1 . As language learners, it’s important to use the dictionary. Paper dictionaries are often great choices for us. They lead us to think in a more exact way. However, some language learners like online dictionaries better. With the rapid development of the Internet, many websites and apps offer us information about the language we are learning. Jinshanciba is one of them. It is popular with people of all age groups while some other people still think the paper dictionaries are more believable.
◆Which do you prefer to use, a paper dictionary or an online dictionary?
| Ruby My paper dictionary is the great company (陪伴) for me. Whenever I can’t figure out the meaning of a new word, I can learn it well by understanding the notes and the example sentences in the paper dictionary. | Roy I don’t like carrying a heavy dictionary wherever I go. It’s really convenient to learn a language with the help of an online dictionary. You don’t need to spend much time looking up what you need. Using an online dictionary makes a more effective learner. |
| Pam I like to look up something in the paper dictionary better. The explanations are so clear that I can understand better soon. I don’t think the online dictionary is believable. There are many incorrect usages which can make us confused. | Mike If you are not good at memorizing English words, you can look up their meanings online very soon. It helps you finish reading the English articles more smoothly. If you are a good language learner, you can always learn more in a shorter time in an online dictionary. It saves much time. |
◆What can you do to use the dictionary wisely?
It’s important to learn effectively with the help of a dictionary whether you use a paper dictionary or an e-dictionary. First, you should choose a dictionary which is treated well by most people. Second, information selection is needed. A good selection of information may include recognizing the part of speech (词性) and the meaning by relating to what you need! Next, comparing the information is necessary. Only in this way can we know which information is more accurate (准确的). We can decide which explanation to use by putting it in the context in the passage. After that, check whether the passage is correct and fluent with the meaning we get from a dictionary.
Steps for using a dictionary
Choose a dictionary ②Select information③ ▲ ；Decide the explanation④Check the passage |
1. Please translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.
2. What website or app do you know when using the online dictionary? (One example is OK)
3. According to Chart I, who likes to use a paper dictionary better?
4. What’s the advantage (优势) of using an online dictionary according to Chart I?
5. Please complete the third step in the chart II (图表).
6. Which do you think is more useful, the paper dictionary or the online dictionary? Why?
When we talk about reading books, paper(纸) books can be the first to think about. But a lot of young people want to read online books. Many apps have kinds of books for readers to read. Ximalaya App is one of them. With the books online, anyone can read books at any time. But some people still love to read and enjoy paper books.
◆Which do you like to read: paper books or online books?
| Lucy I like paper books very much. Reading paper books can always help me be happy. I don’t like to read books online. Because I think it’s bad for my eyes. | Tim I like to read online books. Because I don’t want to bring many books with me. And I can also listen to or read my favorite books easily on my smart phone. |
| It is a great app. It gives you much useful information. You can listen to English textbooks (课本) from primary school (小学) to high school on it for free (免费). Also, you can enjoy Guo Degang’s crosstalk. It is interesting. | |
◆ Whether (无论) you like to read paper books or online books, it is right to have good reading habits.
First, you must find a book that you want to finish reading. Second, you need to make a reading plan (计划). Next, you should write a book report. It can help you read better. At last, you can talk about your book report with your classmates or friends. You can learn from each other.
How to read a book?
1. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
2. Does Lucy enjoy online books?
3. Why does Tim like to read online books?
4. According to the passage, what can you do on Ximalaya App?
5. Please fill in the blank in the chart (图表).
6. Do you like paper books or online books? Why?
Should teenagers be allowed to have part-time jobs? We did a survey among two hundred people. According to the result, 75% say yes, and 22% say no. We choose some reasons as follows.
| Agree | Disagree |
| Jobs prepare teenagers for later life. Many college graduates look forward to a satisfying job. But some job interviewers say they want someone with experience. Amy, Shanghai | It is the time to study. If teenagers start working, they won’t have time to study. They might keep on working to achieve someone else’s dreams. However, they are too young to decide for their future. Scarlet, Beijing |
Jobs teach responsibility. Teenagers at 14 and older should be allowed to have part-time jobs. Jobs can teach teenagers responsibility and make teens learn how to work as a team. What’s more, teens who earn money at a young age can learn how to manage personal finances(财物). Tony, Guangzhou | Kids should pay more attention to their education. According to the survey, students who work more than 15 hours per week might lose interest in school and their grades may drop. This means students might not enter university if they work part-time for a long time. Kate, Chongqing |
| A．Unimportant. | B．Boring. | C．Helpful. |
| A．students’ grades will drop |
| B．teenagers will have no time to study |
| C．the experience can’t help teens find jobs later |
| A．over 15 hours | B．over 16 hours | C．less than 15 hours |
| A．Amy. | B．Tony. | C．Kate. |
| A．Teenagers might work hard to achieve their dreams. |
| B．Amy thinks work experience can help students find a job later. |
| C．All job interviewers want college graduates to have work experience. |
A primary school in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, said it no longer asked parents to sign the children’s homework.
When doing homework, students use the knowledge (知识) they learn. It is the duty of students to do their homework, study, find and correct their mistakes. Parents’ checking will only let them wait for their parents’ help if they face any problems. Children have to do their own learning because doing by themselves is really helpful to them. Putting an end to checking homework lets down the burden (负担) on many parents, or they have to do primary school homework after a day’s hard work.
There is no doubt that parents’ checking can make children’s homework better. But it does not give children chances to practice their ability to solve problems by themselves.
But now there are worries. If this decision is on, many people think the students’ grades will drop. However, the most efficient (有效的) way for children to study is to help them form (养成) their habits to learn and do their own studies. And the school’s decision is helpful to students.
We should tell our children that studying is their duty.
A primary school in Taiyuan said |
Most of us compare ourselves with others. Comparisons can help to make decisions and make us active. According to a study, 12% of our daily thoughts have something to do with making comparisons.
Why is it so easy to compare yourself with others?
Whether it’s the number of goals you’ve scored at football or how many books you’ve read, it’s easy to compare yourself with someone else. Scientists say it’s a natural behavior. Humans live in a circle and do something in common, but they act differently and get the results more or less. Although comparing can be good for you, it’s not always helpful and you can find yourself stuck in a comparison trap（陷阱）. This is when you always compare yourself with others and base（建立）your feelings on how well they seem to be doing.
Can comparisons be good for you?
Comparisons can make us feel good and bad about ourselves. “Comparing up” means seeing someone do better than you and using that to inspire（激励）yourself to make higher goals and try harder. “Comparing down” is when you see someone who doesn’t seem to be doing as well as you. It can stop you from wanting to improve.
Get out of the comparison trap.
Notice how people make you feel and spend time with friends who celebrate your strengths rather than compare themselves with you. If you follow social media accounts（账号）that, make you feel you are failing in any way, stop following them. The best person you can compete with is yourself. Here are some tips for making healthy comparisons.
| May, 14 The England Women’s team has great football skills. They train more than that I can imagine. Watching their games made me think I could play like that one day, too. |
（Chart I）
| Tip 1 Try to be your best. Never try to be the best one in the world. Be yourself. Value your achievements instead of someone else’s. Tip ▲ To celebrate the final result is meaningless. Progress is more important. Tip 3 Set some goals. Instead of saying “I can’t do it”, say “I can do it”. |
（Chart II）
1. What does the study result in the first paragraph show?2. Why do scientists think it’s natural to compare with others?
3. Which kind of comparison does May’s idea belong to? What does it mean?
4. Who should we stay with to get out of the comparison trap?
5. What’s the best subtitle（小标题）of Tip 2?
6. How do you like comparing with others? How will you improve yourself through comparisons?
Nobody wants to lose, but we must accept that losing is a part of life. After all, we can’t win all the time. However, we can learn something valuable from every failure. So we must know how to be a good loser.
When we lose, just take it with a smile and look on the bright side of it. Failure can’t be avoided in our life. Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the light bulb (灯泡). When he was asked how he felt, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times but had learned 10,000 things which didn’t work.
We must accept our failure and learn to take advantage of it. Remember that it can be helpful when we begin to take action to walk out of it and think about how we can improve. If someone else can help, we’ll be lucky enough. Maybe he or she has been through the same experience before. Many people enjoy helping others solve problems. This can greatly save us time in learning how to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
There is only one winner in every competition. Some win, while some lose. That is a usual way of life. If we offer our congratulations to the winners and share their happiness, we won’t feel sorry when facing our failure.
In a word, being a good loser will help us to succeed in life. Good losers set examples to us, and most importantly, they will finally win.
Failure is normal in our life. Learning how to be a good loser is important because every failure can teach us |
ChatGPT: Studying Tool or Cheating Tool?
ChatGPT助学工具还是助弊工具?
ChatGPT is a new AI tool that has been shaking the education world by storm. ChatGPT is so smart that it can write like a human in just a few seconds.
What is Chat GPT?
ChatGPT appeared as an AI-powered chatbot developed by Open AI. It works like a written conversation between the AI and the person asking it questions.
What are the possible problems?
Chat GPT can produce strong writing. But it may not tell the truth. And there is few guides for how to use it. People worry about students use it as a cheating tool.
New York City School recently banned (禁止) ChatGPT at school to stop students using the AI tool for cheating.
US made a survey around 100 teachers and 1,000 students on how they feel about the use of ChatGPT in school.
How teachers feel
● 80% of teachers have heard of ChatGPT.
● 26% of teachers have caught a student cheating using ChatGPT.
How students feel
● Nearly all students know ChatGPT.
● 89% of students have used Chat GPT to help with homework.
Although one-third of teachers think Chat GPT should not be allowed, there are twice of teachers believe it will improve students’ skills. So to cheat, or not to cheat, it depends on how you look at it.
1. What is ChatGPT?2. What problems does the ChatGPT possibly have?
3. Why did the teachers in New York City School ban ChatGPT at school?
4. How many students in the survey used ChatGPT for their homework?
5. According to teachers, which two skills could ChatGPT help to build mostly?
6. Do you think ChatGPT is a studying tool or cheating tool?How will you use it in the right way?
Many kids do housework such as doing the dishes, making the bed, and folding the clothes. In exchange, they get some money or computer time.
Paying kids for housework is one of the most popular topics, especially at a time when everyone is more careful about money. Some parents think since adults are paid to do their jobs, 我们应该为日常的家务向孩子付费。
But some people don’t think kids should get a reward(报酬) for doing housework. Susie Walton, an expert, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. “Running any kind of housework is a team effort,” Walton said. “A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and family decide how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like what they want.”
Other people believe that getting a reward encourages kids to do housework, and it also teaches them real world lessons about why we need to work to get money. There are also apps that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed(兑现) either online or in the real world. “Our goal is to give kids lawful power so they can get rewards,” says Chris Bergman. “And kids need rewards to help encourage them.”
1. Please translate the underlined sentence into English.2. What’s Walton’s idea in the passage?
3. Please translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.
4. What’s the benefit (好处) of paying kids for housework according to other people?
5. According to Chris Bergman, what should kids be encouraged to do?
6. Do you think kids should get rewards for doing housework ? Why do you think so?
Should kids do chores at home? Many people think that chores are important to kids’ sense of well-being（幸福感）. Kids feel different when they do chores, whether they are making their beds or sweeping the floor. Helping out around the house gives them a sense of accomplishment（成就）. Ding chores also helps kids feel like being part of a team.
Are kids too busy to do chores? Some parents don’t want their kids to do chores because they think they are too busy with schoolwork. They think that doing chores will influence（影响） kids’ schoolwork. But that’s not true. In fact, when kids start to do chores at an early age, as young as 3 or 4, they are more likely to become successful in the future. As the saying goes, “It’s never too early to start.”
Experts say the easiest way is just to start. Make some chore cards and put them into a box. Let kids pick some cards based on（基于） their ages. For example:
3, 4 or 5 years old ==2 cards
6, 7 or 8 years old ==3 cards
9, 10 or all years old ==4 cards
12, 13 or 14 years old ==5 cards
After kids finish their chores, ask them to put the cards back into the box. These chores are easy to finish, and kids will always be able to learn something. And they will feel happy.
No matter what chores kids do at home, helping out around the house can help them feel great. So, many people think that chores are Some parents think kids are too Making chore |
10 . Many kids help their parents to do chores such as washing the dishes, cleaning the floors and taking out the rubbish in the house. And some kids get money or other rewards from their parents, such as playing computer games for 20 minutes.
But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. One of them is Susie Walton, a parenting educator. She believes that if kids get rewards, they will think that work isn’t worth doing unless they can get something. For example, kids won’t sweep the floor if they see it is dirty. But they will clean the floor if their parents reward them for it. Susie said, “A home is a living place for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that it’s all family’s job to keep their homes clean.”
Other people have different opinions. They believe that money or other rewards can encourage kids to do more chores. It also teaches them real world lessons that we need to work to make money. Now, there are also apps that encourage kids to do chores. The apps give kids points and gifts that can be used either online or in the real world. With the Chore Monster app, kids get points after doing chores. Kids can exchange their points for real rewards, such as time to play video games or a trip to the mall.
What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out with their homes without getting anything?
1. How does the writer start the passage?| A．By giving some examples. | B．By giving some opinions. | C．By showing his own experiences. |
| A．Don’t ask kids to do housework. |
| B．Don’t reward kids for doing anything. |
| C．Don’t give kids rewards for doing chores. |
| A．惩罚 | B．奖励 | C．努力 |
| A．How to make money by doing chores. |
| B．How to exchange the points for real rewards. |
| C．The good side of rewarding kids for doing chores. |
| A．A dictionary. | B．A storybook. | C．A magazine. |
