Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.

　     　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.

Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:

²  having everyday conversations with your children

²  trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions

²  encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know

²  reading to your children each night

²  listening to your children read

²  teaching your children how to use dictionaries

²  talking about your children’s writings

²  practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails

You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.

1.This passage is mainly written for __________.

A. children             B. teachers         C. parents          D. doctors

2.__________ is the best for the missing part in Paragraph 2.

A. “Listening and speaking skills”              B. “Reading and writing skills”

C. “Listening and writing skills”               D. “Reading and listening skills”

3.__________ is NOT mentioned in the 8 tips above.

   A. “Listening to the radio every day”        B. “Listening to your children read”

   C. “Reading to your children each night”     D. “Talking about your children’s writings”

4. In the Reading Challenge Club, children have to read __________ in one year.

A. 5 books              B. 10 books         C. 15 books         D. 20 books

5. Parents can help children to write by encouraging them to__________.

A. draw pictures or take photos             B. listen to pop music 

C. write diaries or book reviews                D. play computer games

What do you do if you're stranded（处于困境的）on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.

　　Body signals（信号）

　　Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training. When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend（弯曲）your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.

　　Smoke signals

　　The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it's a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn't hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a fire unless you're sure that it can't spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.

　　Ground-to-air signals

　　It's a good idea to build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols(标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:

　　F "I need food and water."

　　II "I need medicine."

　　I "I am badly hurt."

　　X" I am unable to move from here."

　　Pilots' replies

　　If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means "message received and understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilots flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received but not understood".(At night, the pilot flashes the plane's red lights.)

However, there is no signal which means "message not received". Why not?

1. Which picture means "it's not safe land"?

2. What can we learn from the passage?

　　A. Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes".

　　B. If the ground is dark, light smoke can't be seen.

　　C. If you need some medicine, make a symbol "II".

　　D. The pilots make replies with a blue light at night.

　　3. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. The explanation of building signals on an island.

　　B. The importance of making signals on an island.

　　C. Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island.

D. Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island

Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.
　    　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.
Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:
²  having everyday conversations with your children
²  trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions
²  encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know
²  reading to your children each night
²  listening to your children read
²  teaching your children how to use dictionaries
²  talking about your children’s writings
²  practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails
You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.
【小题1】This passage is mainly written for __________.