But now 400 organizations in the UK, from playgroups to the National Health Service, are encouraging children to have some “wild time”. They want kids to swap at least 30 minutes of watching TV or playing computer games for time playing outside. Activities such as building dens, climbing trees, rummaging for conkers and playing hide and seek are just some of the things kids can do. Even if they live in a city, they can go on adventures in the garden or the park.
Children often need a helping hand from mom and dad. They need to be shown what to do and where to go. Andy Simpson from National Health Service says, “We want parents to see what this magical wonder product does for their kids’ development, independence and creativity, by giving wild time a go”.
So despite the complicated world that young people grow up in now, it seems that going back to basics and experiencing “nature’s playground” is what modern children need. David Bond from Project Wild Thing says, “We need to make more space for wild time in children’s daily routine, freeing this generation of kids to have the sort of experiences that many of us took for granted”.
This might sound a bit old fashioned to you or maybe, like me, it’s made you think about sticking on your boots, getting outdoors and reliving your childhood. There is no age limit on enjoying yourself!
1. What is the best title of the text?
| A．Wild time for children |
| B．Benefits of wild time |
| C．More space for children |
| D．Adventures of children |
| A．building dens |
| B．climbing trees |
| C．playing hide and seek |
| D．watching TV |
| A．wild time is hard to design |
| B．wild time is beneficial to children |
| C．parents know the importance of wild time |
| D．parents like keeping their children indoors. |
2 . At primary school in New Zealand, I was introduced to a school savings account run by one of the local banks.When our money box was full, we took it to the bank and watched with pride as our coins flowed across the counter. As a reward, we could choose our next money box from a small variety, and start the whole savings routine again. Every week I watched my parents sort out the housekeeping and “make ends meet”. Sometimes it was annoying to wait for things we really felt we needed.
Later, as a university student, I managed on an extremely small student allowance. Students were ignored by banks then, because we were so poor, and there was no way I could have gotten credit, even if I had tried. We collected our allowance three times each year, deposited it to the best advantage and withdrew it little by little to last until the next payout of the allowance.
When our daughter, Sophie, began to walk, we made a purposeful choice to encourage her to use money wisely. We often comment when the TV tells us “You owe it to yourself to borrow our money"to whom do we really owe it? And what would happen if our income were reduced or dried up? Now, as a 12-year-old child, its almost embarrassing to see her tight “financial policy”, and wait for the unavoidable holiday sales to buy what she wants.
I agree that financial education in schools is very important. But the root of the problem lies with us and the way we behave as role models to those who follow.
1. What did the author learn from her parents?| A．How to become a banker. |
| B．Where to open a savings account. |
| C．Where to choose a money box. |
| D．How to make ends meet. |
| A．He applied for a credit card. |
| B．He spent it three times a year. |
| C．He put it in the bank. |
| D．He seldom withdrew it. |
| A．Reducing her savings. |
| B．Buying things on sales. |
| C．Canceling holiday plans. |
| D．Borrowing money from banks. |
| A．Parents, money problems. |
| B．Students’ school performance. |
| C．Children’s saving behavior. |
| D．Children’s financial education. |
3 . On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:
We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are convinced that you mean to do us good by your proposal; and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the college of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad manners, ignorant of every means of living in the woods — they were totally good for nothing.
We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them all we know, and make men of them.
1. The passage is about ____.| A．the talk between the Indians and the officials |
| B．the colleges of the northern provinces |
| C．the educational values of the Indians |
| D．the problems of the Americans in the mid-eighteen century |
| A．express their opinions on equal treatment |
| B．politely refuse a friendly offer |
| C．show their pride |
| D．describe Indian customs |
| A．it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling |
| B．they were being insulted by the offer |
| C．they knew more about science than the officials |
| D．they had better way of educating young men |
| A．young women should also be educated |
| B．they had different goals of education |
| C．they taught different branches of science |
| D．they should teach the sons of the officials first |
4 . Parents feel that it is difficult to live with teenagers. Then again, teenagers have
The research, conducted by St. George University, shows that different parents have different
Psychologists say that
| A．natural | B．strong | C．guilty | D．similar |
| A．interest | B．argument | C．link | D．knowledge |
| A．noisy | B．crowded | C．messy | D．locked |
| A．homework | B．housework | C．problem | D．research |
| A．washing | B．using | C．dropping | D．replacing |
| A．approaches | B．contributions | C．introductions | D．attitudes |
| A．complex | B．popular | C．scientific | D．successful |
| A．later | B．deliberately | C．seldom | D．thoroughly |
| A．behavior | B．taste | C．future | D．nature |
| A．failures | B．changes | C．consequences | D．thrills |
| A．defend | B．delay | C．repeat | D．reconsider |
| A．communication | B．bond | C．friendship | D．trust |
| A．reply | B．attend | C．attach | D．talk |
| A．hate | B．scold | C．frighten | D．stop |
| A．loving | B．observing | C．understanding | D．praising |
5 . In Canada and the United States, there is a new group of children called “satellite kids”, who live in one place but whose parents live in another place.
Asians are immigrating to Canada and the United States in larger numbers than ever before.Most Asians immigrate because they believe that they can give their children a better education in the West. In Asia, especially in China, Japan, and Korea, it is difficult to go to university.Students must first pass the strict national examination. However, in Canada and the United States, it is easy to go to university, and anyone who wants to go can go. As a result, Asian parents decide to leave their countries so that their children can go to university.
The problem is that when Asians arrive, they discover that finding a job and making money are more difficult in the West than in the East. Also, they find that they are very lonely, and that they miss their homes.Because of these two reasons, most Asian parents decide to go back to work while their children study in the West. Therefore, these children become “satellite kids”, and most of their parents do not know how sad it is to be a “satellite kid”.
Only until now are Canadians and Americans discovering the “satellite kid” problem. Because these children do not speak English and because their parents are not there to take care of them, they are often absent from school.To be a “satellite kid” means to grow up in a country where you know you are different and where you cannot make friends because you do not speak English well. Also, it means to grow up lonely, because your parents are elsewhere.What these “ satellite kids” will probably say to their parents is that it’s better to have parents around than to have a university education.
1. Some Asian parents send their kids abroad because ________________.| A．they hope their children may easily find a job there |
| B．the kids may not be accepted by universities in their own countries |
| C．all foreign universities are better than the ones in their own countries |
| D．the kids want to improve their English and make foreign friends |
| A．without parents |
| B．living abroad alone |
| C．with university education |
| D．not speaking English |
| A．want to leave their own country |
| B．want them to go to university |
| C．return to their countries to work |
| D．want them to be independent |
| A．Parents want a better education for their kids. |
| B．Parents feel lonely and miss their families. |
| C．Canadians and Americans begin to notice the “satellite kids” problem. |
| D．Kids in foreign countries alone are badly in need of care from families. |
6 . In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fighters. We’re pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids’ college background as a prize demonstrating how well we’ve raised them. But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession (痴迷) is more about us than them. So we’ve created various justifications (辩解) that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesn’t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.
We have a full-developed panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever. What causes the hysteria (歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite (精英) degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All seems right but mostly wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools don’t systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measures—professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams selective schools do slightly worse.
By some studies, selective schools do enhance (提高) their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-point increase in a school’s average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke (偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.
Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s not the only indicator and, surprisingly, its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into college is not life’s only competition. In the next competition—the job market and graduate school—the results may change. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of famous universities didn’t.
So, parents, take it easy(lighten up). The stakes (利害关系) have been vastly exaggerated. Up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. But too much pushiness can be destructive. The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. One study found that, other things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.
1. Why does the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?| A．They have the final say in which university their children are to attend. |
| B．They know best which universities are most suitable for their children. |
| C．They have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application. |
| D．They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves. |
| A．They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college. |
| B．They hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships. |
| C．Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to. |
| D．Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to. |
| A．Continuing education is more important to a person’s success. |
| B．A person’s happiness should be valued more than their education. |
| C．Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college background. |
| D．What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements. |
| A．Getting into Ph.D. programs may be more competitive than getting into college. |
| B．Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs. |
| C．Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores. |
| D．Connections built in prestigious universities may be kept long after graduation. |
| A．they earn less than their peers from other institutions |
| B．they turn out to be less competitive in the job market |
| C．they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation |
| D．they overemphasize their qualifications in job application |
(注意：信的开头已给出，字数不计算在内。)
Dear editor,
I’m writing to tell you about my opinion on Chinese students going abroad for further studies at an early age.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The main reason for violence acts are the films and cartoons that fill the children’s time. They want to do everything they watch on TV and never think of the consequences, and they may hurt a classmate or a teacher.
On the other hand, parents are not fully satisfied with the children’s results obtained in classes and they consider private classes would have better results.
When a teacher has to watch 30 students in class he can’t probably see what each of them is doing, how he is writing, or if he understands the explanations. At home the teacher can explain in details everything the child doesn’t understand as many times as he considers proper.
And many times the child grows fond of the teacher at home, who becomes his best friend, and who helps him whenever he needs someone to talk to.
However, the best solution would be a mixture between the education received at school and that at home, because school makes children communicate and socialize. Keeping a child at home for fear there might happen something bad to him only makes the child’s character weak and prevents him from knowing what real life is. Staying in a crystal ball only does harm to the child.
All in all, schools have been created to help children, not to harm them, so it’s best to keep children in these special places, where they learn, laugh, have fun and make new friends.
1. The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.
| A．teach parents the ways to keep their children safe |
| B．show solutions to developing children’s character |
| C．explain the main reason for violence acts in schools |
| D．analyze an education problem and give opinions |
| A．Advantages and Disadvantages of Private Classes |
| B．Who is to Blame, Parents or Schools? |
| C．Which Is Better, School Study or Home Study? |
| D．The Relationship between Teachers and Children |
| A．A toy that can be used for entertainment. |
| B．A safe and comfortable environment. |
| C．A round object that is made of crystal. |
| D．An obstacle that is hard to overcome. |
| A．violence TV programs have bad effects on children’s behavior |
| B．the teacher at home is more patient than the teacher at school |
| C．children today are weak from lack of sense of right and wrong |
| D．there are too many students in class for a teacher to teach |
9 . When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance，the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is viewed as entertainment, but certainly not an education priority（优先）. This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students
Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it reflects their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity as a society.
Music provides a kind of perception(视角) that cannot be acquired any other way. Science can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts explore the emotive（情感的）meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and respond to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.
The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings “talk” to each other. They are the language of civilization through which we express our fears, our curiosities our hungers, our discoveries, our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be shared with others. When we do not give children access to an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses.
So music education is far more necessary than people seem to realize.
1. According to paragraph 1, students ________.| A．regard music as a way of entertainment |
| B．disagree with their parents on education |
| C．view music as an overlooked subject |
| D．prefer the arts to science |
| A．compare it with rock music |
| B．show music identifies a society |
| C．introduce American musical traditions |
| D．prove music influences people’s lifestyles |
| A．approach the world from different angles |
| B．explore different phenomena of the world |
| C．express people’s feeling in different ways |
| D．explain what it means to be human differently |
| A．Music education deserves more attention. |
| B．Music should be of top education priority. |
| C．Music is an effective communication tool. |
| D．Music education makes students more imaginative. |
