Do you sometimes put off doing your homework on a school night to watch TV? A new study says that
middle school students who watch TV or play video games during the week do worse in school. The study
also says that watching TV and playing video games on weekends don't affect school performance that much.
     "They could watch a lot on weekends and it didn't seem to connect with doing worse in school," said Dr.
Iman Sharif of Children's Hospital at Montefiore in New York. The study appears in the October issue of
Pediatrics. Researchers drew their conclusions after surveying (调查) 4,500 students in New Hampshire and
Vermont middle schools.
     To reach their findings, researchers didn't look at grades or test scores. Instead, they asked students to
rate their own performance on a scale ranging from "excellent" to "below".
     Other studies have found a connection between kids' ability to learn and the amount of TV they watch.
One study even found that kids with televisions in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math
and language arts tests than kids without them.
     What should a kid do? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends (推荐) that kids watch TV
no more than two hours and that televisions be kept out of children's rooms. Weekend viewing should be
kept to four hours at most each day.

1. What could be the best title for the passage?

A. Study Says Students Shouldn't Watch TV on a School Night
B. Watching TV Has an Effect on Children
C. Students Shouldn't Watch TV
D. There Is a Connection Between Watching TV and Study

2. According to Dr. Iman Sharif, _____.

A. watching TV on weekends affects school performance
B. the less students watch TV on weekends,the better they do at school
C. watching TV on weekends doesn't affect school performance
D. the more students watch TV on weekends, the worse they do at school

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Researchers did the survey by studying the students' test scores.
B. Students' learning ability has nothing to do with the amount of TV they watch.
C. Children with televisions in their rooms do better at school than those without them.
D. Children shouldn't watch TV for more than four hours each day at weekends.

     Used by over half a million learners, English Practice is one of the world's most popular online English
learning products. English Practice offers over 40,000 interactive lessons for all levels of students who
want to study and improve their English. Our structured content will help you improve your speaking,
vocabulary, grammar, and your listening and written comprehension. And because English Practice is online,
you can study at a pace and at a time that is convenient for you.
How to Study
     When you start with English Practice we will give you a test to evaluate your language level. We will
then recommend that you start as either a beginning intermediate or advanced learner. At each level you
can take classes in General English, Work Skills, or Community to improve the skills you need. When you
have completed enough lessons, we will give you another test and move you up to the next level.
General English
     This is where you will find lessons to improve your grammar,listening comprehension,and vocabulary.
There are new lessons weekly so you will always find new 1essons to this area you can also take lessons
to prepare for TOEFL and IELTS.
Work Skills
     This is where you can take lessons to teach you the specific skills you will need if you have to speak
English at work, or do business in English. There are lessons on general business skills as well as courses
to on specific industries.
Community
     In the Community section you find English Practice's popular chat room,where you can practice with
fellow students from around the world, and ask English teachers questions about English Community also
has fun games like Bingo, Hangman, and Karaoke. As well as links to online English studying resources.

1. Compared with the courses in class,English practice has the advantage that _____.

A. you can improve your English quickly through it
B. it will offer you the method of how to study English well
C. you can plan your time for English study according to your practical situation
D. you can teach yourself English at any time

2. If you want to study English breezily (轻松地), you should get into the section _____.

A. General English
B. Work Skills
C. Community
D. How to study

3. If you are a student and want to add to your basic knowledge of English, you'd better _____.

A. take the test offered by English Practice
B. take the General English
C. take the classes in Work Skills
D. the classes in Community

4. People can most probably read this article _____.

A. on the Internet
B. in an instruction book
C. in a magazine
D. in a newspaper

     In the push to improve education,test scores get most of the attention. Many educators say, "Test scores
shadow other ways in which children can be inspired to learn." Here is a fresh method to ensure students to
make the grade. 
● The School
     Fairview Elementary School is located in the south side of Modesto, California, where the crime rate is
high. Fairview, with about 1,000 students from kindergarten through to sixth grade, has long suffered from
discipline problems, poor test scores, and a nearly total lack of communication with their parents. These
problems are not surprising because many of the parents-immigrants who work on farms or in factories-speak
little or no English.
● The Method
     Since 2002, Fairview Elementary School has been on a five-year program: to keep America strong, children
must be trained to respect many points of view, and understand the five freedoms, such as freedom of speech.
As students learn the rights and responsibilities of a good citizen, they will develop the skills and attitudes
needed to excel in study.
     The program has no set classes. Fairview students enjoy "freedoms" other kids might envy (they voted not
to wear school uniforms, for example). They accept such responsibilities as speaking up during class
discussions, and keeping the school clean and safe (Fairview is considered the cleanest of 33 schools in its
district). Different from tradition, there is no hand-raising in class. "Instead," says teacher Deborah Supnet,
"we teach them to listen until the other child stops talking." It is called an exercise in respect.
● ______
     Last year,the number of students who performed well in math doubled, from 15％ to 30％. Suspension
(停学) rates dropped by 50％. What is particularly encouraging to headmaster Rob Williams is that the school
now has an active parents' group: Parents with a Voice. One of those parents, Laura Malagon, believes that the
program allows her to play a more active role in her children's school life.

1. The passage mainly talks about _____.

A. the disadvantages immigrants face
B. a change in an immigrant school
C. many ways to improve students' qualities
D. a fresh idea that can improve education

2. According to the passage,which was NOT a problem at the Fairview Elementary school?

A. The bad behavior of students.
B. The poor performance of their students.
C. The lack of freedom to speak.
D. The lack of contact with parents.

3. The underlined part "excel in study" in the third paragraph probably means _____.

A. be used to study
B. be good at study
C. reform
D. copy

4. We can add a subheading to the last paragraph in the blank with _____.

A. Signs of Success
B. Future of the School
C. Effort of the Parents
D. Parents with a Voice

     What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader,
an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer grey and blues? Then you are probably
quiet,shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You
wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what psychologists (心理学
家) tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference,
and the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us that we don't choose our favorite color as we
grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you
could see clearly.
     A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress
rings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand,black is depressing (压抑). Light and
bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder,
and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
     Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a
few colorful things. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find
out what colors they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when
you choose a piece of handkerchief.

1. According to this passage, _____.

A. one can choose his color preference
B. one is born with his color preference
C. one's color preference is changeable
D. one has to choose his favorite color as soon as he can see clearly

2. We would pay attention to colors because _____.

A. colors do have effect on our moods (情绪)
B. colors may have effect on our work and study
C. light and bright colors make people happy
D. you can know your friends better by the colors they like or dislike

3. The main idea of this passage is _____.

A. one's color preference shows one's character
B. you can brighten your lire with wonderful colors
C. psychologists have been studying the meaning of color preference
D. one's color preference has something to do with his character and colors have effects on human beings

4. The writer believes that in realizing the four modernizations of our country,we need more people who
    love _____.

A. yellow
B. red
C. black
D. green

     No matter what he is doing, every human being gives body heat. The usual problem is how to dispose
of it. But the designers of the Johnstown campus of the university of Pittsburg set themselves the opposite
problem-how to collect body heat. They have designed a collection system which uses not only body heat
but also the heat given off by such objects as light bulbs and refrigerators as well. The system works so
well that no conventional fuel is needed to make the campus's six buildings comfortable.
     Some parts of most modern buildings-theatres and offices as well as classrooms-are more than heated
by people and lights and sometimes must be air-conditioned even in the winter. The technique of saving
and redistributing it is called "heat recovery". A few modern buildings recover heat, but the university's
system is the first to recover heat from some buildings and reuse it in others.
     Along the way, Pitt has learned a great deal about some of its heat producers. The harder a student
studies, the more heat his body gives off. Male students emit more heat than female students, and the larger
a student, the more heat he produces. It is tempting to conclude that the hottest prospect for the Johnstown
campus would be a hard-working, overweight male genius.