1 . The Great Book Swap
Hi, sixth graders! My name is Tony Hill. I am president of the Windsor High School Student Council. Your teacher let me come to your class today to tell you about a reading project that we want to do, and we need your help.
If you’re like me, you love to read but sometimes have a hard time finding books you want to read. It seems as if the best books at the library are always checked out. To help get more books into people’s hands, we’re planning the Great Community (社区) Book Swap.
To make the project a success, we need everyone’s help. Ask your parents if there are any unused books taking up space. Ask your friends and neighbours to donate unwanted books. Maybe you have books you liked when you were younger but don’t read anymore. Bring them to school and make a young reader happy. We need all kinds of books for all kinds of readers!
There are many times I’d like to go buy new books, but I don’t have a lot of money to spend on them. Wouldn’t it be great to swap books right here in our community? Volunteers will organize the donated books. Then the books will be displayed at the community center. Everyone will be able to read and hopefully find the perfect book. Students will be allowed to choose up to two books during each day of the swap. Our plan is to have the book swap the first Saturday of every month.
If you like reading, just come and look through the collection of books. Each grade will have its own week to bring in books. Right now, eighth grade is bringing in books. When every grade has brought in books, we will have quite a selection. You will probably find at least one new book that you’d like to read. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a book so good that you won’t be able to put it down.
What are you waiting for? Go home and clean out your bookshelves and closets!
1. Why did Tony Hill come to the class of sixth graders?| A．To explain a reading project. |
| B．To introduce a newly-built library. |
| C．To ask the students to help donate books. |
| D．To give the sixth graders advice on reading. |
| A．How the book swap will work. |
| B．When books will be brought in. |
| C．What kinds of books are needed. |
| D．Why the book swap is necessary. |
| A．More books are needed in the future. |
| B．Volunteers play an important role in the project. |
| C．Everyone is sure to be able to find the books he wants. |
| D．Students have already started helping with the book swap. |
| A．Realistic. | B．Convincing. | C．Independent. | D．Ambitious. |
2 . There’s nothing like family. The people we’re related to by blood and marriage are expected to be our greatest sources of love and support. Too often, however, our interactions with family are filled with misunderstanding and resentment. Those we should know and be known by best, end up feeling like adversaries or strangers.
Family is where our first and strongest emotional memories are made, and that’s where they keep appearing. And this is why emotional intelligence(EQ)succeeds where other efforts at family harmony fail.
Look to yourself first. A family is a system made up of interdependent individuals, but that doesn’t mean you can blame your family of origin for the way you are today
Recognize that being close doesn’t mean being clones. Sometimes family ties blind us to the uniqueness of those we love. Pride in the family continuum can make it easy to forget that. You can’t be expected to have the same talents as your siblings, even though you may look a lot alike.
Cherish every stage of life in each family member. No matter how well we understand that it can’t happen, we desperately want Mom and Dad to stay the way they are, and for the kids to stay home forever.
| A．Your best hope for fixing any family problem is to attend your own emotional health. |
| B．You won’t necessarily choose to follow in parent’s footsteps. |
| C．It’s also important to keep your awareness active with family. |
| D．The best to accept that fact emotionally, is to embrace change. |
| E．People all change, and yet many seem to only see change in themselves. |
| F．If you’re not sure what will work, ask. |
| G．Active awareness and empathy tell us how to respond to one another’s needs. |
| A. boil B. wrap C. absorb D. apply E. stimulate F. restore G. strive |
1. The measures are intended to
2. What they want may
3. You will pass your exams if you
4. Parents should give children books that
| A. refillable B. demanding C. ultimate D. reserved E. appreciative F. informative G. varied |
1. He said it is still not possible to predict the
2. To stay healthy, it is essential that your diet is
3. Even though I’m quite a/an
4. In addition to learning new skills,
The Dutch in their early voyages to China used to barter(物物交换)the herb called sage for tea. One of
| A. a condition in which a person or community is doing well; especially economic well-being. B. to gradually get more and more of something over a period of time. C. to prevent someone from showing that emotion or doing what they wanted or intended to do. D. unclear or confusing; can be understood in more than one way. E. to gain complete control or victory over something or someone./ to have a strong emotional effect on somebody F. to speak suddenly, loudly, or emphatically (断然地), often because the speakers are excited, shocked, or angry. G. involving the use of natural products and energy in a way that does not harm the environment/that can continue or be continued for a long time H. to change something slightly, usually in order to improve it I. at the same time. J. to look like or be similar to another person or thing. |
1. ambiguous
2. simultaneously
3. sustainable
4. prosperity
5. resemble
6. overwhelm
7. restrain
8. modify
9. accumulate
10. exclaim
| A. something does not occur naturally and is created by human beings, often using science or technology. B. to make something happen faster or earlier. C. something that is neither very good, large, hot, etc. nor very bad, small, cold, etc. D. used to show that something is almost, but not completely, accurate or correct. /It is similar to sth. but is not exactly the same. E. reduce the level of land, as by erosion. /to make something become worse, especially in quality F. be doubtful about sth. G. something that helps somebody/something to develop better or more quickly H. viewpoint/ the attitude towards something; a way of thinking about something I. to prevent them from entering it or taking part in it; deliberately do not use it or consider J. many in number; involving many different people or things |
1. approximately
2. artificial
3. degrade
4. multiple
5. accelerate
6. perspective
7. skeptical
8. exclude
9. stimulus
10. moderate
Is social media messing with children’s morals?
Parents are often concerned about the effects of social media on their children’s character. We have all heard complaints that young people are spending too much time online and not enough time in the “real world” —with studies showing that nearly three-quarters of 12 to 15-year-olds in the UK have a social media profile and spend an average of 19 hours a week online.
More worrying, perhaps, than the amount of time spent online, are the findings that suggest social media use can actually influence users’ personality and character. Recent research, for example, shown that there is a link between social media use and narcissism (自恋), and that the use of social networking websites may have an nagative effect on social decision making and reduce levels of empathy (同情心).
With this in mind, one of the latest research projects at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, looks at the impact social media has on young people’s character and moral development, and aims to understand the benefits social media can have on development.
The first stage of the research involved a “parent poll (survey)” of 1,738 parents of 11 to 17-year-olds from across the UK asked a series of questions on their feelings around social media, and the moral (or immoral) messages that appear online. Our findings so far indicate that parents’ attitudes towards social media are largely negative–over a half of parents we questioned agree that social media “hinders or weakens” a young person’s character or moral development. While only 15% of respondents agreed that social media could “enhance or support” it.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom, because our research also shows that social media can be a source for good. Nearly three quarters of the parents who use social media on a regular basis reported seeing content with a positive moral message at least once a day-including humour, appreciation of beauty, creativity, kindness, love and courage. And it could well be, that viewing this type of positive online content could have a positive influence on young people’s attitudes and behaviours.
This is because on social media sites, users often come across new perspectives and situations-such as different religions, cultures and social groups. And exposure to these situations online could actually help young people be more understanding and tolerant—and in turn develop their empathy skills. This is because it allows them to view things from other people’s perspectives, in a way they might not be able to in “real life”.
Of course, this translation from exposure to empathy may not always follow-which can be seen in the high rates of cyber bullying. According to a 2015 report, 62% of 13 to 20-year-olds who had been bullied reported some degree of cyber bullying—which shows that empathy doesn’t always play a part in online environments.
But while it may be tempting for some parents to just ban social media use altogether, it is unlikely to be a successful strategy in the long term-social media is not going away. Instead, we need to better understand the relationship between social media use and a young person’s character and moral values. And through our research, we hope to be able to offer constructive evidence-based advice on exactly this.
Because it is clear that the online environment is a moral terrain which requires successful navigation. By understanding how some immoral events can be avoided, we can help to create a safer and more even path for young people to negotiate.
1. According to the research, what are the parents’ attitudes towards social media?2. Why could viewing positive online content have a positive influence on young people’s attitudes and behaviours?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
For parents, it is a good strategy to ban social media because it may have a negative influence on young people’s moral development.4. Please briefly present your opinion on how to be a moral person on social media. (In about 40words)
1.表示对他的思念和感谢；
2.提出建议（至少二条）；
3.希望他早日康复。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Patrice,
I’m sorry to hear that you have been in hospital for several days.
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Yours,
Li Hua
