The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between five and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books．

       The Kids & Family Reading Report also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer．At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day．

       The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years．The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study．But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop．

       “Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report．

       One in four kids between five and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week．One of the key reasons kids say they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate(低估)．

       The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday．The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop．

       “Parents’ engagement in their child’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading,” adds Carter．

What can we learn from the text?

       A．Children don’t like reading any more after the age of 8.

       B．Most children like reading as well as going online.

       C．All kids like reading e – books instead of printed ones.

       D．Most children like going online instead of reading.

It can be inferred from the passage that        .

       A．the study of kids’ reading has been made before

       B．most parents begin reading to their kids from their birth

       C．all kids like to get information using the Internet

       D．nowadays all children still like to read books

Which of the following is true according to the text?

       A．The kids who often go online don’t like reading books.

       B．Parents should teach their kids reading from an early age.

       C．Sometimes it is difficult for kids to get the books they like.

       D．When kids get older, parents spend more time with them.

According to the text,        contributes a lot to children’s interest in reading.

       A．the Internet             B．parents’ engagement

       C．short supply of books      D．new technology

What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．Do kids still like reading?       B．Kids’ interest in reading drops

       C．New technology on kids’ reading    D．Parents’ influence on kids’ reading

The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between five and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books．
The Kids & Family Reading Report also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer．At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day．
The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years．The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study．But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop．
“Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report．
One in four kids between five and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week．One of the key reasons kids say they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate(低估)．
The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday．The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop．
“Parents’ engagement in their child’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading,” adds Carter．
【小题1】What can we learn from the text?

The saying that children don’t like reading any more has been proved untrue. A new study finds that 75 percent of kids between five and 17 say that although they love technology, they still want to read books．

       The Kids & Family Reading Report also says that 62 percent of kids prefer reading printed books rather than those on a computer．At the same time, those who search an author’s website or use the Internet to find books by a particular author, are more likely to read books for fun every day．

       The study also once again proves that the time kids spend reading books for fun decreases after the age of eight and continues to drop through the teen years．The report is a follow-up to a 2006 study．But this time the focus is on the role of technology and when kids’ interest in reading starts to drop．

       “Despite the fact that after the age of eight more children go online daily than read for fun daily, high frequency Internet users are more likely to read books for fun every day,” says Heather Carter, a writer of the report．

       One in four kids between five and 17 say they read books for fun every day and more than half of kids say they read books for fun at least two to three times a week．One of the key reasons kids say they don’t read more often is that they have trouble finding books they like - a requirement that parents underestimate(低估)．

       The study also finds that parents have a strong influence on kids’ reading, but only about half of all parents begin reading to their kids before their first birthday．The percent of children who are read to every day drops from 38 percent among five-to eight-year-olds to 23 percent among nine-to 11-year-olds - exactly the same time that kids’ daily reading for fun starts to drop．

       “Parents’ engagement in their child’s reading from birth all the way through the teen years can have a great influence on how often their children read and how much they enjoy reading,” adds Carter．

1.What can we learn from the text?

       A．Children don’t like reading any more after the age of 8.

       B．Most children like reading as well as going online.

       C．All kids like reading e – books instead of printed ones.

       D．Most children like going online instead of reading.

2.It can be inferred from the passage that        .

       A．the study of kids’ reading has been made before

       B．most parents begin reading to their kids from their birth

       C．all kids like to get information using the Internet

       D．nowadays all children still like to read books

3.Which of the following is true according to the text?

       A．The kids who often go online don’t like reading books.

       B．Parents should teach their kids reading from an early age.

       C．Sometimes it is difficult for kids to get the books they like.

       D．When kids get older, parents spend more time with them.

4.According to the text,        contributes a lot to children’s interest in reading.

       A．the Internet             B．parents’ engagement

       C．short supply of books      D．new technology

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

       A．Do kids still like reading?       B．Kids’ interest in reading drops

       C．New technology on kids’ reading    D．Parents’ influence on kids’ reading

As summer comes near, many children are really happy to forget about school for a few months. However, studies have found that children typically forget between one and three months’ worth of school learning during the summer months. Spelling and math abilities suffer the most, while reading is not really influenced by the time off. The most probable reason for this is that most children read at least occasionally outside of the classroom, whether newspapers, magazines, books, or video game guides. However, their math and spelling skills only get exercised in the school setting.

The original purpose of summer vacations was to let farm children have time off to help work in the fields in the high growing season, but this reason is no longer valid since fewer kids actually work on farms today. Some cities in the United States, such as Los Angeles, have moved to a year-round school calendar, which may help reduce the academic decline that occurs during the long summer vacation. Most cities still use the normal nine and a half-month calendars. To improve skills and to maintain a good level of preparation, experts recommend trips to museums, summer camps, and visits to libraries to keep kids mentally active and interested throughout the summer.

There are other educational systems that provide vacations while still keeping students’ skills sharp(敏锐的). For example, in Japan students attend class for seven weeks continuously, followed by two weeks of vacation. This continues throughout the year. In Italy, students attend class six days per week, but finish at 1:30 PM each day, so that school does not dominate their life the way that it does in America.

Educational specialists fear that the three-month summer vacation stops the continuity of learning. Just as students become accustomed to new concepts in reading, writing, or critical thinking skills, they “shut down” for an extended period. When they go back to school after the long summer vacation, they take up to two months to return to their previous level of understanding. And so the debate continues: whether to continue the present vacations or to seek changes.

41. Spelling and math abilities suffer the most during the summer months because children _____.

A. take the summer vacation too seriously

B. do little work of math or spelling

C. don’t like spelling and math

D. have to help work in the fields

42. What can be learned from the passage?

A. Students read in summer vacations.

B. Nowadays no children work on farm in summer vacations.

C. The United States has cancelled summer vacations.

D. The nine and a half-month calendars help improve skills.

43. What is one of the advantages of Japan and Italy’s educational systems?

A. They provide students with shorter vacations every year.

B. The students have more free time of their own to play.

C. They offer vacations without affecting students’ skills.

D. The students attend classes for longer time every week.

44. What does the underlined phrase “shut down” in the last paragraph probably mean?

A. Stop learning.                  B. Get sick.

C. Go on vacation.        D. Concentrate on their studies.

45. What is the best title for the passage?

A. How to Spend Summer Vacations.

B. No More Summer Vacations.

C. Summer Vacations: Change or Not

D. New Educational Systems Needed