Many kids help out around the house with chores(家庭杂务) such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances(补贴) or other rewards such as extra computer time.
But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. "Running any kind of household is a team effort," Susie said. "A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look."
Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other rewards motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also new applications that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed(兑取) either online or in the real world. With the ChoreMonster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real-life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. "Our goal is to encourage kids to earn rewards," says Chris Bergman, founder of ChoreMonster. "Kids need positive reinforcement(强化) to help motivate them."
What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting anything in return?
Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids.com. Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade and contact information of your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is February 18.
1.How does the author start the passage?
A. By comparing different views.
B. By listing some evidence.
C. By presenting some facts.
D. By stating his own experiences.
2.According to Susie Walton, _______.
A. kids should be rewarded for doing chores
B. parents decide what kids can do for the family
C. kids have the responsibility to share housework
D. kids can get extra computer time for doing chores
3.Paragraph 3 is mainly about ________.
A. Chris Bergman’s opinion on raising kids
B. the advantage of rewarding kids for doing chores
C. main reasons why kids need encouragement
D. how to motivate kids to try new applications
4.The purpose of writing the text is to __________.
A. inform readers of two different opinions
B. call on readers to reflect on their behavior
C. present the author’s viewpoint about parenting
D. invite readers to express their opinions
Last Sunday, I was sitting in a French restaurant enjoying a meal when I got on a phone call from a friend I hadn’t spoken to in a long time. In my enthusiasm and excitement, I talked quite louder than usual voice and in Spanish, my mother tongue.
A few minutes into the call, an old lady sitting at the table beside mine got up, seemingly offended, and asked the restaurant staff to relocate (重新安排) a table as far away as possible from this man who seemed to be impolite.
I sank in my seat out of embarrassment. I ended the call soon afterwards and felt the urge to apologize. Before getting up, I looked around to see where she was and she was at the table farthest away from me. I noticed that the lady was alone and staring out of the window. I found a tinge (气息) of sadness or anxiety and perhaps a desire for aloneness and peace. But I had obviously destroyed it minutes earlier.
Right then I abandoned my plan for a conventional apologetic gesture. Seeing those funny smile cards in my wallet, I took one out and wrote some words to express my apology. On signing my restaurant bill, I asked a waiter to secretly charge the lady’s meal to me and hand her the smile card instead of her bill.
Did she take it the wrong way, I wondered? Did she get confused? Did she refuse the anonymous (匿名的) offer? And so on. I just waited and felt nervous to learn the outcome. To my pleasant surprise, things turned out the best possible way.
The waiter approached me in a joy, telling me, “In the many times she had dined here before, I had never seen the old lady smile as she did when receiving the smile card and the $ 0 bill. She thanked me even though I explained that someone else did the job.”
1.The old lady changed her seat mainly because of _________.
A. the author’s loud voice
B. her private phone call
C. the views out of the window
D. the restaurant staff’s mistake
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A. The lady didn’t have a nice mood and liked to stay alone.
B. The author went up to the old lady and apologized to her.
C. The old lady just moved to the farthest table to see outside.
D. The author didn’t stop talking though he felt embarrassed.
3.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. An Old Lady Who Never Smiles
B. A Smile Card for a Sincere Apology
C. An Unpleasant Experience in France
D. A Misunderstanding Caused by Different Cultures
Here are some books which can inspire kids to think about nature and the environment.
How to Raise Monarch Butterflies
—By Carol Pasternak
Have you ever watched a monarch transform from a caterpillar (毛虫) to a butterfly from up close? In this book, learn everything about the monarch life cycle and how to raise monarchs from eggs to adult butterflies. You will also get to know the efforts involved to protect the species.
A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks
—By Erin McHugh
This year, the US National Park Service’s National Park Week is on April 21-29. During the week, all the national parks offer free admission. Enrich your knowledge with this book, as it introduces the national parks and some interesting places in the US, including their geography, specific animals as well as environmental challenges. The book’s featured places include Yosemite National Park, Ellis Island (home of the Statue of Liberty) and the National Park of American Samoa, the only U.S. national park south of the equator (赤道).
Where Do Recyclable Materials Go?
—By Sabbithry Persad
Tiana had been learning about recycling at school. But when her dog, Bubbles, gets lost running after a recycling truck, she ends up learning a lot more about recyclable materials than ever! Follow Tiana and her family as they search for Bubbles around town and at the Materials Recovery Facility. Along the way, readers will learn a lot about recycling and how they can do their part in protecting the environment.
Scrap Kins Build-It Book Volume 1
—By Brian Yanish
Meet the Scrap Kins. They are creative, friendly monsters (怪物) who live in a recycling center, known as Scrap City. They’ll show you how to turn junk into pretty cool things. Readers will learn how to create cute bags from old jeans, beautiful ships from milk boxes, and more. Remember that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
1.Which author teaches you how to make an artwork from wastes?
A. Carol Pasternak. B. Erin McHugh.
C. Sabbithry Persad. D. Brian Yanish.
2.Why is the National Park of American Samoa special?
A. There is a famous statue in it.
B. It is free for admission.
C. It has its specific animals.
D. It lies south of the equator.
3.Which book is most probably written in the form of a story?
A. How to Raise Monarch Butterflies
B. A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks
C. Where Do Recyclable Materials Go?
D. Scrap Kins Build-It Book Volume 1
4.The common goal of the four books is to _________.
A. teach kids practical skills
B. raise kids’ environment awareness
C. comment on kids’ behavior
D. make kids interested in geography
假如你是李华，你校国际部即将举行一次主题为“我爱中国古典诗词”的读书活动。你将代表全体学生，在启动仪式上发言。请你根据以下提示，用英文写一篇发言稿。内容包括：
1. 说明活动的目的；
2. 从中国古典诗词的特点的角度，陈述热爱它的理由；
3. 对学习中国古典诗词的认识。
注意：
1. 词数100词左右；
2. 开头已写好，不计入总词数；
3. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：古典诗词 classical poetry; 押韵 rhyme
Good morning, everyone!
Welcome to our Reading Activity._________________________________________________________
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
With Teachers’ Day draw near, I would like to express my thanks to Ms. Li, who taught me English last year.
At that time, I was having a trouble studying English and my scores fell. Ms. Li encouraged me and tell me her story that she never gave up before her studies didn’t go well. She also said that it was necessary to make efforts so that I would not regret waste time. Her words were the best medicine because she stood in her shoes to deal with problems and gave me sincere advices. She didn’t simple comfort me. Her teaching methods also counted. It had never occurred me that studying could be so interested until I met Ms. Li.
Make the right choices
What is life’s gift? 1. Choice is the ability to select one course of action from a set of alternatives to achieve a goal. What is so great about choice? It transforms us from dumb animals into artists. Each of us becomes another Michelangelo. Choice becomes nothing other than the tool we use to sculpt (雕刻）our life. The tool doesn’t come free, however, for the price of choice is responsibility. 2. The reward is happiness.
Life is not still. It is a flow. 3. We constantly need to monitor where we are on our journey. We need to ask questions: Am I moving closer to my goals? If not, what corrective measures can I take? What action will I take now to readjust myself to my goals? Choice is power. Choice is at the heart of life. It is the creative power of life.
4. And your life becomes more convenient or comfortable because of them. For example, you decide which stores to shop at and which gas station to go to. But the decisions that we make to sculpt our lives are far more important than deciding where to shop. The more we appreciate the difference between minor and major decisions, the greater the probability that we will experience happiness and fulfillment.
All chess lovers realize that it isn’t necessary to win to enjoy the game. The pleasure is in the playing. Life is like a chess game. 5.
A.But when we accept ad carry it out, we get a great return.
B.Make the best moves you can under the circumstances.
C.Life is full of hard choices, and the bigger they are, the harder they get.
D.Every choice we make leads us closer to or farther from our goals.
E.Choose to carry out responsibilities not because you have to, but because you want to.
F.You have to make choices every day.
G..It is free will or choice.
