As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have important effects on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s 1Q scores,” Lewis says, “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings (兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, which needs more attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone gets up from the table and walks around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention. “When TV is on.” Lewis says, “Dinner is a non-event.”
1.Why are the parents with small families talk actively?
A. Their children are outgoing.
B. They love to community.
C. They get along well with each other.
D. They think it’s easy to control the order.
2.What is the meaning of “invisible”?
A. The middle children keep away from the dinner.
B. No one likes the middle children.
C. The middle children are quiet
D. The middle children get no attention.
3.Why are some children most likely to get up from the table during the dinner time?
A. They are full.
B. They don’t want to eat food with their families.
C. They didn’t get enough attention.
D. They want to eat alone.
4.Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question ______.
A. why TV is important in family life
B. why parents should keep good order
C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
D. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A. It is important to have the right food for children.
B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner
Do you dream to be a superman? Do you dream to have super-human strength (力量)?
The book “What Makes You a Super Hero”, written by Danika Gordon, tells us that everyone has his or her own super power: to be kind and help others. “There are lots of little stories in the book.” said Danika.
Danika Gordon is a 14-year old girl from South Dakota, the US. Both at school and in her community, she is always helping others. She finds joy in being kind and calls on others to do it.
Gordon’s idea came from her own experience when she was 8 years old. At that time, Gordon was always bullied (被欺负) at primary school. But she never lost hope. From then on, Gordon began to help some students with their lessons. She believes that when students are bullied, they should get help from teachers, and not think about revenge. That only makes things worse. Kindness is the strongest power.
1.How does Gordon let us know that everyone of us has super strength?
A. By speaking knowledge.
B. By telling stories.
C. By introducing herself.
D. By explaining her point.
2.What can we know about Gordon from the passage?
A. She is a little girl from the UK.
B. She never lost hope of life.
C. She dreamed to be a superman.
D. She studies very hard.
3.What does the word “That” refer to?
A. Get help from teachers.
B. Students are bullied.
C. Be kind to others.
D. Revenge.
4.What is the best title of this passage?
A. Everyone is a superman.
B. Kindness makes you strong.
C. We should help others.
D. The book “What Makes You a Super Hero”.
5.From the passage, we can know that super-human strength is ______.
A. love B. smile C. bravery D. kindness
Almost every family buys at least one copy of a newspaper every day. Some people can have as many as two or three different newspapers. But why do people read newspapers?
Five hundred years ago, news of important happenings, such as battles lost and won, kings or rulers (统治者) overthrown (推翻) or killed, took months and even years to travel from one country to another. The news passed by words of mouth. Today we can read in our newspapers of important things that happen in faraway countries at the same time.
Besides giving news from all over the world, newspapers tell us a lot of other useful information. There are weather reports, as well as radio, television and film guides. There are also book reviews, stories, and of course, advertisements (广告). There are all kinds of advertisements. They pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space (广告版面), but it is worth the money because news of what they make in factories goes into almost every home in the country. For those who make newspapers, advertisements are also very important. Money from advertisements makes it possible for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit (利润).
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. Almost all the people all over the world read newspapers.
B. Why do people read newspapers?
C. Newspapers can make a good profit.
D. How did the newspapers come about?
2.What does the word “it” refer to?
A. The newspapers. B. The newspapers space. C. The advertisements. D. The money.
3.Newspapers were created to ______ many years ago.
A. make a profit B. spread information C. overthrow the rulers D. won the battles
4.About the use of newspapers, which one is not mentioned in the passage?
A. Weather reports. B. Tell us about some films.
C. Tell us some stories. D. Help us find people.
5.From the passage, we can know the reason that the newspapers are cheap is ______.
A. many people buy them
B. there is help from the government
C. they can get money from the advertisements
D. they don’t want to make money
At the age of five, Andrea Peterson was saved from a fire in her family’s Los Angeles home. “I thought it was a great adventure.” she says, “1 told the big firefighters that I wanted to be a fireman, too, and they laughed and said that little girls could not do that.”
Pressured by her parents to choose a good job which is fit for a girl, Peterson became a flight attendant. It wasn’t until four years ago, after her husband passed away, that she finally started volunteering at a local fire station. At more than one hundred pounds, she spent a year lifting weights and watching her diet. Later when she began training alongside men in their teens and 20S, she was ready. “At one point the department’s fitness officer asked me to pull him through the station with full gear (装备) and equipment- he weighed about 300 pounds, she says, “I did as he ordered, which perhaps surprised both of us!” Last year she graduated, becoming the only woman of the department’s staff of twenty-seven firefighters.
Peterson has now answered more than 350 emergency calls, helping so many people beat back fires in high temperatures. She says, “I’ve always known that this is the job for me. It doesn’t matter how hard I had to work or how long I had to wait.”
1.Andrea is fit to be a firefighter at first.
A. 对 B. 错
2.Almost everyone think Andrea isn’t fit this job.
A. 对 B. 错
3.Four years ago, Andrea became a firefighter.
A. 对 B. 错
4.Peterson does well in beating back fires now.
A. 对 B. 错
5.To become a firefighter, Peterson needed to lose weight.
A. 对 B. 错
How do you light up the night sky? The answer is by using electricity. ______ did you know that nature can glow (发光), too?
Scientists have found many glowing creatures (生物). Most of them live in the ocean. Some use their lights to talk to each other. Others use them to hunt, to mate (交配) or to protect _____. The vampire squid (幽灵蛸), for example, uses a cloud of light to scare _____.
Scientists around the world are looking at this kind of light for new _____. In 2013, the US company Gleaux said it has created the world’s first light-producing plant, the Daily Mail reported. It is a genetically-modified (转基因的) plant. It can glow like a firefly.
Alexander, the company’s founder (创始人), and other scientists hope that _____ the future, glowing plants could _____ lamps and glowing trees could line highways. Krichevsky also hopes the technology could be used in farming. Farmers could know when their crops need water or are ready to be _____ if they glow.
While Gleaux is working on glowing plants, the French company Glowee is trying to use glowing bacteria (细菌) to _____ up shop windows and street signs. It’s the same type of bacteria that cause a type of squid to light up. New Scientist Online reported.
“Our goal is to _____ the way we produce and use light,” said Glowee founder Sandra Rey. “We want to help ______ the 19 percent of electricity consumption (消耗量) that is used to produce light.”
1.A. And B. But C. Though
2.A. others B. me C. themselves
3.A. themselves B. friends C. enemies
4.A. ideas B. ways C. creatures
5.A. in B. on C. to
6.A. reduce B. increase C. replace
7.A. planted B. watered C. picked
8.A. put B. pull C. light
9.A. find B. learn C. change
10.A. increase B. reduce C. have
1.Where is the parking lot?
A. In front of the hotel. B. Across from the hotel. C. Behind the hotel.
2.How will the tourists go there?
A. By train. B. By bike. C. By bus.
3.What need the tourists show when they have lunch?
A. A blue card. B. A blue ticket. C. A blue key.
4.What season is it now?
A. Summer. B. Winter. C. Spring.
5.Which of the following is right?
A. The tourists will visit Mount Huang.
B. The tourists will have breakfast at eight.
C. The tourists will get on the bus in the parking lot.
