There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. In fact, she 41 nobody except her boyfriend, for he was always 42 to help her. She used to tell her boyfriend, “If I could see the 43 , I would marry you. ”

　 One day, someone donated a pair of 44 to her. When the bandages（绷带）came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend, for the 45 time. He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you 46 me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and was greatly surprised to see that he was 　47 . She had never expected that．She would not like to be with a blind husband for the rest of her life，so she 48 to marry him．

Her boyfriend left in tears and a few days later wrote a 49 to her，saying，“My dear，take good care of your eyes． 50 they are yours. They were mine.”

　 This is how the human brain（人脑）often works when our status（地位）changes．Only a very few remember what 51 was like before．And we often ask for more than we need．Life is a gift. Today, before you complain about the 52 of your food，think of someone who has nothing to 53 . Before you complain about life，think of someone who went to heaven（天堂）too early. Before you complain about your old 54 , think of the people who are living in the streets．And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of those who have no jobs．So 55 what you have and don’t forget your past.

   Playing is a serious business for children. In fact, it’s what they do best! Ask them why they do it, and kids will probably say, "Because it’s fun!" But it’s much more than that. It’s also good for them.

 Studies show that from birth babies begin learning through playing. They use their five senses to get to know their new world. Touching allows them to discover how different things feel. Brightly colored toys and clothing help develop a baby’s sense of sight.

   When small children choose which toy to play with, they begin developing their abilities in   making decisions. Children love toys that allow them to use their imagination. Sometimes an empty box is more fun than a high-tech (高科技) toy. That’s because a box can become anything a child imagines it to be.

   Crayons, paints and Ply-Doha（彩色塑泥） are also good because they allow children to create. Traditional building blocks teach important pre-math skills like problem-solving.

   Playing doesn’t become any less important once children start school.   ?    . Kids learn how to share, take turns and play by the rules（规则）．

1 Why is playing a serious business for children?

   A. Because it is fun.

   B. Because children like playing.

   C. Because children can get much more from playing.

   D. Because children make friends through playing.

2 Which sentence can be filled in the          ？

   A. Classroom is the most important place for children to learn life.

   B. Many useful lessons about life are learned on the school playground.

   C. Five senses are used in children’s study when they are at school.

   D. Children like to go to school if they can play on the school playground.

3 Which of the following is true?

   A. Arts can develop children’s creative ideas.

   B. Babies learn everything through playing.

   C. An empty box is less fun than a high-tech toy for children.

   D. Playing is no longer important for children after they start school.

4 What’s the passage mainly about?

   A. How to play with children.            B. How to develop children’s five senses.

   C. Playing is fun for children.            D. Playing is good for children’s development.

A lady has a problem with her daughter:
My nine-year-old daughter, Maria, is in Year Four. Every evening we get into homework battles(争执). Three afternoons a week, she has activities(netball, singing) after school and by the time we get home early, we argue(争论) about whether she should do her homework right after school, or if she should have some time to rest and play first. When Maria at last sits down to do her homework, she seems to want me there helping all the time, I do want to help her, but I’m sure that she is going to need to be able to do it on her own. And in fact, most of the time, I have other things I need to be doing. It seems that children these days have much more homework than we did, and some of it is really beyond(超越) their abilities(能力). As you can see, I’m really worried about homework and I really don’t know what I should do. Any ideas?
【小题1】The woman’s daughter is          .

After spending years searching for a planet with life, scientists may have found one. In September 2010, a team of US scientists discovered an Earth-sized planet called Gliese 581g. It has a surface temperature neither too hot nor too cold for liquid（液态）water. Scientists think there is a chance that the planet could have life.
The planet Gliese 581g goes around a star called Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years from Earth. That is about 194 trillion（万亿）kilometres －500 million times farther away from us than the moon.
A spacecraft traveling at a one-tenth of the speed of light would reach Gliese 581g within about 220 years. A human can’t live that long, but robotic explorers could make the job easier. However, our fastest spacecraft don’t come anywhere near that one-tenth light-speed mark.
At present, scientists don’t know what the surface might be like on Gliese 581g. What they know is that the planet is at the sight distance from its star to have liquid water. It’s also at the right distance to have an atmosphere that could protect the water if it is on the surface.
Although spacecraft won’t be getting there anytime soon, one way to look for life on Gliese 581g is to turn our radio telescopes（望远镜）towards the planet and search for radiation（放射）. By studying the radiation, scientists would find out about the chemicals（化学物质）around the planet and discover it Gliese 581g has an atmosphere. If it has one, studying the atmosphere would give us a good idea if the planet has life or not. But it’ll probably be many years before we can do this properly.
People have been arguing about whether there is alien life on Gliese 581g. Any discussion about alien life is just guessing at this point, according to its discoverers.
【小题1】 What did scientists find in September 2010?