It’s not entirely true that kids learn a second language easily, but it’s still the best time to learn. Babies are basically equipped to hear and distinguish every possible language and dialect, but once they reach 6 months old, they begin to focus on the particular sounds that exist in the languages that they’re exposed to. In this way, kids will naturally and automatically be bilingual(双语的) if they hear multiple languages on a daily basis when they are still babies..

One lady told me of her son who grew up in a very multi-cultural community working at a resort. He would naturally and easily switch from Dutch, to French, to Italian, German and English depending on who he was talking to. Of course that’s an extreme case, but it’s completely possible and easy.

It’ s not true that they will get mixed up by learning multiple languages. They may mix them up purposely simply because certain words or expressions are easier, but they won’t develop any permanent language disabilities. Quite the contrary, bilingual children have been shown to be as much as a year more advanced in learning ability development for 2 and 3 years olds.

Some kids who simply aren’t gifted at learning languages, just as some aren’t gifted at sports or music, will find it difficult to continue schooling in a foreign language. In that case, it may be better not to continue with the foreign language school. Still, it will have been an excellent opportunity for Grade One. Perhaps for Grade Two you could try a bilingual school.

In any case, learning even a small amount of a foreign language, maintaining the ability to hear and pronounce it by listening to music and movies will keep a foundation for later learning. Knowing a second language can be a great benefit for gaining employment.

1.What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

         A. It’s difficult for kids to learn a second language.

         B. Kids are able to learn multiple languages.

         C. Kids should be exposed to the native language.

         D. Kids enjoy all kinds of different dialects.

2.What did the lady tell us about her son?

         A. He could speak five kinds of languages.

         B. He was learning some different languages.

         C. He could talk with many people at the same time.

         D. He was working in a multi-community.

3.In which way can learning multiple languages benefit kids according to the text?

         A. Mixing up different languages.

         B. Distinguish different dialects.

         C. Developing learning ability.

         D. Developing language disabilities.

4.What should you do if your kids are not good at learning language?

         A. Ask them to turn to sports or music.

         B. Encourage them to remain in Grade One.

         C. Let them remain in the foreign language school.

         D. Send them to a bilingual school later.

A new reading tool was put on the market this week for the two-to five-year-old set. It is sold for at least $389, an expensive purchase for a kid – and that doesn’t even include a $99 annual subscription (订阅) fee for games, e-books, and age-appropriate software.

That might be fine for parents willing and able to pay thousands for private nursery schools, but will the tool actually help kids learn language and reading skills more effectively than traditional books?

Probably not, said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center for Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston. “There is a sensory components (感官因素) to books that isn’t there with e-books,” he explained. “You can smell it, turn the pages, and taste it, as young kids are likely to do.”

That might help little ones become more familiar with the books, helping them learn from them, but far more important is whether a person is actually sitting with them while they’re looking at the pages.

Researchers have shown time and again that kids learn better when they’re having interaction (互动) with real people, rather than electronic voices reading to them from a computer or speaking to them from the TV.

A Georgetown University study found that kids who learned to put on gloves from watching a video took six times as long to learn the process as those who watched it shown by an adult standing in front of them.

“I’m a big believer in teaching kids to live in the digital society and use what the rest of the family uses, but they do need to be supervised,” said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, a Boston-based children’s doctor and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We don’t recommend that young kids use any type of technology for very long since they have the attention span (注意力持续时间) of a butterfly.”

1.According to the text, the new tool        .

2.Why is Dr. Michael Rich against the new tool?

3.The study mentioned in Paragraph 6 aims to        .

4.The underlined word “supervised” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “     ”.

5.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

When Ben delivered milk to my home one morning before Christmas，he wasn’t his usual sunny self. He told me a customer had left without paying the bill，$79，nor leaving her new address. So it meant that he had to cover the loss.

 “She was a pretty woman，”he said， “with six children and another on the way. She was always saying. ‘I’m going to pay you soon when my husband gets a second job.’ I believed her，but she left. Isn’t it annoying?”

  “Give her the milk. Make it a Christmas present to the kids who need it.” I said.

  The holidays came and went. On a sunny January morning two weeks later，Ben was rushing to deliver milk when he saw a woman running down the street，waving money. He recognized her immediately--the woman who didn’t pay her bill.

   “I’m so sorry.” she said. “I really have been meaning to pay you.”

   She explained that her husband had come home one night and announced he' d found cheaper apartment. He' d also got a new job. With all that happened, she' d forgotten to leave the new address. “But I've been saving,” she said. “Here's $20 toward the bill.

   “That' s all right,” Ben replied. “It's been paid.”

   “Paid!” she exclaimed (惊叫). “What do you mean? Who paid it?”

    “I did,” Ben said, “It went to the children as a Christmas present!”

1.Ben was upset one morning because _______.

   A. a customer left without paying the bill

   B. he lost $ 79 on the way of the delivery

   C. he had to buy a present for the children

   D. he was going to lose his job

2.The author helped Ben by offering him _______.

A. a Christmas present                B. the debtor' s new address

   C. some money to cover the loss   D. a suggestion to cheer him up

3.We can probably infer from the passage that the woman _______.

  A. cheated to raise her children   B. moved to escape paying back the debts

  C. was a person with honesty     D. wanted to give her children a Christmas gift

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. An Unhappy Christmas       B. An Unusual Present

C. A Poor Couple's Life          D. A Helpful Customer

Earlier this morning I e-mailed an old friend, Mark. We have been out of touch for 12 years, but the   36   is a wonderful thing. Finding his e-mail address   37   less than a minute. He is working on his doctoral paper in western America.

    Mark and I met at a summer   38   that we both attended. I went every year from the time I was 8 or 9 until I was 15. I don’t   39   exactly, but I think Mark was there for as many years as I was.

    We lived close to each other and   40   saw each other around the campsite, but not often. Mostly we stayed together for a week or two in the   41   and wrote letters back and forth during the rest of the first few years. I still have all of his letters in a box somewhere. I come across them occasionally and   42   to sit down and read through them, but I never have. He was a   43   and precious friend to me, and I am deeply   44   that we have drifted so far apart.

     Mark was a very kind and incredibly bright and funny   45  . He loved Monty Python — I mean he was a fanatic(狂热者), and could   46   entire movies from memory. He was one of those kids who   47   such a unique and powerful mind   48   they never quite fit into the main stream of life.   49   Mark, who I believe realized that, never seemed to care about it. When I knew that Mark was working on his   50   (on a highly intellectual and fairly mysterious and difficult topic), I thought, “Well yes, of course.” He is just where I would

  51   him to be.

     I wonder if he will write me back. I wonder if he will be   52   by where I am. I wonder whether he and I can be   53   again, or whether these years have left us with   54  

in common. I wonder whether he can ever be the man I   55  , or only remain the boy I knew.  

1.A. world                           B. Internet                    C. life                   D. fax     

2.A. cost                      B. paid                         C. took                  D. spent

3.A. train                            B. meeting                    C. camp                D. holiday

4.A. remind                 B. recall                       C. remember          D. realize

5.A. occasionally           B. regularly                  C. usually              D. commonly

6.A. neighborhood        B. group                       C. holiday             D. summer

7.A. manage                 B. advise                      C. intend               D. prefer

8.A. likely                    B. friendly                    C. coldly               D. dear

9.A. regret                    B. sorry                        C. excited              D. satisfied

10.A. teenager                     B. adult                        C. reader               D. camper

11.A. see                      B. recite                       C. write                 D. read

12.A. gained                 B. had                          C. got                   D. deserved

13.A. that                           B. as                            C. because             D. so

14.A. Because               B. Though                    C. Since                D. But

15.A. book                          B. novel                       C. paper                D. lesson

16.A. let                       B. lead                         C. expect               D. allow

17.A. shocked               B. surprised                  C. disappointed      D. excited

18.A. classmates            B. partners                    C. enemies             D. friends

19.A. everything           B. something                C. nothing             D. anything[来源:Z_

20.A. value                   B. know                       C. dislike            D. admire

 A new book about Chinese-style tough parenting has caused debate in the US．Amy Chua, the author of Battle Hymn （颂歌）of the Tiger Mother, is a Chinese-American professor at Yale Law School, also a mother of two．

The  36   methods she used with her daughters would seem   37   to Westerners．In school her daughters weren't allowed to have grades   38   than As．They had to   39  playing the piano or violin even for hours a day．

There has been wide criticism (批评) of Chua's book in the US．"It's a(n)   40   way of parenting," said a professor at New York University, "standards of parenting need to be  41  ．Children need parents to   42   them, not to force them to do things they're probably not interested in．”

Now the criticism seems to have   43   to China．Sun Yunxiao, an expert from the China Youth and Children Research Center spoke to The Beijing News about his   44   .  He argued Chua's method of   45   would limit children from developing their full   46   ．"Some Chinese parents do focus too much on test scores and good degrees," Sun said, "What gets sacrificed (放弃) along the way is their kids’  47  to develop fully and to enjoy life．"

48   critics(批评家)might have sympathy for kids who experience this parenting style, some teenagers quite   49   it．"I think anyone can do well if they work hard enough,” said a 17-year-old boy, "A   50   mother is there to help her kids work hard．"

Others think that Chua has a（n）  51  in setting challenging goals for kids．"It's important for children,” said an American professor, "  52  speaking , kids need to be   53   sometimes．If you urge kids to do well, they are good at it, and they   54   from it．It's good to have high   55  ．”

1.A．rough          B．reasonable        C．vivid          D．strict

2.A．unnecessary  B．uncomfortable  C．uninteresting  D．unimaginable

3.A．higher             B．fewer                C．less      D．lower

4.A．drill         B．practise         C．exercise    D．experience

5.A．skilful            B．extreme          C．excellent  D．merciful

6.A．practical          B．high             C．convenient      D．low

7.A．replace            B．love                 C．force     D．guide

8.A．spread             B．belonged         C．turned        D．referred

9.A．concern            B．delight          C．caution     D.regulation

10.A．caring            B．fond         C．supporting   D．parenting

11.A．goal              B．potential  C．achievement   D．possibility

12.A．strength          B．power            C．force       D．ability

13.A．Why               B．Because          C．While        D．What

14.A．resist            B． state               C．object   D．appreciate

15.A．lion             B．monkey          C．tiger         D．sheep

16.A．angle             B．point           C．opinion          D．view

17.A．Honestly         B．Positively     C．Hopefully   D．Finally

18.A．pushed            B．picked           C．lifted         D．dragged

19.A．count             B．work             C．help       D．benefit

20.A．levels            B．expectations    C.marks       D．results