Tabb doesn't look like a typical music teacher. But every weekday evening in the French Quarter New Orleans, he beats out the rhythm on his music stand as students play their chosen instruments.

“I'm doing my best to take young people away from harmful things,” said Tabb. His program,  "The Roots of Music”, offers free music education to more than 100 students. He struggles to keep young people on the straight and narrow in the city with the nation's highest murder rate(凶杀率).

Tabb chose to target 9­to14­year­olds with his program. “That's a very important time in your life,” he said. “If I catch them then, I can hold onto them for at least four or five years and guide them the way that will lead them to success.”

Students meet from 4 pm to 7 pm every weekday, all year round. They work with tutors(助教) on schoolwork, practice their music and eat a hot meal before heading home. With the money provided by some people, Tabb's group is able to provide bus transportation, instruments and food for free. He calls it his “no excuse” policy. “You have no excuse why you're not here,” Tabb said. Tabb owes the success in part to the nature of music. “You're always learning something new,”he said. “That's what keeps the kids coming back every day.”

But the program isn't only about fun. “Music is about discipline (纪律),”said Tabb. He insists on good behavior and keeps kids in order with threats of sit­ups(仰卧起坐), pushups(俯卧撑) or tasks like picking up grains of rice — but these measures aren't just punishment. Tabb wants young people to realize that music can help them build a better future. “I don't say that I'm saving lives,” he said. “I say I'm giving life — a whole different life of music.”

1.The underlined phrase  "keep young people on the straight and narrow” may mean ________.

A.keep young people standing straight

B.keep young people on the correct life track(道路)

C.keep young people busy performing music

D.keep young people away from the dangerous parts of the city

2.Which of the following kids may NOT be included in Tabb's program “ The Roots of Music”?

A.Jack, 8 years old.                        B.Tom, 9 years old.

C.John, 11 years old.                      D.Linda, 13 years old.

3.What attracts children to join in the program to learn music?

A.The free food and transportation.           B.The famous music teacher.

C.The chance to learn new things.            D.The strict discipline rules.

4.By saying “music is about discipline”, Tabb means ________.

A.keeping discipline is more important than learning music

B.obeying(遵守) rules is important in playing music well

C.music is also connected with kids' grades

D.kids can learn how to behave through music

5.What is the main idea of this passage?

A.Tabb's program offers young people help.

B.Kids improve grades through music learning.

C.Tabb offers kids free food to learn music.

D.Tabb performs music for street children.

 

Combining families with kids can be tough and offers even more unexpected problems. You just don’t know how things will shake out until everyone is under one roof, trying on new roles with name that start with “step”. This is what happened to Sheila and Will, and Sheila’s 8-year-old daughter Ashley. After the couple got married, and Will became the member of the new family, things got worse than expected. How did they make it work? Read the full version of the story here.

   Shelia’s Turn: When Shelia and Will were dating, he seemed like kids, especially Ashley. He’d bring her presents, play games with her. But after the wedding, things took a turn. Will suddenly became a super strict stepfather, scolding Ashley for watching too much cartoons, constantly picking fights and punishing her for offenses as small as spilling milk. Shelia’s thought about leaving Will, but soon after they married, they had a son, Billy. Will adores his well-behaved boy, but Ashley hates him. Shelia doesn’t know what to do--- her daughter is miserable, but leaving her husband might mean losing her son.

   Will’s turn: Will was so excited to be a male role model in Ashley’s life. He didn’t just want to be a guy living in her house; he wanted to treat her like his own daughter, which, to Will, meant giving Ashley more rules and help her learn responsibility. He’d always felt that Shelia let Ashley loose on everything. But after the wedding, Will was surprised that Shelia didn’t want him to do that. If Will takes away Ashley’s TV privileges or tells her to clean up her room, Shelia just lets Ashley do what she likes and does it herself. Will was tired of this and he’d rather take his son and go.

   The advisor’s turn: The counselor(顾问) quickly recognized their conflict as a classic case of unspoken, hidden expectations. Before the wedding, when it was just Shelia and Will, everything was easy. But now, everyone in their big family is competing for attention, and the couple never sat down and discussed the biggest issue---their child-upbringing philosophies(育儿经). The counselor suggested Shelia allow Will to give some rules on Ashley but Will’s punishments couldn’t be extreme. Once Ashley saw that her mom and stepdad had become a united front, she cooperated more.

1.The text is most likely to be found in a book about______.

    A. popular science            B. historical events

C. social problems            D. political systems

2.The reasons for Ashley’s dislike of Will are as follows except_____?

A. Will often picked fights with Ashley.

A. Ashley often spilled milk on the floor.

B. Will always punished her for bad behaviors.

C. Ashley was stopped watching too many cartoons.

3.What can we know about Will?

A. Will has a good intention.           

B. Will does not love children

C. Will does not love Shelia any more   

D. Will’s way of parenting is very perfect.

4.It can be inferred from the passage that the advisor’s attitude to their problem?

A. Negative    B. Objective     C. Critical     D. . Subjective

 

Ten years ago,Morgan Zuch,a two—year—old girl from Long Island,New York,was diagnosed with leukemia(白血病).The day that Morgan’s father Rod knew it,he made a promise,“If my daughter gets better,I will devote the rest of my life to helping others who are in the Same condition.”

    Fortunately.Morgan recovered gradually,and since then,Rod and his wife Nancy,have been helping other families with cancer.stricken children through the Morgan Center.It is the country’s first preschool for children with cancer.

    Because of the risk of germs, children with cancer are usually forbidden from playing with other kids.They must spend their days in hospital rooms or lying in bed at home.The Zuchs believed that children with cancer should have the opportunity to play,too.

    The center offers the kids and their families a safe place to connect with others who have the same problem.To reduce the risk of infections,the center's staff wash their own and the children's hands frequently,and provide each child with his or her own toys and supplies.

    “You feel like you’re not the sick kid’s mom,”said one child’s mother,Maura Lewinger.“It is nice because none of the parents at the center are alienated(孤立的).”

    The Zuchs run the center as a non-profit organization and any family can bring their children to the center for free.Nancy Zuch works as the head teacher-with a little help from her daughter Morgan, now l2 years old.Today,Morgan is strong and healthy,and loves to provide support for the children who are going through the difficult time that she once went through.She says she wants to be a teacher at the Morgan Center when she grows up.

1.The Zuchs created the Morgan Center     

    A.to help their daughter to realize her dream

    B.to invite other children to play with their daughter

    C.to build a school for their daughter and her friends

    D.to provide a healthy place for children with cancer

2.What can we learn from the text?

    A.The kids can share all their toys there.

    B.The kids can receive free medical care.

    C.The kids have to keep their hands clean.

    D.The kids’ parents must pay for the supplies.

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

    A.Morgan has regained her health.

    B.The Center is run by the government.

    C.Morgan helps in the Center sometimes.

    D.Both kids and parents like the Center.

4.This text is mainly about     

A.Long Island’s first preschool for kids with cancer

B.the pain that the kids in the Morgan Center suffer

C.the contributions Morgan has made to the Center

D.the Zuchs,the creators of the Morgan Center

 

 

Scores of farms across he country are opening up to overnight guests.The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn(小旅馆) — plus here a moo, there a moo

Sure, you and your kids have a plan for the theme parks.In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay(干草)? Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation.

LIBERTY HALL FARM

Rochester, Vt.; 802/767-3926; www.libertyhillfarm.com.Adults $75, teens $50, kids 12 and under $35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths.

Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook.You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough(生面团) for a pie.Bob’s busy with other work.Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs.Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 am to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season.

HULL-O FARM

Durham, N.Y.; 518/239-6950; www.hull-o.com; Adults $110, kids 10-14 $60, 5-9 $50, 2-4 $35, under 2 free, including breakfast and dinner; private baths.

It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices.But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it.As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch(入口处) of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar.Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride.

MERAMEC FARM CABINS

Bourbon, Mo.; 573/732-4765; http://www.wine-mo.com Doubles with private bath $75, $10 per additional person.Trail and riding fees extra.

Climb on the back of the Ford pick up and catch up with the herd.One gentle cow named Cricket will even let the kids sit on her back.At the barn(牲口棚) Carol will introduce you to the horses — 15 Missouri Fox Trotters — and lead you on a ride over the hills and down along the spring-fed Meramec River, where everyone swims.Grab a fishing pole and head back to the river.When you have your fill of the wild, try Carol and Dave’s favorite restaurants, within 20 miles of the farm.

1.The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that _____.

A.you can enjoy the best cuisine at the first rate restaurant

B.some farms provide country experiences as well as good accommodations

C.farm work is hard, but you can enjoy it a lot, playing with the animals

D.if you want to hear a cow’s cry, please stay on a best farm

2.We can learn from the three ads that ____.

A.Hull-O Farm was not built for overnight visitors

B.Frank and Sherry Hull run a farm out of a storybook

C.kids can sit on a gentle cow’s back on Hull-O Farm

D.you can’t milk a cow if you get up late on Liberty Hill Farm

3.The Browns have a 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter.If they stay on Liberty Hill Farm for one night, how much will they pay?

A.$175.

B.$220.

C.$235.

D.$250.

4.Who will be most likely interested in the webpage?

A.Kids who want to find pleasure in the theme parks.

B.People who expect to be employed on the farm.

C.Those who plan to have family vacations on working farms.

D.Researchers who are interested in raising cows on farms.

 

If you want to learn anything at school, you need to listen to your teachers. Unfortunately, millions of kids can’t hear what their teachers are saying. And it’s not because these students are goofing off. Often, it’s the room’s fault. Building architecture and building design can create echo(回声)-filled classrooms that make hearing difficult.

Children with hearing impairments(损伤)suffer most from noisy classrooms. They sometimes can’t hear questions that other students ask in class. Compared with kids with healthy hearing, they have a harder time picking up new vocabulary words by hearing them in talking.

Even kids with normal hearing have a harder time in the classroom when there’s too much noise. Younger children in particular have trouble separating important sounds – like a teacher’s voice – from background noise. Kids with learning disabilities and speech impediments(障碍)and kids for whom English is a second language also have a harder time learning in noisy situations.

In recent years, scientists who study sound have been asking schools to reduce background noise, which may include loud air-conditioners and pipes. They’re also targeting outdoor noises, such as highway traffic. Noise reduction is a big deal. Why? Because quieter classrooms might make you smarter by letting you hear your lessons better.

“It’s so obvious that we should have quiet rooms that allow for access to the lesson,” says Dan Ostergren, a hearing scientist. “Sometimes it surprises me that we spend so much time discussing this topic. I just want to go. Why is this hard for anyone to grasp?”

1. The underlined part “goofing off” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “      ”.

A. lazy                  B. intelligent                 C. sleepy               D. foolish

2.Who is most affected by noisy classrooms?

A. Children with learning disabilities.          B. Children with hearing impairments.

C. Children with speech impediments.         D. Children with normal hearing.

3. Why should noise be reduced in classrooms?

A. Quiet classrooms are suitable for kids to have discussions.

B. Quiet classrooms help kids recover from hearing impairments.

C. Kids can become smarter after hearing lessons better.

D. Kids can’t separate sounds of air-conditioners and pipes.

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Noisy classrooms                                  B. Classroom design

C. The sense of hearing                              D. Disabled kids

 

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