One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology”rather than experiencing the natural world.Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors,which will change the wild places of the world,its creatures and human health for the worse,unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes,even if it was torn down.We cannot be the last generation to have that place.At this rate,kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes.“If the decline in parks use continues across North America,who will defend parks against encroachment(蚕食)？”asks Richard Louv,author of Last Child in the Woods.
Without having a nature experience,kids can turn out just fine,but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives.That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health,to stress levels,creativity and cognitive(认知的)skills.Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it:research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters(培养)leadership by the smartest,not by the toughest.Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child.The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world.A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes.We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame.They are over-protected and frightened.It is dangerous out there from time to time,but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite(仪式)of passage.
Everyone from developers,to schools and outdoors’ citizens,should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring,taking friendship in fields and woods that cement(增强)love,respect and need for the landscape.As parents,we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature.This could yet be our greatest cause.
1.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that_______.
A.kids are missing the sense of wonder outdoors
B.parks are in danger of being gradually encroached
C.Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods
D.children are expected to develop into protectors of nature
2.According to the passage,children without experiencing nature will ______.
A.keep a high sense of wonder
B.be over-protected by their parents
C.be less healthy both physically and mentally
D.change wild places and creatures for the better
3.According to the author,children’s breaking an arm is_______.
A.the fault on the part of their parents
B.the natural experience in their growing up
C.the result of their own carelessness in play
D.the effect of their repetitive stress from computers
4.In writing this passage,the author mainly intends to_______.
A.blame children for getting lost in computer games
B.encourage children to protect parks from encroachment
C.show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature
D.inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around
Photos that you might have found down the back of your sofa are now big business!
In 2005,the American artist Richard Prince’s photograph of a photograph,Untitled (Cowboy),was sold for $1 248 000.
Prince is certainly not the only contemporary artist to have worked with so-called “found photographs”—a loose term given to everything from discarded(丢弃的)prints discovered in a junk shop to old advertisements or amateur photographs from a stranger’s family album.The German artist Joachim Schmid,who believes “basically everything is worth looking at”,has gathered discarded photographs,postcards and newspaper images since 1982.In his on-going project,Archiv,he groups photographs of family life according to themes:people with dogs;teams;new cars;dinner with the family;and so on.
Like Schmid,the editors of several self-published art magazines also champion(捍卫)found photographs.One of them,called simply Found,was born one snowy night in Chicago,when Davy Rothbard returned to his car to find under his wiper(雨刷)an angry note intended for someone else:“Why’s your car HERE at HER place?”The note became the starting point for Rothbard’s addictive publication,which features found photographs sent in by readers,such as a poster discovered in your drawer.
The whole found-photograph phenomenon has raised some questions.Perhaps one of the most difficult is:can these images really be considered as art?And,if so,whose art?Yet found photographs produced by artists,such as Richard Prince,may raise endless possibilities.What was the cowboy in Prince’s Untitled doing?Was he riding his horse hurriedly to meet someone?Or how did Prince create this photograph?It’s anyone’s guess.In addition,as we imagine the back-story to the people in the found photographs artists,like Schmid,have collated(整理),we also turn toward our own photographic albums.Why is memory so important to us?Why do we all seek to freeze in time the faces of our children,our parents,our lovers,and ourselves?Will they mean anything to anyone after we’ve gone?
In the absence of established facts,the vast collections of found photographs give our minds an opportunity to wander freely.That,above all,is why they are so fascinating.
1.The first paragraph of the passage is used to_______.
A.remind readers of found photographs
B.advise readers to start a new kind of business
C.ask readers to find photographs behind sofas
D.show readers the value of found photographs
2.According to the passage,Joachim Schmid_______.
A.is fond of collecting family life photographs
B.found a complaining note under his car wiper
C.is working for several self-published art magazines
D.wondered at the artistic nature of found photographs
3.The underlined word “them”in Paragraph 4 refers to“_______”.
A.the readers
B.the editors
C.the found photographs
D.the self-published magazines
4.By asking a series of questions in Paragraph 5,the author mainly intends to indicate that_______.
A.memory of the past is very important to people
B.found photographs allow people to think freely
C.the back-story of found photographs is puzzling
D.the real value of found photographs is questionable
5.The author’s attitude toward found photographs can be described as_______.
A.critical B.doubtful
C.optimistic D.satisfied
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Welcome to my Message Board! |
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Subject Slimming down classics? |
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Mr. Handsome
2007-5-12&24 AM |
Orion Books,which decides there is a market in creating cut-down classics(经典著作)，is slimming down some novels by such great writers as L.Tolstoy,M.Mitchell and C.Bronte.Now,each of them has been whittled down to about 400 pages by cutting 30 to 40 per cent of the original,with words,sentences,paragraphs and,in a few cases,chapters removed.The first six shortened editions,all priced at ￡6.99 and advertised as great reads “in half the time”,will go on sale next month,with plans for 50 to 100 more to follow.The publishing house believes that modern readers will welcome the shorter versions. |
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Mr. Edwards
2007-5-12 9:40 AM |
Well,I’m publisher of Orion Group.Thanks for your attention,Mr.Handsome. I must say,the idea developed from a game of “shame”in my office.Each of us was required to confess(承认)to the most embarrassing blanks in his or her reading.I admitted that I had never read Anna Karenina and tried but failed to get through Gone with the Wind several times.One of my colleagues acknowledged skipping(跳读)Jane Eyre.We realised that life is too short to read all the books you want to and we never were going to read these ones. As a leading publishing house,we are trying to make classics convenient for readers but it’s not as if we’re withdrawing the original versions.They are still there if you want to read them. |
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Ms.Weir
2007-5-12 11:35 AM |
I’m director of the online bookclub www.lovereading.co.uk. Mr.Edwards,I think your shortened editions is a breath of fresh air.I’m guilty of never having read Anna Karenina,because it’s just so long.I’d much rather read two 300-page books than one 600-page book.I am looking forward to more shortened classics! |
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Mr. Crockatt
2007-5-124:38 PM |
I’m from the London independent bookshop Crockatt & Powell. In my opinion,the practice is completely ridiculous.How can you edit the classics?I’m afraid reading some of these books is hard work,and that is why you have to develop as a reader.If people don’t have time to read Anna Karenina,then fine.But don’t read a shortened version and kid yourself it’s the real thing. |
1.According to the message board,Orinon Books_______.
A.opposes the reading of original classics
B.is embarrassed for cutting down classics
C.thinks cut-down classics have a bright future
D.is cautious in its decision to cut down classics
2.In Mr.Edwards’ opinion,Orion Group is shortening classics to_______.
A.make them easier to read
B.meet a large demand in the market
C.increase the sales of literary books
D.compete with their original versions
3.By describing the shortened classics as “a breath of fresh air”,Ms.Weir_______.
A.speaks highly of the cut-down classics
B.shows gailty of the original classics
C.feels guilty of not reading the classics
D.disapproves of shortening the classics
4.Mr.Crockatt seems to imply that_______.
A.reading the classic works is a confusing attempt
B.shortening the classics does harm to the original
C.publishing the cub-down classics is a difficult job
D.editing the classic works satisfies children’s needs
In June,2007,a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg,the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province,will begin test-launching(试发射)a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.
The one-kilogram Win-Cube satellite,named for its home city and its shape,will be put into low orbit.Once in space,it can perform for a few months or up to several years,communicating information that could help find the early signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide,but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada.30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite,in cooperation with aerospace(航空航天的)experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba,and with support from two other organizations.
The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper,it is real-world engineering,allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program.It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba.Designing,building and lauching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.
“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation(创新)，and a strong love for discovery,”said Education,Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson.“We want to make science more relevant(相关的),interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or,in this case,in space,”Bjornson added.
The Win-Cube program is mainly aimed at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students.It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.
1.According to the passage,the Win-Cube satellite is_______.
A.named after Manitoba and its shape
B.intended for international communication
C.designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size
D.challenged by university students around the world
2.According to Mr.Bjornson,_______.
A.those Manitoba high school students are worth praising
B.the study of space can be practically made in classroom
C.Manitoba high schools are famous for the sutdy of space
D.scientific research is too far away from high school students
3.The primary purpose of the project is to_______.
A.find the early signs of earthquakes
B.relate studies to practical experience
C.help high school students study real-world engineering
D.inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students
4.The best title for this passage may be_______.
A.Manitoba School B.Win-Cube Program
C.Space Cooperation D.Satellite Launching
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
When I was young,my parents ran a snack bar in our small town.
One evening in early April,my mother told me to fill in at the snack bar 1a worker who had the flu.I told her I would mess it up, 2I had never worked at the bar before.I 3
that instead of making money,I would end up owing it.
“You can do it,”said my mother.“ 4,you won’t get much business until lunch.”
“But I’ll never remember the orders,and I’m no good ___5money.Please,Mom,don’t
6me.”
“Then I’ll help you,”she said.
I shrugged my shoulders.I thought my mother’s 7was a bad one,but I 8.
When I got to the bar the next day,I found my mother was 9.Because the weather that day was rainy and cold,people wanted hot snacks and drinks. 10,I was really slow at taking the orders and making change.The line of people grew,and everybody seemed 11.I was so nervous that my hands shook,and I 12a cup into pieces.What a mess!Then my mother came to 13me,and she also showed me how to make 14.If someone gave me $5 for something that cost $3.25,I handed over 15quarters and a dollar and said,“75 cents makes four dollars,plus one dollar makes five.”Things went more 16after that.
By the end of the day,I could remember orders, 17the bill,and make change quickly with a smile.I was even a little 18when the sun came out and dried up business.My mother said she was proud of me,and when she 19that I work at the snack bar again next year,I did not even shrug.I was too busy 20the restaurant I would open one day.
1.A.to B.for C.after D.over
2.A.because B.though C.until D.while
3.A.promised B.noticed C.worried D.hoped
4.A.Therefore B.However C.Besides D.Yet
5.A.of B.on C.about D.with
6.A.blame B.fool C.frighten D.make
7.A.idea B.bar C.day D.answer
8.A.guessed B.obeyed C.begged D.admitted
9.A.angry B.sad C.wrong D.ashamed
10.A.At least B.At last C.At most D.At first
11.A.surprised B.impolite C.pleased D.impatient
12.A.damaged B.destroyed C.broke D.ruined
13.A.scold B.help C.beat D.save
14.A.money B.lunch C.coffee D.change
15.A.two B.three C.four D.five
16.A.smoothly B.fairly C.simply D.conveniently
17.A.turn in B.count out C.take over D.add up
18.A.discouraged B.disturbed C.disappointed D.distrusted
19.A.thought B.stated C.announced D.suggested
20.A.imagining B.preparing C.examining D.describing
There is an old proverb,“Love me,love my dog.”But there is ______wisdom in this:“Love me,love my book.”
A.some B.much
C.more D.most
