The United States does not require business to pay workers who are sick or caring for a new baby. President Obama and some other U.S. lawmakers want to change time-off policies. Supporters say paid leave is the right thing to do. Opponents say it will kill economic growth.

In 2014, the United Nations reported that Papua New Guinea(巴布亚新几内亚) and the U.S. are the only two -- out of 185 -- countries in the world that do not offer workers paid time off to care for newborns. However, several state governments and some private businesses in the U.S. have provided the benefits for their workers.

Not every American agrees that requiring businesses to pay workers for leave is a good idea.

Tricia Baldwin is a business woman. She is secretary and treasurer for her family's company. Her company employs 400 workers. She says giving all of them paid leave would ruin her company. Instead, Reliable Contracting gives paid leave to employees who have stayed with the company for at least five years. She says paid leave is simply another government order that adds more costs to doing business.

President Obama supports paid leave for workers. Recently, he proposed a measure called the Healthy Family Act. It would allow workers to earn up to seven paid days of sick leave a year to care for themselves or family members.

Mr. Obama also wants Congress to approve a measure giving all workers six weeks of paid leave to have and care for a new baby.

U.S. lawmakers who support the proposed measure say paid leave is good for the families and for businesses. Representative Don Beyer says paid leave is an encouragement to parents to return to the job. Mr. Beyer says training a new employee can cost a company a year's worth of income. But U.S. lawmakers who oppose the bill say they do not want to restrict businesses by requiring them to provide paid leave. They are offering a different measure. The Working Families Flexibility Act would allow employees to work extra hours and earn either time off or more pay.

1.If a woman in the U.S left to care for her newborn baby, she _________.

A. wouldn’t get extra time off

B. would get lower pay

C. would pay for her leave or she will be fired

D. wouldn’t get paid leave

2.Tricia Baldwin opposes paid leave because it will ________.

A. kill the national economic growth

B. not be enough to relieve the workers’ burden

C. add more costs to doing business

D. ruin companies rules

3.Some of the lawmakers are opposed to the proposed measure to require paid leave because they think ______.

A. it encourages parents to return to the jobs

B. it will add companies’ cost of training new employees

C. it gives workers more economic guarantees

D. it reduces employees’ working time

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A. How to reform the Rules of Paid Leave in the U.S.

B. Will the U.S Pay Workers for Family Leave?

C.Is it Good for the U.S to Pay Workers for Family Leave?

D. Why Doesn’t the U.S Pay Workers for Family Leave?

The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic (怀旧的)skill. However, while today’s educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.

Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it’s important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.

Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.

In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student’s writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. “Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas.” Berninger said.

Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe “those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen,” the study said. Seeing the words in the “mind’s eye” helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.

“In our computer age, some people believe that we don’t have to teach spelling because we have spell checks,” she said. “But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won’t have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer.”

1.What makes writing by hand a thing of the past?

A. The absence of blackboard in classroom

B. The use of new technologies in teaching.

C. The lack of practice in handwriting.

D. The popular use of smartphones.

2.Berninger’s study published in 2009 ___________.

A. focused on the difference between writing by hand and on a computer.

B. indicated that students prefer to write with a pen and paper.

C. found that good essays are made up of long sentences.

D. discussed the importance of writing speed.

3.Which of the following best shows the role of spelling?

A. Spelling improves one’s memory of words.

B. Spelling ability is closely related to writing ability.

C. Spelling benefits the translation from words into ideas.

D. Spelling slows down finding exact words to express ideas.

4.What does “mind’s eye” in paragraph 5 mean?

A. Window. B. Soul

C. Picture. D. Imagination.

5.What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?

A. Computers can help people with their choice of words.

B. Spell checks can take the place of spelling teaching.

C. Handwriting still has a place in today’s classrooms.

D. Functional spelling ability develops fast in the fifth grade.

In 2009, the Taiwu Elementary School Folk Singers were invited to perform in Belgium, France, Germany, and Luxemburg. In 2011, they were voted as one of the world’s top five performance groups by audiences of Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s Amazing Voice program.

Thinking back the group’s first tour in Europe, Camake Valaule, a physical education teacher and the founder of the Taiwu Elementary School Folk Singers, admitted that he felt very nervous. He was worried that the audience would fall asleep since most of the 75-minute performance was a cappella, that is, singing without instrumental sound. Surprisingly, the audience listened with full focus and high spirits. Camake said, “They told me afterward that through our performance, they had a vision of our country, our village, without having to visit it. This experience greatly increased our confidence.”

According to Camake Valaule, singing traditional ballads has helped students and their parents to re-understand their culture. “It used to be that the only ones who could sing these songs were tribal elders aged between 50 and 60. Now with the children performing the pieces, parents are beginning to ask, ‘Why do we not know how to sing these ballads?’ Many times nowadays, it is the children who teach the songs to their parents, putting back the pieces of a blurred memory.”

Winning international fame, however, was neither the original intention nor the main reason why Camake founded the group in 2006. The most important thing was to make children understand why they sing these songs and to preserve and pass on their culture. Referring to the relocation of Taiwu Elementary School and Taiwu Village following Typhoon Morakot in August 2009, Camake said, “We could not take the forest or our houses in the mountains with us; but we were able to bring our culture along. As long as the children are willing to sing, I will always be there for them, singing with them and leading them to experience the meaning of the ballads.”

1.Which of the following is true about Taiwu Elementary School Folk Singers?

A. The group was first established in 2009.

B. The group was founded by a PE teacher.

C. The singers usually sing popular folk songs.

D. The singers learn to sing from their parents.

2.On his first trip to Europe, why did Camake think the audience might fall asleep?

A. The average age of the audience was between fifty and sixty.

B. Most of the performance was not accompanied by any instrument.

C. Nobody could understand the language and the meaning of the songs.

D. The audience could not visualize the theme sung by the school children.

3.What does the underlined part “the pieces of a blurred memory” in the third paragraph most likely refer to?

A. The fading memories about old tribal people.

B. The children’s ignorance of their own tradition.

C. The broken pieces of knowledge taught at school.

D. The parents’ vague understanding of their own culture.

4.What did Camake realize after the incident of Typhoon Morakot?

A. The significance of the relocation of Taiwu Elementary School.

B. The need to respect nature to avoid being destroyed by it.

C. The importance of passing on the traditional culture.

D. The consequence of building houses in the forest.

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