In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
　　A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
【小题1】What did the author say about her own writing experience?

Students and Technology in the Classroom
　　I love my blackberry—it’s my little connection to the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop computer，as it holds all of my writing and thoughts. Despite this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices(设备) and truly communicate with others.
　　On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the material and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptop, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.
　　Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There’s a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There’s no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it so I can relate to my students.
　　The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course material and the class discussion.
　　I’ve been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect student satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course material beyond the classroom.
　　I’m not saying that I won’t ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I’m sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.
【小题1】Some of the students in the history class were unhappy with____

Britain and France are separated by the English Channel, a body of water that can be crossed in as few as 20 minutes. But the cultures of the two countries sometimes seem to be miles apart.
　　Last Thursday Britain and France celebrated the 100th anniversary(周年纪念) of the signing of a friendship agreement called the Entente Cordiality. The agreement—signed in London on April 8, 1904—marked a new beginning for the countries following centuries of wars and love-hate partnership.
　　But their relationship has been ups and downs over the past century. Just last year, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war—which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite(不管, 尽管) French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort is expressed in Blair and Chirac's body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greets German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug (拥抱), Blair just receives a handshake.
However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties. “The British population was against war, ” said Francois Heisbourg, director of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research(战略基金研究会). “So it could have actually helped bring the two sides closer. ”
　　The history of divisions(分割, 区分) may well be because of the very different ways in which the two sides see the world. “The French think Britain is not doing its best to become part of Europe by not introducing the single European currency(货币), ” said Geoff Hare, a former lecturer in French politics and language at Newcastle University in Britain. “France has spent the past 15 to 20 years making itself seen as part of the European Union. ”
　 But this doesn't stop 12 million Britons taking holidays in France each year. However,only 3 million French come in the opposite direction. Surveys show that most French people feel closer to the Germans than they do to the British. And the research carried out in Britain has found that only a third of the population believes the French can be trusted.Perhaps this bad feeling comes because the British dislike France's close relationship with Germany. Or because the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.
　　Whatever the answer is, as both sides celebrate 100 years of “doubtful friendship”, they are at least able to make jokes about each other. Here's one:What's the best thing about Britain's relationship with France? The English Channel.
1. For centuries, the relationship between England and France is______.
A. friendly
B. impolite
C. brotherly
D. a mixture of love and hate
2. The war in Iraq does ______ to the relationship between France and England.
A. good
B. harm
C. neither good nor harm
D. both good and harm
3. The British are not so friendly to ______ and the French are not so friendly to ______.
A. Germany;America
B. America;Germany
C. Germany;Germany too
D. America;America too
4. What does the last sentence mean?
A. As long as the English Channel exists, no further disagreement will form between France and Britain.
B. The English Channel can prevent anything unfriendly happening in both France and Britain.
C. France and Britain are near neighbors, and this will help balance the relationship between them.
D. The English Channel is the largest enemy between France and Britain.
5. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The British differ greatly from the French in culture, origin and custom.
B. The British and The French are against each other because of the very different ways in which they see the world.
C. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the signing of a friendship agreement mark-ed the mixture feeling of love and hatred over the last century between Britain and Franc-e.
D. The British dislike France's close relationship with Germany, while the French are not happy with Britain's close links with the US.     

Recently divorced(离婚), I had no job and was on my way downtown to go the rounds of the employment offices despite the great   36 . My old umbrella was broken, and I could not   37  another one.
I sat down in the streetcar — and there against the seat was a beautiful silk   38  with a silver handle inlaid (镶嵌) with gold. I had   39  seen anything so lovely.
I   40  the handle and saw a   41 . I got off the streetcar and   42  opened the umbrella to protect myself. Then I searched a   43  book for the name on the umbrella and found it. I called and a lady answered.
Yes, she said in   44 , that was her umbrella, which her parents, now dead, had given her for a birthday present.   45 , she added, it had been stolen at school (she was a teacher) more than a year before.
She was so excited that I   46  I was   47  a job and went directly to her house. She took the umbrella, her   48  filled with tears.
I refused the   49   she gave me. We talked for a while, and I must have given her my address. I don’t remember.
The next six months were   50 . I was able to obtain   51  here and there. l reached the lowest point in my   52 . Unless a miracle happened, I would be homeless in January, foodless, jobless.
Christmas Eve came. No money to buy my daughter a gift. I was sobbing (抽泣) in the cold little kitchen   53  the doorbell rang and my daughter Peggy ran to answer it. He was a postman, and his arms were   54  of parcels. “This is a mistake” I said, but he read the name on the parcels and there were for me.
Peggy and I sat on the floor and opened them. I looked for the name of the sender. It was the teacher. The address was   55  “California”, where she had moved.

Are you tired of looking for love in all the usual places? Nowadays, millions of lonely singles are now going online instead．The World Wide Web is quickly becoming the world’s most popular matchmaker．With so many singles online, dozens of dating sites like Yahoo Personals and Match．com are helping singles find that special someone．Around the world, from America to China, love is now very much online．

       Singles are flocking to the Internet mainly because their busy lifestyles leave them little time to look for a significant other．Using dating sites is quick and convenient．They can “meet” a lot more people online than they could by hanging out at a club．Besides , many singles say the regular dating scene has just led them from one bad experience to another and are ready to try something else．They also appreciate the first distance of online dating, which allows them to hide themselves until they are ready to meet someone face to face．Dating sites also make it easy to avoid someone you are not interested in．In the real world, however, ignoring someone you don’t like can be awkward．

       Despite all the advantages, online dating also presents its own set of problems．People aren’t always who they claim to be in their online profiles．For instance, someone who tells you he is “handsome, successful and single” might turn out to be homely, unemployed and married．Safety is another concern．You are just as likely to find a criminal online as you are Mr or Miss Right．

       Even so, supporters of online dating see things in a positive way．In their opinion, singles can safely play the online dating game with a little common sense．Online dating experts recommend following a few safety tips:

       Guard your personal information．Never give out your personal information online．This includes your last name, phone number, home address and place of work．

       Watch for red flags．Do any of the people you are chatting with make disrespectful comments? Do they try to control you? Do they give false information about themselves? If so, forget them!

       Meet in a safe place．When meeting someone in person, choose a public location with other people around．

       Following these tips and you might be able to find the person of your dreams．

1.According to the passage, many lonely singles don’t appreciate the regular dating scene because it is ___．

       A．unpopular　　　    B．troublesome    C．convenient　    D．forgettable

2.This passage is mainly about 　　．

       A．getting tired of falling in love in a usual way

       B．people with false information on the Internet

       C．new technology to find love through the Interent

       D．web sites such as Yahoo Personals and Match．com

3.Which of the following is NOT a suitable place for meeting someone you get to know through the Internet for the first time according to the text?

       A．At his/her house．　　　　　      B．At a museum．

       C．At McDonald’s．　　    D．At a bookstore．

4.From this passage ,we can infer that 　　．

       A．there are mostly homely and unemployed people online

       B．the police had better find criminals online

       C．we can find love only through the dating sites

       D．following safety tips ensure a safe online dating experience