Children are losing the ability to play properly because they are being given too many toys and games, according to new research.
The studies show that children, especially those under five, are often overwhelmed and actually play less than those with fewer toys. It may even harm their development. The studies show that giving children too many toys or toys of the wrong type can actually be doing them harm. They get overwhelmed and cannot concentrate on anything long enough to learn from it.
The conclusions have been backed up by British research looking at children with relatively fewer toys, whose parents spend more time reading, singing or playing with them. It showed such children surpass(胜过) youngsters from richer backgrounds, even those who could use computers.
Some parents notice the ill effect early. Orhan Ismail, a researcher saw a change for the worse in Cameron, his 10-month-old son, after he was given a lot of toys last Christmas.
Ismail said, “ If there are too many toys in front of him, he will just keep flitting around them and then end up going off and finding something like a slipper to play with. Now we just get out one or two toys and hide the rest in a box.”
Alexander and her husband also decided to limit the toys their 6 daughters play with. She believed many toys restrict children’s imaginations. She said, “ A Barbie can only work as a Barbie. But a cardboard box can become anything. The only limitations are in the child’s mind.”
Experts hesitate to put a figure on the number of toys children should have, but many believe two dozen is enough for children of preschool age.
1. In the writer’s opinion, a Barbie _____.
A. can attract more attention from children than a cardboard box
B. can work more than a Barbie
C. may become anything else such as a cardboard
D. may keep children from further imaginations
2. Which of the following is TRUE about toys given to children?
A. too many toys will help children develop wide interests.
B. One or two toys at a time will help children concentrate.
C. Only wrong types of toys do harm to children.
D. The proper number of toys given to the children depends on their ages.
3. It may NOT be a good idea to ____.
A. spend more time reading or playing with children
B. choose right types of toys for children
C. ask experts for the exact number of necessary toys
D. put out one or two toys and hide the rest
Austin Children’s Museum
This 7,000-square-foot museum aims to entertain and educate children up to age 9. In its Global City exhibit, people can go shopping for groceries, order lunch at a diner, pretend that they’re doctors or construction workers, and more. In other fun exhibits, they learn about Austin’s history, explore the world of water, and experience life on a large Texas farm.
Open time: From Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, 12:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.
Address: 201 Colorado St, Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: 512-4722499
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Founded in 1899, it is the world’s oldest children’s museum, featuring interactive exhibits, workshops, and special events. The Mystery of Things teaches children about cultural and scientific objects and Music Mix welcomes young virtuosos (名家).
Open time: From Wednesday to Friday, 2:00 p.m.～5:00 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.
Address: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, New York 1213
Phone: 718-7354400
Children’s Discovery Museum
This museum’s hand-on exhibits explore the relationships between the natural and the created worlds, and among people of different cultures and times. Exhibits include Streets, a 5/8-scale copy of an actual city, with streets lights, and waterworks, which shows how pumps can move water through a reservoir system.
Open time: From Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, from noon. Closed on holidays.
Address: 180 Woz Way, Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, California 95110
Phone: 408-2985437
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
This museum is the largest of its kind. Exhibits cover science, culture, space, history, and explorations. Among them are the Space Quest Planetarium (additional fee), the 33-foot-high Water Clock, the Playscape gallery for preschools, and the Dinosphere exhibit, along with hand-on science exhibits.
The largest gallery, the Center for Exploration, is designed for ages 12 and up.
Open time: From Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m.～5:00 p.m.
Closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25.
Address: 3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
Phone: 317-3343322
1. Suppose that December 25 is Tuesday, which of the following museums can you visit?
A. Austin Children’s Museum. B. Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
C. Children’s Discovery Museum. D. Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
2. If you want to see how pumps can move water through a reservoir system, you should visit the museum in _____.
A. Texas B. New York C. California D. Indiana
3. After entering the museum you need to pay an additional fee to see _____.
A. the Center for Exploration B. the Space Quest Planetarium
C. the Global City exhibit D. Waterworks
4. Which of the following is not exhibited in Children’s Museum of Indianapolis?
A. culture B. history C. explorations D. special events
5. The purpose of writing this passage is to _____.
A. ask adults to visit museums
B. compare some museums and decide which one is the best
C. introduce some museums and encourage parents to visit them with their children
D. introduce some exhibits and museums to foreigners
It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and/or heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is actually worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels (coal and oil) is creating a “greenhouse effect" - holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world's average temperature. If this view is correct and the world's temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water.
Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate (废气排往空中而形成的微粒、颗粒) matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth's temperature ─ a result that would be equally disastrous. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to new ice age and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do not know for sure that either of these conditions will happen (though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we are very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world's temperature will stay about the same as it is now.
1. As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution ______.
A. caused widespread damage in the countryside
B. affected the entire eastern half of the United States
C. had damaging effects on health
D. existed merely in urban and industrial areas
2. As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author ______.
A. shares the same view with the scientists
B. is uncertain of its occurrence
C. rejects it as being ungrounded
D. thinks that it will destroy the world soon
3. The underlined word “offset" in Para. 2 could best be replaced by______.
A. slip into B. make up for C. set up D. catch up with
4. This passage is mainly concerned with ______.
A. the greenhouse effect B. the burning of fossil fuels
C. the potential effect of air pollution D. the possibility of a new ice age
When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie’s basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright colors like purple, orange, blue and green.
“Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint.” She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes (条纹) of colors across the pavement (人行道). Stripe by stripe, our colors turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn’t wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother’s face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, “What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors’ trees, but this! Come inside right now!” I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted (侮辱) my art.
“Now go clean it up!” Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams colorful.
1. What did the writer want to do when his mother came home?
A. To introduce Stephanie to her.
B. To prevent her from seeing his painting.
C. To put the materials back in the yard.
D. To show his artwork to her.
2.In his mother’s eyes, the writer_______.
A. was a born artist B. always caused trouble
C. was a problem solver D. worked very hard
3. The underlined word “rainbow” in the last paragraph refers to ______.
A. the rainbow in the sky
B. the stripes on the pavement
C. something imaginative and fun
D. important lessons learned in childhood
4. It can be learned from the passage that parents should ________.
A. encourage children to paint
B. value friendship among children
C. discover the hidden talent in children
D. protect rather than destroy children’s dreams
When I got back home I saw a message pinned to the door, ____ “Sorry to miss you; will call later.”
A. read B. reads C. to read D. reading
The achievements we have made are largely ___ the hard work of our parents and teachers.
A. thanks for B. resulting in C. leading to D. due to
