Reading instruction in the classroom is a key concern for all teachers and there are many ways to go about it. However, is our determination to achieve excellence in reading skills in our children killing their love and enjoyment of a good book?
In my work with parents, I am frequently asked the best ways to encourage reluctant readers to be engaged with books. Parents report that their children return home from school with no inclination to pick up a book and read.
Any eager reader will gladly talk about the joy with a good book to read away the hours on a cold, rainy afternoon. Reading a good book is one of life’s greatest pleasures. We need to share these experiences with our children in order to assist them in developing into strong readers. But the use of boring, mass-produced home reading texts in children’s early years at school can be seen as the beginning of this negative cycle.
As children progress through their schooling life, there are many other instances of learning reading skills that don’t help reading development. Frequently, teachers feel the pressure to give their students “just enough” in terms of reading strategies to be able to achieve the test, which leaves little time to focus on reading for pleasure.
Kelly Gallagher, a high school teacher, outlines the term “Readicide” in his book. He says it’s: the systematic killing of the love of reading, often worsened by foolish, boring practices found in schools.
Recent research shows that many teachers tend to follow the traditional literacy practices that they have experienced in their own education, which can often have negative intentions for their students.
While teaching children key concepts for analyzing and evaluating texts is important, the manner in which it is done and time that is spent on this can lead to unexpected results. Schools aren’t to blame when it comes to not arresting students’ lack of interest in reading, but they have an important role to play in fostering reading enjoyment.
1.What does the underlined word “inclination” mean?
A.Energy B.Task
C.Intention D.Requirement
2.What does the term “Readicide” refer to?
A.To develop reading habits B.To read for pleasure
C.To learn reading skills D.To kill a love for books
3.According to the text, teachers at school ______.
A.focus on teaching reading strategies
B.ignore key concepts for analyzing texts
C.are to blame for students’ poor reading
D.fail to follow the traditional reading practices
4.What might be suitable title for the text?
A.Reading books is to experience pleasure
B.Learning to love books is even more important
C.Teaching reading helps reluctant readers
D.Getting pleasure from books makes capable readers
A sea turtle named Herman, an octopus called Octavia, and a seal named Lidia all spent this summer at the Smithsonian’ s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. But unlike the zoo’s other residents, they are not real animals. These creatures are actually huge sculptures and they’re made entirely out of plastic trash from the ocean.
These giant artworks, along with 14 others, are part of a traveling exhibit called “Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea”. The Washed Ashore project, led by artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi, works to raise awareness about the problem of plastic pollution in Earth’s oceans.
More than 315 billion pounds of plastic litter the world’s oceans today. Most of the plastic is garbage from towns and cities, as well as trash that people leave on beaches. Rainwater, winds, and high tides bring the trash into the ocean or into rivers that lead to the ocean. Once it is under the waves, the plastic begins to break up into smaller and smaller pieces. It often collects in spots called garbage patches, which spread over large areas of the ocean.
Thousands of marine animals — including whales, sea turtles, and fish — die each year from eating or getting stuck in plastic bags and other items. Plastic pieces can also injure coral and kill sea grass.
Washed Ashore and other organizations are working to stop that from happening. Since 2010, Washed Ashore volunteers have collected 38,000 pounds of plastic trash from more than 3000 miles of beaches. They helped Pozzi create more than 60 sculptures of marine creatures that were harmed by plastic pollution.
The artworks on display at the National Zoo include a 20-foot-long coral reef, a 12-foot-long shark, and a 16-foot-long parrot fish. Each one is made from hundreds of pieces of trash like water bottles and sunglasses.
“These sculptures are a powerful reminder of our personal role and global responsibility in preserving biodiversity on land and in the sea,” says Dennis Kelly, director of the National Zoo.
1.Why is Angela exhibiting her sculptured animal?
A.To prove her talent in sculpture.
B.To attract most visitors to the zoo.
C.To care about the plastic pollution in seas.
D.To teach the people the use of plastic.
2.What is stressed in Para. 3 according to the text?
A.Why plastic is difficult to break up.
B.What problems plastic litter causes.
C.Where plastic pieces go at last.
D.How garbage patches are formed.
3.What are Washed Ashore volunteers doing?
A.Collecting pollution trash from the beaches.
B.Turning trash from the ocean into art.
C.Raising 38,000 pounds for plastic pollution.
D.Surveying the data of plastic litter in oceans.
4.Which of the following best describe Dennis Kelly’s attitude to Pozzi’s sculpture?
A.Doubtful B.Supportive
C.Negative. D.Indifferent
Do you remember your first day of school? Were you excited or a bit scared? When I started school, I lived in an area of southern Germany. I remember how frightened I was, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect.
My mother and I walked quietly, downhill into the center of town. When we entered the classroom, I noticed all the children were sitting quietly in their seats. Anxiously, I picked a spot next to a friendly-looking girl.
In my nervousness, I had totally forgotten I was to receive a Schultuete (school cone) on the first day of school, but as I looked at my teacher's desk I remembered. Her desk was covered with huge cardboard cones. I knew that my mother had filled my Schultuete with goodies and brought it to my classroom the day before, but I didn't know which one was mine.
That morning, the focus of my attention remained with those cones. All of the fear slowly disappeared. When the teacher asked me to approach the desk, she did not seem threatening at all. When she smilingly handed me my Schultuete, I was the happiest girl.
Proudly, I carried my gift home. The hill did not seem steep at all. Hurriedly, I unwrapped my Schultuete and discovered candies, chocolates, and oranges. This day stayed in my mind as one of the sweetest in my life.
When I was older I asked my mother about her first day of school. She told me she hadn't received a Schultuete from her parents because the custom had not been established all over Germany at that time.
The custom began in the cities in the 1800s and then spread to the towns and villages. By the early 1950s, the tradition of the Schultuete was established all over the country. And it has been passed on even in the present day.
1.How did the author feel at first about her first day of school?
A.Excited B.Confused
C.Afraid D.Delighted
2.According to the text, a Schultuete _____.
A.is given to kids as a gift on their first day of school
B.is presented as a reward by a school teacher
C.became popular in the early 19th century
D.is usually filled with school supplies
3.The underlined sentence “The hill did not seem steep at all” implies that ____.
A.the author was in good health B.the author was very excited then
C.the author enjoyed climbing hills D.the author missed her mother badly
Walk For Charity
Dear Friend,
Please join us for our annual Walk For Charity.Starting in Weldown,you and your friends can choose a delightful 10,20 or 30 kilometers' route.
The money raised will provide support to help people all over the world.Start collecting your sponsors now and then simply come along on the day.Please read the instructions below carefully,especially if you require transport to and from Weldown.
See you on Sunday 15 April.
V Jessop: Walk coordinator
PS.Well done to last year's walkers for helping to raise a grand total of ￡21,000.The money has already been used to build a children's playground.
START TIME:
30 km: 8-10 am 20 km: 8-10:30 am 10 km: 8-11:30 am
The organizers reserve the right to refuse late-comers.
CLOTHING should be suitable for the weather.If rain is forecast,bring some protection and be prepared for all possibilities.It is better to wear shoes that have been worn in,rather than ones that are new.
ROUTE MAPS will be available from the registration point.The route will be sign-posted and arranged.Where the route runs along the road,walkers should keep to one side in single file,facing oncoming traffic at all times.If you need help along the route,please inform one of the staff.
Free car parking is available in car parks and on streets in Weldown.
BUSES:
For the 10 and 20 kilometers' routes,a bus will be waiting at Fenton to take walkers back to Weldown.The bus will leave every half hour starting at midday.The service is free and there is no need to book.
1.When may a walker be forbidden to join in the walk?
A.Being late for the walk. B.Parking a car on the streets.
C.Choosing the shortest route. D.Bringing no clothes for the weather.
2.According to the route map,where does the 20 kilometers' walk finish?
A.Weldown. B.Fenton.
C.Great Rushly. D.Lower Brene.
3.What is the walker warned of?
A.To prepare new shoes for the walk. B.To book the bus ahead of time.
C.To care about their own safety. D.To donate at the registration point.
4.When will the first bus leave?
A.11:30 am B.12:30 pm
C.13:20 pm D.14:40 pm
Directions: Write an English composition in 120—150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
进入高中生活以来已经有两个月的时间了，在这一段时间里，一定有令你难忘的回忆，请描述令你印象深刻的一件事，并谈谈你的体会。
注意：请勿出现真实的班级和姓名。
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Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.迄今为止，科学家们还没有找到治疗癌症的良方。( remedy)
2.她瞥了一眼那本字典的价格，二话没说就买了下来。( hesitation)
3.为了帮助保护这些名画，每天只有几个人被允许进入参观博物馆。(admit)
4.据说给别人留下好印象的关键是改进你与同学交流的方式。(key)
