I was interested to read a newspaper article about a new concept in old people’s homes in France. The idea is simple, but revolutionary——combining a residential home for the elderly with a nursery school in the same building. The children and the residents eat lunch together and share activities. In the afternoons, the residents enjoy reading or telling stories to the children, and if a child is feeling sad or tired, there is always a kind lap to sit on and a cuddle(拥抱). There are trips out and birthday parties too.

    The advantages are enormous for everyone concerned. The children are happy because they get a lot more individual attention, and respond well because someone has time for them. They see illness and death and learn to accept them. The residents are happy because they feel useful and needed. They are more active and more interested in life when the children are around and they take more interest in their appearance too.

    Nowadays there is less and less contact between the old and the young. There are many reasons for this, including the breakdown of the extended family, working parents with no time to care for aging relations, families that have moved away, and smaller flats with no room for grandparents. But the result is the same——increasing numbers of children without grandparents and old people who have no contact with children. And more old people who are lonely and feel useless, along with more and more families with young children who desperately need more support. It’s a major problem in many societies.

    That’s why intergenerational programmes, designed to bring the old and the young together, are growing in popularity all over the world. There are examples of successful attempts all over the world. Using young people to teach IT skills to older people is one obvious example. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools is another, perhaps reading with children who need extra attention.

1.A nursery school is a place where _______.

A. future nurses are trained                                                    

B. the elderly live

C. children are taken care of                                                   

D. the old join in activities

2.Which is true according to the passage?

A. A number of assistants are employed to take care of the children.

B. The new concept benefits both the elderly and the children.

C. The children become stronger after getting more individual attention.

D. The children learn that sick people will die.

3.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?

A. The reason why the old and the young are separated.           

B. The support children need.

C. One reason why children don’t live with their grandparents. 

D. The problem that the old and the young are separated.

4.What does the “intergenerational programmes” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A. Combining elderly homes with nursery schools.                      

B. Letting the children and the residents eat together.

C. Asking young people to teach IT skills to older people.          

D. Using old people as volunteer assistants in schools.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Old people’s Homes in France                                            

B. Building Bridges of Life

C. A Solution to the Elderly Problem                            

D. Children’s New Happy Life

Your children’s teacher will be providing extra time for test preparation. This school year’s test will be held on January 8 and 9. The test preparation time is open to all students, and we strongly encourage your children to attend.

This year we are changing the time for our test preparation: it will be on Thursday mornings from 8:10 to 8:50. This helps children who ride the bus and cannot stay for the after-school period. It also helps avoid conflicts with after-school activities.

Danielle and Marina will be working with the recent new test takers 6 days on the following Thursdays: 15^th, Nov; 29^th, Nov; 6^th, Dec; 13^th, Dec.; 20^th, Dec. and 3^rd, Jan.

Besides the test preparation lectures on these dates, teachers are already putting test preparation into their usual courses. We are finding that we can help our students to be both skillful and whole-hearted readers and test takers — after all, we all know that the best test preparation is good reading and writing training.

What can you do at home? Again, the best and most effective test preparation for the ELA test is reading and more reading. The research is quite clear — students who do well in the tests are those who are good readers. Reading not only builds reading ability, it also helps build confidence — important for successful test taking! But do discourage your children from spending too much time on books that are too hard or even a bit too hard. Children best develop comprehension skills when they are reading books just right for them (too easy doesn’t hurt here either).

Finally, on Friday, December 7, we will have a morning lecture on the ELA. Please pay attention!

1.The text is mainly about ________.

   A. how teachers will provide more time for test preparation

   B. the reason why time for test preparation will be changed

   C. how teachers have put test preparation into their usual courses

   D. test preparation information that parents should know about

2.The time for test preparation has been changed to _________.

   A. make it more convenient for the students to attend

   B. help the new test-takers have more time to read

C. avoid disagreement in time between different years of students

   D. avoid conflicts between preparation time and the usual courses

3.From the passage, we know that ________.

   A. Danielle will help students prepare for different tests

   B. the school year test will be on a Tuesday

   C. all the children must take part in the test preparation

   D. the students can learn how to write well in the test preparation

4. Parents should _____ at home.

   A. prepare good meals for their children

   B. read more books with their children

   C. ask their children not to spend too much time on reading

   D. encourage their children to read more books fit for them

5.Why did the school encourage all the students to take part in the test preparation?

   A. Test preparation is what they always do.

   B. The students will learn what will be included in the final exam.

   C. Test preparation helps students to be more interested in reading and confident.

   D. The test is a long way off and there are better things to do.

The best supporting actress（女配角演员)of 1959 was Shalley Winters. Shalley Winters，born in 1932，first played in comedies（喜剧)musicals on Broadway. She appeared in films from 1943 and attracted attention in A Double Life（1948）|. Shalley Winters impressed her audience with her performance in The Diary of Anne Trank for which she won an Oscar. By then she had become skilled in playing weak women whose youth was fading（消失)and who were losing their attention.

1.Shalley Winters began her films career（生涯)　　　　 .?

A. in 1948　　　　　　　　 B. at the age of 11?

C. on Broadway　　　　　　　　 D. by playing in comedies and musicals?

2.The Diary of Anne Trank was filmed 　　　　 .?

A. in 1943　　　　　　　　 B. in 1948?

C. in 1959　　　　　　　　　　 D. in the 1960s?

3. By 1959 Shalley Winters 　　　　 .?

A. had become weak

B. had lost her attraction to the audience?

C. had become much older

D. had become famous?

4.The best title for this passage is “ 　　　　 ”.?

A. Oscar Winner

B. How Shalley Winters Won Oscar?

C. A Story of Shalley Winters

D. Diary of Anne Trank??

A young executive was traveling down a neighborhood street．He was watching for kids rushing out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something．As his car passed，no children appeared．Instead，a brick smashed into his door! He slammed on the brakes(make his car stop)．The angry driver then jumped out of the car, caught the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car，shouting，“What was that all about and who are you?”

The young boy was apologetic．“Please，Mister．．．Please，I’m sorry…I didn’t know what else to do．I threw the brick because no one else would stop…”

With tears dripping down his face，the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car．“It’s my brother，”he said．“He fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up．”

Now sobbing(crying silently)，the boy asked the executive，“Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me．’’

   Moved beyond words，the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat．He hurriedly lifted the boy back into the wheelchair，then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed(a light touch) at the fresh scrapes and cuts．A quick look told him everything was going to be okay．“Thank you and may God bless you．”the grateful child told the stranger．Shaken up for words，the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair—bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home．

   God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts．Sometimes when we don’t have time to listen，he has to throw a brick at us．Don’t go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

1.The executive slowed down because______.        .

A．he saw a boy throw a brick to his car

B．he saw a boy rush out from between cars

C．he was afraid some boys suddenly rushed out

D．a brick smashed into his door

2.The boy threw the brick to the car in order to_________.

A. disturb the driver on purpose

B．destroy the car of the stranger

C．ask someone to drive him home

D．stop someone to help him

3.Knowing the reason why the boy threw the brick at his car the executive must feel       .

A．sympathized and excited  

B．regretful and sympathized

C．ashamed and regretful    

D．angry and regretful

4.After the boy’s brother fell off his wheelchair,        .

A．the boy threw bricks at several cars 

B．the boy tried to stop several cars

C．the boy’s brother was hurt seriously 

D．the boy’s brother wanted to stop a car

5.From the last paragraph we can learn that         .

A．you shouldn’t drive so fast that someone throws at you

B．it is common to throw a brick at a car running too fast

C．you can’t go through your life without a brick throwing at you

D．you should pay more attention to others and help them

Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack of concentration (注意力) is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results.

If so, use these tips to help you.

Study Techniques

l  You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it.

l  Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.

l  Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.

Test-taking Skills

l  All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of

rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.

l  Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also

 improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.

l  When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and

deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.

1.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A. You should study in a different place every day, so you don’t get bored.

B. Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.

C. Check the time during the exam at a certain time.

D. Staying up all night and studying is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method.

2.What does the underlined word “it” （paragraph 2）refer to?

A. Your study desk or table.    B. Your textbook.

C. Your dictionary.             D. The equipment you need.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A. You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test.

B. You will have enough energy to deal with your study and exams by eating healthy diet.

C. You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you.

D. If you feel tired during study, you can walk around for a few minutes.