D
Parents who help their children with homework may actually be bringing down their school grades. Other forms of prenatal involvement, including volunteering at school and observing a child's class, also fail to help, according to the most recent study on the topic.
The findings challenge a key principle of modern parenting(养育子女) where schools except them to act as partners in their children's education. Previous generations concentrated on getting children to school on time, fed, dressed and ready to learn.
Kaith Robinson, the author of the study, said, "I really don't know if the public is ready for this but there are some ways parents can be involved in their kids' education that leads to declines in their academic performance. One of the things that was consistently negative was parents' help with homework." Robinson suggested that may be because parents themselves struggle to understand the task." They may either not remember the material their kids are studying now, or in some cases never learnt it themselves, but they're still offering advice."
Robinson assessed parental involvement performance and found one of the most damaging things a parent could do was to punish their children for poor marks. In general, about 20% of parental involvement was positive, about 45% negative and the rest statistically insignificant.
Common sense suggests it was a good thing for parents to get involved because "children with good academic success do have involved parents ", admitted Robinson. But he argued that this did not prove parental involvement was the root cause of that success." A big surprise was that Asian-American parents whose kids are doing so well in school hardly involved. They took a more reasonable approach, conveying to their children how success at school could improve their lives."
1.The underlined expression "parental involvement " in Paragraph 1 probably means .
A. parents' expectation on children's health
B. parents' participation in children's education
C. parents' control over children's life
D. parents' plan for children's future
2.What is the major finding of Robinson's study ?
A. Modern parents raise children in a more scientific way.
B. Punishing kids for bad marks is mentally damaging.
C. Parental involvement is not so beneficial as expected.
D. Parents are not able to help with children’s homework.
3.The example of Asian-American parents implies that parents should .
A. help children realize the importance of schooling
B. set a specific life goal for their children
C. spend more time improving their own lives
D. take a more active part in school management
C
The production of coffee beans is a huge, profitable business, but, unfortunately, full-sun production is taking over the industry and bringing about a lot of damage. The change in how coffee is grown from shade-grown production to full-sun production endangers the very existence of, certain animals and birds, and even disturbs the world’s ecological balance.
On a local level, the damage of the forest required by full-sun fields affects the area’s birds and animals. The shade of the forest trees provides a home for birds and other special(物种) that depend on the trees’ flowers and fruits. Full-sun coffee growers destroy this forest home. As a result, many special are quickly dying out.
On a more global level, the destruction of the rainforest for full-sun coffee fields also threatens(威胁)human life. Medical research often makes use of the forests' plant and animal life, and the destruction of such species could prevent researchers from finding cures for certain diseases. In addition, new coffee-growing techniques are poisoning the water locally, and eventually the world's groundwater.
Both locally and globally, the continued spread of full-sun coffee plantations (种植园)could mean the destruction of the rainforest ecology. The loss of shade trees is already causing a slight change in the world's climate, and studies show that loss of oxygen-giving trees also leads to air pollution and global warming. Moreover, the new growing techniques are contributing to acidic(酸性的) soil conditions.
It is obvious that the way much coffee is grown affects many aspects many aspects of life, from the local environment to the global ecology. But consumers do have a choice. They can purchase shade-grown coffee whenever possible, although at a higher cost. The future health of the planet and mankind is surely worth more than an inexpensive cup of coffee.
1.What can we learn about full-sun coffee production from Paragraph 4?
A. It limits the spread of new growing techniques.
B. It leads to air pollution and global warming.
C. It slows down the loss of shade trees.
D. It improves local soil conditions.
2.The purpose of the text is to .
A. entertain B. advertise C. instruct D. persuade
3.Where does this text probably come from ?
A. An agricultural magazine.
B. A medical journal.
C. An engineering textbook.
D. A tourist guide.
4.Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
B
When the dog named Judy spotted the first sheep in her life, she did what comes naturally. The four-year-old dog set off racing after the sheep across several fields and, being a city animal, lost both her sheep and her sense of direction. Then she ran along the edge of cliff( 悬崖) and fell 100 feet, bouncing off a rock into the sea.
Her owner Mike Holden panicked and celled the coastguard of Cornwall, who turned up in seconds . Six volunteers slid down the cliff with the help of a rope but gave up all hope of finding her alive after a 90-minute search.
Three days later, a hurricane hit the coast near Cornwall. Mr. Holden returned home from his holiday upset and convinced his pet was dead. He comforted himself with the thought she had died in the most beautiful part of the country.
For the next two weeks, the Holdens were heartbroken . Then, one day, the phone rang and Steve Tregear, the coastguard of Cornwall, asked Holder if he would like his dog bark.
A birdwatcher, armed with a telescope, found the pet sitting desperately on a rock. While he sounded the alarm, a student from Leeds climbed down the cliff to collect Judy.
The dog had initially been knocked unconscious(失去知觉的)but had survived by drinking water from a fresh scream at the base of the cliff. She may have fed on the body of a sheep which had also fallen over the edge. “The dog was very thin and hungry,” Steve Tregear said , “It was a very dog. She survived because of a plentiful supply of fresh water,” he added.
It was ,as Mr. Holden admitted, “a minor miracle(奇迹)”.
1.The dog Jody fell down the cliff when she was
A. rescuing her owner B. caught in a hurricane
C. blocked by a rock D. running after a sheep
2.Who spotted Judy after the accident?
A. A birdwatcher
B. A student from Leeds
C. Six volunteers
D. The coastguard of Cornwall
3.What can we infer from the text?
A. People like to travel with their pets.
B. Judy was taken to the fields for hunting.
C. Luck plays a vital role in Judy's survival.
D. Holden cared little where Judy was buried.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Miracle of the Coastguard.
B. Surviving a Hurricane.
C. Dangers in the Wild
D. Coming Back from the Dead.
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
A
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1.How much will the magazine pay for a joke to be published?
A. ＄50 B. ＄100 C. ＄150 D.＄350
2.If you want to share a story of your pets with the readers, you need to submit it to .
A. Anecdotes and Jokes B. Smart Animals
C. Power of Love D. My Story
3. A story showing people’s generosity should be emailed to the editor at .
A. juliet@sws.com B. susan@sws.com
C. Audrey@sws.com D. nanjc@sws.com
4.An inspiring story sent to the magazine should .
A. describe strange behavior
B. contain less than 800 words
C. be real and original
D. be published before
阅读下面短文， 从短文后各题的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出适合填入对应空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Dad had a green comb. He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his and say, “Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?”
I was to do it. At age five , this dull task brought me such . I would excitedly turn the tap and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I’d done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would affectionately at me and place the comb on his wallet.
Two years later, Dad started his own , which wasn’t doing so well. That was when things started to . Dad didn’t come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became with him for placing our family in trouble. With , an uncomfortable silence grew between us.
After my graduation, Dad’s business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home . As usually I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said ,“Hey, would you help me my comb?” I looked at him a while, then the comb and headed to the sink.
It hit me then: why, as a child, Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine(习惯) meant Dad was home early to the evening with Mum and me. It a happy and loving family.
I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and placed his comb on his wallet. But this time , I noticed something . Dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, his smile was still as as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good for his family.
1.A. bag B. wallet C. comb D. brush
2.A. annoyed B. relieved C. ashamed D. pleased
3.A. joy B. sadness C. courage D. pain
4.A. out B. over C. in D. on
5.A. stare B. smile C. shout D. laugh
6.A. family B. business C. task D. journey
7.A. progress B. change C. improve D. form
8.A.satisfied B. delighted C. mad D. strict
9.A. time B. patience C. speed D. ease
10.A. occasionally B. early C. frequently D. rarely
11.A. sharply B. repair C. clean D. keep
12.A. dropped B. took C. handed D. threw
13.A. watching B. letting C. helping D. hearing
14.A. find B. lose C. waste D. spend
15.A. affected B. broke C. meant D. supported
16.A. firmly B. hurriedly C. casually D. carefully
17.A. different B. exciting C. interesting D. urgent
18.A. for B. or C. so D. yet
19.A. convincing B. heartwarming C. cautious D. innocent
20.A. origin B. life C. reputation D. education
Peter will his post as the head of the travel agency at the end of next month.
A. take up B. put up
C. add up D. break up
