Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum’s storytelling to Dad’s, researchers said.
They conducted a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.
More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.
"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.
Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.
The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.
When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.
"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong bonds and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.
1.The underlined word “pastime” in the passage mot probably means .
|
A．old time |
B．entertainment |
C．emotion |
D．character |
2.The author develops the passage mainly by .
|
A．pointing out similarities and differences |
B．following the natural time order |
|
C．comparing opinions from different fields |
D．providing examples and statistics |
3.Reading a story with their parents helped most kids aged 3-8 .
|
A．grow stronger |
B．become more emotional |
|
C．sleep better |
D．become more powerful |
They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy－games, CDs and clothing－are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to use a parent’s card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and ￡20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school－88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online－mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as￡20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.
1. What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?
|
A．Sellers. |
B．Buyers. |
C．Teenagers. |
D．Parents. |
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
|
A．More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access. |
|
B．Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards. |
|
C．Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online. |
|
D．Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop. |
3.New way to help teenagers shop online is to use ______.
|
A．a new machine |
B．special coins and notes |
|
C．prepaid cards |
D．pay-as-you-go mobile phones |
4.What is the passage mainly about?
|
A．Online shopping traps. |
B．Internet users in the US and the UK. |
|
C．New credit cards for parents. |
D．The arrival of cyber pocket money. |
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分, 满分30分）
Have you ever tried to draw a straight line, only to find it turns out all wrong? Or, wanted to show 1 at a party but the song you’d practised so many times suddenly 2 more difficult?
I've had both these 3 . As a Senior 3 student, I have to 4 many exams. Each time, I enter one, thinking “I 5 fail this time.”
But don't be surprised --- it's not 6 we don't try, or don’t do enough preparation, 7don’t take it seriously. On the contrary, it is because we put ourselves under too much 8 . It is thinking: “I must…” that makes us taste the terrible flavor of 9．
We often 10 to our friends: “Don't be too hard 11 yourself!” But when we 12 our own goals, we may not listen to our own advice．
In doing so, we are making our path to success increasingly difficult．
So why not 13 this crazy pursuit(追求)to get the best? Just face the problem 14 before you with a calm mind, enjoy the hard work and you will succeed．
In my opinion, 15 a calm state of mind is a skill for life. For people who want to succeed,16 this is a very important lesson．
So 17 time when you're trying to draw a straight line or 18 a performance, tell yourself: “If I can just do it better than last time, it's a 19 ．”
Keep a calm state of mind, and you will be happy 20 you succeed or fail．
|
1. |
|
|
2. |
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
|
|
8. |
|
|
9. |
|
|
10. |
|
|
11. |
|
|
12. |
|
|
13. |
|
|
14. |
|
|
15. |
|
|
16. |
|
|
17. |
|
|
18. |
|
|
19. |
|
|
20. |
|
Emergency line operators must always _____ calm and make sure that they get all the information they need to send help.
|
A．grow |
B．stay |
C．appear |
D．become |
－What’s the time?
－Oh, I forgot to have my watch ________.
|
A．wind |
B．wound |
C．winded |
D．winding |
Mary is so wet. She _______ in the rain.
|
A．must be caught |
B．must have been caught |
|
C．should have been caught |
D．can have been caught |
