“Don’t forget to study for the history test on Friday,” Mrs. Beville told the class.
That night, Julie opened her textbook and read it several times. It was difficult for her to learn all the facts and dates.
“Need some help?” asked her older brother, Eric.
Julie handed him her textbook. “Test me.”
Eric took the book and read the questions, but Julie shook her head.
The following day, she decided to use library time to study. With her textbook open in front of her, she tried to make sense of all the facts and dates. But it was useless.
She lowered her head and hid her face in the pages of the book. “Impossible!”
“Julie!”
Julie looked up. Maria, from her class, was seated at a nearby table.
“Want to study together?” Maria asked.
Julie picked up her things and joined Maria, who was sitting with some cards and colored pencils in front of her. On each card was a colorful painting.
Julie looked confused. “I thought you were studying history.”
“This is how I study,” Maria said. “I like art, and the pictures help me recall facts. Sometimes memorization isn’t enough, and I have to get creative.”
“I see,” said Julie, with interest.
“But right now, I’m having trouble answering this question.” She pointed to a line she’d written on the front of a card. What would you call someone who lives in Flanders?
After looking up the answer “Fleming”, Julie had a thought. “If Maria could use her artistic skills to study, then why couldn’t I use my own love of poems and wordplay?”
Julie said aloud, “See the flamingo home to Flanders!”
Maria was looking at her. “What does a flamingo have to do with it?” She stopped for a moment. “See the flamingo home...See the Fleming go home to Flanders. Yes! A Fleming lives in Flanders. Perfect! This is a clever use of words.”
Maria used a pink pencil to draw a flamingo on the back of the card. “Hey, that was pretty cool.”
“Thanks.” Julie smiled.
“Hey, want to be study partners?” asked Maria.
“Certainly,” said Julie. Suddenly, studying didn’t seem so impossible after all.
24. When Julie studied alone in the library, she felt learning history was ________.
A.interesting | B.hard | C.useful | D.surprising |
25. How did Maria review history?
A.She drew pictures. | B.She went over her notebook. |
C.She read the textbook. | D.She asked her brother for help. |
26. From the experience, Julie learned about ________.
A.the goal of learning | B.the importance of history |
C.the necessity of testing | D.the value of creative learning |