Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to pre-school children. But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.

The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.

Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most pre-school teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read story-books in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text. “If you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling.” But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way.

More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms. They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. For thirty weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR--- Sit Together and Read. The project is based at Ohio State. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to pre-school children in their classrooms.

There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print--- for instance, showing how words are written left to right in English.

1.What do we know about the ways pre-school children are usually taught?

A. More attention is paid to the pictures ,with words and letters being ignored.

B. Preference is given to the shape of letters and the organization of the print.

C. The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers.

D. Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures.

2.What does Shayne Piasta suggest pre-school teachers should do in class?

A. Teach children how to draw pictures to get an idea of what they mean.

B. Change the way they teach and pay more attention to words and letters.

C. Adopt different methods according to the students’ difference in reading skills.

D. Read storybooks to children rather than explain the meaning of the pictures.

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of pre-school children?

A. Many teachers want to change their way of teaching pre-school children.

B. Attention on the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading.

C. Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to pre-school children in the classroom.

D. Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching.

4.Which section of a magazine does the passage probably come from?

A. Fashion.     B. Economy .    C. Entertainment.     D. Education.

 

Success starts within our mind. Now, we will discuss four steps to change our lives and create a new future.

   ■ 1. Think big. Get rid of negative(负面的)beliefs.

     Your beliefs have developed from what happened to you in the past. You should realize that the past is not equal to the future, unless you really live there. The first thing you need to do is to drive all the negative beliefs away from your mind. Those beliefs are not useful for creating a new future. Think that everything is possible if you put enough effort in it. When you change your beliefs into positive ones, you will feel more powerful. You will then be able to move on to the next level.

   ■ 2. Write your plan to achieve your goals.

     Your great goals should be divided into smaller goals. Make a timetable for each goal so that you can measure your progress. Write a detailed plan to achieve these goals.

   ■ 3.Take action according to your plan.

     Nothing bears fruit without action. Every successful person has to work hard towards his or her goals. There is no exception(例外). Be prepared to work according to your plan. Be willing to invest (投资) in the resources necessary for your progress. Do not give up.

   ■ 4. Review what you have done and know how good you are.

     While you are in the process of your work, take some time to review how well you have done. Review your progress based on your plan and see if you need to change anything. You can change your methods but you should not change your goals.

1. Why should we get rid of our negative beliefs?

A．They come from our past experiences.       B．The past and the future are different. C．They will stop us from starting a new future.              D．We should learn some useful things.

2. According to the second step, to achieve your big goals, you should _________.

A．change your methods                    B．make full use of every minute   C．divide them into smaller ones and achieve them one by one to time     D．measure your progress from time

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．During your work, be prepared to change everything.               B．If you feel your goal difficult, you’d better give it up.                    C．Considering changing the ways you achieve goals is useful. D．Reviewing is more important than setting goals.

4. Which of the following has the same meaning as "Nothing bears fruit without action."?

A．No pain, no gain.    B．Better early than late. C．He laughs last who laughs best.  D．Nothing succeeds like success.

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

A．How to Live a Happy Life                  B．Ways to Create Your New Future C．How to Change Yourself   D．Nothing Bears Fruit Without Action

 

Decide to Be Happy Lower Your Expectations Learn to Enjoy the Moment Look for the Good in Everything Let People Deal with Their Own Problems Focus More on What You Can Control Than on What You Can’t

So many times I hear people say that they will be happy once a certain event occurs. They think that once they move into a new house, start their new job, travel or retire they will be happy. But it doesn’t work that way.
If you truly want to be happy, here’s what to do.

1

You are not just a victim of circumstances or your emotions. Think about it this way. If you are in a horrible argument with someone, and the person you most respect enters the room, what will happen? The fighting will likely stop immediately, your mood will change, and so will your behavior. You do have control, and you are the one who decides how you will face the day!

2

We are never disappointed unless we have expectations. If you base your emotions on the need for certain things to happen, you will likely be let down most of the time. Instead, work hard, and treat everything good that happens as a bonus for which you can be thankful.

3

Don’t get too wrapped up in issues involving friends or family. We are each responsible for our own lives, and even when someone makes a bad mistake, it is not up to you to make things better. And remember that worry doesn’t help anyone!

4

You might not be satisfied with your income, but there’s no point complaining about it. Improve your diploma so that you can get a better job in the future. You may have an incurable illness, such as diabetes, but the fact that it’s incurable doesn’t mean that it cannot be managed.

5

   You don’t have to be a Pollyanna(盲目乐观者)about life, but you can see the bright side of almost every situation if you just make a point of looking for it. Happiness is not an uncatchable mouse! Once you have made up your mind that you are going to be happy despite what is going on around you, the task becomes easier. One of the key things to remember is that happiness doesn’t come from outside but begins on the inside and actually spread outward, and can influence everyone around you in a positive manner.

 The United Nations is warning that the world is not prepared to deal with the fast growth of cities. The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 calls for new ways to meet the needs of city populations. More than 6.5 billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2050.

Most new city dwellers will be in developing countries. The United Nations says the effect on limited resources in many countries will be huge. The World Economic and Social Survey points to the increasing demand for energy, water, sanitation, public services, education and health care.

The world population is expected to rise to more than nine billion by 2050, two-thirds of all people are expected to live in cities. The United Nations says about 80 percent of this growing urban population will be found in Africa and Asia.

The report says sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues, these include land-use, food security, job creation and transportation.

Willem Van Der Geest is with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, he says cities need to work closely with rural communities, so that food supplies can be secured, and the environment can be protected.

"We need enough integration(整合，融合) with cities... An integration between the rural and urban economies is absolutely vital for issues of nutrition, food security, and environmental sustainability."

The report says development in a sustainable（可持续发展）way is important to end poverty. The report also examines the problem of food insecurity, which affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. One in eight people still severely lack nutrition.

UN officials say some things are clear. The Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Shamshad Akhtar, says world food production will have to increase by 70%, that increase will be needed to feed the additional 2.3 billion people expected on the planet by the middle of the century. She says an important part of meeting that need is to waste less food. "There has to be efforts to reduce food wastage. ."

Food and nutrition security are core elements of the sustainable development agenda.

1.The survey includes the following statements except that ______.

A. varieties of demands are hard to meet because of the increasing population in Africa and Asia.

B. one way to put an end to poverty is to be able to develop for a long time.

C. transportation is an important issue to deal with when it comes to sustainable development of urban areas.

D. hundreds of millions of people around the world are affected by the problem of food insecurity.

2.From the passage we can infer that ______.

A. cities grow so fast that the world can’t find out new ways to deal with the growing population.

B. the growing city dwellers who mainly come from the developing countries greatly challenge limited resources in the world.

C. sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues

D. food wastage is an effective way to feed the additional 2.3 biilion people by the middle of the century.

3.What is the best titile of the passage?

A. The World Economic and Social Survey 2013.

B. City Population Will Increase to 9 Billion.

C. Cities Need to Cooperate with Rural Areas.

D. The World Is Not Prepared to Deal with the Fast Growth of Cities.

4.The passage is chosen from ______.

A. a textbook              B. a travel guide                  C. a novel                  D. a newspaper

 

Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger , but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.

Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.

Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too In the United States , a family of four can use 1. 5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.

You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full 。Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.

1.Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?

A．Using river water.                       B．Throwing batteries away.

C．Paving parking lots.                      D．Throwing rubbish into lakes.

2.What can be inferred from the text?

A．All water shortages are due to human behavior.

B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs.

C．There is much we can do to reduce family size.

D．The average family in America makes proper use of water.

3.The last paragraph is intended to             .

A．show us how to fix leaks at home

B．tell us how to run a dishwasher

C．prove what drinking glass is best for us

D．suggest what we do to save water at home

4.The text is mainly about          .

A．Why paving roads reduces our water

B．how much we depend on water to live

C．why droughts occur more in dry climates

D．how human activity affects our water supply