1 . There’s no end to the work to do with improving diversity in children’s media, especially for storybooks. Children need to be able to see themselves in the characters of the stories they hear and read, at a stage where they’re building their understanding of the world around them.
Shachi Kaushik’s new book, Diwali in My New Home, brings the festival of lights to life for an immigrant community.
This picture book is for children aged 5 to 8. It speaks to Indian children’s experiences living abroad when they’ve experienced life in India. The story is about a girl, Priya, who loves being with family and friends to celebrate Diwali. But Priya and her parents began living in the United States this year, and no one seems to know about the holiday. Priya misses the traditions in India. As she joins the lights together and creates rangoli art(地画艺术), Priya introduces the festival of lights to her neighbors. And even though the celebration is different this year, it’s still Diwali.
Kaushik was a lawyer before she discovered the joy of telling stories to young children. Storytelling began when she volunteered in Texas, where she hosted a monthly storytime for children. Seeing the joy on the children’s faces inspired her to write children’s books.
When asked “What’s the secret to making children pay attention to stories?”, she said, “I would say the secret is to be present and not to be shy from acting, singing or dancing. Be a performer. While reading, use facial expressions and voice to add excitement to the story. Also try asking questions like ‘What do you think will happen?’. Let the little ones’ imagination flow. Lastly, try adding a finger play song and some dance moves to get those little ones into the mood.”
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?A.To give explanation of diversity. | B.To explain the aim of the storybooks. |
C.To show the importance of children’s media. | D.To lead in the introduction of Shachi Kaushik’s book. |
A.A festival. | B.A country. | C.A community. | D.A character. |
A.The joy from children listening to stories. | B.The job as a lawyer. |
C.The experience of selling storybooks. | D.The money earned by hosting storytime. |
A.To test if they are shy. | B.To attract their attention. |
C.To encourage them to use facial expressions. | D.To teach them to be a performer. |
2 . From woodworker to great artist—this was the course of Qi Baishi’s life. He achieved success by coupling talent with hard work. In 1953, he was honoured with the title “People’s Artist” by the Chinese government.
For most of the general public, his masterpieces are his paintings of shrimps. At the beginning, he painted these small animals by following ancient models. Later, he developed a personal style by using shades of black ink to show a shrimp’s body, giving it an almost real-life feel. Besides, his paintings of flowers and vegetables, indicating rich harvests (丰收), are famous as well. People love these nature-based paintings because the works remind them of the countryside and of their hometowns. The dove is another common image in Qi’s art during his later years, showing his wish for world peace.
Be it landscapes, birds, flowers or figures, Qi’s paintings are rich in expression and detail. Using heavy ink, bright colors and energetic strokes (运笔), he created works in a fresh and lively manner, expressing his love of nature and life. His art reflects an international trend (趋势) in modern art at the time, yet he expressed it in a typical Chinese way.
Qi was hard-working even in his 70s. He kept looking for higher goals, especially as he got older. While many other Chinese artists retire from public life at an old age, Qi actively took on more social responsibilities. He said: “I love my hometown, my country and all the lives there. In recent years, I have realized that what I run after is world peace.”
In 1956, he was awarded the International Peace Prize by the World Peace Council.
1. Why are Qi Baishi’s nature-based paintings popular?A.They lift people’s spirits. | B.They touch people’s feelings. |
C.They inspire people’s passions. | D.They reflect people’s wishes. |
A.His masterpieces. | B.His influence. |
C.His painting subjects. | D.His painting style. |
A.To popularize Chinese paintings. | B.To involve the youth in arts. |
C.To shoulder more social responsibilities. | D.To earn international reputation. |
A.Remarkable and admirable. | B.Passionate and confident. |
C.Intelligent and generous. | D.Realistic and professional. |
3 . On Lake Pitkajarvi, Pasi Widgren made an image of a fox that measures 90 meters from head to tail. For the sixth year in a row, the 40-year old building designer in Finland has
Widgren made his first ice picture in the
He then walked up a hillside about 150 meters above the lake to get a good
However, several days later the image was harder to
A.identified | B.imagined | C.discovered | D.created |
A.clear | B.smooth | C.frozen | D.distant |
A.measures | B.steals | C.donates | D.uses |
A.disappear | B.escape | C.recover | D.prove |
A.spring | B.summer | C.autumn | D.winter |
A.suddenly | B.secretly | C.normally | D.absolutely |
A.weight | B.area | C.thickness | D.length |
A.give away | B.make sure | C.wake up | D.take over |
A.work | B.rely | C.concentrate | D.live |
A.nearby | B.done | C.prepared | D.concerned |
A.journey | B.time | C.look | D.impression |
A.effort | B.promotion | C.performance | D.course |
A.control | B.see | C.protect | D.confirm |
A.protest | B.balance | C.reason | D.problem |
A.values | B.marks | C.chances | D.evidences |
4 . Young Taylor Swift
For a certain 11yearold, a spring break trip to Nashville, Tennessee, was lifechanging. Nashville was the center of the country music industry.
While her mom waited in the car, the girl walked into all the big record companies in town.
Because that girl was Taylor Swift.
Making music came easily to Taylor, but making friends did not.
You probably know how this turned out. Since her first album came out in 2006, Taylor has won 10 Grammy Awards. Her album, 1989, has sold more than 9 million copies.
A.What kind of music does Taylor sing? |
B.So what makes Taylor so popular? |
C.Taylor’s parents knew she was talented. |
D.She introduced herself and dropped off recordings of her singing. |
E.Taylor’s parents have made her into a successful singersongwriter. |
F.Taylor has been interested in singing since she was little. |
G.Kids would move to a different table when she tried to sit with them at lunch. |