1 . It can be hard to keep kids busy sometimes, especially when school is out. Whether your kid is in pre-school or high school, there are fun, educational, and even some free apps on this list for them.
ABCmouse. com
ABCmouse.com is available both as an app and a website. It uses fun storyline-based videos, quizzes, and activities—there’s even a virtual map outlining your child’s learning path to keep kids engaged.
Ages:4-8
Cost:One-month free trial, then $ 10/month subscription (订阅).
EPIC!
Epic! is an app for kids with an e-book library that contains over 35,000 children’s books. This app is a perfect way to take reading wherever your device goes, and it’s great for families with kids of various ages.
Ages: 2-12
Cost: one—month free trial, then $ 8/month.
QUIDK MATH
Kids know that math can be boring, but this app transforms numbers into something more creative and interactive (互动的). Quick Math Jr. is an app for kids with 12 different math games that feature fundamental math skills and concepts.
Ages: 4-8
Cost: free
BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week
For 20 years, BrainPOP has been providing kids all over the world with in-depth, yet easy to understand educational videos on everything ranging from Mozart to food allergies. BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week is an app that helps younger kids get these videos, plus short quizzes on them.
Ages :6-9
Cost: free, optional subscription(订阅)is $6.99/month
1. How much is it if you want to use EPIC! for the first year?| A．$ 120 | B．$96 | C．$110 | D．$ 88 |
| A．QUICK Math | B．EPIC! | C．ABCmouse. com | D．BrainPOP Jr. Movie of the Week |
| A．They are interactive. | B．They are educational. |
| C．Players have quizzes. | D．They are free of charge. |
2 . During a small earthquake, you will feel a little shaking. Pictures hanging on the walls might move back and forth. Dishes might rattle (发出响声) inside the kitchen cabinet. A lamp might possibly fall and break.
In a very strong earthquake, you might be thrown upward or down to the ground. Cracks might appear in the ground. Windows might be broken. Buildings and bridges might fall down. People might be injured or even killed. Strong earthquakes often suddenly break electric wires. That means electric lights and machines will not work. Water pipes sometimes break, so people have no water to drink. Pipes that carry natural gas and tanks that hold petrol and dangerous chemicals can break and start fires.
Aftershocks (余震) are mini-quakes that come after the main part, of an earthquake. They can cause even more damage. Aftershocks are especially dangerous for rescue workers who have gone into ruined buildings to help people who are trapped inside. The buildings can collapse, trapping the rescue workers along with the people they are trying to help.
Very strong earthquakes can cause tsunamis in the ocean, which may bring great damage. Earthquakes can cause landslides where dirt and rocks slide down the sides of a mountain and damage buildings and hurt people. Earthquakes can also cause avalanches (雪崩) and heavy snow slide down a mountainside. An avalanche can be just as dangerous as a landslide.
1. All the following may be the results of a strong earthquake EXCEPT that .| A．strong bridges fall down |
| B．people have no water to drink |
| C．some dangerous chemicals flow out |
| D．dishes in the kitchen shake and make sounds |
| A．Aftershocks are not as dangerous as the main part of an earthquake. |
| B．Aftershocks are even more dangerous than big earthquakes to the rescue workers. |
| C．Aftershocks are not dangerous for rescue workers. |
| D．Aftershocks are strong earthquakes following the main part of an earthquake. |
| A．fall down | B．shake out |
| C．set up | D．break through |
| A．strong earthquakes can cause tsunamis in the river |
| B．strong earthquakes are caused by the movements of oceans |
| C．landslides do less damage than strong earthquakes |
| D．strong earthquakes can cause other big natural disasters |
3 . I want to talk about the economy. Not "the economy" we hear about endlessly in the news each day and in politicians' speeches. I want to talk about the real economy, the one we live in day by day.
Most people aren't particularly interested in "the economy". "Share prices are flying high； interest rates are soaring(猛增的); the Dow Jones Index closed sixty-three points down on 8472.35. " We hear this and subconsciously switch off.
Notice that "the economy" is not the same as the economy, "The economy" is what men in suits play with to make vast personal wealth. The economy is where the rest of us live on a daily basis, earning our living, paying our taxes, and purchasing the necessities of life.
We are supposed to be benefiting from all the advantages of a well-off society. So why do we feel tired and stressed? We have no time for anything other than work, which is ridiculous given the number of labor-saving devices in our lives. Our towns become more and more crowded. We poison our air and seas, and our food is full of chemicals. There's something wrong here. If times were truly good, then you may think we'd all feel optimistic about the future. Yet the majority of us are deeply worried. More than 90 percent of us think we are too concerned about ourselves and not concerned enough about future generations.
The term "economic expansion" suggests something desirable, but expansion simply means spending more money. More spending doesn't mean that life is getting better. We all know it often means the opposite—greed, crime, poverty, pollution. More spending merely feeds our whole economic system, which is based on production and consumption. Unless money keeps circulating, the economy breaks down. If we don't keep consuming, the whole system goes into stalemate(僵局).
How do we break the cycle and make some changes? We need to become far more aware of the results of our actions. We buy clothes that are made in sweat shops by virtual slaves in poor parts of the world. We create mountains of waste. We demand cheap food, mindless of the fact that it totally lacks taste and is produced using chemicals that poison the land.
The consumption culture makes us unaware of the effect of our own behavior. Our main problem is not that we don't know what to do about it. It is gathering the desire to do it.
1. According to the author, which one belongs to the real economy？| A．The Dow Jones Index. | B．Increases in interest rates. |
| C．Shopping in a supermarket. | D．Skyrocketing share prices. |
| A．people are benefiting from a well﹣off society |
| B．the future generation is a big concern for most people |
| C．the majority of people are optimistic about the future |
| D．people still feel much pressure despite labor-saving devices |
| A．It guarantees a better life for us. | B．It may lead to some social problems. |
| C．It will stop the circulation of money. | D．It has only brought desirable effects. |
| A．call on us to change our behavior | B．suggest a solution for over-consumption |
| C．make a distinction between two economies | D．inform us of the effects of economic expansion |
4 . Mexico and the USA share a common border on the northern side of Mexico. However, despite the close physical proximity(临近), there are a lot of differences between their social conduct.
Americans belong to diverse ethnic (种族) as well as national origins, despite which, all of them have mixed perfectly with the mainstream of American culture. Officially, six different races of people have been recognized by the government of the United States, which include White or European Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Black or African-Americans, Asians, and the people of two or more races. White Americans form the majority, constituting about 75% of the total population of America.
Mexicans are a group of multi-ethnic people. Mexico shelters people of different races, religions and tribes. When the country achieved independence from the Spanish colonizers (殖民者), the population included people of native pre-Columbian ancestry as well as Europeans, who came there through the process of colonization. The fusion of these two, particularly diverse ethnicities, led to the formation of the special multi-ethnic character of the Mexican people.
Americans tend to give a lot of importance to their profession, sometimes more than their family. Children are brought up in a more independent manner. Parents expect their children to set up their independence households once they start earning. Americans feel that the practical application of knowledge is very important. So, their way of acquiring knowledge is based more on reasoning, analysis, and in-depth specialization of a subject.
However, family comes first for Mexicans. In most Mexican families, men work to earn money, while women take care of the housework. Children are brought up with a lot of parental care and attention. Mexicans love to settle down in one place, and prefer to stay with their families. They consider titles and positions as their status symbols. They believe in education based on repeated learning and so, their academic system emphasizes learning through memorization.
Despite so many differences in their cultures, some sort of integration (结合) binds the Mexicans and the Americans, in a way, promotes their co-existence.
1. Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 2?| A．American Indians and Alaska Natives are the largest ethnic group in the USA. |
| B．There are more Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders than Asians in the USA. |
| C．American Indians have not been recognized by the US government. |
| D．European Americans make up about three fourths of the USA’s population. |
| A．competition | B．mix |
| C．comparison | D．balance |
| A．Truth comes from practice. | B．Blood was thicker than water. |
| C．Rome was not built in a day. | D．Every dog has its day. |
| A．look at money as a status symbol | B．usually receive an all-round education |
| C．enjoy the company of family | D．husband and wife share the housework |
5 . Jenifer Mauer has needed more willpower than the typical college student to pursue her goal of earning a nursing degree. That willpower bore fruit when Jennifer graduated from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and became the first in her large family to earn a bachelor's degree.
Mauer, of Edgar, Wisconsin, grew up on a farm in a family of 10 children. Her dad worked at a job away from the farm, and her mother ran the farm with the kids. After high school, Jennifer attended a local technical college, working to pay her tuition(学费), because there was no extra money set aside for a college education. After graduation, she worked to help her sisters and brothers pay for their schooling.
Jennifer now is married and has three children of her own. She decided to go back to college to advance her career and to be able to better support her family while doing something she loves: nursing. She chose the UW-Eau Claire program at Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield because she was able to pursue her four-year degree close to home. She could drive to class and be home in the evening to help with her kids. Jenifer received great support from her family as she worked to earn her degree: Her husband worked two jobs to cover the bills, and her 68-year-old mother helped take care of the children at times.
Through it all, she remained in good academic standing and graduated with honors. Jennifer sacrificed(牺牲)to achieve her goal, giving up many nights with her kids and missing important events to study. ''Some nights my heart was breaking to have to pick between my kids and studying for exams or papers,'' she says. However, her children have learned an important lesson witnessing their mother earn her degree. Jennifer is a first-generation graduate and an inspiration to her family-and that's pretty powerful.
1. What did Jennifer do after high school?| A．She helped her dad with his work. |
| B．She ran the family farm on her own. |
| C．She supported herself through college. |
| D．She taught her sisters and brothers at home. |
| A．To take care of her kids easily. | B．To learn from the best nurses. |
| C．To save money for her parents. | D．To find a well-paid job there. |
| A．Her health. | B．Her time with family. |
| C．Her reputation. | D．Her chance of promotion. |
| A．Time is money. | B．Love breaks down barriers. |
| C．Hard work pays off. | D．Education is the key to success. |
6 . Reducing class size has traditionally been seen as an important way to improve a student's educational experience.
Many public opinion studies have shown that both teachers and parents favor small class size. Teachers who go on strike are often seeking lower classroom numbers among other better working conditions. Many often believe that smaller classes would permit teachers to give more personal attention to their student. This can theoretically lead to improved academic results for student.
But one recent study suggests there is not much research-based evidence to support this idea. The researchers say the idea of smaller class sizes has been studied and debated for many years. However, they noted a lack of clear research to support class size reductions.
The study notes that one of the main problems with reducing class sizes is that it can have very high costs. Increasing class size is one of the most common ways school systems control education spending. Financial limitations make it very difficult for many schools to reduce the number of students in the classroom.
The teachers' goal was to examine the major research studies already completed on the subject. They especially centered on studies that tried to measure whether the smaller class size resulted in greater success for students.
'The researchers conclude that there is some evidence to suggest that reducing class size may lead to some improvement in a student's rending achievement. But they said "the effect is very small." They found just a 53-percent chance that a randomly selected test score from a student from a small class would be higher than the selected score of a student from a lager class. For mathematics achievement, the result was 49 percent. This led the researchers to conclude that there would be little benefit to math students in a smaller class size.
1. Why do some teachers prefer reducing class size?| A．They believe it may help improve students' academic performance. |
| B．It'll greatly better their working conditions. |
| C．They think it will bring much attention to their efforts. |
| D．It will offer them more time to relax. |
| A．Making more profits. |
| B．Attracting more students to study. |
| C．Cutting down education expenses. |
| D．Handling the problem of a lack of teachers. |
| A．has nothing to do with students' scores |
| B．has a minor effect in some fields |
| C．has already led to greater academic success |
| D．isn't practical because parents object to it |
| A．The Future of the Class Size Development |
| B．People's Preference for Class Size |
| C．The Cost of Reducing Class Size |
| D．The Little Influence of Reducing Class Size |
7 . An old man in a faded yellow shirt sat in a windowless room on a raised concrete form. The only source of heat came from somewhere beneath the plastic mattress and the rough blanket the blank-faced police woman had handed him after taking his thumb prints. He heard voices and metallic clang as the cell door swung open.
At the front desk a tired looking policeman handed the old man back his belongings, his worn-out cap and the Seiko watch that had stopped working the day his beloved Evelyn left. The policeman dramatically held the blue plastic bag at an arm's length to the old man who took it and made sure its contents were undamaged: the goat meat, palm oil, leaves and spices. He ignored the confused expression on the officer’s face and signed the document declaring he had been returned the possessions they had taken off him the night before.
No one spoke to him as he walked slowly towards the exit.
''Mr. Easy-nwa? '' He stopped and prayed to the God who now took care of Evelyn to please take him far away from this unhappy place of expressionless faces, clipped accents and people who did not even attempt to pronounce his name right.
''Ezenwa,'' He said and looked at a woman with tangerine lips, her name tag said Jessica Harlow, Social Services. ''A bit far from home'' she said as she drove fast and with confidence the way Evelyn used to. He wondered if she meant the 50 miles from Liverpool or the 50,000 miles from Enugu，a city in Nigeria. He did not bother replying as this woman had plenty to say about the weather, bad drivers, her daughter's school play...
At last she drew up outside the block of flats where he lived.
''Got here in the end''，said she seriously, ''Really Mr. Easy-nwa, if you keep getting lost, we will have to consider moving you into a home''.
''No need, I was not lost, '' he answered. He carefully rolled up the sleeves of the oversize bomber jacket he wore and turned on the tap to wash his hands, relieved the pipes were not frozen.
In a clean pan he placed the chopped pieces of goat meat. The herbs and spices that had taken him three months to track down, the uziza seeds had taken him into the heart of Granby Market in Liverpool, his uchanwu leaves down a shady back alley in Manchester, and yesterday, among other food items, the finest goat meat from a Sierra Leonean Butcher in Birmingham. That had taken some time, so much he missed the last train and when the police found him shivering outside the locked-up station, so cold he couldn't answer loudly enough the pink-faced big copper who yelled in his face, ''What's your name sir? '' spraying his face with spittle (唾沫)as he did so, leaving them with no choice but to search an exhausted, frozen old black man and finding him in possession of mysterious condiments (调味品)including a bag of dried bitter-leaf which could of course be mistaken for anything that resulted in him getting read his rights and charged with ...possession???
He lifted the lid of the bubbling soup, the room was filled with the rich and spicy scent of his culinary (烹饪的)effort. He served two bowls, taking the chipped one and placing the other opposite where Evelyn would have sat. He would tell her about his adventure, it was their anniversary and this was the perfect pepper soup to celebrate.
Ken Onyia, UK (Nigeria) Commonwealth Sport Short Story Prize
1. Why was Mr. Ezenwa taken to the prison for a night?| A．He was too weak to move. |
| B．He couldn't find his way back home. |
| C．He then had nowhere else to go. |
| D．He was suspected of possessing drugs. |
| A．his thumb print was taken immediately |
| B．the policeman was confused about what he had |
| C．a social worker was assigned to drive him back home |
| D．the policeman was so kind as not to damage his belongings |
| A．He collected all sorts of valuables as presents. |
| B．He cooked native food as a surprise for his wife. |
| C．He prepared a special Nigerian pepper soup carefully. |
| D．He travelled a lot, attempting to get his wife back. |
| A．Hopeless and pessimistic. | B．Affectionate and persistent. |
| C．Mysterious and troublesome. | D．Energetic and sympathetic. |
8 . Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars. lots of traffic jams and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes(废气). So the city began a scheme(计划)to improve the situation.
Under the Velib scheme ('Velib' comes from velo liberte, or 'bicycle freedom') people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour-on the bike is free, but if you don't return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it's only € 1 a day or € 29 a year! The bicycles are heavy (25kg), and they are all grey and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!
Paris is not the first city to have a scheme like this. But not everybody thinks it's a great idea. One Parisian said. “These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won't use a bicycle-they'll still use their cars.”
A city spokesman said, “The bicycle scheme won't solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren't any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too. “
1. What can we know about the Velib scheme?| A．Its bikes have no baskets. | B．Its bikes are light and colorful. |
| C．It owns more stations than the subway. | D．It aims to make traveling easier. |
| A．€1. | B．€30. | C．€29. | D．No money. |
| A．The cost is rather high. | B．It's not suitable for a long journey. |
| C．It's hard to find a Velib station. | D．The distance between two Velib stations is long. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．worried. | C．Uncaring. | D．Positive. |
9 . Before he sailed round the world alone, Francis Chichester had already surprised his friends several times. He had tried to fly round the world but failed. That was in 1931.
The years passed. He gave up flying and began sailing. He enjoyed it greatly. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo transatlantic sailing race. His old dream of going round the world came back, but this time he would sail.His friends and doctors did not think he could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry out his plan. In August 1966, at the age of nearly 65, an age when many men retire, he began the greatest voyage of his life.
Chichester covered 14100 miles before stopping in Sydney, Australia. This was more than twice the distance anyone had previously sailed alone. He arrived in Australia on 12 December, just 107 days out from England. He received a warm welcome from the Australians and from his family who had flown there to meet him. On shore, Chichester could not walk without help. Everybody said the same thing: he had done enough; he must not go any further. But he did not listen.
After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more in spite of his friends' attempts to dissuade him. The second half of his voyage was by far the more dangerous part, during which he sailed round the treacherous Cape Horn.After succeeding in sailing round Cape Horn, Chichester sent the following radio message to London: "I feel as if I had wakened from a nightmare. Wild horses could not drag me down to Cape Horn and that sinister Southern Ocean again."
Just before 9 o'clock on Sunday evening 28 May 1967, he arrived back in England, where a quarter of a million people were waiting to welcome him.Queen Elizabeth II knighted(授以爵位) him with the very sword that Queen Elizabeth I had used almost 400 years earlier to knight Sir Francis Drake after he had sailed round the world for the first time.The whole voyage from England and back had covered 28,500 miles. It had taken him nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he wanted to accomplish.
1. What can we learn about Chichester?| A．He failed the solo transatlantic sailing race in 1959. |
| B．He was a brave and determined man. |
| C．The second half of his voyage was not as dangerous as the first half. |
| D．The radio message expressed his concern about the sailing. |
| A．She called on the English to learn form him. |
| B．She was waiting to congratulate on his success in sailing. |
| C．She thought poorly of his achievements. |
| D．She knighted him for praising him. |
| A．Anyone who had sailed alone traveled less than 7050miles before 1966 |
| B．Chichester sailed round the Atlantic in 1931 |
| C．Most of the English retire at the age of 65 |
| D．Chichester died of lung cancer in 1967 after he went back to England |
The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, “The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?”
“Sure. Why not?” the woman said, and handed the stone to him.
The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag.”
The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, “I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!”
The young man felt ashamed and left silently.
1. How did the young man find the precious stone?
| A．He found it in his food. | B．He dug it out in a valley. |
| C．He saw it in the woman’s bag. | D．He noticed it shining in the stream. |
| A．Money. | B．Worry. | C．Health. | D．Trouble. |
| A．he found the stone was not precious |
| B．he understood the real meaning of joy |
| C．he felt embarrassed at taking away the stone |
| D．he wanted to get something even more precious |
| A．A special stone | B．The joy of giving |
| C．A woman and a young man | D．An experience in the mountains |
