However important we may regard school life to be, we can’t ignore the fact that children spend more time at home than in the classroom. Therefore the great influence of parents can’t be ignored or discounted by the teacher. They can become strong supports of the school or they can consciously or unconsciously prevent the school from accomplishing its aims.

Administrators have been aware of the need to keep parents apprised of the newer methods used in schools. Many principals have conducted workshops explaining such matters as the reading readiness program and developmental math.

Moreover, the classroom teacher can also play an important role in explaining to parents what they should do. The informal tea and the many interviews carried on during the year, as well as new ways of reporting pupils’ progress, can significantly aid the interchanged of ideas between school and home.

Suppose that a father has been drilling Junior in arithmetic processes night after night. In a friendly interview, the teacher can help the parent change his method. He might be persuaded to let Junior participate in discussing he family budget, buying the food, using a measuring cup at home, setting the clock, calculating mileage on a trip and engaging in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.

If the father follows the advice, it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize his son is making satisfactory progress in math and at the same time, enjoying the work.

Too often, however, teachers’ conferences with parents are devoted to unimportant accounts of children’s wrongdoing, complaints about laziness and poor work habits, and suggestions for punishments and rewards at home.

What is needed is a more creative approach in which the teacher, as a professional advisor, plants ideas in parents’ minds for the best use of the many hours that the child spends out of the classroom. In this way, the school and the home join forces in fostering the fullest development of youngsters’ competence.

The underlined phrase “keep parents apprised of” (Line 1, Para. 2) probably means to let parents         .

A．judge       B．know C．design      D．develop

What is the purpose of the schools’ informal tea and interviews?

A．To improve the relationship between teacher and parents.

B．To explain to parents the change of the school curriculum.

C．To report students’ misdoings and suggestions for punishments.

D．To help develop good communication between school and home.

Why does the author provide all example in Paragraph 4？

A．To help parents to know the importance of home activities.

B．To show how the teacher can guide in home training.

C．To prove parents all non professional advisors.

D．To advice parents to teach kids math at home.

From the passage we learn that the author       .

A．thinks teachers should do better as professionals

B．is worried about children’s performance at home

C．is satisfied with the present state of school education

D．believes time spent out of the classroom has been wastedw.^w.k.s.5*u.c.#o@m

A classic series of experiments to determine the effects of overpopulation on communities of rats was conducted by a psychologist，John Calhoun．In each experiment，an equal number of male and female adult rats were placed in an enclosure（场地）．The rat populations were allowed to increase．Calhoun knew from experience approximately how many rats could live in the enclosures without experiencing stress due to overcrowding．He allowed the population to increase to approximately twice this number Then he fixed the population by removing the children that were not dependent on their mothers．At the end of the experiments，Calhoun was able to conclude that overcrowding causes a breakdown in the normal social relationships among rats，a kind of social disease．The rats in the experiments did not follow the same patterns of behavior as rats would in a community without overcrowding．

       The females in the rat population were the most seriously affected by the high population density（密度）．For example，mothers sometimes deserted their children，and，without their mothers’care，the children died．The experiments showed that in overpopulated communities，mother rats do not behave normally．Their behavior may be considered diseased and pathological（病理学的）．

       The leading males in the rat population were the least affected by over population．Each of these strong males claimed an area of the enclosure as his own．Therefore，these individuals did not  experience the overcrowding in the same way as the other rats did．．However leading males did behave pathologically at times．Their antisocial（反社会）behavior consisted of attacks on weaker male，female，and immature rats．This unusual behavior showed that even though the leading males had enough living space，they too were affected by the general overcrowding．

       Non-leading males in the experimental rat communities also exhibited unusual social behavior．Some withdrew（缩回） completely ,avoiding contact with other rats．Other non-leading males were too active，chasing other rats and fighting each other．

       The behavior of the rat population has similarity in human behavior．People in densely（密） populated areas exhibit unusual behavior similar to that of the rats in Calhoun’s experiments．In large urban areas，such as New York City，London，and Cairo，there are deserted children．There are cruel，powerful individuals，both men and women．There are also people who withdraw and people who become too active．Is the major cause of these disorders（混乱）overpopulation?

       Calhoun’s experiments suggest that it might be．In any case，social scientists and city planners have been influenced by the results of this series of experiments．

Which of the following inferences（推断）can NOT be made from the first paragraph?

       A．Overpopulation causes pathological behavior in rat populations．

       B．Calhoun had experimented with rats before．

       C．Calhoun’s experiment is still considered important today

       D．Stress does not occur in rat communities unless there is overcrowding．

The author implies that the behavior of the leading male rats is sometimes similar to that of

       A．people who would like to keep to themselves 

       B．people who abandon their children

       C．too active people

       D．cruel，powerful people

The main point of this passage is that _______________．

       A．although rats are affected by overcrowding，people are not

       B．overcrowding may be an important cause of social pathology

       C．the social behavior of rats is seriously affected by overcrowding

       D．Calhoun's experiments have influenced many people

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.

Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.

According to the passage, what is a metaphor?

A. A comparison between two different objects with similar features.

B. A contrast between two different things to create a vivid image.

C. A description of two similar objects in a poetic way.

D. A literary device specially employed in poetry writing.

The main idea of this passage is that         .

A. rose is a good image in poetry    B. love is sweet and pleasing

C. metaphor is ambiguous          D. metaphor is great poetic device

It can be inferred from the passage that a metaphor is        .

A. difficult to understand        B. rich in meaning    C. not precise enough      D. like a flower

As is meant by the author, thorns of a rose_________.

A. protect the rose from harm              B. symbolize reduced love

C. add a new element to the image of love    D. represent objects of one’s affection

The meaning of the love-is–a-rose metaphor is that____________-

A. love is a true joy              B. true love comes once in a lifetime

C. love does not last long          D. love is both good and bad experiences

A child-like robot, Wakamaru, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan and combining the roles of nurse, companion and security guard, will soon be in the market to look after the growing number of old people with no one to look after them.

  Cameras implanted under the “ eyebrows” of the robot enable it to “see’’ as it moves around in a house. The images can be sent to the latest mobile telephones, which can show the pictures. Wakamaru speaks with either the voice of a boy or a girl. It is also designed to provide companionship, greeting its “ papa”, when he comes home. Based on a vocabulary of around 10 000 words, it is the first household robot which is able to hold simple conversations. It can not only speak, but also understand answers and react accordingly. It will ask“ Are you all right?” if its owner does not move for some time. If the answer is no, or there is no answer, it will telephone preset numbers, send images and work as a speakerphone. It can recognize up to 10 faces. It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine, eat and sleep.

  However, like most robots, it cannot climb stairs. Mitsubishi developed Wakamaru from robots which have already been made to go around nuclear power facilities(设施). “ Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decided that this could work as a business. We want to offer it as a product that helps society,’’ said the project chief. The developers plan to sell the robot from April next year at between 5,000 and 6,000 pound.

  The life expectancy of Japanese women has shot up to almost 85, the highest in the world. At the same time, extended families are being replaced by nuclear families. This has left many Japanese anxious about their elderly parents. Therefore, the technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan.

Which of the following is TRUE about Wakamaru?

It is used in some nuclear power facilities.

It can speak but cannot understand answers.

It can go up and down the stairs easily.

It can recognize as many as 10 people.

The passage is written with the purpose to ______.

      A. introduce a new product  

B solve the aging problems.

     C. tell people how to use the robot 

     D show the rapid development of technology

What can be inferred from the passage ?

      A. The robot can dial proper numbers for help

      B. The robot is likely to have a promising market.

      C. The robot enables the Japanese to live longer

      D. Many elderly Japanese are anxious about their future

A metaphor is a poetic device that deals with comparison. It compares similar qualities of two dissimilar objects. With a simple metaphor, one object becomes the other: Love is a rose. Although this does not sound like a particularly rich image, a metaphor can communicate so much about a particular image that poets use them more than any other type of figurative language(修辞). The reason for this is that poets compose their poetry to express what they are experiencing emotionally at that moment. Consequently, what the poet imagines love to be may or may not be love we see it. Therefore, the poet’s job is to enable us to experience it, to feel it the same way as the poet does.
Let’s analyze this remarkably unsophisticated metaphor concerning love and the rose to see what it offers. Because the poet uses a comparison with a rose, first we must examine the characteristics of that flower. A rose is spectacular in its beauty; its petals(花瓣) are nicely soft, and its smell is pleasing. It’s possible to say that a rose is actually a feast to the senses of sight, touch, and smell. The rose’s appearance seems to border on(近似于)perfection, each petal seemingly symmetrical(对称的) in form. Isn’t this the way one’s love should be? A loved one should be a delight to one’s senses and seem perfect. However, there is another dimension added to the comparison by using a rose. Roses have thorns(刺). The poet wants to convey the idea that roses can be tricky(机警的). So can love, the metaphor tells us. When one reaches out with absolute trust to touch the object of his or her affection, ouch, a thorn can cause great harm! “Be careful,” the metaphor warns: Love is a feast to the senses, but it can overwhelm us, and it can also hurt us and cause acute suffering. This is the poet’s perception of love--a warning. What is the point? Just this: It took almost 14 sentences to clarify what a simple metaphor communicates in only four words! That is the artistry and the joy of the simple metaphor.
【小题1】According to the passage, what is a metaphor?