Tell a story and tell it well, and you may open wide the eyes of a child, open up lines of communication in a business, or even open people’s mind to another culture or race.

People in many places are digging up the old folk stories and the messages in them. For example, most American storytellers get their tales from a wide variety of sources, cultures, and times. They regard storytelling not only as a useful tool in child education, but also as a meaningful activity that helps adults understand themselves as well as those whose culture may be very different from their own.

“ Most local stories are based on a larger theme,” American storyteller Opalanga Pugh says, “ Cinderella(灰姑娘), or the central idea of a good child protected by her goodness, appears in various forms in almost every culture of the world.”

Working with students in schools, Pugh helps them understand their own cultures and the general messages of the stories. She works with prisoner too, helping them knowing who they are by telling stories that her listeners can write, direct, and act in their own lives. If they don’t like the story they are living, they can rewrite the story. Pugh also works to help open up lines of communication between managers and workers. “For every advance in business,” she says, “ there is a greater need for communication.” Storytelling can have a great effect on either side of the manager-worker relationship, she says.

Pugh spent several years in Nigeria, where she learned how closely storytelling was linked to the everyday life of the people there. The benefits of storytelling are found everywhere, she says.

“I learned how people used stories to spread their culture,” she says, “ What I do is to focus on the value of the stories that people can translate into their own daily world of affairs. We are all storytellers. We all have a story to tell. We tell everybody’s story.”  

What do we learn about American storyteller from Paragraph 2?

   A. They share the same way of storytelling.

   B. They prefer to tell the stories from other cultures.

   C. They learn their stories from the American natives.

   D. They find storytelling useful for both children and adults.

The underlined sentence (Paragraph 4) suggests that prisoners can _____.

   A. start a new life                        B. settle down in another place

   C. direct films                           D. become good actors

Pugh has practised storytelling with _____ groups of people.

   A. 2              B. 3               C. 4             D. 5

What is the main idea of the text?

   A. Storytelling can influence the way people think.

   B. Storytelling is vital to the growth of business.

   C. Storytelling is the best way to educate children in school.

   D. Storytelling helps people understand themselves and others.

The computer makes doing schoolwork easier for me than it was for my mom and dad. For example, when writing book reports and stories, I use Microsoft Word instead of a pen and paper. That way, after my teacher checks my work, I can go back and make revisions without having to rewrite the whole thing. And Microsoft Word has a spell check! I use it all the time.

For English class, we are reading The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. As pre-reading homework, my teacher asked us to research teenage groups on the Internet. I tried Google, Encarta, and Yahoo first, and finally found an article on Time. com .

For geography homework on the United States, I used Encarta to learn about the Mississippi River. I needed to find out how deep the river is, how its widths and depths are different, what states it runs through, and what kinds of fish live in it. I used the information to show how the geography of a country influences its economy. For example, the river’s trade paths, the number of fish caught in it and the tourists it attracts directly affect Southerners’ jobs and incomes.

I never go to the library to do research. It takes too much time. Since I live in New York City and both my parents work, getting to the library isn’t always easy. For a big task or research project, I used to stay at the library to read, or sign out whatever books or magazines I needed. Now being able to find the information in my own living room makes everything a lot simpler. Online dictionaries and encyclopedias (百科全书) also save time.

Sometimes, I think the computer spoils my generation because it is so easy --- at least physically. But computers are not like television, which does the thinking for you. You still have to use your mind. I prefer using a computer, easy, fun, and fast.

1.What does the writer use when he writes book reports and stories? (no more than 3 words)

2.Why doesn’t the writer go to the library to do research? (no more than 6 words)

3.How does the writer complete a big assignment or research project at present? (no more than 10 words)

4.Why does the author prefer using a computer? (no more than 11 words)

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网