I am a psychologist. I first met Timothy, a quiet, overweight eleven-year-old boy, when his mother brought him to me to discuss his declining grades. A few minutes with Timothy were enough to confirm that his self-esteem(自尊) and general happiness were falling right along with them. I asked about Timothy’s typical day. He awoke every morning at six thirty so he could reach his school by eight and arrived home around four thirty each afternoon. He then had a quick snack, followed by either a piano lesson or a lesson with his math tutor. He finished dinner at 7 pm, and then he sat down to do homework for two to three hours. Quickly doing the math in my head, I found that Timothy spent an average of thirteen hours a day at a writing desk.

What if Timothy spent thirteen hours a day at a sewing machine instead of a desk? We would immediately be shocked, because that would be called children being horribly mistreated. Timothy was far from being mistreated, but the mountain of homework he faced daily resulted in a similar consequence —he was being robbed of his childhood. In fact, Timothy had no time to do anything he truly enjoyed, such as playing video games, watching movies, or playing board games with his friends.

Play, however, is a crucial part of healthy child development. It affects children’s creativity, their social skills, and even their brain development. The absence of play, physical exercise, and free­from social interaction takes a serious toll on many children. It can also cause significant health problems like childhood obesity, sleep problems and depression.

Experts in the field recommend the minutes children spend on their homework should be no more than ten times the number of their grade level. As a fifth­grader, Timothy should have no more than fifty minutes a day of homework (instead of three times that amount). Having an extra two hours an evening to play, relax, or see a friend would soundly benefit any child’s life quality.

1.What does the underlined word “them” in the first paragraph probably refer to?

A. Timothy’s parents.                                                        B. Timothy’s grades.

C. Psychologists.                                                              D. The students.

2.What did the writer think of Timothy after learning about his typical day?

A. Timothy was very hard­working.

B. Timothy was being mistreated.

C. Timothy had a heavy burden.

D. Timothy was enjoying his childhood.

3.Which of the following statements best describes the writer’s opinion?

A. Children should be allowed enough time to play.

B. Playing board games works better than playing video games.

C. The more they play, the more creative children will become.

D. The depression caused by homework makes children unwilling to play.

4.According to the passage, how long should a third­grader spend a day doing homework?

A. About ten minutes.

B. No more than twenty minutes.

C. No more than thirty minutes.

D. About fifty minutes.

The story I’m going to tell truly happened in my life.

The other day, I met a man outside the gym who_16___a movie star. He was handsome and smiling. His upper body was muscular and he __17_to be on top of the world.

“How are you?” I _18___with a smile. “I’m doing really well,” he replied in a cheerful voice. His enthusiasm and big smile _19___the parking garage . _20___as he walked up, I _21___his long legs were thin and I saw he had a silver cane(手杖).“Why do you need that cane?” I couldn’t _22___thinking he had a minor injury. “I have MS,” he answered in a _23___ voice too, as his broad smile __24__left his face. Multiple Sclerosis is a very serious disease and often painful. I looked at him from my little red sports car and said, “You _25___it very well. You seem like a happy man _26___ the MS.” Without losing a bit of his smile he replied, “ I am a happy man,” and then added, “I’d be even happier if I had that sports _27___.”

 It was ironic(讽刺的). Just _28___we spoke, I’d been sitting in that little sports car, feeling sad about my painful shoulder over the last 11 months although I was _29___ after an operation. Here’s a man with a __30__far tougher than mine, but his positive attitude made him feel no _31___happiness. He went on with his enjoyment of life as usual, which moved me deeply.

     It was also a wonderful reminder of that old _32___, “I cried because I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” _33___ your problems, just keep in__34__that none of us goes through life __35__and like the man with MS, make the most of what you have. Count your blessings.

短文改错（共10小题;每小题1分，满分10分）

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的每一行作出判断：如无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾（√）；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正：

该行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并也用斜线划掉。

该行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。

该行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。

Dear editor,

I am a high school student. I have problem to ask              66._________

you for help. A few days before, one of my very good            67._________

friend told me that he was going to leave school.                68._________

He said that he wanted to start his own’s business. I tried          69._________

my best to get him to change his mind, and I failed.              70._________

I realize it is difficult of me to persuade him. He                 71._________

is not doing so good in his studies. The process is                72._________

more important than the result. Now there are only               73._________

90 days being left before the test. I am not sure                  74._________

his decision is right or wrong. I needed your advice.             75._________

Gao Fei