British parents encourage their children to play musical instruments as part of a family tradition and not to raise their social status as Americans do, research says.
Dr. Aaron Reeves of the University of Oxford found that UK parents did not see musical achievement by their children as character building or useful in getting university places or jobs. Instead, it was usually only those parents who played instruments that encouraged their children to follow suit.
This contrasted with research carried out by other academics in America, he said. “Middle-class parents in the US appear to associate cultural practice with other benefits, such as developing specific characteristics and paving the way for educational success. Middle-class families are often marked by a pattern of ‘concerted cultivation’, where parents organize music-centred activities for their children, often in addition to school-based musical practice.”
Researchers had owed this to “parental anxiety over the declining fortunes of educated Americans. These parents have become increasingly worried about providing their children with skills and abilities enabling them to stand out from their competitors in the job market.”
By contrast, for British respondents, no such connection was made between what is considered as an overbearing parenting style and future educational or career possibilities. The parents interviewed here did not connect music with usefulness but rather they focused on the value of music as a family tradition and, to a lesser extent, as something valuable in its own right.
One Scottish parent, a chemist by profession, said during the interviews, “We’ve got two learning musical instruments. If we think it’s maybe worthwhile we try and encourage them, but we wouldn't force them.” A housewife said, “My son’s just turned five and I want him to do the guitar because his uncle does it, but it’s up to him.”
In some UK families, said Dr. Reeves, music was even “believed to be an obstacle to educational success, or at least secondary to it.”
1.What do British parents think of music learning?
A. Useful for job application. B. Helpful for character building.
C. Beneficial to further education. D. Worthwhile as a family tradition.
2.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Cultural practice. B. Educational success.
C. Concerted cultivation. D. School-based musical practice.
3.What can be inferred from the text?
A. The future of American kids is not promising.
B. American parents hardly link music with success.
C. Music learning is a personal choice for British kids.
D. British parents show little concern about education.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Reasons for British music preference.
B. British parenting style in music education.
C. Americans’ attitude towards music learning.
D. Differences between British and American parents.
John was part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s and a link to sunny, fun-filled days spent on the beach at Bangor in Northern Ireland where we went for our summer holidays. To many, he was a mystery. Every afternoon John would wander to the end of the pier (码头) where he fed the seagulls and delighted in the sound of their excited cries as they flew around his head.
Often I asked my family questions regarding John. Eventually I gave up as no one could tell me anything about him. As I grew up, my visits to the beach became less frequent, and my memories of John buried in a child's imagination.
Last year memories came flooding back as I walked along the coastline, where I noticed a lady feeding the seagulls on the pier, and I decided to introduce myself. Then I came to know that the lady was John's daughter, and after John left this world she carried out the ritual, which had held such importance for her father.
In some strange way I felt we shared a bond, each needing to remember. In return, Lucy told me of John's life, his days in the British Navy during World War I and how he almost lost hope when his ship was attacked by a German U-boat in the North Sea and he found himself in a lifeboat with five others.
Close to death, he thought he heard the sound of wings. He put up his hands, only to catch a seagull that had landed on the side of the boat. The seagull saved the lives of the six men as it was used to catch fish, which kept them alive until they reach land. This period of John's life was one he never talked about. But the ritual he first performed as a young man remained a part of him until he died.
Now I visit Lucy as often as I can, just to chat or very often walk along the beach to the pier end. We enjoy the comfortable silence, each lost in special memories.
1.Seeing John feeding the seagulls, the author might feel ______.
A.proud B.worried
C.curious D.guilty
2.The underlined word ''ritual" in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
A.law B.tradition
C.interest D.procedure
3.We can infer from the text that John ______.
A.once served in both World Wars B.was a man with a grateful heart
C.spent his childhood in Bangor D.joined the navy in the 1970s
4.What does the author mainly tell us in the text?
A.Her thanks to a seagull that saved her life.
B.The story of how she made friends with a lady.
C.Her childhood spent on the beach at Bangor.
D.Her memories of a man who fed seagulls.
As the sixth What Kids Are Reading report bemoans （ 哀 叹 ） about a tendency among secondary school students to read books that are too easy—suggesting that teachers and librarians aren’t pushing challenging titles strongly enough to older kids—the organizers of World Book Day have announced a list that might serve as a corrective, or at least a useful source of ideas.
Satellite by Nick Lake
Leo was born in space, living all his life on space station Moon 2 with fellow space-children Libra and Orion. Now, at 15,he is almost due to go to Earth for the first time, but more awaits him there. An extraordinary science fiction, as diverse as lain M Banks at his best. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
A standout debut （首次创作）, this US novel is the Black Lives Matter (BLM)-inspired story of Starr Carter, whose friend Khalil is shot dead by a police officer as she watches and whose divided life awakes in the fallout. Full of vivid detail and dry humour, with a charming narrator, it reads like a typical text.
Things a Bright Girl Can Do by Sally Nicholls
Nicholls’ exciting narrative follows May, the free-thinking daughter of a Quaker, and Nell, the tough, capable mainstay of her poor family. As the ghost of war appears ever closer, what will they sacrifice and what will be taken from them? An unforgettable historical novel.
The Book of Dust Vol 1:La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
Pullman’s long-awaited return to the world of His Dark Materials is, at times, dark indeed. As Malcolm and Alice convey the baby Lyra down a flooded river in Malcolm’s boat, the coming threats are fierce and frightening. To the reader absorbed in it, whatever their age, it affords the enjoyment of watching a master storyteller at work.
1.Why do the organizers announce the book list?
A.To attract students’ attention to World Book Day.
B.To promote the sales of the books recommended.
C.To encourage secondary students to read challenging books.
D.To meet the requirements of teachers and librarians.
2.Which book might attract a history lover?
A.Satellite. B.The Hate U Give.
C.Things a Bright Girl Can Do. D.The Book of Dust Vo1 1:La Belle Sauvage.
3.What can be learned from the text?
A.Nick Lake is an expert in space exploration.
B.Angie Thomas stands out in writing textbooks.
C.May has an influence on Sally Nicholls’ writing.
D.It took a long time for Pullman to publish his new book.
近几年，很多外国人热衷学习中国文化。如学汉语、过中国节日等。自从2014年以来，有200多所孔子学院（Confucius Institute）相继在美国、英国、加拿大、韩国等国家建成使用。
1. 请简要报道上述现象；
2. 分析上述现象的原因；
3. 结合自身实际，谈谈你能为传播中国文化做些什么。
注意：1. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称；
2. 120词左右。
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单词拼写
1.The twins are so much alike that even their parents have trouble d_________ them.
2.— When electricity was cut off, all the people in the elevator(电梯）p_______.
— It’s unnecessary, for the operator will surely come to help.
3.He was awarded a gold watch in r_____ of his service to his company.
4.The little girl was fortunate because she had a n______ escape from being run over by a car.
5.Hearing the dog barking fiercely, the thief f____ away.
6.G_______(抓紧) firmly her mother’s hand in the darkness, Lucy felt much better.
7.The bell indicating the end of the period rang, which _______(打断) our heated discussion.
8.You can come and have a chat with me whenever you feel it is ________(方便) to you.
9.______(有希望地) we’ll have finished the project by the end of this month.
10.—What do you think of cloning? Is it harmful to human beings?
—Well, e________ in a proper way, this technology can contribute to the development of mankind.
Happiness begins from appreciation
If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive. When stressed, depressed, upset or otherwise in a negative state of mind because you are aware that misfortune keeps occurring, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive. 1.
It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but be sure that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. 2. If you start with one small, positive thing and appreciate it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation and people will start showing up in your life. With appreciation, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, regardless of the events around you. 3.
● Begin and end each day with a “Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!”
● When you see the rise of gas prices, say “I am so glad to have a vehicle in which to get around.”
● When your boss is too hard on you, say “I am grateful for my job as I know that many don’t have one.”
● If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: “I really do appreciate it that my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth tastes, my legs walk, my arms lift and my mind thinks and everything else works.”
● Write down what you’re grateful for each day. In moments when you’re feeling really down, read loud what you wrote previously. 4. If you practice this regularly, you will find your list getting longer and longer.
The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of appreciation. 5.
A. This will certainly help uplift your spirits.
B. If not, you will only attract more misfortune.
C. It is of great importance to learn to be grateful.
D. The more you appreciate, the happier you’ll be.
E. If you have made some achievements in your career.
F. Here are a few common examples for you to practice.
G. You can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.
