Encouraging Children to Think

　　　 Creativity is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

　　　 If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking and developing new ideas.

　　　 Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of hign intelligence. Just because a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.

　　　 Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly, but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.

　　　 It is important to give children choices. Form the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

79. What did the company where Dick Drew work learn from its mistake?

A. They encouraged people to work a longer time.

B. They discouraged people to think freely.

C. They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas.

D. They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas.

80. Creativity is something __________.

A. that people are born with

B. that depends on intelligence

C. that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems

D. that is not important

81. Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?

A. They don’t understand the importance of education.

B. They don’t want their students to make mistakes.

C. They pay too much attention to examination marks and language skills.

D. They think it more important to remember some information.

82. What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?

A. Try to help them as much as possible

B. Take no notice of whatever they do

C. Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much

D. Leave them as they are

Friends are very important in our everyday life. Everyone ___1___ friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is ___2__ to have a friend to talk, laugh, and do things with. ___3___, sometimes we need to be alone. We don’t always want people ___4___. But we would feel lonely if we ___5___ had a friend.
No two people are just the same. Friends ___6___ don’t get on well. That doesn’t ___7__ that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will make up and become __8__ again.
Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very ___9___. We miss them very much, but we can ___10___ them and write to them. And we can ___11___ new friends. It is encouraging to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live __12___ than people who don’t. Why? Friends can make us feel happy. ___13___ happy helps you stay well. Or it could be much better that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take ___14__ care of ___15___.
(  ) 1. A. loves       B. hates         C. needs       D. becomes
(  ) 2. A. nice        B. sad          C. bad         D. afraid
(  ) 3. A. Hardly      B. Nearly       C. Suddenly     D. Certainly
(  ) 4. A. alone       B. away         C. over        D. around
(  ) 5. A. ever        B. never        C. just         D. really
(  ) 6. A. always      B. sometimes     C. often       D. usually
(  ) 7. A. think       B. say           C. mean      D. speak
(  ) 8. A. partners     B. classmates     C. parents     D. friends
(  ) 9. A. angry       B. sad           C. happy      D. alone
(  ) 10. A. call        B. ask           C. tell        D. talk
(  ) 11. A. look        B. find          C. make       D. know
(  ) 12. A. longer      B. shorter        C. slower      D. faster
(  ) 13. A. Smelling     B. Being        C. Sounding    D. Making
(  ) 14. A. less         B. better         C. worse       D. more
(  ) 15. A. you          B. your         C. yours        D. yourself

Friends are very important in our everyday life. Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh, and do things with.      , sometimes we need to be alone. We don’t always want people      . But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

No two people are      . Friends sometimes don’t get on well. That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will       and become friends again.

Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very      . We miss them very much, but we can call them and write to them. And we can       new friends. It is encouraging to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.

    There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don’t. Why? Friends can make us feel happy. Being happy helps you      well. If someone cares about you, you take       care of yourself.

1.A. Hardly      B. Nearly               C. Suddenly    D. Certainly

2.A. alone       B. away         C. all over        D. around

3.A. friendly     B. kind             C. just the same       D. quite different

4.A. make up    B. run away    C. get around         D. set off

5.A. angry      B. sad           C. happy            D. alone

6.A. search       B. contact         C. make           D. know

7.A. stay       B. match          C. think             D. organize

8.A. less          B. better         C. little             D. lot

Friends are very important in our everyday life. Everyone ___1___ friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is ___2__ to have a friend to talk, laugh, and do things with. ___3___, sometimes we need to be alone. We don’t always want people ___4___. But we would feel lonely if we ___5___ had a friend.

    No two people are just the same. Friends ___6___ don’t get on well. That doesn’t ___7__ that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will make up and become __8__ again.

    Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very ___9___. We miss them very much, but we can ___10___ them and write to them. And we can ___11___ new friends. It is encouraging to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.

There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live __12___ than people who don’t. Why? Friends can make us feel happy. ___13___ happy helps you stay well. Or it could be much better that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take ___14__ care of ___15___.

(  ) 1. A. loves        B. hates          C. needs        D. becomes

(  ) 2. A. nice         B. sad           C. bad          D. afraid

(  ) 3. A. Hardly       B. Nearly        C. Suddenly     D. Certainly

(  ) 4. A. alone        B. away          C. over        D. around

(  ) 5. A. ever         B. never         C. just          D. really

(  ) 6. A. always       B. sometimes     C. often        D. usually

(  ) 7. A. think        B. say            C. mean       D. speak

(  ) 8. A. partners      B. classmates     C. parents      D. friends

(  ) 9. A. angry        B. sad           C. happy       D. alone

(  ) 10. A. call         B. ask           C. tell         D. talk

(  ) 11. A. look         B. find          C. make       D. know

(  ) 12. A. longer       B. shorter        C. slower      D. faster

(  ) 13. A. Smelling     B. Being         C. Sounding    D. Making

(  ) 14. A. less         B. better         C. worse        D. more

(  ) 15. A. you          B. your         C. yours        D. yourself

Evidently, our very first president, George Washington, thought being thankful was a big deal. In 1789 he declared the last Thursday in November to be a national Thanksgiving holiday. The intention was to strengthen the unity of the American people by encouraging them to gather together to honor their own families and give thanks for their country. Thanksgiving celebrations were popular even before the Indians and the Pilgrims famous feast. As time marched on, the people of the New England states continued to celebrate the holiday but the people in the lower states went about their own business ignoring it. Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, an active participant in her own community, was shocked. She believed Thanksgiving should be a priority（优先）in America for all Americans. She made a decision to be actively involved.

1．Thanksgiving was celebrated because ________.

A．it was very popular with all Americans

B．the people in the lower states overlooked the holiday

C．it was thought of great importance to unite the American people

D．it was celebrated before Christmas Day

2．The underlined word “prominent” probably means ________.

A．friendly           B．outstanding             C．promising               D．ordinary

3．We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．the Indians and the Pilgrims famous feast was also unpopular in the lower states

B．Sarah kept calm when she learned Thanksgiving celebrations was no longer popular

C．through Sarah’s hard work, more and more states returned to the celebration of Thanksgiving

D．a large number of men and women went in for the cause of reinstating Thanksgiving

4．Sarah’s character can be described as ________.

A．stubborn           B．determined            C．brave            D．enthusiastic