Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to preschool child. But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.

The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.

Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most preschool teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read story-books in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text. “If you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling.” But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way.

More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms. They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. For thirty weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR— Sit Together and Read. The project is based in Ohio State. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to preschool children in their classrooms.

There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print-- for instance, showing how words are written left to right in English.

1.What do we know about the ways preschool children are usually taught?

A. Preference is given to the shape of the letters and the organization of the print.

B. More attention is paid to the picture, with words and letters being ignored.

C. The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers.

D. Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures.

2.Shayne Piasta suggested that preschool teachers should _______.

A. read storybooks regularly in class.

B. learn to manage their class well

C. often discuss the printed words and letters

D. search for a better method of reading

3.The children who joined in Project STAR were _________.

A. very poor in their reading

B. mostly cleverer than others

C. especially good at language skills

D. worried about reading problems

4.Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of preschool children?

A. Many teachers want to change their way of teaching preschool children.

B. Attention of the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading.

C. Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching.

D. Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to preschool children in the classroom.

5.The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.

A. why we should discuss the meaning of the print

B. the shape of the letter is the focus of teaching

C. how we can teach children about print

D. English words are usually written from left to right

I got invited to go with some friends to a game at another school. A senior will be driving us, and I think she’s a good driver, but it’s someone my parents don’t know. I want to tell my parents where I’m going, but what if I ask and they say “no”? I’ll end up wishing I never mentioned it and just went ahead and did it anyway.

If you want more privileges, it’s best to build a track record of honesty and trust. Letting a parent know where you’re going is always a good idea.

You may worry that telling your parents puts you at risk of getting “no” for an answer. But there’s a good chance your parents might be OK with you going. If you go but don’t tell them, you risk losing something more important — your parents’ trust.

Parents who find out their kids did something behind their backs may be less likely to give permission to do things in the future. When trust is broken like this, parents wonder if teens are trying to hide something — and what they imagine can be far worse than the reality.

Before you talk to your parents about the game, think about which approach will help them feel most comfortable with giving you more freedom. Maybe they’d like to meet the person driving or talk to friends who have driven with her in the past. If your parents have questions or hesitate about letting you go, find out what their worries are and then do your best to answer them.

1.From Paragraph 1 we know that the writer _________.

A. appears nervous B. feels confused

C. looks worried D. seems discouraged

2.What is the best way to get parents’ permission according to the passage?

A. To get more privileges from them.

B. To risk gaining their permission.

C. To keep off the track of reality.

D. To be honest and win their trust.

3.What does the writer really want to tell us?

A. Which effective approach to use.

B. How to deal with strict parents.

C. How to win over parents.

D. How to get freedom from parents.

4.Who do you think the passage is intended for?

A. Parents. B. Friends. C. Drivers. D. Teenagers.

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