart phones in our pockets are actually making us duller； but now there is evidence for it.
Researchers at the University of Texas discovered that people are worse at conducting tasks and remembering information if they have a smart phone within eye shot. In two experiments they found phones sitting on a desk or even in a pocket or handbag would distract users and lead to worse test scores even when it was set up not to disturb test subjects. The effect was measurable even when the phones were switched off, and was worse for those who were more dependent on their mobiles.
The researchers tested 520 university students on their memory and intelligence when in the presence of a smart phone to see how it affected them. Participants were told to complete tests in mathematics, memory and reasoning with their smart phones either on their desk, in their bag or pockets，or in another room. Those who had their phones on the desk recorded a 10 per cent lower score than those who left them in a different room on operational tasks, which measures working memory and focus. Those who kept their phones further out of sight in their pockets or their bags scored only slightly better than when phones were placed on desks.
The researchers found that the negative effect of having a phone within eye shot was much greater among those who said they were dependent on their smart phones. Participants who had expressed sympathy with phrases such as “I would have trouble getting through a normal day without my cellphone” and “using my cellphone makes me feel happy” performed as well as others when their phone was in a different room，but worse when it was placed on their desk.
The researchers said the effect arises because part of a smart phone users’ mind is devoted to trying not to think about distractions such as whether they have any messages when the smart phone is in their sight.
1. For the people who scored the lowest, where did they put their cellphone?| A．On the desk | B．In their bags. |
| C．In their pockets. | D．In a different room. |
| A．People shouldn’t have a smart phone. |
| B．Phones wouldn’t distract users when switched off. |
| C．Those depending on mobiles are more likely to be distracted. |
| D．Their research has completely changed people’s view on smart phones. |
| A．Using cellphones made them feel happy. |
| B．They focused on trying to ignore distractions. |
| C．They spent much time on the received messages. |
| D．They couldn’t get through a day without cellphones. |
| A．Book review. | B．A Science fiction. |
| C．Cellphone advertisement. | D．A news report. |
【推荐2】Today we eat on the go, at our desks and even in front of computers. We eat takeout, delivered and packaged meals.
“Over the past three decades, people have started eating out more than ever before and purchasing more prepared foods at the grocery store, which tend to contain more fat, salt and sugar than their home-made foods,” noted US healthy living website Spark People.
Starting at the table,the movement promotes an unhurried way of life founded on the idea that everyone has a right to cooking pleasure,and that everyone must also take responsibility to “protect the heritage(遗产)of food, tradition and culture that make this celebration of the senses possible”, wrote The Phnom Penh Post.
“
| A．It is a way to bring back the social togetherness of yesterday. |
| B．It seems that we have adapted our foods to our fast-paced lives. |
| C．So the Slow Food Movement has occurred against this fast-food trend. |
| D．Slow Food doesn’t necessarily mean food that takes a long time to cook. |
| E．It is based on the idea that we should spend as much time as possible on cooking. |
| F．It’s not only the food itself but also the time we spend dining together that matters. |
| G．At that time, he asked people to follow a more sustainable (可持续的) living model. |
【推荐3】Robots have been around for six decades or so. Originally, they were simple devices which did as they were told, working on assembly lines (流水线) in a robotic manner. They were often kept in cags to stop people getting too close. Now, they are stepping out of their cages, equipped with advanced sensors and machine learning. Clearly, the pace of automation is likely to see up, for two reasons.
The first reason is that covid-19 has created social changes which look likely to continue. The “Great Resignation”, in which millions around the world have quit their jobs, may in part be a consequence of lockdowns creating new opportunities for home working. These so-called lifestyle choices about which jobs to do, together with creaking (岌岌可危的) supply chains and a boom in e-commerce, have left warehouses and many other businesses struggling to employ workers.
The second reason is that the robots are getting better. In factories, they are working alongside people. Such robots will increasingly help out in other places too, including hospitals, and in roles, such as caring for an ageing society — which, post-covid, has got used to a more technological future for health care, with “telemedicine” via remote doctors and health-monitoring mobile-phone apps.
Even so, the rise of robots makes some people fear for their jobs and ask how they will earn a living. There is a similar fear in health care that robots will destroy jobs. Indeed, instead of destroying jobs, robots can create them by making businesses more efficient, allowing firms to expand. As Dr. Christensen points out, for the past decade manufacturing employment in America has grown, even as the number of factory robots increased.
Although some experts believe robots will enhance human capability, one problem is that regulation falls behind technology. It seems an awful lot of meetings lie ahead for roboticists and regulators to determine how machines and people will work together.
1. How is Paragraph 1 developed?| A．By providing an example. | B．By quoting a saying. |
| C．By making a comparison. | D．By explaining a concept. |
| A．The tendency to work at home. | B．The broken-down supply chains. |
| C．The development of e-commerce. | D．The difficulty in employing workers. |
| A．Experts’ arguments about robots. | B．Robots’ influence on employment. |
| C．People’s worries about losing jobs. | D．Improvement in business efficiency. |
| A．Favourable. | B．Critical. | C．Indifferent. | D．Intolerant. |
【推荐1】At heart, parents always wish the best for their children, and they work hard for that. Nowadays, we see parents deciding the schools for their little ones before the baby is even born. Once kids start going to school, some parents want to have a time-to-time update of their kid's activities. They want to come to the classroom every day, keep an eye on whom they talk to, know the friends they keep, start telling them how to do their job, and keep talking or giving a feedback(反馈) to them about everything under the sun. Besides, they send their kids for extra hobby classes, as they want their children to do best in every field.
When it comes to the education, super mom and dad have all the plans made for their children, and I am sure that they have come up with the best. So, try to fight for the dreams that your parents have set for you. However, in some cases, it may happen that the kids have some different dreams. Parents sometimes don't even consider the choice of their kids and may force them to do what they wanted to do in life. It's good to plan the future for the children, but leave at least some decisions to them.
So what should the children do? First, hear out all the plans that your parents have made for you. If you have some different ideas, then sit down and talk to your family about it. Be patient and respect their decisions, but put your plan forth, and make them understand what you want to do and why. Many times, you are not aware of the difficulties that you may have to face while pursuing your dreams. Ask your parents for suggestions, which will make them feel good and involved. That way, they may support you if you are going on the right path.
1. The parents described in Paragraph 1 tend to .| A．have a good understanding of their children |
| B．worry a lot about their children |
| C．take good care of their children |
| D．expect too much from their children |
| A．children to do as they are told |
| B．children to turn a deaf ear to their parents |
| C．parents to respect their children’s choices |
| D．parents to do everything for their children |
| A．going after | B．planning for |
| C．adapting to | D．preparing for |
| A．Opposed | B．Doubtful |
| C．Uncaring | D．Supportive |
【推荐2】Have you ever wondered how you should respond to your children's angry feelings and behaviors? Here are some practical tips that can help your children manage their anger.
Learn to let certain things go.
Do your children get in trouble with you if they cross their arms or yell about how life isn’t fair?
Remember that their behavior is not a reflection of you.
Believing that your children's behavior is a symbol of how good or bad you are as a caregiver often makes you feel embarrassed and angry.
Children with anger problems get lectures and consequences all day long.
Set boundaries.
Although it’s crucial to stay calm and show compassion, that doesn't mean you should ignore unacceptable behaviors like damaging property or hurting others.
| A．Remain calm. |
| B．Praise any sign of progress. |
| C．Consider letting these behaviors go. |
| D．You may then react in ways you later regret. |
| E．They’re often hungry for adults to notice that they’re trying to change! |
| F．When your children do these things, give them an alternative (可替代的) way to let their anger go. |
| G．However, it’s not possible to help a child get calm when you are also reacting with anger! |
【推荐3】Nothing succeeds like success, as every parent of a straight-A student knows, but trying to strengthen academic excellence by telling your child, " You're so smart!" may be counterproductive.
According to the: findings of a 2017 study, children who think their intelligence is fixed are less likely to pay attention and return to normal from mistakes than children who think their intelligence can grow and change. Telling kids they're smart strengthens the idea that intelligence is a genetic gift rather than a skill that can be improved.
In the study published online, researchers at Michigan State University looked at 123 children who were about 7, as kids at this age face the challenge of going to school. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a "growth mindset", who believe that they can work harder to get smarter, or a"fixed mindset", who believe that their intelligence is unable to change. They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded. In the task, children played a game, helping a zookeeper catch escaped animals by pressing the space bar when an animal showed up on their screens.
Based on the data they collected, the researchers concluded that children with a "growth mindset" were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake, and in turn were more likely to improve their performance by paying closer attention to the task after making an error.
While previous research has shown that people with a "fixed mindset" don't want to admit they've made a mistake, this study found that children with a "fixed mindset" were able to "return to normal" after making an error, but only if they gave their full attention to the mistake and used it as an opportunity to learn.
For parents, the lessons are clear: For starters, don't pay compliments（赞美的话）that suggest intelligence is fixed. If a child hands you an A+test, don't say, " You're so smart!" Instead say," Wow, that studying really paid off!" or " You clearly mastered this material—way to go!". Note the effort, not the intelligence.
1. Which of the following can be closest to the meaning of " counterproductive"?| A．Achieving the opposite result. |
| B．Going far away from the goal. |
| C．Showing off your intelligence. |
| D．Forming a good relationship. |
| A．Children are easy to lose focus in class. |
| B．It takes time for children to regain confidence. |
| C．Skills are generally thought to be able to be improved. |
| D．Telling kids they're smart means emphasizing the born gift. |
| A．The purpose and the process of the study. |
| B．The major breakthrough made in the study. |
| C．The participants and the place of the study. |
| D．The scientific methods used in the study. |
| A．By listing statistics. |
| B．By comparison. |
| C．By showing examples. |
| D．By reasoning |
【推荐1】Success doesn’t begin until you begin the walk down the way towards your goals.
And your walk down the way always begins first with a baby step. Why do we call them baby steps? Are they really anything more than our next step down life’s way?
Baby steps are the first steps we take as an act of faith. We see others stepping out and we want to show our ability to walk by following them. As we grow, we continue our development by taking extra baby steps. Sometimes we fall; sometimes we fail. After that, all steps become an act of faith; we just become more practiced. If you say to yourself “I don’t want to make a fool of myself” or “I’d better be good at this”, you’ll probably never take the baby steps towards your goals and end up lying in your own self-pity.
As a culture, we focus on results. We think about every risk that must be taken to reach our goals. There are few people who are excellent performers of any tasks the first time they try them. They fail and succeed. Then, they build upon their abilities learned each time. They practice their skills and use their talents through baby steps before they are ready to prove them to the whole world.
So, learn to take those baby steps to reach the goals before you. Know that you can depend on God to show you the way. As you become more experienced, your baby steps become a walk, then a jump, and finally a sprint. That’s how our baby steps lead us through the marathon of life.
1. Which of the following is thought most important in taking baby steps?| A．Faith. | B．Practice. |
| C．Skill. | D．Examples. |
| A．we can’t expect to succeed without working hard at first |
| B．adults should learn from babies in dealing with hard tasks |
| C．we must make full use of our skills in order to get rewards |
| D．baby steps play the key role in leading us towards success |
| A．slow rush | B．sudden stop | C．hard climb | D．fast run |
| A．Light-hearted. | B．Regretful.(遗憾的) |
| C．Encouraging. | D．Concerned. |
【推荐2】An 80-year-old man and his family may soon get a bill for the cost of his rescue mission. After an all-night search by rescuers, James Clark of Dublin, Ohio, was found “not moving and exhibiting what appeared to be signs and symptoms on low nody temperature to the point of not being able to speak any clear words," according to a statement. Rescuers wrapped him in a sleeping bag and carried him out about 1.7 miles to safety.
Similarly, in 2015, a family of four received an about 8500 bill after their daytime hike left them lost in the dark and requiring search and rescue ( SAR). This raises an interesting question: Who pays for the cost when you get lost or injured in the great outdoors?
The high cost of SAR missions is what prompted states like New Hampshire to pass laws that establish programs like Hike Safe to hold individuals more financially accountable for their rescues. However, some people have called for more strict laws to shift SAR costs off taxpayers. They say such a move would ultimately make people more responsible, but it's a controversial idea. “Society rescues people all the time-auto accident victims, home fire victims-and at far greater cost than wildemess hiker rescues.” writes Backpacker.
Critics say putting a price tag on SAR could cause people to hesitate before calling for help in emergency situations. But Heggie says this isn't actually the reason why the National Park Service doesn't charge for SAR. “If an agency such as NPS starts charging the public for SAR costs, the agency essentially has to conduct SAR operations. If something goes wrong during the SAR operation, someone could lead to a lawsuit(起诉).”
Both Heggie and Kupper say the best way people can avoid needing rescue is simply by being prepared, suggesting that people research hikes before they go pay attention to their surroundings, pack essential gear and not rely on a cellphone as a survival kit. "The best time to prevent SAR incidents is when people are still at home，” Heggie said.
1. What state was James in when he was rescued?| A．He lost his way home. | B．He daren't move alone, |
| C．He was in danger of dying. | D．He couldn't express himself. |
| A．To reward the rescuers. | B．To reduce outdoor activities. |
| C．To prevent hikers calling for help. | D．To make hikers take responsibility. |
| A．The possibility of being charged. | B．The heavy burden of medical costs. |
| C．The difficulty in doing a SAR operation. | D．The fear of doing fewer SAR operations. |
| A．Packing necessary things. | B．Preparing well in advance. |
| C．Imagining accidents at home. | D．Taking a cellphone everywhere, |
【推荐3】Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a failure. For our young children, this failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal.
It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to deal with disappointment well. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve gift-giving and expectations.
North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfillment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift.
On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide happiness and joy to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the perfect or desired gift, this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment. Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day”.
This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is learning to regulate emotions and expresses disappointment through tantrums (发怒) or sulking (生闷气). These behaviours can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel badly about themselves or that the child does not love them.
Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude. Research has linked gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep and developing empathy.
The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.
1. Why is it difficult for parent to handle disappointment on Christmas?| A．It is connected with children’s overall development. |
| B．It is the custom to give gifts or show expectations. |
| C．Children are easy to have tantrums or sulking. |
| D．Children often expect too much of their parents. |
| A．Positive. | B．Concerned. | C．Interested. | D．Supportive. |
| A．It can avoid disappointment in life. |
| B．It can help children’s academic development. |
| C．It is a necessary part of one’s life. |
| D．lt helps children realize the benefits of being grateful. |
| A．What Christmas Can Teach Kids about Disappointment |
| B．How We Can Meet Our Children’s Expectations Best |
| C．What Harm Disappointment Does to Most Children |
| D．What Are the Rights to Give to Your Children on Christmas |
