1 . From the very beginning of school we make books and reading a constant source of possible failure and public humiliation. When children are little we make them read aloud, before the teacher and other children, so that we can be sure they “know” all the words they are reading. This means that when they don't know a word, they are going to make a mistake, right in front of everyone. After having taught fifth-grade classes for four years, I decided to try at all costs to rid them of their fear and dislike of books, and to get them to read oftener and more adventurously.
One day soon after school had started, I said to them, “Now I’m going to say something about reading that you have probably never heard a teacher say before. I would like you to read a lot of books this year, but I want you to read them only for pleasure. I am not going to ask you questions to find out whether you understand the books or not. If you understand enough of a book to enjoy it and want to go on reading it, that’s enough for me. Also I’m not going to ask you what words mean.”
The children sat stunned and silent. Was this a teacher talking? One girl, who had just come to us from a school where she had had a very hard time, looked at me steadily for a long time after I had finished. Then, still looking at me, she said slowly and seriously, “Mr Holt, do you really mean that?” I said just as seriously, “I mean every word of it.”
During the spring she really astonished me. One day, she was reading at her desk. From a glimpse of the illustrations I thought I knew what the book was. I said to myself, “It can’t be.” and went to take a closer look. Sure enough, she was reading Moby Dick, in edition with woodcuts. I said, “Don’t you find parts of it rather heavy going?” She answered, “Oh, sure, but I just skip over those parts and go on to the next good part.”
This is exactly what reading should be and in school so seldom is, an exciting, joyous adventure. Find something, dive into it, take the good parts, skip the bad parts, get what you can out of it, go on to something else. How different is our mean-spirited, picky insistence that every child get every last little scrap of “understanding” that can be dug out of a book!
1. According to the passage, children’s fear and dislike of books may result from________.| A．reading little and thinking little | B．reading often and adventurously |
| C．being made to read too much | D．being made to read aloud before others |
| A．it sounded stupid | B．it was not surprising at all |
| C．it sounded too good to be true | D．it was no different from other teachers' talk |
| A．She skipped over those easy parts while reading. |
| B．She had a hard time finishing the required reading tasks. |
| C．She learned to appreciate some parts of the difficult books. |
| D．She turned out to be a top student after coming to this school. |
| A．children cannot tell good parts from bad parts while reading |
| B．children should be left to decide what to read and how to read |
| C．reading is never a pleasant and inspiring experience in school |
| D．reading involves understanding every little piece of information |
2 . Have you ever had trouble pronouncing a common English word correctly or finding English practice partners in your own city or country? If so, the following four American English pronunciation apps will help.
Say It: Pronunciation
Users of this app developed by Oxford University Press can practice more than 35,000 words. It can record your voice and then create a waveform from your voice, which you can compare to that of the model speaker. A marker shows which part of each word to stress.
The app offers a free version. But its usability is limited. You would need to buy the paid version to get full use of the app, which costs $6.99.
ELSA Speak
ESLA Speak uses artificial intelligence(AI) to act as your, own pronunciation teacher. This app offers a speaking test with detailed results and a score. And its AI software lets you have conversations with the computer and get assessment.
The app has a free 7-day trial version. After that, you would need to pay for the full version. Prices range from $0.99 to $99.
Accent Training
This app centers on a few important elements of pronunciation, including reduced speech, intonation and connected speech.
The app is free, but unwanted ads show up often. You can choose whether to pay $2.99 to remove them.
English Pronunciation Tutor
This app developed by Language Arts Press is useful if there are specific sounds in English that give you continuous trouble.
The app is free for the first unit only. After that, you would pay $5.99 to activate the full version.
None of these apps can replace real-life speaking practice. But if you are in serious need of pronunciation support, try them.
1. Which app provides the detailed results of yours speaking test?| A．Say It: Pronunciation. | B．ELSA Speak. |
| C．Accent Training. | D．English Pronunciation Tutor. |
| A．It can record voice. | B．It is free for full use. |
| C．It reduces your speech anxiety. | D．It gets you from continuous trouble. |
| A．The apps are intended for natives. | B．The four apps are equipped with AL. |
| C．The users must buy the full versions. | D．It's better to learn to speak in real life. |
3 . The end of the school year was in sight and spirits were high. I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years, dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol.
I decided to think up a method of dealing with forbidden fruit.
"Please bring that pistol to me," I said. "I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box."
"What's that?" they asked.
"It's a large wooden chest full of toys for my grandchildren," I replied,
"You don't have grandchildren," someone said.
"I don't now." I replied. "But someday I will. When I do, my box will be full of wonderful things for them."
My imaginary Grandma's Box worked like magic that spring, and later. Sometimes. students would ask me to describe all the things I had in it. Then I would try to remember the different possessions I supposedly had taken away—since I seldom actually kept them. Usually the offender would appear at the end of the day, and I would return the belonging.
The-years went by, and my first grandchild Gordon was born. I shared my joy with that year's class. Then someone said, "Now you can use your Grandma's Box." From then on instead of coming to ask their possessions back, the students would say, "That's okay. Put it in your Grandma's Box for Gordon."
I loved talking about the imaginary box, not only with my students but also with my own children. They enjoyed hearing about all the forbidden fruit I had collected. Then one Christmas I received a surprise gift—a large, beautifully made wooden chest. My son Bruce had made my Grandma's Box a reality.
1. What was the author's purpose in having the conversation with the students?| A．To collect the water pistol. | B．To talk about her grandchildren. |
| C．To recommend some toys. | D．To explain her teaching method. |
| A．The student's parent. | B．The maker of the Grandma's Box. |
| C．The author's grandchild. | D．The owner of the forbidden fruit. |
| A．They went to play with the baby. | B．They asked to see the Grandma's Box. |
| C．They made a present for Gordon. | D．They stopped asking their toys back. |
| A．She enjoys telling jokes. | B．She is a strict and smart teacher. |
| C．She loves doing woodwork. | D．She is a responsible grandmother |
4 . There are around 600,000 vegans (素食者) in the UK. That' s just over 1% of the population — an amount expected to increase to 25% by 2025. And if there's one type of food that Brits love, it is fast food. People in the UK love it so much that there was a 34% increase in the number of fast food outlets from 2010 to 2018. It's no surprise, then, that vegan fast food is also on the rise.
Vegan fast food has become big business. At Just Eat, an online food delivery company, vegan orders more than doubled in 2018. Greggs, a chain of high-street bakeries, named its vegan sausage roll the ''fastest - selling product in six years". And big franchises such as McDonald's and KFC have announced meat-free chicken nuggets (鸡块) to come in the future.
What's. driving this popularity? Katrina Fox, founder of Vegan Business Media, believes it's the result of the breaking down of stereotypes (成见). ''Vegan food is no longer seen as a bit of lettuce and lentils — you can eat pretty much anything".
It's also claimed that there are health benefits. John Marulanda, owner of Mooshies is a vegan burger bar in London — wants to implement “a change to a healthy version of fast food. Something, he claims, that comes as a result of the inherent nutritional value of the ingredients they use.
But, is vegan fast food actually healthy? Azmina Govindji of the British Dietetic Association says ''not to assume" that is the case, ''It' s fine if those products have got vitamin B12, iodine or calcium added to them. but they can still be fried, it can still have lots of creamy, fatty sauces and lots of salt.
Given the current growth in orders, the trend for vegan fast food isn't likely to disappear any time soon, Health — wise, it may not be any more nourishing than regular fast food, but for many， the lack of animal suffering involved in the process is a big plus.
1. What's the main idea of Paragraph 1?| A．Vegans in the UK are increasing. |
| B．British people love junk food. |
| C．Eating too much fast food is bad for health. |
| D．Vegan fast food is becoming popular in Britain. |
| A．Its unique flavors. | B．The change of life pace. |
| C．Its health benefits. | D．Its colorful decorations. |
| A．It is not so healthy. | B．It is more varied. |
| C．It is more nutritious. | D．It will soon disappear. |
| A．To keep a balanced diet. | B．For religious reasons. |
| C．Out of the love for animals. | D．It's cheaper than regular food. |
5 . Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.
" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.
The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
" As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "
9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.
"It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. " There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. "
1. One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to _____.| A．program the opening hours of a bar |
| B．supply you with a picture of the future |
| C．provide information about your surroundings |
| D．update the maps and GPS in your smartphones |
| A．develop rapidly | B．get round quickly |
| C．appear immediately | D．go over automatically |
| A．necessary for teenagers | B．attractive to New Yorkers |
| C．available to people worldwide | D．expensive for average consumers |
| A．may have a potential market | B．are as common as smartphones |
| C．are popular among young adults | D．will be improved by a new technology |
