1 . I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking,
Mrs. Neidl’s
The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was
Being on that stage-design team
| A．yet | B．and | C．so | D．for |
| A．impression | B．opinion | C．information | D．intention |
| A．make | B．handle | C．keep | D．change |
| A．anything | B．something | C．everything | D．nothing |
| A．questions | B．comments | C．explanations | D．remarks |
| A．hold | B．follow | C．evaluate | D．form |
| A．happy | B．lively | C．reliable | D．punctual |
| A．message | B．saying | C．motto | D．suggestion |
| A．again | B．more | C．instead | D．later |
| A．steps | B．control | C．charge | D．risks |
| A．acted | B．improved | C．looked | D．reflected |
| A．easily | B．carefully | C．confidently | D．proudly |
| A．recognized | B．introduced | C．identified | D．considered |
| A．realized | B．decided | C．confirmed | D．acknowledged |
| A．below | B．with | C．of | D．by |
| A．discovered | B．developed | C．took | D．fostered |
| A．accept | B．care | C．judge | D．wonder |
| A．bored | B．lazy | C．sad | D．afraid |
| A．curiosity | B．patience | C．trust | D．interest |
| A．accessible | B．enjoyable | C．possible | D．favorable |
The research team has discovered that subordinate (隶属的)fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. “In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding(繁殖) rights within the group, ”explains Marian Wong. “All other group members are non-breeding females, each being 5–10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they keep this size separation.”
The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.
It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily，by limiting how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.
The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.
While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical (等级的) societies remain stable.
The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive(排他的) to humans. “As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature,” the researchers comment. “Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females’ own ideal.”
1. When a goby grows to within 5–10% of the size of its larger competitor, it_______.
| A．faces danger | B．has breeding rights |
| C．eats its competitor | D．leaves the group itself |
| A．the fish beaten up | B．the fish found out |
| C．the fish fattened up | D．the fish driven away |
| A．fought over a feast | B．went on diet willingly |
| C．preferred some extra food | D．challenged the boss fish |
| A．Fish dieting and human dieting. | B．Dieting and health. |
| C．Human dieting. | D．Fish dieting. |
3 . Sleep deprivation(缺失)is an important hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests.
It is a particular problem in richer countries with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedroom late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious problem that lessons have to be dragged down to a lower level to suit sleep-deprived learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9- and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13- and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being negatively affected.
In literacy(读写能力) tests there were 76% of 9- and 10-year-olds lacking sleep. This was much higher than the international average of 47% of primary pupils needing more sleep and 57% among the secondary age group.
Other countries with the most sleep-deprived youngsters were New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Australia, England, Ireland and France. High-performing Finland is also among the most lacking in sleep. Countries with the best records for getting enough sleep include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan and Malta.
The analysis was part of the huge date-gathering process for global education rankings, the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study(TIMSS)and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study(PIRLS)
“I think we underestimate the impact of sleep. Our data show that across countries internationally, on average, children who have more sleep achieve higher in maths, science and reading. That is exactly what our data show,” says Chad Minnich of the TIMSS and PIRLS International Study Center.
“It’s the same link for children who are lacking basic nutrition,” says Mr Minnich, based at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College. “If you are unable to concentrate, to attend mentally, you are unable to achieve at your best level, because your mind and body are in need of something more basic. Sleep is a fundamental need for all children. If teachers report such large proportions of children suffering from lack of sleep, it’s having a significant impact. But worse than that, teachers are having to adjust their instruction based on those children who are suffering from a lack of sleep. The children who are suffering from a lack of sleep are driving down instruction.”
That means that even the children who are getting enough sleep are still suffering from this sleep-related lowering.
1. What did the researchers of Boston College try to find| A．Why children don’t get enough sleep |
| B．How many hours children sleep every night |
| C．The relationship between sleep and test results |
| D．The relationship between sleep and health |
| A．they sit in front of the TV for too long |
| B．they can hardly sleep soundly and deeply |
| C．their homework occupies too much of their time |
| D．modern technological devices consume a lot of their time |
| A．Japan | B．Malta |
| C．Finland | D．Portugal |
| A．Because they are disturbed by sleep-deprived students |
| B．Because teaching is driven down by sleep-deprived students |
| C．Because they have to spend time helping sleep-deprived students |
| D．Because the teachers waste time disciplining sleep-deprived students |
The Scribble is a magical pen that can scan colors and instantly reproduce the colors. Hold the Scribble’s scanner up to any color, and within a second that color is stored in its memory. Once stored, that color can be used to draw on paper or on a digital screen.
Who can use the Scribble ?
Children will love the Scribble because it can create different colors, replacing even their biggest box of crayons (蜡笔). Besides, anyone working with color in their professional lives, such as artists, will be able to scan and reproduce colors instantly.
The Scribble is the best color—Green
One of the most important characteristics of the Scribble is that, since it can reproduce any color, it replaces marking pens, greatly reducing the huge amount of plastic waste.
What’ s inside the Scribble ?
There will be two different versions of the Scribble, the Scribble INK and the Scribble STYLUS. The INK will be able to reproduce exact colors on paper. It includes a color sensor, 1 GB of internal memory that will store over 100,000 colors, a rechargeable battery, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, a processor and 5 ink cartridges (盒). The STYLUS is exactly the same as the INK, minus the ink cartridge as it is intended for use on screen.
How did we create the Scribble?
We’ve been in the design process for two years and the Scribble has gone through various design changes to get it to where we are now. Because of its small size we have created some ideas never seen before in the color reproduction industry. We created the Scribble for YOU and want you to be a part of the process!
Thank you for your support
Thank you so much for your concern about the Scribble. Thank you also for your support! Make sure to bookmark our website and check back often to see the progress as well as the updated times for production and delivery of your Scribble.
1. According to the passage, the Scribble ______.
| A．has replaced the common pens |
| B．brings environmental problems |
| C．is the product of high technology |
| D．is designed for a certain group of people |
| A．It can copy colors. |
| B．It is smaller in size. |
| C．It has different versions. |
| D．It can only be used on screen. |
| A．seek advice about the Scribble |
| B．introduce the Scribble to readers |
| C．compare the Scribble with other pens |
| D．provide methods of using the Scribble |
Ever since school ended, I haven' t had anything I' ve needed to do or anywhere I' ve needed to be. As long as the air-conditioning(空调) was working and the TV remote had batteries in it, I was ready for a relaxing summer holiday.
But then, out of the blue, this happened - " Pack your bags. We' re going on a road trip ! " Mom said excitedly.
This isn't the first time Mom has sprung a trip on us without any warming. Last year on the first day of summer, she said we were going to visit Aunt Loretta at the nursing home.
It wasn't exactly my idea of a fun way to kick off the summer. One time when we visited Aunt Loretta, her roommate grasped me and wouldn't let me go until someone gave her a chocolate cookie !
Mom kept talking about going to the nursing home for a whole day, which made me worry a lot. But at breakfast the next morning, she told us where we were really going - Disney World.
I was very happy, because I was really worried about spending the whole week at the nursing home. So was Dad.
But when my little brother, Danny, heard about the change he became very angry. Mom had talked up the Aunt Loretta trip so much that Danny was actually excited about going there.
We ended up putting off our trip to Disney so we could visit Aunt Loretta.
I tried to talk Mom into letting us do something normal, like going to a water park for the day, but she didn't want to hear it. She said that spending a lot of time together in the car would be a " bonding" experience for the whole family.
1. What did the author prefer to do during his summer holidays?
| A．Visit Aunt Loretta. |
| B．Travel with his family. |
| C．Look after his little brother. |
| D．Watch TV comfortably at home. |
| A．loved his aunt very much |
| B．got pretty excited about the road trip |
| C．felt helpless with his mother's surprise trips |
| D．blamed Danny for not going to Disney World |
| A．The author. | B．Mom. |
| C．Dad. | D．Aunt Loretta |
| A．remember his mother |
| B．tell the story of his aunt |
| C．express his love for his brother |
| D．share with readers his childhood experiences |
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks—both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to how well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active, which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe (转换) “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “
“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”
1. What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?| A．The popular use of smartphones. |
| B．The absence of blackboard in classrooms. |
| C．The lack of practice in handwriting. |
| D．The use of new technologies in teaching. |
| A．discussed the importance of writing speed |
| B．found that good essays are made up of long sentences |
| C．indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper |
| D．focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer |
| A．Imagination. | B．Soul. | C．Picture. | D．Window. |
| A．Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms. |
| B．Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching. |
| C．Computers can help people with their choice of words. |
| D．Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade. |
Then a visitor showed up. “Do you want to write a song?” asked Anita Kruse, 49, rolling a cart equipped with an electronic keyboard, a microphone and speakers. Simran stared. “Have you ever written a poem?” Anita Kruse continued. “Well, yes,” Simran said.
Within minutes, Simran was reading her poem into the microphone. “Some bird soaring through the sky,” she said softly. “Imagination in its head…” Anita Kruse added piano music, a few warbling (鸣, 唱) birds, and finally the girl’s voice. Thirty minutes later, she presented Simran with a CD of her first recorded song.
That was the beginning of Anita Kruse’s project, Purple Songs Can Fly, one that has helped more than 125 young patients write and record songs. As a composer and pianist who had performed at the hospital, Kruse said that the idea of how she could help “came in one flash”.
The effect on the kids has been great. One teenage girl, curling (蜷缩) in pain in her wheelchair, stood unaided to dance to a hip-hop song she had written. A 12-year-old boy with Hodgkin’s disease who rarely spoke surprised his doctors with a song he called I Can Make It.
“My time with the kids is heartbreaking because of the severity of their illnesses,” says Anita Kruse. “But they also make you happy, when the children are smiling, excited to share their CD with their families.”
Simran is now an active sixth grader and cancer-free. From time to time, she and her mother listen to her song, Always Remembering, and they always remember the “really sweet and nice and loving” lady who gave them a shining moment in the dark hour.
1. Simran Jatar lay in bed in hospital because ________.
| A．most of her hair had fallen out |
| B．she was receiving treatment for cancer |
| C．she felt depressed and quit from school |
| D．she was suffering from a pain in her back |
| A．It helps young patients record songs. |
| B．It is supported by singers and patients. |
| C．It aims to replace the medical treatment. |
| D．It offers patients chances to realize their dreams. |
| A．Most children are naturally fond of music. |
| B．He was brave enough to put up performance. |
| C．The project has positive effect on young patients. |
| D．Singing is the best way to treat some illnesses. |
| A．Purple Songs Can Fly |
| B．Singing Can Improve Health |
| C．A Shining Moment in Life |
| D．A Kind Woman—Anita Kruse |
