1 . Playgrounds for All Kids

Most of us are all too familiar with the typical playground set-up, monkey bars, swings, and slides, all accessed by steps and surrounded by a sea of sand or wood chips.     1     However, many disabled children end up being unable to access all of the equipment because of the way it’s constructed.

    2    Its founder, Cody Goldberg, wanted to build a place for his disabled daughter Harper to play freely. It uses spiral(螺旋形的) walkways leading to activities, rather than steps, where kids in wheelchairs ride alongside those on skateboards.     3     Play areas are accessible to both wheelchair users and walkers.

Goldberg describes the idea behind designing these playgrounds as completely inclusive. They don’t strictly cater to (迎合) children with disabilities and are not meant to prevent any child from having access to play.    4    The inclusive playground model is now spreading across the county. While the original Harper’s Playground is located in Portland, Oregon, similar playgrounds have popped up throughout the state. Harper’s Playground is now teaming up with those interested in building a park of their own.     5     Changing the way playgrounds are built will have a wide-spread effect. It will affect the way schools are designed and built, and it will affect how the workplace is treated, and then ultimately it will change the way people with disabilities are thought of and treated.

A．What are their accessible playgrounds like today?

B．Harper’s Playground was created for just this problem.

C．Harper’s Playground began to work on its initial designs.

D．The equipment and layout provide access to a fun experience for all.

E．Slides are built extra wide so a caregiver and a child can go together.

F．It hopes to eventually spread across the country and, ultimately, the world.

G．The intention of these public playgrounds is to give kids a safe and fun place to play.

4 . Kids nowadays have computers in the classroom, more than one television in their homes, and pads in their backpacks. It seems impossible to separate them from digital equipment.     1     Establish rules around screen time early on. Before giving your child their first smartphone, make sure that both you and   your child   learn   about digital   responsibility, signs of cyberbullying (网络暴力) and coping ways.       2    Basic, but important ones, can include not responding to texts from unknown numbers and never sharing their personal information online or with anyone they don’t know.

    3     When establishing   contracts and limits on   technology   with   your child,   remember they will feel more willing to follow rules when you do, too. Telling your child to avoid screens if you are constantly attached to one is likely to result in tension and frustration. As a parent, it’s important to be a good role model for your child, not only with regards to technology but within everyday life.

Stress the value of physical play. I understand that we can’t keep children from enjoying screen time.    4     Try to replace screen time with physical activity, and even reward your child with items they enjoy if they reduce their time on digital devices.    5    

A．Lead by example.

B．As a result, their study and health suffer.

C．Make a rule for the whole family to agree to.

D．But we can find a happy medium where we enable kids to be kids.

E．Here, as a father of four, I’d like to share my thoughts with parents.

F．This shared information helps your child fully understand and respect rules.

G．In this way, they rely less on technology and seek happiness from creative play.

5 . A few years ago, my sister-in-law started to feel concerned about her teenage daughter. What was she doing after school? Where was she spending her time? My niece was an excellent student, and took part in all kinds of after-class activities. Even so, her mom decided to put a tracking app on the kid’s phone.

At first, this made my sister-in-law “feel better”. Then the good situation suddenly ended. She recalled, “I found out that she was someplace that she said she wasn’t. I went out in the middle of the night and found her walking without shoes in the middle of the street with some friends.” Things went quickly downhill for the mother and the daughter after that.

With 73% of teens having their own smartphones now, according to a 2015 Pew study, more and more of their parents are facing the question: To spy or not?

Ana Homayoun, founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting, has advised many parents and their kids about this. “I’ve found teens are more receptive to tracking apps when it is included as part of a family use agreement to improve safety than when it is placed as a secret tool to watch them,” she said.

Mark Bell, a father of a teenage girl, said, “We don’t have tracking apps, but we have set some ground rules that my daughter must follow in exchange for us providing a smartphone,” he said. For example, his daughter must “friend” him on social media accounts so that he can review posts, and must share all passwords.

When you’re trying to build trust, you need to create an environment that encourages it. So, to win their trust, you always need to be straight with your children. “Parents must let children know how and when they’ll be watching them,” said Doctor Pauleh Weigle. If they’re not open about it, he warns, it can “greatly damage the parent and child relationship”.

1. Why did the author’s sister-in-law use the app?

A．She was interested in new apps.

B．She was worried about her daughter.

C．She wanted to know about after-class activities.

D．She wanted to teach her daughter about the app.

2. What can we learn about today’s children from Homayoun?

A．They doubt family use agreements.

B．They are worried about online safety.

C．They welcome the use of tracking apps.

D．They dislike being spied on secretly with tracking apps.

3. According to Paragraph 5, Bell’s daughter     .

A．kept him out of her online groups

B．developed some bad online habits

C．allowed him to know her online behavior

D．wanted to put a tracking app on her phone

4. What should be done before using a tracking app according to Weigle?

A．Tell the kid about it.

B．Check the kid’s phone.

C．Teach the kid how to use it.

D．Advise the kid to use his phone less.

6 . When school closes, poor pupils lose the last social institution-one that educates, feeds, and sometimes clothes them-whereas richer pupils are gaining relatively more advantages. Disruptions to schooling tend to lower achievement while increasing inequality.

A new industry of"Learning Pod", where a group of families pool cash to pay for an in-person tutor, is deepening that inequality. Scoot Education, whose normal business is providing substitute teachers for schools, quickly developed a sideline in learning pods in California. For younger pupils, the total cost of a pod, shared among all parents, is $349 a day, which is beyond what a poor family can afford.＂Rich families can always find a way to educate their children, even if COVID-19 pandemic had not started," says Sarah Cohodes, a professor at Teachers College at Columbia University.

Thus, if there would be no extraordinary interventions in the closing of schools, the long-run effects on those poor students are predictable.

A team of five education scholars recently calculated that American schoolchildren in 2020 learned 30% less reading and 50%less maths than they would in a typical year. Despite that, the top third of pupils posted gains in reading. Data from Opportunity Insights, an economic-research team at Harvard University, shows that after lockdowns began in March pupils from low-income neighbourhoods fell permanently behind on online maths coursework, while those from richer areas quickly rebounded.

Then there is the problem of access to online classes. Nearly half of native American pupils and 35% of black and Hispanic ones do not have access to either a computer or the internet at home, compared with 19%of whites. Worsening mental health among poorer families will also hurt achievement. Elizabeth Ananat of Barnard College and Anna Gassman-Pines of Duke University surveyed part-time workers in Philadelphia who had young children; half were showing their anxiety or depression for children's schooling.

1. What do we know about Learning Pod?

A．It was started as the key business by Scoot Education.

B．Families can afford this teaching model with$349 a day.

C．It is a long-existing method to find an in-person tutor.

D．It worsens educational inequality to some extent.

2. What does the underlined word "rebounded" in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Learned maths in advance.	B．Performed poorly in maths.
C．Regained improvement in maths.	D．Showed permanent love to maths.

3. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Effects of educational inequality.	B．Psychological problems of the pupils.
C．Opportunities to use online resources.	D．Low academic achievement of the poor.

4. This text is probably selected from        .

A．a health magazine	B．an educational report
C．a science textbook	D．a learning guideline

7 . Teenagers who travel around the world alone have been making headlines quite often. A young person alone in a dangerous situation attracts attention and sponsors. Young sailors also attract various views. For example, Jessica Watson was asked by the government to cancel her voyage, yet the Prime Minister called her “a hero for young Australians” when she returned. It seemed there is confusion about the competence and independence of young people.

The popular psychologists tell us that teenage brains are likely to make wrong judgments. But such ideas often do not apply to specific individuals. Between the ages of 14 and 18, teenagers vary greatly in their abilities. The amount of independence that each is allowed should be determined not simply by their age but by discussion with the related, responsible adults. Some teens are certainly inexperienced and capable of childish mistakes, but the ones who attempt dangerous journeys normally do so by winning the confidence of hard-headed and well-qualified adult supporters.

But it’s also wrong to think that any 16-year-old can desire to get achievements as unusual as Jessica Watson’s. Watson calls herself “an ordinary girl who had a dream”. Her intention is to encourage teenagers but this idea can have the opposite effect of making them feel not good enough because great achievements are beyond them. Should all teens have such dreams? Actually, individuals face varying circumstances that restrict their dreams.

Teenagers who travel around the world alone should not be judged by preconceived (事先形成的) views about young people. Nor should young “ordinary” teenagers feel pressure to long for extraordinary personal goals. In fact, I believe the example of solo sailing overstresses individualism. The teenage years are when most of us “ordinary” people learn that we can achieve great things in cooperation with others.

1. What can we learn about Jessica Watson?

A．She was criticized by the government.

B．She eventually canceled her voyage.

C．She has traveled around the world.

D．She made a successful voyage.

2. What can be inferred about teenagers from the text?

A．They have similar abilities.

B．They make decisions on their own.

C．They always make wrong judgments.

D．They need supports of responsible adults.

3. Who does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Parents.	B．Teenagers.
C．Psychologists.	D．Adults.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Divided Opinions on Young Adventurers

B．Problems Faced by Adventurous Teens

C．Various Ways to Become Independent

D．Pressure to Achieve Personal Goals

8 . Financial Education-Awareness Dilemma

When it comes to financial education, the majority of today's youth will regard it as a necessity for certain specific people who want to make their career in the financial world.     1     Actually, elementary financial education is a must for all, as money transaction is an essential part of our day-to-day life.

Suppose you have $100 in a saving account that pays simple interest at the rate of 2%per year. lf you leave the money in the account, how much will you have accumulated after 5 years: more than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102? The test might look simple, but only half of the people surveyed gave the correct answer.

    2    The explanation goes as follows: People with low levels of financial literacy suffer from that lack of knowledge at every stage of their lives. Researchers on this subject say people with a high degree of financial literacy are more likely to plan for their retirement.     3    

On the contrary, people who have a lower degree of financial literacy tend to borrow more, accumulate less wealth, and pay more in fees related financial products. They are less likely to invest, more likely to experience difficulty with debt, and less likely to know the terms of their mortgages and other loans. Thus, the cost of this financial ignorance is very high.     4    

What   is the solution?     5     Like reading and math, financial education must become part of the core curriculum in our schools. Likewise, parents should engage in regular, constructive conversations about money matters. This will give their kids a solid foundation for financial well-being, which will keep on giving returns throughout the course of their lives.

A．Financial education must start early.

B．However, they miss an important point.

C．Why does each of us have to face a financial challenge?

D．Why does financial literacy matter so much in our society'?

E．Rich people are generally better educated on financial management.

F．Besides, these people have more than double the wealth of people who don’t.

G．For example, they frequently make late credit card payments, overspend their credit limit, etc.