Encouraging pupils to keep noise to a minimum should be a valuable component of all children’s education, according to new research.
Dr. Helen Lees, from Stirling University’s school of education, says that “enforced silence” is seen as a punishment and often acts to suppress children’s natural ability. But she says that teaching children about the benefits of “enforced silence”—deliberate stillness that gives them the opportunity to focus and reflect in a stress-free environment—can have a significant effect on pupils’ concentration and behavior.
It is the latest in a string of researches to establish a link between the classroom environment and pupils’ academic ability.
A study almost a decade ago in London found that children’s exam results were cut by as much as a third if they were taught in noisy classrooms. Teaching unions have also called for a limit of 26℃ to be put on classroom temperatures because teachers and pupils struggle to work in hot conditions, and some educationalists claim that too much clutter on classroom walls can prevent children from concentrating.
Dr. Lees said, “When we take some research on school settings and put it all together, what we see is that education without silence does not make much sense. In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.”
Dozens of schools across Britain have already introduced periods of “reflective silence” into the timetable.
Kevin Hogston, head of Sheringdale Primary, south London, has just introduced a minute’s silence at the start of twice-weekly meetings in which children are taught breathing techniques and encouraged to reflect. The school plans to introduce it into classrooms every day.
1.According to Dr. Helen Lees, “enforced silence” ＿＿
A.is an effective way of punishment B.does not make much sense in class
C.can improve pupils’ confidence D.makes pupils more creative
2.The underlined word “suppress” in the second paragraph probably means “_________”.
A.prevent B.improve
C.apply D.reveal
3.What can be inferred from the research on school settings?
A.Students are more active if taught in noisy classrooms.
B.Silence makes a great difference to pupils.
C.Clutter on the walls can help students concentrate.
D.Most schools are not satisfactory in terms of classroom temperatures.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Arranging classroom settings benefits studies
B.Achieving silence is beneficial for people
C.Using enforced silence is effective punishment
D.Keeping quiet in class improves academic performance
Just a year ago, the colors were bright under the waves. Now it’s gray — the Maldivian reef is dead. The coral is killed by the pressure of rising temperatures.
Coral reefs are areas underwater where small creatures live. The coral is hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of those creatures. But the world has lost about half its coral reefs in the last 30 years. Scientists are working to prevent their destruction. Due to global warming, over 90 percent of corals are expected to die by 2050. “To lose coral reefs is to fundamentally undermine the health of a very large proportion of the human race,” said Ruth Gates, director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
Why are coral reefs important? Coral reefs support a fourth of all marine species, as well as half a billion people worldwide. They serve as barriers to protect coastlines from the storms. They provide billions of dollars from tourism, fishing and other trade. They are also used in medical research for cures for diseases. “Everyone should be concerned,” said biologist Ove Guldberg at Australia’s University of Queensland. “This is not just some distant dive destination. This is the basic structure of the ecosystem we depend on.”
The ocean is getting warmer. A rising temperature of just one to two degree Celsius can force coral to expel the algae (驱逐海藻) that live there. This leaves their white skeletons uncovered. It is a process called “bleaching”. Sixteen percent of the world’s corals died of bleaching in 1998. The problem has become much worse in recent years.
“We’ve lost 50 percent of the reefs, but that means we still have 50 percent left,” said Ruth Gates, who is working in Hawaii to breed corals that can better withstand increasing temperatures. She is also trying to “train” corals to survive rising temperatures. Gates says it is time to start “thinking outside the box”— find creative ways to help them.
1.The underlined word “undermine” in paragraph 2 means ___________.
A.weaken B.regain C.promote D.overlook
2.What’s the major concern of the scientists like Ove Guldberg?
A.People won’t find a dive destination in the future.
B.The effort to save corals will turn out to be fruitless.
C.The destruction of coral reefs will affect the earth ecosystem.
D.The bright sea has lost its charm because of those dead corals.
3.The fourth paragraph is mainly about ___________.
A.the harm of algae B.the process of “bleaching”
C.the importance of coral reefs D.the change of ocean temperature
4.Ruth Gates’ attitude towards the protection of corals is ___________.
A.proud B.cautious C.optimistic D.casual
Welcome to Arundel Castle which is situated in West Sussex, England. The castle has a history of nearly 1000 years and has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world. Arundel Castle also plays a starring role in many films.
The Gardens
The White Garden is planted with soft white Iceberg Roses, and Snow White Lilies.
The Rose Garden is newly planted with lovely old-fashioned English roses that are at their very best in June and July.
The Organic Kitchen Garden produces a wide range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, pears, cherries and apples.
The Castle Shop
In the Castle Shop, you will discover a wide and interesting range of gift ideas for everyone. It offers gifts and souvenirs designed to appeal to all tastes and pockets. Foods, china, books, and stationery (文具)are all available. Many are sold in this Castle Shop only.
At Arundel Castle we pride ourselves on supporting local suppliers and actively encourage environmentally friendly products.
The Arundel Festival 2014
Saturday 16th to Monday 25th August
The annual Arundel Festival gets bigger and better every year. It is one of the most amazing, diverse and easily accessible arts festivals in the UK, offering a mix of visual arts, music, theatre and street entertainment.
Parking
Coaches and mini-buses can drop off at the main Castle entrance in Mill Road and park in the main town car park that is opposite the Castle entrance. Please inform us when making your booking of how many parking permits are required.
1.When visiting the castle, you can___.
A.get old-fashioned English roses as gifts B.see how the local gifts are being made
C.get seasonal fruit and vegetables for free D.buy eco-friendly products in the Castle Shop
2.Where can you park the coach?
A.In Mill Road B.Inside the Castle
C.In the main town car park D.At the main Castle entrance
3.How long does the Arundel Festival last this year?
A.10 days B.One week C.16 days D.One month
假如你是李华，你的英国朋友Tom给你发邮件询问你在新冠肺炎疫情期间是怎么度过的，请你根据下列要点写一封邮件回复他。
1.爆发时间：地点2019年12月，武汉；
2.怎么度过：（1）尽量待在家里，关注了解疫情新闻（2）坚持学习，上网课（3）坚持锻炼；
3.你的感受。
注意：1.词数120左右
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
参考词汇：疫情epidemic situation 新冠肺炎novel coronavirus pneumonia
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Dear Jack,
Next Saturday will my birthday. I’m going to hold a birthday party at home on the evening. It will start at 7:30. Some classmates as good as some foreign friends have been invited. The activities include singing, dancing and sharing interesting experiences. Surely, we’ll have a good time. I would feel honoring if you could come. I live at 656 Minzu Street. You can take Bus No. 11 or No. 15 and got off at the stop of Guang Ming High School. Justly on the opposite side is my house, what is red with a white door. I’m sure of you can’t miss it. I do hope they will come.
Best wish.
Yours,
LiHua
按照下列句子含义在划线空格上写出所缺单词的正确形式。（注意；根据首字母写单词的，把完整的单词写在答题纸上）
1.The _______（情节）of his books are quite similar.
2.In the last ten years in China，1 50 million people moved out of _________（贫穷）
3.Sandstorms have been a _______（主要）disaster for many Asian countries for centuries.
4.Paris is the capital and largest city of France, s______on the River Seine.
5.I like summer, but I can't s________ the heat.
6.Your idea sounds really wonderful，but I think it is far from _________（现实）
7.Picasso is one of the great __________（画家）in Europe.
8.Unfortunately，burning coal causes serious air pollution and increases g_________warming
9.It was so________（勇敢的）of you to speak in front of all those people.
10.The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous s________of Paris.
