According to a report, about 60% of American families have working parents. Mothers spend about 18 hours doing the housework every week, and fathers spend about 10 hours doing the housework. What about the kids? Children aged between six and twelve spend less than three hours doing the housework every week, but almost 14 hours watching TV. How about teenagers? They spend nearly 31 hours on the Internet, but only three hours helping with the housework every week. However, some parents think children should spend more time on chores. Knowing how to do the housework is an important life skill.
Doing chores sends children the messages that they are part of the family and that they should do things for others. Every morning children care for the family pets by feeding them or walking them. It can also help the children keep healthy.
Children should take part in almost all the chores. They will feel happier when they make a contribution to the family. And it may help them understand the idea of working hard better. At the same time, they can learn a lot from doing the housework. It can help them live a better life in the future.
1. American mothers spend about ________ hours doing the housework each week.| A．18 | B．16 | C．14 | D．10 |
| A．Old people | B．Parents | C．Teenagers | D．Only children |
| A．调查 | B．影响 | C．改变 | D．贡献 |
| A．Doing chores can help children keep healthy. |
| B．Young children do not need to do any chores. |
| C．Children can learn a lot from doing chores. |
| D．Fathers spend about 10 hours doing the housework. |
| A．Doing Chores is Good for Children | B．Parents should Do Housework |
| C．How Much Housework There is | D．Doing Chores is Different |
相似题推荐
| A．It’s a good idea to help do something easy in the kitchen. You can help your mom wash some vegetables or do the dishes after eating. B．How about cleaning the living room? A clean and comfortable home can make you happy. The housework isn’t hard, but it takes time. Try to be careful and patient. C．Why not help them do some shopping? It’s fun and easy. You’ll help your parents have a better rest during the day. D．Why not cook breakfast for them? If you don’t know how to cook a healthy breakfast, learn it on the Internet. I believe they will love what you cook for them. E. It is a good idea for you to help your parents wash some clothes. Always having clean clothes in the wardrobe (衣柜) is a happy thing. F. Why not thank your father by helping him wash the car? It’ll help save some money and make your father happy. What’s more, a clean car may make your trip more wonderful. |
| Li Huimin | Wang Junfeng | Chen Qiang | |
| Watch TV | √ | √ | √ |
| Meet friends | √ | √ | × |
| Cook food | √ | × | × |
| Go fishing | × | √ | √ |
| Play computer games | × | √ | √ |
1. Li Huimin, Wan Junfeng and Chen Qiang all _____ in their free time.
| A．watch TV | B．meet friends | C．cook food | D．go fishing |
| A．meet friends | B．cook food | C． watch TV | D．A and B |
| A．go fishing | B．watch TV | C．meet friends | D．cook food |
| A．Li Huimin and Wang Junfeng don’t play computer games. |
| B．Chen Qiang cooks food. |
| C．Wang Junfeng goes fishing. |
| D．Li Huimindoesn’t watch TV. |
Once Uncle Li went to town to buy some medicine for his wife. In the town he heard the apples in a city were expensive. He told Uncle Wang about it as soon as he went back. They decided to carry some apples to the city. They borrowed some money from their friends and bought nearly 1,000 kilograms of apples in the villages and carried them to the city on a tractor. Bad luck! A lot of apples has already been carried there when they arrived. A few days later they had to sell them at a low price (价格)。They felt unhappy and returned to their village.
"I can't understand why we sustained (蒙受) losses in business while others always profit (盈利)" Uncle Li asked one day.
"The tractor was too small " Uncle Wang said without thinking. "We'll carry more apples on a truck next time!"
"I agree!" said Uncle Li. "How foolish (傻的) we were !"
1. Uncle Li and Uncle Wang live in the low and broken houses because __________.
| A．they hope to save money |
| B．they're both poor |
| C．their farms are at the foot of the mountain |
| D．they're not far from their farms |
| A．make a journey |
| B．visit some places of interest |
| C．meet their friends |
| D．make a profit |
| A．The two farmers found out why they were poor. |
| B．The two farmers will soon get rich. |
| C．Neither of the farmers is clever. |
| D．The two farmers decided to buy a truck. |
【推荐1】When kids walk or ride their bikes to school they need to know the rules. They can keep them safe when they travel to and from school.
When kids walk to school they need to know the rules of the road. They should stop, look to the left, look to the right, and then back to the left again before they cross a road. On city streets, they have to listen to the crossing guards (警卫) and cross the streets only on the crosswalks (人行横道). If there is no crossing guard, cross the street when the traffic light is green.
When kids ride bikes to school, they should walk their bikes when crossing streets. They should also know how to make hand signals before turn left and right.
1. Kids are safer when they _________.| A．know the rules of the road | B．walk or ride their bikes to school |
| C．say hello to the crossing guards | D．cross the street when they travel |
| A．ride his bike | B．leave his bike aside |
| C．walk his bike | D．run as fast as possible |
| A．help kids cross the road | B．take the kids to school |
| C．turn the traffic light green | D．teach the kids to ride a bike |
| A．胎记 | B．形状 | C．信号 | D．标签 |
| A．be a crossing guard | B．teach the kids street rules |
| C．ask kids to ride a bike to school | D．make more people take a vacation |
【推荐2】The ocean is home to tens of thousands of fish. You can see fish swimming freely in the water. But you may not know that fish cannot explore every part of the ocean.
Recent studies have found that the deepest depth a fish can swim is 8,200 meters. This is about three quarters of the depth of the deepest part of the ocean. This is because of a chemical (化学物质) in fishes’ cells that is called trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO).
For example, if you take a ping-pong ball 10 meters underwater, the pressure turns it into a tiny piece of plastic. Most things break down after a certain depth underwater because of the high pressure.
TMAO warns fish of this danger at about 8,200 meters. If fish swim deeper, the TMAO chemical stops working and starts to damage the fishes’ brain cells.
Although there is life at the bottom of the sea, most fish live within the top 1,000 meters of the ocean. Even sharks, which are often described as the “kings of the ocean”, have never swum deeper than 4,000 meters, not even half the depth of the ocean.
Deeper down in the ocean, the most dangerous animals are the deep-sea fish. The anglerfish is one such fish. It lives about 2,000 meters deep in the ocean. There is no sunlight at this depth. But anglerfish can produce light themselves. They use this light to find food.
Below even these fish is the cusk-eel. These small fish live close to the ocean floor at a depth of 8,000 meters, far out of reach of hungry predators (猎食者).
根据上文内容判断下列句子的正（T）误（F）:1. TMAO can protect fish from danger.
2. Most fish live at the bottom of the ocean.
3. Anglerfish can produce light to find food.
4. Cusk-eels are easily eaten by hungry predators.
5. The story mainly tell us how deep fish can swim in the ocean.
【推荐3】Green is an important color in the nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes the word green means young fresh and growing. Sometimes it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example a green hand is someone who has no experience who is new to a situation.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb（拇指）. It comes from early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution（革命）is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs. Green is also the color used to describe such a cling-jealousy（嫉妒）. The green-eyed monster（怪物）does not come from outer space. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. Your friend may suffer from the green-eyed monster if you get a pay rise and he does not.
1. What does the underlined word “ripe” mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Grown. | B．Young. | C．New. | D．Unknown. |
| A．a red thumb | B．a white thumb | C．a yellow thumb | D．a green thumb |
| A．Green. | B．The green-eyed monster. |
| C．Outer space. | D．A feeling. |
| A．Science in the News | B．Health Report |
| C．Words and Their Stories | D．Education Report |
【推荐1】Water is the root(根本) of life. No one can live without water. On the one hand, although seventy-five percent of the world is covered with water, about ninety-seven percent of it is sea water, or salt water. So the water we could drink is really limited. On the other hand, because the number of people in the world is becoming larger and larger, more and more drinking water is needed. We should do something to save water in our everyday life.
● Try to fix dripping taps (滴水的龙头) or leaky(漏的) toilets at your home.
● Turn the tap off as much as you can—don’t use running water to wash your hands, brush your teeth, wash vegetables and so on.
● Never pour away waste water when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or a garden, or for cleaning.
● Do not often water your lawn(草坪). As a general rule, lawns only need watering every 5 to 7 days in summer and every 10 to 14 days in winter.
● Take short showers and save the baths.
1. People can only drink about of water on the earth.| A．97% | B．75% | C．25% | D．3% |
| A．足够的 | B．有限的 | C．新鲜的 | D．必须的 |
| A．once a day | B．twice a day | C．once a week | D．twice a week |
| A．Using running water to wash hands. | B．Using waste water to water flowers. |
| C．Taking a shower as quickly as possible. | D．Turning off the dripping taps. |
| A．How to Save Water | B．Where Water Comes from |
| C．How to Use Drinking Water | D．Don’t Use Running Water |
【推荐2】In many countries, people discovered children with a talent (天赋) for sports early and they encouraged them to become good players by training for hours every day. While some people see this as a good way to improve children’s health, others think that too much training can be harmful.
People who are against (反对) training children for so long say that there are many bad sides. Here are some:
It takes the child such long hours that it can make the child not close to his or her family.
Players who spend too much time training pay less attention to education.
Parents may also care more about the sports results than the child.
Dr. Christine Carr, a psychologist (心理学家), suggests that parents take some important steps to let their kids make good use of sports. Carr says that children should learn life lessons from sports. Learning to deal with failure (失败) is an important life skill that kids should learn from sports.
Other psychologists point to the importance of letting children make their own decisions. Top player Michael Phelps said that he thanked his parents for letting him decide how much he trained. By allowing Phelps to decide what to do, his mother also saw him improve as a student.
Another thing is the importance of developing a close relationship (关系) with the family. Dr. Carr suggests eating dinner together.
Raising (培养) a player isn’t easy. Parents should help their children become winners in both sports and life.
1. People are against training children for so long for the following reasons EXCEPT ________.| A．it can make children not close to their families |
| B．it is not a good way to improve children’s training |
| C．children may pay less attention to their education |
| D．parents may pay more attention to the sports results |
| A．They should be trained at an early age. |
| B．They should make their own decisions. |
| C．They should learn to deal with failure. |
| D．They should pay more attention to education. |
| A．improved his study | B．made decisions for his parents |
| C．used to eat dinner at home | D．started training before he went to school |
| A．by telling stories | B．by asking questions |
| C．by showing examples | D．by giving opinions |
| A．When to do sports | B．How to keep healthy |
| C．Raising a child player | D．Learning from sports |
I’m getting really excited about your visit. I hope you are too. I must say, life is really different here. English people do some very strange things.
In the UK, you must drive on the left. I know you are too young to drive but you have to remember this when you cross the road. I nearly got run over (碾过) the other day. You know in China, if you want a taxi, you can just put your hand out and a taxi stops at once. Well, here you must go to a special place. There is a long line of people waiting.
Shopping is difficult on weekends. I can’t believe how early the shops close. It seems like you can’t buy anything after six o’clock in the evening.
You asked me about living in an English house. The most difficult thing is using knife and fork. I can use chopsticks if I want, but I want to do the same thing as other people. Something really surprised me the other day. My landlady (女房东), Mrs. Johnson hung up (悬挂) her washing in the kitchen! I couldn’t believe it. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have a cat, a dog and two rabbits. Well can you imagine (想象), the other day, all four animals were running around in the kitchen.
Another thing, people drink cold water all the time and they drink tea with milk. They don’t have rice with every meal.
Life here is strange, but I’m enjoying it.
Lots of love and see you soon.
Li Ming
1. From the passage we know that Wu Bin is ________.| A．Li Ming’s brother | B．a college student |
| C．going to visit Li Ming | D．coming to China |
| A．drive on the left | B．take a taxi | C．go shopping | D．cross the road |
| A．use chopsticks | B．use knife and fork |
| C．live in an English house | D．go to bed before six |
| A．Drinking tea with milk. | B．Drinking cold water all the time. |
| C．Having rice with every meal. | D．Driving on the left. |
【推荐1】Spring is coming. People in different countries like different outdoor activities. Leo, a reporter from Spark English is interviewing some students. Here is what they have said.
Mary (13, America) | I want to go out of the city to a beautiful field. It’s happy to smell beautiful flowers, touch green grass, and take some photos. And I like to have a picnic in the field. It’s interesting. |
Jim (14, Canada) | The weather turns warmer and the days become longer in spring. It’s a good time to go camping. It would be fun to sleep in a tent. I enjoy the comfortable weather, too. |
Tony (13, England) | In spring I like going cycling alone. It can not only make me enjoy the beautiful season but also help me become stronger. I can write something about what I see on the way. |
Wang Fang (12, China) | I’m good at making all kinds of kites. And I like flying kites with my family or my friends in spring. One of us holds the kite, and another catches the line. It’s exciting to see the kite fiying high in the sky. |
1. We can learn that Mary lives in the _______.
| A．town | B．city | C．field | D．country |
| A．fly kites | B．take some photos | C．sleep in the tent | D．have a picnic |
| A．he can enjoy the nice weather | B．it can make his body strong |
| C．his bike is very cool | D．both A and B |
| A．by herself | B．on rainy days | C．with her family or friends | D．in the field |
| A．Jim is the oldest one of the four | B．Mary is from the US |
| C．Making kites is Wang Fang’s hobby | D．Tony isn’t interested in writing. |
【推荐2】Many students in China don’t have time to help with housework. They are always asking, “Could you get this for me?” or “Could you help me with that?” Usually, they need parents to wash clothes and even clean their rooms. Many parents are worried that kids don’t have basic (基本的) life skills (技能) .
From September last year, many students have one labor (劳动) class every week. Students from Hope School have interesting life skill classes and try all kinds of labor. Doing housework also becomes their homework. The third graders must learn how to make the bed, the sixth graders wash the clothes, and the seventh and the eighth graders cook meals.
In some middle schools, students learn to plant vegetables. “It’s exciting to pick fresh beans (豆子) and eat bean rice with my family. I really enjoy my labor class,” says Wang Yuan, one of the students in No.1 Middle School.
A labor teacher says in an interview (采访) , “We’re happy that lots of students are now spending time learning life skills. Learning life skills helps them get ready for future life.”
Do you help your parents do housework at home? If not, maybe you can get started now.
1. In Hope School, what life skill should a student in Grade 7 learn?| A．Cooking meals. | B．Making the bed. | C．Making dumplings. | D．Washing clothes. |
| A．Many students don’t have basic life skills because they are lazy. |
| B．Few students like planting or cooking in labor classes every week. |
| C．Chinese students often do housework at home if they aren’t busy. |
| D．Learning life skills in labor classes is useful and important in life. |
| A．My important life skills | B．Learning to do housework |
| C．Small things in our life | D．Parents’ worries about housework |
【推荐3】Do you know how to cook, clean or grow plants? You will soon learn these skills (技能)!
Since the fall of 2022, primary and middle schools have had labor education (劳动教育). Every week, students have at least one class to learn about cooking, keeping animals and more. This can make Chinese students’ life colourful. Chinese school education didn’t pay much attention to this in the past. According to a 2019 report, Chinese kids only do 12 minutes of practical (实际的) activities each day. So, how do young people feel about the new subject? Let’s look at it!
I like the new subject. At school, I learned to cook eggs. I feel happy when I can cook a delicious meal. — Wu Ruoxuan, 12, Tianjin |
In May, I bought 12 chicken eggs and a hatching machine (孵化器). After 17 days, the first chicken came out. I felt very glad to see it. — Zhang Siyi, 12, Beijing |
Our school lets students grow plants. This year we’ve planted tomatoes, potatoes, rice and Chinese cabbages. It’s not easy! They have different needs. Labor classes not only teach me important skills but also offer (提供) a great way to relax during a busy school day. — Zhang Yuchen, 13, Zhejiang |
| A．a primary school | B．a middle school |
| C．labor education | D．doing sports |
| A．He raised chicks. | B．He cooked eggs. |
| C．He planted tomatoes. | D．He planted rice. |
| A．Bored. | B．Worried. | C．Sad. | D．Happy. |
| A．Chinese students start to have labor education. |
| B．Labor education is different in different countries. |
| C．In 2019, Chinese students didn’t need labor education. |
| D．Different students have the same idea about labor education. |
