Teaching children to read well from the start is the most important task of elementary schools．But relying on educators to approach this task correctly can be a great mistake．Many schools continue to employ instructional methods that have been proven ineffective．The staying power of the “look-say” or “whole-word” method of teaching beginning reading is perhaps the most flagrant example of this failure to instruct effectively．
The whole-word approach to reading stresses the meaning of words over the meaning of letters, thinking over decoding, developing a sight vocabulary of familiar words over developing the ability to unlock the pronunciation of unfamiliar words．It fits in with the self-directed, “learning how to learn” activities recommended by advocates of “open” classrooms and with the concept that children have to be developmentally ready to begin reading．Before 1963, no major publisher put out anything but these “Run-Spot-Run” readers．
However, in 1955, Rudolf Flesch touched off what has been called “the great debate” in beginning reading．In his best-seller Why Johnny Can’t Read, Flesch indicted（控诉）the nation’s public schools for miseducating students by using the look-say method．He said – and more scholarly studies by Jeane Chall and Rovert Dykstra later confirmed – that another approach to beginning reading, founded on phonics, is far superior．
Systematic phonics first teaches children to associate letters and letter combinations with sounds; it then teaches them how to blend these sounds together to make words．Rather than building up a relatively limited vocabulary of memorized words, it imparts a code by which the pronunciations of the vast majority of the most common words in the English language can be learned．Phonics does not devalue the importance of thinking about the meaning of words and sentences; it simply recognizes that decoding is the logical and necessary first step．
1.The author indicts the look-say reading approach because ________．
A．it overlooks decoding
B．Rudolf Flesch agrees with him
C．he says it is boring
D．many schools continue to use this method
2.One major difference between the look-say method of learning reading and the phonics method is _________．
A．look-say is simpler
B．Phonics takes longer to learn
C．look-say is easier to teach
D．phonics gives readers access to far more words
3.The phrase “touch-off” （Para 3, Line 1） most probably means _________．
A．talk about shortly B．start or cause
C．compare with D．oppose
Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam's story is a tale of two cities -- one during the day and a completely different one at night．
During the day, the largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River．You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi．But when the sun goes down, the partying begins．In the big clubs and in coffee shops, tourists gather to hang out, talk politics and smoke．
Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam．And they're all within a short cab ride of each other．For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events．Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there．And there's the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall．
But at night party-seekers come to the square．Hip hop or funk music is heard there．．So if you come, be ready to dance．The clubs don't shut down until 4 am．
And while you're there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city．Don't worry about getting lost．Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions．And you'll notice that half the people in the streets are on bicycles they rent．
Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system．For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise（巡游） the "Venice of the North"．
The city has a historic past．One impressive place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Streets．It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II．Visitors can view Anne's original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years．
1.What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?
A．A carriage． B．A bicycle． C．A canal bus． D．A water taxi．
2.When getting lost, a visitor can ask natives for directions in _______．
A．only Dutch B．Dutch or English
C．only English D．Spanish and English
3.What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?
A．The experience of a beautiful girl survivor．
B．The glorious past of Amsterdam．
C．The life of Jewish during World War Ⅱ．
D．The suffering of the Dutch in wars．
4.The passage is intended to _______．
A．call up people’s memories of World War Ⅱ
B．tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about
C．instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland
D．offer readers some information about Amsterdam
Elizabeth and I are 18 now, and about to graduate．I think about our elementary-school friendship, but some memories have blurred （模糊）．What happened that day in the fifth grade when Beth suddenly stopped speaking to me? Does she know that I've been thinking about her for seven years? If only we could go back, and discover what ended our relationship．
I have to speak with Beth．I see her sometimes, and find out school is "fine"．It's not the same．It never will be．Someone says that she's Liz now．What happened to Beth?
I can't call her．Should I write? What if she doesn't answer me? How will I know what she's thinking?
Yes, I'll write her a letter．These things are easier to express in writing．" Be-," no, " Li-," no, " Elizabeth," I begin．The words flow freely, as seven year old memories are reborn．I ask her all the questions that have been left unanswered in my mind, and pray she will answer．I seal my thoughts in the perfect white envelope, and imagine Beth looking into her mailbox．Will she know why I'm writing? Maybe she once thought of writing the same letter．
As the mailman takes my envelope from me forever, I wonder if I've made the right decision．Do I have the right to force myself into Beth's life again? Am I simply part of the past? I have taken the first step．Beth has control of the situation now．
One day has passed．Are my words lying on the bottom of the post office floor?
Two days are gone．I'm lost in thought and don't even hear the phone ting．
"Hello? It's Elizabeth．"
1.What can we learn about Beth?
A．She had a quarrel with the author in the fifth grade．
B．She moved to another school in the fifth grade．
C．She is now called Liz instead of Beth．
D．She hasn't seen the author for seven years．
2.Why does the author decide to write a letter instead of calling?
A．She is sure that Beth will not answer．
B．She's afraid that they'll quarrel on the phone．
C．She doesn't know Beth's telephone number．
D．It is easier to express her feelings in writing．
3.Which of the following the author might NOT mention in her letter?
A．Their elementary-school friendship．
B．Her future plan after graduation．
C．Her expectations for Beth's reply．
D．The questions about the endings of their friendship．
4.What might happen at the end of the story?
A．Beth answers her letter two days later．
B．The letter doesn't reach Beth at all．
C．They make up their friendship．
D．Beth refuses to make peace with her．
A new study has been carried to test the role of story telling in lowering blood pressure．Dr．Thomas Houston, a professor of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, led a group of scientists that investigated how pre-recorded videos of hypertension （高血压） patients' talking about their medical histories helped another group of patients with high blood pressure to control their condition over several months．
Houston was surprised by their studies that suggested that communication can be a powerful tool in medicine．They showed that those who had had similar experiences, when talking to someone with a similar background, could help change their behavior to become healthier．Hypertension is difficult to control, since it is dependent on diet, exercise and mental state．Medical treatments with drugs, and lifestyle therapies（疗法） have been relatively ineffective because people find it hard to follow those medical requirements．
In the test, his team carefully chose their story-tellers from 230 members of a patients' community with whom they could most easily relate．Next, they divided their study population into two groups．One received three interactive （互动） DVDs containing the tellers' stories of their experiences in living with and treating their hypertension．The other were given educational discs on an unrelated health topic．The study volunteers reported that they had listened to the DVDs, and after three months, those who heard the stories of the hypertensive patients lowered their blood pressure．
While the study did not address how the story-telling influenced the patients' behavior, Houston suspects that watching patients of similar backgrounds who had a similar medical experience helped to motivate them to seek medical help to their hypertension．They found that after six months the difference in blood pressure between those who watched the story-tellers and those who observed the unrelated videos remained, suggesting that the story-telling continued to have an effect．
1.We can learn from the text that the pre-recorded videos _________．
A．tell medical histories of hypertension patients
B．introduce some medical treatments of hypertension
C．introduce a good lifestyle for hypertensive patients
D．tell scientific discoveries of the scientist group
2.Houston was surprised to find that _______．
A．hypertension is really difficult to control
B．communication has some medical effects
C．medical treatments have no effect at all
D．people don't follow the medical requirements
3.Which of the following is true about the study?
A．The scientists chose 230 patients from a hospital．
B．Both the groups used the same videos about health topic．
C．The two groups lowered blood pressure in different degrees．
D．The story-tellers were hypertension patients as well．
4.Which of the following could be the best title of the text?
A．The stories of some hypertension patients．
B．Medical treatments of blood pressure．
C．Storytelling may help lower blood pressure．
D．Suggestions about how to lower blood pressure．
“Hi! John．” Mary ran towards me with a rare bright smile on her face, saying, “I’m going to have a 16 performance tonight．I hope you'll come．Here is the 17 ．” She left in a hurry, disappearing in the crowds of people 18 ．
"Is that true?" I asked myself．She was a quite 19 girl．I had never seen her making up or wearing attractive clothes, for she did not know how to 20 indeed．
I arrived at the 21 with the ticket, and found my seat．Her performance was the seventh one．I knew I would 22 from a hard time before her turn, for I had no 23 of art, but her performance was 24 watching, no matter how long I would wait．Time went slowly．I 25 with myself not to fall asleep．
"Let' s welcome the next exciting dance - Latin !" 26 filled the hall at once．
I opened my eyes as large as possible, 27 to lose anything．Wearing a golden and shining skirt, Mary appeared on the stage．Dancing with a charming smile, she was fully 28 in the Latin music．At this moment, she looked like a pretty butterfly 29 on the splendid stage．
After all the performance 30 , I waited for her at the gate．
"Hi!" She stood in front of me with a bag and her crystal high-heeled shoes in her hands, and 31 as she used to be, but the making-up still could be seen．
"How do you feel?" There was not a little bit tired 32 on her face．
" 33 !" I answered．
"Thank you! I knew it would be．" She could not 34 her excitement, laughing like a child．Looking at the shining crystal high-heeled shoes in the wonderful starry night, I 35 that every girl has a pair of special shoes which are like the crystal shoes of Cinderella．
1.A．instrument B．dance C．music D．opera
2.A．address B．number C．ticket D．invitation
3.A．quickly B．completely C．quietly D．excitedly
4.A．lovely B．popular C．confident D．ordinary
5.A．cover up B．turn off C．dress up D．take in
6.A．hall B．party C．theatre D．school
7.A．relieve B．escape C．relax D．suffer
8.A．interest B．ability C．sense D．touch
9.A．proper B．worth C．good D．happy
10.A．struggled B．knocked C．supported D．controlled
11.A．Appreciation B．Attention C．Expectation D．Applause
12.A．failing B．fearing C．forgetting D．regretting
13.A．absorbed B．swallowed C．interested D．surrounded
14.A．singing B．flying C．skipping D．staying
15.A．stopped B．paused C．ended D．succeeded
16.A．talked B．dressed C．laughed D．looked
17.A．appearance B．excitement C．expression D．exhibition
18.A．Sorry B．Congratulations C．Far from D．Fantastic
19.A．hide B．prevent C．remove D．abandon
20.A．doubted B．realized C．wondered D．suggested
I can’t spend _____ money on the car which is _____ expensive for me.
A. too much; much too B. far too; too much
C. much too; to much D. too many; much to
