One year ago, when Fiona turned four, Sam and I decided to home-school her instead of sending her to pre-school.I have always felt that the 0-5 years are an irreplaceable dreamtime.As Fiona is an inventive, observant child, sensitive and funny and great company, it would be a tragedy to find school rubbing away her uniqueness and restricting the building of her personality.
I tried not to reproduce school at home.I never had the urge to get a chalk, or a blackboard.I didn’t go and search out a curriculum(课程表).I felt that my children would learn best if I stayed accessible (易接近的)and stayed out of their way.
Every day we worked some, relaxed some, read some and played some, but Fiona did not seem particularly happy here.She lost her temper once in a while.
How strange it was that my child who was free from school didn’t want to be free at all.Her friends all went to pre-school.She felt left out of a major part of her friends’ shared lives and experiences.I thought she was not in school for very strong, clear reasons, one of which was that the quality of learning my child did at home would be good, even better than expected.
Well, here was a situation I hadn’t expected.When we first decided to do this, Sam and I agreed that we would reassess(再评价)the situation for each child as she turned seven.Meanwhile we would offer her non-school-based opportunities to give her plenty of time with other kids-ballet lessons and swimming classes.She seemed to be enjoying all.But at times she kept asking when she was going to school.Whenever she asked this question, we told her that there would be a family meeting about it when she turned seven.She nearly always responded, “That’s when I’m going to go, then.” A fair amount of her curiosity was about school and I was afraid she was dreaming of going to school before she turned seven.
Although the advantages of home-schooling, I think, far outweigh its disadvantages, it is important for me to respect my daughter’s feelings and allow her to direct her own education.If her curiosity leads her to school, isn’t that where she should go?
Next week I’ll drive Fiona to her school.I hope that Fiona will learn to read and discover something wonderful to pursue in the world that opens up for her.I hope she will find the school activities provide her with satisfactory kid-time.
1.The writer decided to home-school her daughter, Fiona, because she thought________.
A.children aged 0-5 were too young to go to pre-school
B.Fiona may not be accepted by schools for her bad temper
C.home-schooling was much better than school education
D.children at Fiona’s age were too young to have their characters formed by school
2.In home schooling her daughter the writer tried to_______.
A.make her home just like a school
B.teach with a pointer, a piece of chalk, and a blackboard
C.be there when her child wanted her but tried not to stand in her way
D.teach according to a curriculum, which was suitable for Fiona
3.What was the writer’s biggest problem in home schooling her daughter?
A.She couldn’t decide what to teach and how to teach her daughter
B.She was not sure whether her teaching was suitable for Fiona.
C.She could not make Fiona give up the thought of going to school.
D.She didn’t know how to control Fiona’s temper
4.We can learn from the text that_______.
A.Fiona always acted against her mother’s instructions
B.it was against Fiona’s wish that she was educated at home
C.home-schooling was popular some years ago
D.Fiona’s parents would ask her opinions about school education


E
Win a week in England!
You still don’t know what to do this summer? Well, here’s your chance to win a one-week language course in Kent, England! Free4Fun and ETC (English Travel Connections) are giving away two trips to Rochester. This historic city is less than an hour’s drive from London and close to the sea resort of Herne Bay. It is also the home of one of England’s most famous writers, Charles Dickens. The town of Rochester is in Southeast England. Charles Dickens often wrote about it in his books. His home, Gad’s Hill, is there, too. A popular attraction is Rochester Castle, a large Norman fortress(堡垒). It was built in the 11th century and rebuilt during the 14th century. Other attractions are Rochester Cathedral, which was built during the 13th century, and Dickens Centre. It has got its name in honour of Dickens himself.
The trip to England includes:
*  travel by train (via the Eurotunnel) to and from any railway station in Germany
*  room and full board with a guest family for one week
*  language course in small groups
*  two trips to London
*  large choice of sports and entertainment
*  German-speaking advisors available 24 hours a day
Interested? All you have to do is to answer the following question:  When was Charles Dickens born?
So, take the chance and send your answer by 1 May to:
Free4Fun "Rochester"
Free4Fun, 24 Elphinstone Road, Hastings, 2FQ6VJ
fax: 089 / 85 763-103    e-mail: free4fun@netlight.com
The two winners will be contacted directly before 5 May. They will also be announced in the June issue of Free4Fun. Good luck!
For further information contact:
phone: (03212) 144 43    fax: (03212) 144 42       e-mail: info@etc. com
67. What activities can you participate in during the trip?
A. Working as a language advisor.         
B. Learning the German language.
C. Traveling by train with a guest family.       
D. Enjoying sports and entertainment.
68. If you want to win a prize you have to send your answer to  _______ .
A. the June issue of Free4fun                     B. free4fun@netlight. com
C. info@etc. com                               D. ETC
69. The persons ______ are likely to win the free trip.
A. who know the birth date of Charles Dickens    
B. who are attracted by Rochester Castle
C. who are contacted and announced by Free4Fun and ETC
D. who know more about Charles Dickens’ works
70. This ad was probably designed to target            .
A. Italians             B. Europeans         C. Germans           D. Americans

When my family moved to America in 2010 from a small village in Guangdong, China, we brought not only our luggage, but also our village rules, customs and culture. One of the rules is that young people should always respect elders. Unluckily, this rule led to my very first embarrassment in the United States.

I had a part-time job as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. One time, when I was serving food to a middle-aged couple, the wife asked me how the food could be served so quickly. I told her that I had made sure they got their food quickly because I always respect the elderly. As soon as I said that, her face showed great displeasure. My manager, who happened to hear what I said, took me aside and gave me a long lecture about how sensitive Americans are and how they dislike the description “old”. I then walked back to the table and apologized to the wife. After the couple heard my reason, they understood that the problem was caused by cultural differences, so they laughed and were no longer angry.

In my village in China, people are proud of being old. Not so many people live to be seventy or eighty, and people who reach such an age have the most knowledge and experience. Young people always respect older people because they know they can learn from their rich experience.

However, in the United States, people think “growing old” is a problem since “old” shows that a person is going to retire or that the body is not working well. Here many people try to keep themselves away from growing old by doing exercises or jogging, and women put on makeup, hoping to look young. When I told the couple in the restaurant that I respect the elderly, they got angry because this caused them to feel they had failed to stay young. I had told them something they didn’t want to hear.

After that, I changed the way I had been with older people. It is not that I don’t respect them any more; I still respect them, but now I don’t show my feelings through words.

By Jack

1.Jack brought the couple their food very fast because _______.

A. the manager asked him to do so                   B. he respected the elderly

C. the couple wanted him to do so                    D. he wanted more pay

2.When Jack called the couple “elderly”, they became _______.

A. nervous             B. satisfied     C. unhappy              D. excited

3.In Jack’s hometown, _______.

A. people dislike being called “old”

B. people are proud of being old

C. many people reach the age of seventy or eighty

D. the elderly are the first to get food in restaurants

4.After this experience, Jack _______.

A. lost his job in the restaurant

B. made friends with the couple

C. no longer respected the elderly

D. changed his way with older people

5. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The more Jack explained, the angrier the couple got.

B. Jack wanted to show his feelings through words after his experience.

C. The manager went back to the table and apologized to the couple.

D. From this experience, Jack learned more about American culture.

 

A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical(垂直的)farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards,rather than outwards,it requires much less space than a conventional farm.

The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18­story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people,all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time,food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.

There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space,therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics(水耕法) could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course,not all food does well with this type of planting,but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.

In some climates,a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words,we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.

Vertical farms may just be a concept for now,but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future.

1.According to the passage, a vertical farm________.

A.is mainly built outwards

B.is dependent on solar power

C.is planted on levels upwards

D.is only an environmental friendly farm

2.Compared to the conventional farm, the vertical farm can________.

A.depend far less on sunlight

B.greatly increase the use of soil

C.help to protect the limited gardens

D.reduce the use of harmful pesticides

3.It can be learned from the passage that vertical farms________.

A.have been put into use

B.only use hydroponics to grow food

C.need less room than conventional farms

D.may increase the transportation costs

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

A.Vertical farms for our future

B.Ways to deal with future problems

C.Vertical farms and green skyscrapers

D.Making Full Use of Our Limited Land

 

Hi, everybody! Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!

Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store. Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.

Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.

Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia(百科全书) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.

If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.

In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films.

Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!

40. The speaker of the passage is most probably ____.

A. the author of 25 New Takes         B. a client in the cinema bookstore

C. the manager of the cinema bookstore

D. a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema

41. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A. Indian cinema industry is second only to Hollywood.

B. The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars.

C. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States.

D. The French Cinema Book covers over a century’s French films.

42. The purpose of the speaker is to ____.

A. satisfy the customers’ various tastes

B. keep the authors popular with the readers

C. offer the clients chances to meet the film stars

D. turn the readers into film producers

43. The speaker of this passage most probably comes from ____.

A. England                 B. India              C. China            D. America

 

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