Editor’s note: Believe it or not, childr...

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A great many parents send their children to pre-schools --- educational programs for children under the age of five. It has been said that this is the time period when the brain does over fifty percent of its growing. This could mean that the learning process should be introduced during these years.

However, the views that different societies hold regarding the purpose of early childhood education are not same. Whereas Chinese parents tend to see preschools primarily as a way of giving children a good start academically, parents in the United States regard the primary purpose of preschools as making children more independent and self-reliant. Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning. Play-based programs are guided by the central belief that children learn best through play. Play is thought to build children’s interest and love of learning. Academic programs emphasize reading, math and science, and use structured, teacher-directed activities to promote foundational skills in these areas. In the United States, the best-known program designed to promote future academic success is Head Start. The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, including children’s physical health, self-confidence, social responsibility, and social and emotional development.

A recent evaluation suggests that preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future. Furthermore, graduates of Head Start programs show higher academic performance at the end of high school, although the gains are modest. In addition, results from other types of preschool readiness programs indicate that for every dollar spent on the program, taxpayers saved seven dollars by the time the graduates reached the age of 27.

Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing. In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age. Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about. Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive(认知的) development. In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.

    When I was a senior in college, I came home for Christmas vacation and anticipated a fun-filled fortnight with my two brothers. We were so excited to be together and we volunteered to watch the store so that my mother and father could take their first day off in years. The day before my parents went to Boston, my father took me quietly aside to the little den behind the store. He took out a cigar box, opened it and showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.

“What are they?” I asked.

Father replied seriously, “These are articles I’ve written and some letters to the editor that have been published.”

As I began to read, I saw at the bottom of each neatly clipped article the name Walter Chapman. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d done that?” I asked.

“Because I didn’t want your mother to know. She has always told me that since I didn’t have much education, I shouldn’t try to write. I wanted to run for some political office also, but she told me I shouldn’t try. I guess she was afraid she’d be embarrassed if I lost. I figured I could write without her knowing it, and so I did. When each item would be printed, I’d cut it out and hide it in this box. I knew someday I’d show the box to someone, and it’s you.”

He watched me as I read over a few of the articles and when I looked up, his big blue eyes were moist. “I guess I tried for something too big this last time,” he added.

“Did you write something else?”

“Yes, I sent some suggestions in to our church magazine on how the national nominating committee could be selected more fairly. It’s been three months since I sent it in. I guess I tried for something too big.”

This was such a new side to my fun-loving father that I didn’t quite know what to say, so I tried, “Maybe it’ll still come.”

“Maybe, but don’t hold your breath.” father gave me a little smile and a wink and then closed the cigar box.

The next morning our parents left on the bus to the railway station where they took a train to Boston. When I ran the store with my two brothers, I thought about the box. I’d never known my father liked to write. I didn’t tell my brothers. It was a secret between father and me.

Early that evening I looked out the store window and saw my mother get off the bus—alone.

“Where’s Dad?” We asked together.

“Your father’s dead,” she said without a tear.

She told us they had been walking through the Park Street Subway Station in the midst of crowds of people when father had fallen to the floor. A nurse bent over him, looked up at mother and said simply, “He’s dead.” Mother had stood by father stunned, not knowing what to do as people tripped over him in their rush through the subway.

Mother told us the shocking tale without shedding a tear. Not showing emotion had always been a matter of discipline and pride for her. We didn’t cry either and we took turns waiting on the customers.

One steady patron asked, “Where’s the old man tonight?”

“He’s dead,” I replied.

“Oh, too bad,” and he left.

I’d never thought of father as an old man. He’d always been healthy and happy and he’d cared for frail mother without complaining and now he was gone. No more whistling, no more singing hymns while stocking shelves. “The old man” was gone.

On the morning of the funeral, I sat at the table in the store opening sympathy cards and pasting them in a scrapbook when I noticed the church magazine in the pile. Normally I would never have opened it, but maybe that sacred article might be there—and it was.

I took the magazine to the little den, shut the door, and burst into tears. I had been brave, but seeing Dad’s bold recommendations in print was more than I could bear. I read and cried and then I read again. In the magazine I also found a two-page letter to my father from Henry Cabot Lodge, Sr., thanking him for the campaign suggestions. I took out the box and put them in it.

I didn’t tell anyone about the box.

1.Who was Walter Chapman in the passage?

A.A writer of detective stories B.The author’s father

C.An edition of a newspaper D.A customer in the store

2.Which one shows the order in which the events happened?

a. My father showed me a little pile of newspaper articles.

b. Our parents took a train to Boston.

c. My father’s article to the church magazine was published.

d. I came home for Christmas vacation.

e. My father died in an accident.

f. My father sent some suggestions in to the magazine.

A.f-d-a-b-e-c B.d-a-f-b-e-c

C.d-f-c-a-b-e D.f-d-b-a-c-e

3.The underlined sentence “Not showing emotion had always been a matter of discipline and pride for her” does NOT show that ____________.

A.she is unwilling to share her feelings with others

B.she is too proud to express her feelings

C.she is used to being serious

D.she is an emotional person

4.Why did the author burst into tears at last?

A.Because he thought of father’s whistling and singing hymns.

B.Because his father’s article to the church magazine was published.

C.Because the box full of his father’s articles was yet unknown to people.

D.Because he was moved by the funeral and the sympathy cards.

5.What’s the father’s attitude towards his writing?

A.He was ashamed of his writing so he hid the box.

B.He was proud of his talent in writing.

C.He was interested in writing and found it great fun.

D.He took writing as a means to make a living.

6.Which is the best title for this passage?

A.The Death of My Father B.Father and I

C.The Mystery of a Hidden Box D.A Sad Christmas Vacation

    The belief that new technologies are causing the death of work is the idea that never goes away. Despite evidence to the contrary, we still view technological change today as being more rapid and dramatic in its consequences for work than ever before. But this is nothing new. People have always viewed the technological changes that take place during their lives as the most dramatic and dangerous that ever happened in history.

In the 1930s, the British economist(经济学家) John Maynard Keynes predicted the widespread use of electricity would produce a world where people spend most of their time doing nothing. In the United States during the 1960s, the government repeatedly investigates fears that automatic machines would permanently reduce the amount of work available. In 1988, one Australian historian claimed that at least a quarter of the workforce would be without jobs within 10 years because of computers.

Of course, none of these disasters came to pass in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, or anywhere else.

Yet today, we are seeing the return of these predictions, with some experts claiming the world of work is once more undergoing radical and unprecedented change. They argue that robots and other workplace technologies are causing a reduction in the total amount of work available, or are bringing a more rapid pace of substitution of machines for humans than has been seen previously.

But there is a little evidence to support such beliefs. Statistics show that the percentage of people in work, the number of hours they work, and how frequently they change jobs have remained remarkably constant over the past 20 years.

This stability should not come as a surprise. There are good reasons why we should not expect new technologies to cause the death of work. New technologies always cause job losses, but that is only part of the story. What also needs to be understood is how they increase the amount of work available.

One way this happens is through the increases in incomes that accompany the use of new technologies. With the introduction of these technologies, good and services can be produced faster, which results in higher real incomes for workers. Higher incomes then increase demand for other products and consequently more workers are needed to make them. Additionally, while new technologies are likely to substitute for some types of workers, they will also increase demand for other types of workers, especially those with higher level skills and expertise.

So, the end of work is no closer today than at any time in the past. But there is still a need to keep disproving the prediction, to reduce people's fears.

1.What is the function of the second paragraph?

A.To explain the importance of developing new technology.

B.To show how technology affected employment in the past.

C.To argue that technological dangers are becoming more serious.

D.To give historical examples of unnecessary fear about new technology.

2.How can employment statistics over the past 20 years best be described?

A.Confusing B.Reliable

C.Stable D.Variable

3.According to paragraph 7, why does demand for products often increase after new technology is introduced?

A.There are more goods for people to choose from.

B.There is more demand for new skills in the economy.

C.Productivity improvements help raise workers’ salaries.

D.Higher quality goods at lower prices encourage consumption.

4.What is the author’s opinion about the introduction of new technology?

A.It does not have an effect on most people’s jobs.

B.Its benefits are usually not worth the introduction.

C.It usually leads to a significant increase in employment.

D.Its danger to peoples employment possibilities is overstated.

    Supermarket shelves are filled with plant-based alternatives to cow milk, including soy, nut, and coconut milk. These products are popular with consumers who cannot drink cows’ milk for health reasons, as well as with those concerned about animal welfare and environmental sustainability. While the dairy-free(非乳制的) options work well with cereal or in coffee, they fail miserably when it comes to making milk-based products like cheese or yogurt. However, these shortcomings may soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a new company in California, which has figured out how to create animal-free milk in a laboratory!

Perumal Gandhi and Ryan Pandya founded the company in 2014 after becoming increasingly annoyed with the lack of cows’ milk-free alternatives, particularly for cheese. For Gandhi, who stopped consuming animal products five years earlier due to environmental and animal welfare concerns, the motivation to create a better alternative stemmed from his love of cheesy pizza. Pandya was spurred into taking action after being forced to eat some “really bad” dairy-free cream cheese on his sandwich.

The two MIT biomedical engineering scientists decided to join forces to create a more realistic alternative to dairy-based products. In their university lab, the pair spent nine months first isolating(分离) cow DNA then inserting it into yeast. This genetic modification enabled the yeast to produce the necessary milk proteins. The final step of the process involved mixing the proteins with some plant nutrients and fats.

The dairy-free milk not only tastes like the real thing but is also healthier, has a longer shelf life and, most important of all, is Earth friendly. According to the company’s website, when compared to conventional（传统的） milk production, their process uses 65% less energy, creates 84%o less greenhouse gas emissions and requires 91% less land and an amazing 98% less water! Best of all, since it contains real milk proteins, the product behaves like the cow-produced version, which means vegetarian consumers will no longer have to deal with soggy cheese on their sandwiches and pizzas.

The company plans to bring their creation to market later this year and their first product will most likely be cheese since there are already numerous good cows’ milk alternatives available to consumers.

1.The underlined word "those" in paragraph 1 refers to_______.

A. alternatives B. people

C. products D. reasons

2.What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A. The dairy-free products cannot be stored for a long time.

B. The new products will taste better than dairy-based ones.

C. Cow farming causes considerable environmental damage.

D. The dairy-free milk will be more expensive than cow’s milk.

3.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A. Healthier Cheese B. New Milk Saves Planet

C. Fresher Milk, Better Future D. Making Milk without Cows

    As is tradition, technology companies from around the world have flocked to Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. There are thousands of eye-catching items to swoon over, whether you’re a nerd or not. Here are a few of the most interesting, exciting and possibly life-changing products seen at the show, which runs from Tuesday to Friday.

1.If one likes doing things by himself, which of the items suits him best?

A.Item 1. B.Item 2.

C.Item 3. D.Item 4.

2.Which of the following technologies appeared for the first time in the show?

A.The TV R User’s controlling the TV by Google Assistant

B.Nvidia’s laptops’ solving the problem of power

C.The Dreem band’s detect your heart rate

D.Samsung’s Micro LED technology making a 146-inch TV possible