1 . When Leah was 10, she saw a need for change in the world. “People are supposed to show
Leah decided to
As Leah gave out bracelets,
When Leah couldn't
So far, she has sent out 10,000 wristbands. She has
Leah hopes to
| A．pleasure | B．patience | C．love | D．curiosity |
| A．pick up | B．put away | C．show off | D．hand out |
| A．compared | B．attached | C．opened | D．connected |
| A．ignored | B．infected | C．valued | D．engaged |
| A．word | B．passion | C．anxiety | D．happiness |
| A．bothered | B．surprised | C．upset | D．embarrassed |
| A．genuinely | B．hardly | C．slightly | D．relatively |
| A．deny | B．advance | C．meet | D．delay |
| A．native | B．complex | C．natural | D．different |
| A．attended | B．organized | C．canceled | D．postponed |
| A．victims | B．researchers | C．reporters | D．observers |
| A．sales | B．funds | C．designs | D．advertisements |
| A．respect | B．contact | C．recommend | D．encourage |
| A．mean | B．scared | C．content | D．proud |
| A．gap | B．problem | C．number | D．barrier |
2 . Sun Rui, a mother in Beijing, changed some of her plans for her 8-year-old son’s summer vacation. She had looked for an out-of-school English course, but in the end, she changed it to a swimming training class. “It is because of the strict rules on subject-tutoring classes out of schools, many parents like me choose sports or other classes for developing interests instead,” Sun said.
Sun’s choice is part of the result of the government’s growing efforts to reduce the academic pressure on young students.
On July 24, Chinese government introduced the rules in order to reduce the burden of homework and after-class tutoring for primary and junior high school students. It lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and the difficulty of homework and after-class services provided by schools. For example, homework for primary children below the third grade is not allowed, while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish. Out-of-school classes cannot teach students knowledge that is ahead of the school curriculum. No subject lessons can be given on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.
According to Global Times, more than 75 percent of Chinese children in cities, from grade l to grade 12, take part in out-of-school subject classes. This has led to many social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, more mental health problems and huge family costs, said Chu Zhaohui, senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences.
Many parents showed their support for the new moves. “Subject leaning is enough at school and we hope the children’s life can be more relaxing during holidays”, a parent in Guangzhou told Xinhua. However, there are also some parents who have new fears. A parent in Shanxi said that although she agreed with the new rules, she was worried that both she and her husband had no time to be with her son
1. The reason why Sun Rui let her son sign up for a swimming class instead of an English course is that ______.| A．many parents chose classes for developing interests |
| B．the government made rules on out-of-school subject classes. |
| C．the government made an effort to advocate subject-tutoring classes. |
| D．she wanted to reduce the academic pressure on her son. |
| A．primary students in grade one and grade two have no homework after school. |
| B．junior high school students should do their homework for more than 90 minutes. |
| C．out-of-school classes can’t teach any knowledge in school textbooks. |
| D．during summer vacations, junior students can have subject classes outside schools. |
| A．help children stay fit. |
| B．have a positive effect on children’s mental health. |
| C．increase some families’ extra spending. |
| D．help children lean better at school. |
| A．Some parents feel anxious about their children’s study at school. |
| B．They want their children to take part in more out-of-school classes. |
| C．They all think it is hard for them to accept the rules right now. |
| D．Some parents worry that they have no time to keep their children company after school. |
3 . When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class. She was absent a lot, and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig (假发) because her medicine made her lose her hair. Since then, anytime Lisa came to class, I would hang around with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule (嘲笑) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗争) with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I’ve had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are. I write to your column (专栏) and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.
1. Why was the author being laughed at?| A．Because she wore a wig to school. |
| B．Because she always kept Lisa company. |
| C．Because she cried in the classroom. |
| D．Because she lost her friends because of Lisa. |
| A．She had known Lisa since they were born. |
| B．She has been to Lisa’s house. |
| C．She has a good family education. |
| D．She was the first one to know about Lisa’s death. |
| A．To keep your illness a secret. |
| B．To be nice to everyone everywhere. |
| C．To face challenges in life bravely. |
| D．To put others’ needs above yours. |
| A．remember a true friend |
| B．ask for help to find a friend’s parents |
| C．show her concern for a friend |
| D．tell her experience of fighting cancer |
4 . A warm drink of milk before bed has long been the best choice for those wanting a good night’s sleep. But now a study has found it really does help people nod off（打瞌睡）—if it is milked from a cow at night.
Researchers have discovered that “night milk” contains more melatonin(褪黑激素), which has been proven to help people feel sleepy and reduce anxiety（焦虑）.The study, by researchers from Seoul, South Korea, involved mice being fed with dried milk powder（奶粉） made from cows milked both during the day and at night. Those given night milk, which contained 10 times the amount of melatonin, were less active and less anxious than those fed with the milk collected during daytime, according to the study published in The Journal of Medicinal Food.
Night milk quickened the start of sleep and caused the mice to sleep longer.
While the effect of cow milk harvested at different time has not been tested on humans up to now, taking melatonin drugs has been suggested to those who have trouble falling asleep at night.
Previous （以前的）studies have also showed that milk can be excellent for helping sleep because of the calcium content, which helps people to relax.
1. According to the text, the mice fed with daytime milk_______.| A．started sleep more easily | B．were more anxious |
| C．were less active | D．woke up later |
| A．It’s been tested on mice for ten years. |
| B．It can make people more energetic. |
| C．It exists in milk in great amount. |
| D．It’s used in sleeping drugs. |
| A．Night Milk and Sleep | B．Fat Sugar and Health |
| C．An Experiment on Mice | D．Milk Drinking and Health |
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By stating arguments. |
| C．By explaining statistical data. |
| D．By providing research results. |
5 . Parents do not owe (欠) their children a college education, if they can afford it, they can certainly send them to a good university. But they needn’t feel guilty if they can’t. When children grow up and want to get married, their parents do not owe them an apartment. They do not have the duty to look after their grandchildren, either. If they want to do it, it must be considered a favor, not an obligation.
Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.
One of their obligations is to give their children a sense of personal worth. Children who are always made to feel stupid and unworthy, constantly compared with brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins will become so unsure, so afraid of failing that they won’t try at all. Of course, they should be properly corrected when they do wrong, but it’s often better to let children learn from their mistakes by themselves in time. All their parents should do is to trust them, respect them, understand them and give them chances to try and fail. They must learn to stand failure. When criticisms (批评) are really needed, they should be balanced with a smile and a kiss. That is the way children learn.
Parents owe their children a set of solid values around which to build their lives. This means teaching them to respect the rights and opinions of others. Also, it means being respectful to elders, to teachers, and to the law. The best way to teach such values is by deed. A child who is lied to will lie. A child who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have difficulty laughing and loving.
No child asks to be born. If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child something.
1. What does the underlined word “obligation” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Duty | B．Burden | C．Excuse | D．Debt |
| A．Offer help but needn’t feel guilty if they can’t. | B．Look after their grandchildren for their kids. |
| C．Buy their kids a house. | D．Send their children to the university. |
| A．Blame them and tell them not to do that again. |
| B．Give them chances to learn from their mistakes. |
| C．Compare them with brighter brothers or sisters. |
| D．Correct their mistakes directly. |
| A．The reason why children feel stupid and unworthy. |
| B．How to teach children correctly. |
| C．The real duties that parents have to their kids. |
| D．The reason why parents owe their children something. |
6 . A lecture hall should be like a church-a little too dark,much too cold,and uncomfortably silent.You should feel guilty opening your water bottle,because all 200 people in the room can hear it.
So when I’m trying to pay attention,the last thing you should be doing is carrying on a conversation about your last weekend party or anything else.
During the past school term,I’ve had enough.One of my biggest complaints of large class sizes is the tendency for three to five friends to sit together and loudly whisper each others’ ears off for an hour and 15 minutes straight.My stupid monkey brain can’t help but focus on your conversation about the difference between ash blonde and light blonde colored hair that look exactly the same.
To me,it just feels like a waste.You’re actively wasting money,and missing vital information.We(and the government)pay quite a lot for our education,but you are here to ignore someone significantly more experienced than us,in classes we picked,for hours every week.
I know major requirements can be boring,but this is still an education.It requires two-way effort.Most of students here have at least one goal in common:success.Not every checkpoint on that path is going to be filled with joy.Sit down,shut up,and force yourself to listen to your professor.Society tells us it will eventually pay off.
Or maybe it won’t because you don’t want to.
I actually don’t care if you decide to pay little or no attention to the lecture itself,so long as you’re not being disturbing.
For those willing to try,in 20 years when you finally pay off your debt with your fairly secure white-collar job,you’ll look back and be happy that you went through the lectures.
1. Why is a lecture hall compared to a church by the author?| A．Both places are open to the public. |
| B．Both places are supposed to be quiet. |
| C．Both places can seat over 200 people. |
| D．Both places help rid people of their guilt. |
| A．He likes persuading others. |
| B．He tends to make complaints. |
| C．He values education as a duty. |
| D．He cares much about friendship. |
| A．Annoyed. |
| B．Deserted. |
| C．Thrilled. |
| D．Worried. |
| A．Hard Work Pays Off! |
| B．Focus on the Lectures! |
| C．Wasting Your Time Is a Shame! |
| D．Mind Your In-Class Behavior! |
7 . Chase is always looking for ways he can help others. At just 13 years old, he has already contributed a great deal to the community in Port Allen, Louisiana. He has hosted dinners for senior citizens, donated hundreds of socks to the homeless, and now he is contributing directly to the kids at his school.
Chase noticed many children at Port Allen Middle School have a hard time affording new clothing, especially when events like school dances and graduations come up. So when school leaders asked students how they could improve their community, Chase suggested helping families get clothes.
The school agreed, so PAM’s Pantry was born. The concept is simple. First, people donate clothing, shoes, sports equipment, and other helpful personal items. Then, Chase helps organize the donations so headmaster Jessica and the teachers can hand them to those in need.
Jessica says this plan is meeting more kids’ needs than ever before, especially since they live in a low-income area. “We really want the kids to feel as if they have somewhere to go when they need something,” the headmaster said. “We only have 215 kids, so we’re able to get to know them really well and try to help them when we can.”
Amanda, Chase’s mother, said she was not the least bit surprised by what her son decided. “He seems to have a great passion for people,” she said. “I always encourage him to help others because they deserve happiness, too.”
If more people do as Chase does, the world will be a kinder place! Simply looking for ways of the change we want to see in the world can have life-changing effects, not just on us, but also on those around us.
1. What is Chase doing to help others?| A．He is hosting dinners for senior citizens. |
| B．He is organizing donations for the local students. |
| C．He is holding school dances and graduations. |
| D．He is donating hundreds of socks to the homeless. |
| A．A club. | B．A competition. | C．A company. | D．A charity. |
| A．Ordinary. | B．Costly. | C．Meaningful. | D．Creative. |
| A．To praise Chase. | B．To introduce Chase. |
| C．To call for help | D．To encourage kindnesses. |
8 . At some point, something will have to be done about the stuffed toys (毛绒玩具). I haven’t counted them because, truthfully, I’m not prepared to know how many there are. Lately, our neighborhood’s message boards are filled with posts about parents trying to make space, to clear out the things their kids no longer need. The tone of some of these posts can best be described as “emergency”. “Help!” they sometimes begin. “I have to get this out of my house.”
“The proliferation (激增) of children’s toys is the outcome of a long, gradual cultural change,”says Gary Cross, a professor at Pennsylvania State University. To understand how we got here — drowning (淹没于) in all those stuffed toys and bricks — it helps to look as far back as the late 19th century. “Parents were no longer passing their jobs on to the children,” Cross says. “Instead, they connect across generations through the gifting process. From the early 20th century on, goods became the things that define relationships between family members, and the way of marking success as a family.”
Then, how can parents deal with the proliferation of children’s toys at home? Naeemah Ford Goldson, a professional organizer, is also a mom of two. In her own home, Goldson likes to include her kids in the work of sorting out their toys. They know that the items they don’t need anymore will be given to people who can use them, to families who might not be as fortunate as theirs. “Doing so helps them build those habits of letting go,” she says, “so then they don’t become adults who are too dependent on material things instead of experiences, or people, and the memories we make with people.”
Her idea made sense. She told her 5-year-old they should pick some to give to kids in their community who came from another country and had to leave their toys behind. She immediately took a pink bear from the pile.
1. Why does the author present the posts in paragraph 1?| A．To show the popularity of children’s toys. |
| B．To offer suggestions about choosing children’s toys. |
| C．To praise the role of social media in buying children’s toys. |
| D．To introduce the influence too many children’s toys bring about. |
| A．Children’s demands. | B．The growth of technology. |
| C．The traditions in the 18th century. | D．The practice of gifting among family members. |
| A．Involve her kids in organizing toys. | B．Put away toys for her kids. |
| C．Buy her kids fewer toys. | D．Sell unwanted toys to neighbors. |
| A．The Rise of Toy Stores in Neighborhoods | B．The Importance of Choosing Proper Gifts |
| C．The Challenge of Managing Children’s Toys | D．The Joy of Collecting Children’s Toys |
9 . As we all know, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Now scientists have given us another warning: spending too much time on smart phones or computers makes you dull too.
“Many focus on the benefits of digital devices (设备) in education but ignore the costs,” said Patricia Greenfield from the University of California, “losing the ability to understand the emotions of other people is one of the costs.” Greenfield and her research team did an experiment. They worked with 105 children who spent about 4.5 hours in front of screens on a school day. The students were asked to describe the emotions towards the pictures of people who were happy, sad, angry or scared. Then, half of them attended a five-day nature and science camp. There they had no smart phones, TV, or computers. The other half stayed in school and spent the five days as usual. Five days later, all the children took the test again.
Students who had been to the camp got about 5 percent more answers correct than they had done before the camp. But the other group of students didn’t show much improvement. The study is not perfect in some ways, said the researchers. But scientists say that the study is still a warning for us.
“Emotional skills develop in practice and the brain develops through real interaction.” said Professor Taylor, a professor at the University of San Francisco.
Researchers talked to 2,000 parents of children aged 2-16 in the UK about what activities their children could do confidently. The results were surprising: Their children could use a tablet (平板电脑) (59%) and work a mobile phone (57%) more confidently than they could tie their shoe laces (鞋带) (53%)! So, spend more time away from mobile phones and computers if you want to be an understanding friend, and not a member of what the Daily Mail called “Generation Helpless”.
1. According to Professor Greenfield, what is the consequence of using digital media in education?| A．Students don’t get along well with family members. |
| B．Students always make more mistakes when taking exams. |
| C．Students can’t catch up with others in schoolwork. |
| D．Students fail to know other people’s emotions. |
| A．They are far from useful. | B．They are alarming for people. |
| C．They are quite surprising. | D．They need to be improved. |
| A．Students learned how to describe emotions in the experiment. |
| B．Most of the UK children couldn’t tie their shoe laces. |
| C．Students living without screens did much better in studies. |
| D．Overusing digital devices raised some worries. |
| A．Stay away from the Internet | B．Here comes a digital world |
| C．Screens are harmful to emotions | D．How people become addicted |
10 . Rave-on!
How about learning new skills on the guitar, drums and keyboard by video? Follow the touch-screen instructions to find lessons on each instrument, or search for a song to practise playing along to. Try our Professional Selection, with video clips of band members who will explain the techniques that make their recordings so individual.
Show-in-a-day!
Be a star singer or dancer for the day in a one-time-only special performance! Experts in international music and dance styles will train you, and costumes provided for the performance help create a really special, individual show. Get your friends and family to come and see you perform, as no videoing or photography is allowed.
Archived Images
Want to find out about a new band, or just want more information about an old favourite? Visit our collection to find out facts and figures, or see the actual possessions of famous bands and musicians you are interested in. You can actually get to touch things worn on stage at major rock and pop events, and there are plenty of other concert souvenirs.
Rhythm-studio
Get your body moving in the studio and learn to move to rhythms and sounds from the past to now, including Soul and Disco. Learn your steps from our professional onscreen dance instructor, then watch your performance and become the star in your own video recording which you can take away!
1. Which one can collect information about someone’s favourite bands?| A．Rave-on! | B．Archived Images. |
| C．Show-in-a-day! | D．Rhythm-studio. |
| A．Rhythm-studio offers free gifts from musicians. |
| B．Rhythm-studio has experts to teach face to face. |
| C．Rhythm-studio gets family members to enjoy the shows. |
| D．Rhythm-studio allows people to bring videos home. |
| A．In a report. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．In a science magazine. |
