【推荐1】Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes— they are failing because the “ academic” classes are not sufficient.
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art— there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge — certainly not a good preparation for the real world.
1. Music and drama are not included in the high-school curriculum mainly because________.

A．the school committee pays no attention to them

B．the school is afraid of losing financial support

C．the students are not interested in both of them

D．the state standardized test is more important.

2. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The sufficiency of the classes determines students’ performance in the mastery test

B．students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons

C．The school committee completely influences students’ attitude towards the arts

D．Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today’s school system.

3. We can learn that music and art can ________.

A．make students round-shaped people in future

B．provide students with analytical thinking

C．motivate students in creativity and expression

D．prevent students graduating from high school

4. The best title of the passage can be ________.

A．Who Killed Music and Drama?

B．Can Curriculum Go Without Music?

C．Why is Music So Important?

D．How To Prepare For the Real World?

【推荐2】Physical education, or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.

Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all. doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.

High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s studies and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.

The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity (肥胖). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as computer games, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure (措施) to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.

Not doing sports increases teens’ hazard of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be prevented by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activities each week improved their academic (学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.

1. According to Paragraph 2, what does physical education in high school mean?

A．Making teens attach importance to ęxercise later.

B．Removing the stress faced by teens at school.

C．Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise.

D．Helping teens learn to make good plans

2. What does the underlined word “hazard” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Happiness.

B．Risk.

C．Safety.

D．Sadness.

3. According to the PCFSN, doing sport          .

A．means making students choose between sports and studies

B．helps students make good use of all their time

C．means students adjust to their studies better

D．helps students do better in their studies

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Why high school students should receive physical education.

B．Why some schools consider physical education important.

C．How schools can help students love doing sports.

D．How high school students can live a better life.

【推荐1】It is time for students to sell such things as chocolate bars and greeting cards to raise money for their school, class or club. It is inevitable that they will knock on your door and you will easily hand over your cash for overpriced items that you really do not want. That is okay, though, because there are many reasons why children should be allowed to raise money for their schools and clubs.

Fundraising is a great way to help children learn social skills. It is not easy to go up to a complete stranger and ask him for his money. They have to nicely ask for help, show the interested buyer what they have to offer and explain how it will help them in school. If someone refuses to buy an item, that child has to take the failure in stride (不特别费力地), and that is a learning lesson as well.

Students can learn how to deal with money by fundraising. Of course, it might seem safer for us to take charge of our children’s earnings from their fundraising before it is turned into the school. However, by making them keep track of it, count it, and make sure everyone pays the right amount, they are learning an important lesson. Dealing with more Fundraising helps improve their schools. It is the children’s school. They have to learn there and grow there. Why not let them help in making it a better place?

Fundraising allows for more life experiences for the child. The raised money is used towards things like parties, trips, or for the music club to go to see a Broadway play. The children receive the rewards for their hard work at raising the money. Without fundraising, these field trips and special school memories would be missed.

In a word, fundraising helps children a lot in many ways.

1. The underlined word “inevitable” in the first paragraph means “_______”.

A．unlikely

B．improper

C．unavoidable

D．unrealistic

2. One of the important indications that children are grown up is that __________.

A．children learn to care for others

B．children can deal with money

C．children like to make up

D．children make a date with friends of the other sex

3. The author thinks that fundraising _______.

A．adds to the family’s burden

B．wastes the learning time

C．builds up the children’s bodies

D．helps to develop the children’s character

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central point P: Point Sp: Sub-point C: Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐2】It's no surprise that sports can greatly benefit a child physically, psychologically, and socially. A 2008 Women's Sports Foundation Research Report concluded that children’s athletic participation is also associated with increased levels of family satisfaction, great achievement in study, and an overall better quality of life for children. And a study published in last month’s American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that kids who are active at age 5 wind up with less body fat at ages 8 and 11.

But one hotly debated discussion focuses on the kinds of sports kids should play, with parents mistakenly thinking, "Lizzie is so quiet, we should let her join in basketball and soccer to try to get her to open up." But increasingly, experts are suggesting the healthier instinct (直觉) might be, "Lizzie is so quiet. Maybe we should see if she likes playing with a big team like softball or if she likes ballet or swimming, where she can work more on her own terms."

“Participation in any sport is going to provide kids with life skills----the ability to focus and to concentrate, the ability to handle pressure in tough situations, the ability to stay calm when things aren't going just right,’’ explains Orlando-based youth sports psychology expert Patrick Cohn. Those lessons will carry over into future, non-sports attempts.

Team sports certainly offer benefits not as easily obtained via individual activities, as players leant how to communicate and work with others, and there’s the potential to develop leadership abilities. Team sports also help kids develop their social identity. Our sense of worth is developed through what we achieve and a sense of belonging.

Individual sports offer unique advantages, too, like developing a child’s sense of independence. “Hero, you don’t depend upon teammates," says Cohn. "You take full responsibility, whether you do well or perform poorly." Many of Cohn’s young clients complain about pressure from team mates or coaches to make zero mistakes or carry more of the team than they may want to; these kids may enjoy a solo sport like tennis or gymnastics.

Individual activities keep kids away from comparing themselves to the best players on the team, a habit that does little to help confidence levels. Instead, it encourages them to compare their skills to their own past performances. With individual sports like swimming or track, it’s easier for the child to participate on his own, at his leisure(闲暇), without having to round up a bunch of like-minded peers.

Above all, while some children enjoy the excitement of competition, others are more likely to benefit from the freedom of individual sports, and finding the right balance can be necessary for children’s enjoyment. What parents think is encouragement, children often consider as pressure. So try to understand what they want from sports.

Title	Team sports and individual sports
Sports benefit children	• Sports can greatly benefit children physically, psychologically, and socially. • Sports are associated with increased levels of family satisfaction,     1     achievement and better quality of life for children.
2     ideas	• Parents usually want their children to lake part in the team sports which don’t     3    their children’s character. • Experts think that any sport will     4     children to focus, handle pressure, stay calm when things are going     5    .
Team sports	• Children can learn how to communicate and work with others. • Children will have the potential to develop leadership abilities. • Children will develop their social     6    .
Individual sports	• Individual sports may help develop children’s sense of independence and     7    . • Children tend to compare their skills to their own past performances and are likely to     8     comparing themselves with the best players. • Individual sports also seem to be more     9     to children.
Conclusion	• Finding the right balance is a     10     for children’s enjoyment. • Parents should try to understand what their children really want from sports.

【推荐3】After paying £20 for my racing red ukulele at a Denmark Street music shop, I happily turned up to the “Ukulele Hootenany” at a club near Liverpool Street. The host came around and tuned it for me. I went to get a drink from the bar and was about to start playing when the little man approached again and said, “Let me tune that again for you.” I hesitated, wanting to reassure him that I’d not touched it since its last tuning but he took it and returned a few minutes later saying, “I’ve tuned it, but it won’t be worth it—use this one instead. And he handed me a racing red version of a more expensive ukulele that I happily handled clumsily with that night.

You can master the basics online and come along expecting to be able to play the most commonly used chords. Just don’t expect to fluently flip (弹) between them without any mistakes. It is easier said than done.

What makes this hobby unique is the fact that it’s not seen as “serious” or “proper” instrument, so it all tracts those more likely to pick it up for fun. That night’s crew were a random collection of around 30 people ranging from 20 to 60, with various shaped and sized ukuleles and various levels of ability.

We sat around a table, with two song books in front of us, and the “leader” called out a page number as we flipper through to a well-known Johnny Cash or Queen tune and did our best to keep up. Later on we got to argue—a Lady Gaga here, an Eric Clapton there.

But the part I enjoyed the most and that I wasn’t expecting was the singalong. Everyone sang, and as no one eared about your singing abilities, people had lot of fun when they were harmonizing and putting on a heavy Southern accent even if it’s not a country song. What it resulted in was a hobby with a unique mix and thus one of my favorites; it was cheap, social, and above all great fun.

1. Which of the following words can best describe the host?

A．Strict and responsible.	B．Considerate and generous
C．Friendly and stubborn.	D．Ambitious and professional

2. Who does the ukulele appeal to most?

A．People who are serious musicians.

B．People who are keen on classical music.

C．People who seek pleasure in playing despite mistakes.

D．People who expect social interactions with strangers.

3. What can you infer from the passage?

A．Each member of the crew played excellent tunes.

B．They couldn’t produce a consistent rhythm while playing.

C．The author was good at singing country songs.

D．The author couldn’t catch up with others during the singalong part.

4. How did the author feel that night?

A．embarrassed

B．moody

C．cheerful

D．optimistic