Matthew Thomas is an English boy. He’s 15 and his brother Paul is 13, but they don’t go to school. They are in Africa. They study at home. Here is our interview with Matthew about home schooling.
Why do you study at home?
M: Well, people in the schools here don’t speak English. And we don’t speak very good Spanish (西班牙语).
__________
M: Math, English, History and so on. But I study them in my own way(自己的方法). I use books or the Internet. And our parents help us.
Do you like studying at home?
M: Yes, I do. I love it! It is fun. I can choose how to do things. I can study Math on Monday and English on Tuesday or History on Monday and Math on Tuesday.
Are you lonely?
M: No, I am not lonely. My brother and my parents are here. And Now I have some Spanish friends too.
When do you see them?
M: Well, I go to sports center on Saturday and Sunday and I see them there. I play sports games with some of my friends, too. That’s great fun.
1. When does Matthew study at home?| A．At the age of 15. | B．At the age of 13. |
| C．At the age of 12. | D．At the age of 11. |
| A．Why do you study English? | B．When do you do sports? |
| C．What subjects do you have? | D．Who is your teacher? |
| A．difficult | B．free | C．interesting | D．boring |
| A．Matthew can get help from parents | B．Matthew has many classmates |
| C．Matthew must have Math on Monday | D．Matthew sees his friends every day |
| A．games | B．health | C．sports | D．study |
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【推荐1】Most people may think that people who write computer code (代码) must be good at math and logical (逻辑的) thinking. However, people who write computer code say that creativity is also important for writing code.
Software developers (开发者) in the USA have created a game called Osmo Coding Jam. The game is designed to help children use the creative side of their minds as they learning to code. Children can play the game on iPads.
Tanya Dodge is the mother of two children who play the game. According to her, these activities give them important skills for the future. “It's an analytical (分析的) skill” said Dodge.
But the developers believe writing code should be more than just an analytical skill. “We want to explore the creative side of coding that I think is often not as explored,” said Felix Hu, an Osmo engineer. Hu added, “The coolest part is that we're teaching kids how to be creative with code and that's a really important thing that kids should get comfortable with because coding is creative.”
Hu also sees many parents who feel that software code is a second language that children need to learn to succeed in future jobs. Tanya Dodge agrees, she said, “I think you're going to have to understand at some point the idea of coding will work well in the future.” Hu also explained that very often kids grow up not understanding how a computer works or just thinking that it's like a magical machine. He said by breaking it down to a lower level, kids can understand that the computer isn't as smart as they think it is.
1. Osmo Coding Jam is designed for?| A．Training kids' logical thinking. | B．Helping kids learn to code fast. |
| C．Helping children learn math well. | D．Helping kids become more creative. |
| A．It needs to be improved. |
| B．It is highly addictive for kids. |
| C．It is of great help to today's kids. |
| D．It is imperfect in training kids' analytical skill. |
| A．If someone doesn’t learn Maths well, he or she can’t write code. |
| B．Creativity comes from writing code in daily life. |
| C．Writing code is just a skill which helps kids to analyze things well. |
| D．A lot of parents agree that software code will be useful for their kids’ future jobs. |
| A．to tell how to learn to code well | B．to tell about a new game for kids |
| C．to encourage kids to learn to study well | D．to show the importance of creativity |
【推荐2】Starting with this fall term, students in primary and middle schools will have at least one course every week on basic household skills such as cleaning and cooking, according to a new curriculum standard (课程标准) for labor education in compulsory (强制的；义务的) education made by the government. Should household skills be made compulsory at schools?
Michael: By learning basic skills like cooking, cleaning and maintaining home appliances (电器) children can learn how to take care of themselves and live independently. Parents won’t always be there to help their children with every problem they’ll meet in their lives. They need to learn new things, make mistakes, solve problems and grow from their experiences. It is necessary for children to learn these important lifesaving skills as early as possible.
Eliza: Many students have to study for the whole day and simply don’t have the time to develop their interests. A compulsory household skills class can give them more chances to meet various aspects of life and help them discover different passions. Some children who are interested in food or those who have an interest in maintaining home appliances can develop these skills in the class.
Jade: There are only limited hours in a school day. With all the required classes there is not enough time for household courses. I think it is something that parents need to do at home with their children, having them help around the house with cooking, cleaning, washing, planting. etc. Remember school can’t teach your children everything. They need you, too!
Ben: Household courses should be made optional (可选择的) for students. They should be given the choice to take whatever they like. If one wants to cook dishes, he or she is welcome. But it should not be made compulsory and forced onto every student.
Linda: Schools should have cooking classes. Children will be taught about their food, where it comes from, how to use the cooking tools properly and how to cook nutritiously. Many parents don’t have this knowledge and have no time or energy to do this. A household class would provide the knowledge and training that parents are unable to give their children.
Maria: I learned some basic cooking skills from my mother, but most of them were learned after I graduated from college, from cooking books and online short videos. Household skills like cooking are much more useful than a lot of what is taught in schools, but it does require some fully equipped (配备齐全的) kitchens. I hope these classes will benefit (使受益) students and not be seen as window dressing.
1. Jade thinks household courses ________.| A．should be made optional | B．are good for students’ growth |
| C．should be taught by parents at home | D．can help children develop their interests |
| A．good look but not clever | B．good form but not achievable |
| C．good taste but not healthy | D．good style but not popular |
| A．show different ideas about household courses | B．introduce something about household courses |
| C．encourage students to study household courses | D．tell parents the importance of household courses |
【推荐3】Life skills classes teach students how to cook for themselves, manage their money and have healthy personal relationships. These classes often give students real-life problems to solve. But some schools say these classes aren’t important and students must concentrate only on academic（学业的）knowledge. What do you think?
| Yes—these are skills everyone needs Life skills classes help students prepare for responsibilities they will need to face in the real world, from fixing a bike to changing a car tire to preparing a meal. These classes give students knowledge they need to live independently whether they go away to college or get a job. Many of these classes also teach “soft skills”, like listening and positive communication, which are valuable things to have in the work world and in personal relationships. As students get more life skills, they become more confident in themselves and their ability to handle any situation. |
| No—kids can learn on their own There are ways for children to learn life skills without classes at school. They can watch videos on the Internet or take classes on platforms（平台）such as Smart Education of China. It should also be parents’ responsibility to teach their children much of what they need to learn, such as being responsible for their money. Many parents feel life skills classes won’t help their children get into a competitive university, because colleges do not value life skills as highly as other kinds of knowledge. For that reason, students are less likely to choose to take life skills classes, so it makes sense that fewer schools are offering them. |
| A．asking a question | B．telling a story | C．giving an example | D．listing numbers |
| A．充满 | B．处理 | C．对比 | D．连接 |
| A．Useless. | B．Important. | C．Easy. | D．Amazing. |
| A．Learning life skills is necessary for students nowadays. |
| B．Students should spend more time on communication. |
| C．Studies are more important than life skills in real life. |
| D．Children should be taught life skills by their parents. |
| A．Will There Be Life Skills Classes in School? |
| B．Should Schools Teach Life Skills Classes? |
| C．Are Life Skills Classes Good for Students? |
| D．Are Students Allowed to Take Life Skills Classes? |
【推荐1】A young art teacher from China’s Shanxi Province was recently praised (赞美) online for spending about three months working on a beautiful chalk (粉笔) picture of a traditional masterpiece (杰作).
When Zhao Wenrui, an art teacher in Fanzhi County, decided to draw a chalk version of Along the River during the Qingmins Festival (《清明上河图》), he said that he just wanted to do something interesting for his students. It’s said that he has used eight blackboards side by side, five buckets (桶) of chalk and worked on it for about three months.
Along the River during the Qingming Festival, a five-meter-long picture describing the Song Dynasty capital of Kaifeng during the festival of Qingming, is sometimes called China’s Mona Lisa (《蒙娜丽莎》), and considered as one of the most important artworks in the country’s history. The work has been copied several times, but the original (原件) is seldom shown because it is quite fragile (易损的), dating back to the 12th century.
Zhao Wenrui’s 32-meter-long chalk version draws around 550 people (farmers from the countryside, boatmen and so on), as well as dozens of animals, buildings, bridges, and the environment itself.
Unfortunately, unlike the real Along the River during the Qingming Festival, this chalk picture will not be around for a thousand years, as the blackboards will be cleaned as soon as the children come back to school.
1. It took Zhao Wenrui ________ to finish the beautiful chalk picture.| A．about 90 days | B．about 100 days | C．about 110 days | D．about 120 days |
| A．复习 | B．版本 | C．视野 | D．画板 |
| A．In the 13th century. | B．In the Ming Dynasty. |
| C．About nine centuries ago. | D．About 500 years ago. |
| A．It is called China’s Mona Lisa. |
| B．It won’t be kept for a long time. |
| C．It was drawn by an art teacher from China’s Shanxi Province. |
| D．The drawer used 5 buckets of chalk to draw it. |
| A．Because it is quite fragile. |
| B．Because many students don’t like it. |
| C．Because the blackboards will be used when students come back to school. |
| D．Because the teacher can’t draw pictures on the blackboard in the classroom. |
【推荐2】Research has already suggested that opening a book may help improve brain function and reduce stress. Now, a team led by Joanna Sikora of the Australian National University is looking into the benefits of growing up around a book⁃filled environment; the researchers' new study suggests that homes with libraries can arm children with skills that last well into adulthood.
The study looked at data from 160 000 adults from 31 countries, including the United States, Australia, Turkey and Chile. Participants (参与者) filled out surveys with the Programme for the International Assessment of Competencies, which measures proficiency (水平) in three areas: literacy (读写能力), numeracy and information communication technology. People, 25 to 65 years old, were asked to tell how many books were in their house when they were 16 years old. The research team was interested in this question because home library size can be a good sign of “book⁃oriented socialization.” Participants were able to choose from a given range of books that included everything from“10 or less” to “more than 500.”
The surveys, which were taken between 2011 and 2015, showed that the average (平均的) number of books in participants' childhood homes was 115, but that number varied widely from country to country. The average library size in Norway was 212 books, for example; in Turkey, it was 27. In all, however, it seemed that more books in the home was linked to higher proficiency in the areas tested by the survey.
The effects were most marked when it came to literacy. Growing up with few books in the home resulted in below average literacy levels. Being surrounded by 80 books raised the levels to average, and literacy continued to improve until libraries reached about 350 books,at which point the literacy rates leveled off. The researchers saw similar things when it came to numeracy; the effects were not as pronounced with information communication technology tests, but skills did improve with increased numbers of books.
So, what does the new study tell us? Take, for example, an adult who grew up with hardly any books in the home, but went on to get a university degree compared to an adult who grew up with a large home library, but only had nine years of schooling. The study found that both of their literacy levels were almost the same. “So, literacy⁃wise, bookish childhood makes up for a good deal of educational advantage,” the study authors write.
Further research is needed to decide exactly why exposure to ( 沉浸在) books in childhood encourages valuable skills later in life, but the study offers further evidence to suggest that reading has a powerful effect on the mind. And so home library size might be important because, as the researchers note, “children emulate (模仿) parents who read.”
1. The second paragraph is mainly about .| A．what the study found out |
| B．how the study was carried out |
| C．who were invited to the research |
| D．why the researchers did the study |
| A．backed to average | B．started falling |
| C．continued to grow | D．stopped rising |
| A．the disadvantage of having little school education |
| B．the effect of having a home library in childhood |
| C．the necessity of raising people's literacy level |
| D．the importance of getting a university degree |
| A．The study explained why bookish childhood encouraged valuable skills. |
| B．Adults benefit more from a home library than children. |
| C．Home library size has little to do with numeracy level. |
| D．Parents who love reading benefit children a lot. |
A famous Chinese video showed some eating habits of Chinese Gen Z. Gen Z are people born (出生) between 1995 and 2009. The video also shared an example of how these young people saved money. Buying near-expired (临期的) food at much cheaper prices has become more and more popular among many young Chinese people. According to a report about near-expired food, 47.8 percent of the buyers are young people about 25 years old. On Taobao, there are nearly 10,000 stores selling near-expired things. About 2,100,000 people buy such food online every year.
More young people are learning that food waste (浪费) can be bad for the environment and many of them feel happy to buy near-expired food.
1. Gen Z are between 19 and 33 years old.
2. More than half of the Gen Z like to buy drinks made in foreign countries.
3. About ten percent of the Gen Z buy snacks once a week.
4. More and more young Chinese people like to buy near-expired food.
5. Buying near-expired food may be good for saving money and helping the environment.
