1 . The world has changed greatly since Herman Fisher met Irving Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The trio (三人组) founded Fisher-Price, maker of popular toy series such as Thomas & Friends, Power Wheels, and Little People. Companies like Fisher-Price are exploring how the world of toys and parenting will change with the development of technology. Fisher-Price recently cooperated with Continuum, a global innovation designer. Together, they created a short video called The Future of Parenting, along with a short essay explaining the thoughts behind the video.

One thought of the video explores how parenting will change when the teens of today raised with data-providing devices such as Fitbit and iPad begin raising kids of their own. Is this a generation that will desire data in all of their kids’ toys? The answer may be “yes” and perhaps the product appearing in the video will appeal to them.

If you interpret the video as a clear vision of the future of parenting, you won’t be blamed for fearing holograms (全息图) will take over your house as a mom or dad. The benefit of holograms in the video is their potential for giving traditional toys the ability to personalize responses, depending on the age and development of the child playing with the traditional toy.

Of course, you might ask yourself, “Do data-providing toys have an advantage over traditional toys in terms of their effects?” The answer may be negative. Lego, a traditional brick toy-maker, on all counts remains a successful company. And studies point out its toys’ benefits to children’s creativity. In addition, recent research demonstrates that toys containing data can potentially prevent language development, compared with traditional puzzles and bricks.

On the one hand, parents know that they should limit their kids’ screen time to keep them healthy, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance on daily screen time. On the other hand, technology can be wonderfully engaging and can provide excellent educational opportunities for children. Nothing is perfect and we should embrace every aspect of a new thing.

1. What are companies like Fisher-Price currently exploring?

A．The impact of technological advances on toys and parenting.

B．The way to be an outstanding global innovation designer.

C．New ideas of making short videos of creative toys.

D．Techniques used to produce popular toy series.

2. According to the author, teenagers raised with data-providing devices may ___________.

A．be fond of devoting themselves to improving technology

B．be afraid of the negative impact of electronic toys

C．pass their preference for such toys on to their kids

D．show great creativity and imagination

3. What’s Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology.

B．Comparisons of the effects of two kinds of toys.

C．Suggestions on how to choose suitable toys.

D．Advances in technology used to make toys.

4. What does the author want to show at the end of the text?

A．Love me, love my dog.

B．Actions speak louder than words.

C．Everything is a two-edged sword.

D．Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.

2 . Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But science points to a different answer:    1     The only catch is that building good habits takes effort and insight. Thankfully, here are a few research-backed steps that can set you on the path to where you want to be.

1.Set a specific goal

The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, research has shown.     2    Don’t say “I’ll meditate regularly. “ Say, “I’ll meditate for 15 minutes each day. “This is actually key to habit formation, making the task easy to carry out, but it’s often overlooked.

2.Create a detailed, cue-based plan

    3    Scientists have proven that you’ll make more progress toward your goal if you decide not just what you’ll do, but when and where you’ll be cued to do it. Making this kind of plan reduces the chances you’ll forget to follow through because the when and where in your plan will serve as cues to action.

A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes every weekday” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is more likely to stick as a habit.

3.     4    

We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, evidence shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you.

However, it’s important not to get too crazy - if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, it can be discouraging.

4.Make it fun to repeat

Research has shown you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit fun. One excellent way is to try “temptation bundling”. Research shows that temptation bundling improves follow-through; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.     5    

A．Find the right kind of social support.

B．Tell your friends and family about your goals.

C．What we mistake for willpower is often a natural outcome of habit.

D．You’ll benefit from being more specific about what exactly you aim to do and how often.

E．Having a bite-size objective makes it less daunting to get started and easier to see your progress.

F．Now you have established a specific goal, it’s time to think about what will cue you to follow through.

G．For example, watch your favorite show while at the gym or enjoy a beloved podcast while cooking healthy meals.

4 . Whether in work or study, great people always do things as effectively as possible. Productive (高效的) people have one thing in common: A solid routine made up of small habits that helps them to keep a healthy mindset and lifestyle. Research shows a habit takes about 2l days to become normal behavior.     1    

●Make daily to-do lists.     2     Some people prefer to make their to-do lists first thing in the morning, while others like to do them each night to prepare for the day ahead. As a matter of fact, either way helps you to manage your time and workload efficiently.

●    3     Writing down your thoughts in your diary can help you achieve goals. You should even write down your progress, no matter how small it is, to help motivate you to keep going. This process will help you reflect and improve your memory and brain function.

●Have a rest. Whatever you are working on, you do not have to use up every ounce of energy you have.     4     When coming back, you’ll become clear-headed and happy, leading to greater productivity than just rushing through it.

●Clean up and organize for tomorrow.     5     It may be a little tiring. However, tidying up your home and preparing for tomorrow can prevent stress. This daily maintaining can ensure that you do not have to spend an entire afternoon cleaning during the weekend.

A．Keep a journal.

B．Make great progress.

C．Making a list of tasks for the day helps you to stay on track.

D．After a long day, the last thing you may want to do is clean.

E．Take a break at the same time each day, despite just 10 minutes.

F．You should be energetic all day and spare no effort to finish your work.

G．Here are some habits you can start practicing to become more productive.

6 . Recently I had the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend, Chris Besse. One of the things I always admired about Chris was the way that he saw education as a mission, not a job. Chris called me last week to tell me he is CEO of a company called EdgeMakers, which is a new company that is bringing one of the missing ingredients(要素)to education: innovation.

I am always calling for changes in the way we educate our children. It is important that we prepare our children for a different economy and a different world. Employers of the future will demand creativity from their employees.

A tech company owned by a friend of mine has grown from a handful of employees to over 100 in the last seven years, and he still has 90 percent of all the employees he hired. He doesn’t pay more than other tech firms. He doesn’t have a Disney-like campus. What he does is pose interesting problems, not get involved in the solutions and allow employees to get to the solution in any way they want. His employees stay because they are motivated and interested.

This is the definition of modern industry and in many ways, the future of education. Successful employers now encourage innovation. Schools should create an innovative environment. But it appears that our current education system has a long way to go to achieve this.

The good news is that some schools are making changes. California and Texas just approved EdgeMakers’ courses for use in their high schools. According to John Kao, founder of EdgeMakers, “Creativity is inside every student, waiting to be freed. But without intentional programs in our schools, creativity is underdeveloped. We cannot allow this to continue, as our society is faced with problems that appear unsolvable unless we innovate to find solutions. Our goal with these courses is to combine students’ natural creativity with purpose, helping them develop as innovators whose work is truly meaningful and makes a difference to issues that matter.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To remember a friend.	B．To bring up a topic.
C．To recommend a course.	D．To explain a phenomenon.

2. What do the author and Chris have similar views on?

A．The future of job searching.	B．The major mission of their company.
C．The role of parents in kids’ development.	D．The importance of innovation in education.

3. How does the author’s friend keep his employees?

A．By offering high salaries.	B．By providing a comfortable workplace.
C．By creating an environment of innovation.	D．By helping them solve problems.

4. Which statement will John Kao agree with?

A．Natural creativity can be enhanced.

B．Intentional teaching should be avoided in schools.

C．EdgeMakers’ courses have proved to be efficient.

D．We should pay less attention to unsolvable problems.

7 . What time does your school start? Do you wish you could get up later every morning? You are not alone if your answer is “Yes.” In the US, many middle school students have the same wish.

In America, many schools start before 7:30 a.m.. But that may change soon. A new law has been passed in California. According to the law, middle schools should not start before 8:00 a.m.. The government hopes school children will have longer time in bed.

Many scientific studies show that teenagers are more active in the afternoon and in the evening. Simply telling them to go to bed earlier doesn’t work well. Most of them don’t get enough sleep because of bad sleeping habits and early school starting time. They need more sleep in the morning. Scientists suggest middle schools should start at 8:00 a.m. or later. Students can get well ready to learn and they won’t fall asleep in class. ________________ The change can help improve students’ grades.

While scientists are happy with the new law, many parents disagree with it. They won’t be able to send their children to school before they go to work. They also fear that later school starting time will lead to later ending time. As a result, their children will have less time to take part in after-school activities.

It’s good news that Chinese education experts have noticed the problem and made some rules about that. So what’s your opinion? Do you expect China to pass a similar law?
1. The schools shouldn’t start ________ according to the new law in California.

A．before 7:30 a.m.	B．after 7:30 a.m.
C．after 8:00 a.m.	D．before 8:00 a.m.

2. Why don’t most of the teenagers get enough sleep?

A．Because their parents need them to do housework.

B．Because their sleeping habits are bad and schools start early.

C．Because they play computer games till late.

D．Because they have too much homework.

3. Which sentence do you think can be filled in the blank in paragraph 3?

A．They can put on weight.	B．They will like their teachers.
C．They will join more clubs.	D．They will pay more attention to classes.

4. From the passage, we can infer (推断) that ________ .

A．students should have enough sleeping time in the writer’s opinion

B．students in California will have less sleeping time

C．Chinese experts aren’t worried about students’ sleeping time

D．China has already passed a similar law

8 . It’s a joyful and stressful time of year in the United States for students and their families as they make decisions about where to attend college. Families often turn to rankings systems to help make a decision.     1    

When I talk to families as a scholar of higher education, they’re often surprised that teaching excellence is not counted in rankings.     2    

Emerging research suggests that courses in lower-ranked universities, on average, scored higher on teaching than courses in higher-ranked universities.     3     The absence of teaching excellence from the rankings is surprising given the link between high-quality teaching and student success. Quality teaching is one of the most important predictors of a wide range of college outcomes.

Rankings, however, are only one reason why a low value is placed on teaching in higher education. Administrators often don’t view teaching excellence as a way to increase enrolment (注册) or funding.     4     Research shows that the more time instructors spend on teaching, the lower their salary. What is the result? Many instructors continue to teach using traditional lectures, which lead to lower success rates.

    5     Nevertheless, not much will change until schools with high-quality teaching are rewarded with more resources, higher rankings and increased enrolments. In the long term, universities, organisations that rank schools, and others should work to make teaching a valued, core part of the mission.

What should students and their families do? They should give strong consideration to universities where high-quality teaching is valued, even though the schools may be ranked lower.

A．Higher education has achieved its true potential.

B．Therefore, it’s not highly valued in hiring or promotion.

C．Quality teaching has been an important reputation-building factor.

D．However, the rankings ignore a critical factor: the quality of teaching.

E．Efforts to improve teaching at the university level have recently emerged.

F．They’re even more surprised at how teaching is undervalued by universities.

G．In fact, universities often shift emphasis from teaching to other ranking factors.

9 . Education is a self-enlightening process. It is an important part of life.

    1     The first thing that strikes me about education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world around us. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. Education makes us capable of explaining things rightly. It is not just about lessons in textbooks.     2    

Education is important also because it equips us with all that is needed to make our dreams come true. It opens doors to brilliant career opportunities.     3     We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and how well we can apply them.

    4     It wipes out all the wrong beliefs in our minds. It helps create a clear picture of everything around us and we no longer remain in confusion about the things we learn. It can lead us to enlightenment. It is education that builds in every individual the confidence to make decisions, to face life and to accept success and failure.

For the progress of a nation, for the enrichment of society in general, education is necessary and important. A country’s literate population is its asset(有利条件). The number of institutes offering vocational courses and colleges offering online education is increasing by the day.

Well, schools, colleges and other such educational institutes define the basic framework of education. But education does not end here.     5     Self-learning begins at a point where institutional education ends. The process of self-learning continues.

A．Education is essential as it paves the path leading to disillusionment(醒悟).

B．Why is education so important?

C．It is a lifelong process.

D．How can people get education?

E．It brings better prospects in career and growth.

F．It is about the lessons of life.

G．It ends when our career begins.