Parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain(获得), whether rich or poor, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans.
For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor(预示物) of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, the study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as the difference between having parents who are barely literate (有文化的) and having parents who have a university education.
Being a sociologist, Evans was particularly interested to find that children of less-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. What kinds of investments should we make to help these kids get ahead? The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed. Evans said, “Even a little bit goes a long way. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on motivating a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater benefit the children get.”
The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as education level of the parents, the father's occupation or the economic level of the country.
Having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education level, and more important than whether a child was brought up in a developing country or a developed country. Surprisingly, the difference in educational attainment for children born in a developed country and children born in a developing country was just 2 years, less than two-thirds of the effect that having 500 or more books in the home had on children.
1.In the past educators held a point of view that ______ .
A.children whose family had a library would possibly attain high levels of education
B.children who were born in poor families studied harder than those in rich families
C.children whose parents are highly educated would attain high levels of education
D.parents’ level of education had nothing to do with their children’s levels of education
2.What does the underlined word “motivating” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Making somebody want to do something.
B.Helping somebody to finish something
C.Making somebody pretend to do something.
D.Preventing somebody from achieving something.
3.Which of the following has the most important effect on the level of education a child will gain?
A.The economic level of the country. B.The father’s occupation.
C.Education levels of parents. D.Having books in the home.
Something Fun
A person is on trial for murder in a court room in Oklahoma. There is strong evidence indicating that he is guilty（有罪的）. However, the body is not found.
In the defense’s (辩护方) closing speech, the lawyer, knowing that his client (委托人) is guilty and that it looks like he’ll probably be seriously punished, decided to play a clever trick.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury (陪审团), I have a surprise for you all,” the lawyer says as he looks at his watch. “Within one minute, the person assumed dead in this case will walk into this court room,” he says and he looks towards the court-room door. The jury, somewhat surprised, looks at the door eagerly. A minute passes. Nothing happens.
Finally the lawyer says, “Actually, I made up the previous statement. But you all waited with expectation. I, therefore, put it to you that there is a reasonable doubt in this case as to whether anyone was killed and insist that you pass a judgment of not guilty.”
The jury, clearly confused, back off to discuss.
A very few minutes later, the jury returned and one of them pronounces a verdict (裁决) of guilty.
“But how?” asks the lawyer in surprise. “You must have had some doubt; I saw all of you stare at the door.”
Answers the jury member, “Oh, we did look. But your client didn’t.”
1.Why was the person on trial according to the passage?
A.Because he couldn’t pay off the debts.
B.Because he probably killed somebody.
C.Because he didn’t pay the tax in time.
D.Because he planned to cheat the jury.
2.Why did the lawyer come up with the trick?
A.To find the body. B.To frighten the jury.
C.To help his client. D.To save himself.
3.Why did the jury look at the door eagerly?
A.The lawyer’s words must be true.
B.They expected his family to come in.
C.They were surprised and cheated by the lawyer.
D.They thought the person on trial was escaping.
4.What did the jury member’s answer mean in the last paragraph?
A.They firmly believed that nobody was killed.
B.The behaviour of the client gave him away.
C.The jury still needed more evidence to prove it.
D.The lawyer’s words were worth thinking about.
Nearly all of us have a bad habit, whether we know it or not. Some people say they want to get rid of（摆脱）it but don't know the proper ways. Here's some advice on how to get rid of bad habits.
Make a list. Write down why you want to stop a certain behaviour, how it's hurting you and how to get rid of it. This will help a lot. Look at that list regularly.
Join in other activities. It's wise of you to do something else when you want to stop your bad habits. If you get angry easily, for example, you can practise having a deep breath or going for a walk.
Give yourself a present. Before you take action against a bad habit, decide what you'll do to celebrate it if you reach your goal,
Keep off bad habits. If you are fat and want to lose weight, keep junk food out of your house.If you are a heavy smoker with coffee, turn to tea and keep away from friends who like smoking.
Be patient. Bad habits develop over years, so you probably won’t be able to get rid of them quickly. In fact, people often give up several times before being successful, so you should be patient.
Find support. Don't be afraid to ask for support from friends, family or other people who have the same bad habits as you. When you talk to others, they might be able to provide advice or encouragement that you usually wouldn't get from yourself.
1.If you want to lose weight, you should .
A.drink more coffee B.refuse the junk food
C.find support from friends D.find a heavy smoker
2.Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?
A.It's not easy to get rid of bad habits in a short time.
B.You can write down the reasons for getting rid of bad habits.
C.When talking to others, you can get what you can't get from yourself.
D.When you want to stop your bad habits, don't do anything.
3.From the passage you can learn .
A.how to get rid of bad habits B.why we have some bad habits
C.what to do to have a bad habit D.where to find some support
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is The Bookworm?
A.A café. B.A restaurant. C.A bookstore.
2.What was the speaker excited about?
A.Traveling in Beijing.
B.Meeting his favorite singer.
C.Hearing someone give a speech.
3.How long had the speaker waited at The Bookworm?
A.One hour. B.One and a half hours. C.Two hours.
4.What was the speaker wrong about?
A.The place. B.The month. C.The day.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the man’s major?
A.Tourism. B.Marketing. C.International business.
2.What is a requirement of the job?
A.Travelling a lot. B.Being married. C.Living abroad.
3.What does the man think of the job?
A.Boring. B.Challenging. C.Pleasant.
4.How soon will the man get a reply?
A.In three days. B.In six days. C.In ten days.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What will the speakers see first?
A.The birds. B.The snakes. C.The pandas.
2.What time will the zoo be closing?
A.At 4 o’clock. B.At 5 o’clock. C.At 6 o’clock.
3.What will the speakers do next?
A.Buy tickets. B.Pick up some food. C.Meet the woman’s mother.
