I am sure that the girl you are going to meet is more beautiful_______ than in her pictures.

A. in nature           B. in movement        C. in the flesh         D. in the mood

 

 

Do your spirits soar (猛增) on a sunny day? Do you relax at the sound of flowing water?

    Some scientists suggest that these contacts with nature are good for your health. In one study, hospital patients with a view of trees had shorter hospital stays and less need for pain medications. Another study indicated that prisoners with a view of the outdoors had fewer doctor visits.

    “Why do we desire nature? Maybe we’re programmed to need it, since our ancestors’ survival was so dependent on their connection with nature,” suggests biologist E.O. Wilson.

    Want to find out if contact with nature improves your outlook on life? Try a few of these ideas.

    Hang out a bird feeder and watch the birds that visit it.

    Sit down in the backyard or a nearby park. Close your eyes. What do you hear? Birds singing? The wind in the trees? Crickets (蟋蟀) chirping?

    Find an anthill. Sit down and watch the ants work.

    Take a walk right after a rainstorm. What looks different? Smells different?

    Go barefoot on a sandy beach.

    Open the curtains and the window, if the weather allows it.

    On a windy day, watch the trees.

    Go to a creek, river or park fountain. Listen to the sound of water in motion.

    Camp out in the backyard or at a nearby state park. Use a tent or sleep on the ground.

    Find a wide-open space to study the stars. Learn about the different constellations (星座).

    Raise a garden. Or plant some seeds in a flowerpot.

    Go hiking with your family. Talk about all of the colors you see in nature.

    Take a camera and capture your nature experience.

1.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that ______.

A. prisoners don’t like to go to the doctor when ill   B. trees can be used as pain medications

C. prisoners should often get out of prison to come into contact with nature

D. contacts with nature are very helpful for hospital patients

2.According to E.O. Wilson, we desire nature probably because ______.

A. it can help us feel relaxed

B. we have inherited (继承) from our ancestors who were dependent on nature

C. people have lived with nature for thousands of years

D. contacts with nature can improve a person’s outlook on life

3. From the passage, we can learn that ______.

A. studying the constellations is important to everyone

B. you can know all the colors only by going hiking

C. nature is quite important to us    D. walking in a rainstorm can be very helpful

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. Go hiking with your familyB. Let nature nurture you.

C.Visit your doctor less.D.Watch the trees more often.

 

Every kid wishes to be an adult. But now as grown-ups, some adults find they cannot leave childhood behind.They become "kidults" (kid+adult). Being a kidult has become a lifestyle-choice among young people across Asia.

Some kidults collect toys they once played with. Hello Kitty, Garfield, and Snoopy have many adult fans around the world. It is not unusual to see a 20-something woman with a big, Garfield-shaped cushion (坐垫)on her sofa or a Hello Kitty mobile phone accessory (挂件).

Other kidults still enjoy children's stories and fairy tales. For example, Bloomsbury even published the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover. That way, no one else on the subway will know that an adult is actually reading a children's book!

"Kidults can be like vitamins to society. Adults who value their childhood and hold on to pure, child-like emotion may be needed in such a rough and dry society," said Lee Sojung, professor of Foreign Studies at Hankuk University(韩国外国语大学). He added that kidult culture may fill the generation gap between adults and kids. It could give children and their parents books, movies, and cartoon shows to enjoy together. He may be right.

Tim Greenhalgh, a professor, explained that some kidults just refuse to grow up. They value childhood because life in a busy and stressful city frightens them. Kidults would like to forget their age and openly show their fear of society and adulthood.

1.

Why did Bloomsbury publish the Harry Potter novels with an adult cover?

A. Bloomsbury knows some kidults don't want people to know that they are kidults

B. Bloomsbury thinks it can attract more readers

C. Bloomsbury knows kidults prefer to chose books for adults in nature

D. Bloomsbury thinks the cover with an adult is better

2.

Being a kidult is good in some way EXCEPT that _______.

A. it is helpful to solve some social problems

B. it can make people listen to their parents

C. it can improve the relationship between parents and their kids

D. it can help kidults feel relaxed

3.

According to the writer, _______.

A. our society is very dull                 

B. kidults have mental problems

C. being a kidult is nothing wrong          

D. some people can never grow up

 

 

 

237 West Palmdale Boulevard  Fresno, California 93706 AmToy Corporation Suite 15 TransAm Building San Francisco, California 94115 November 20, 2008 Dear Sirs,     As a concerned parent, I am writing to protest your recent advertisement for Electro—Robo seen in local media is California. Specifically, I am referring to newspaper and magazine ads （attached to this letter）published the week of November 15.     Children respond to your type of advertising in an immature way; that is, they are unable to understand how expensive some toys are for middle-class parents. Further, you product is violent in nature. Youth advertisement gives children the impression that it’s fine to have “two guns and laser eyes.” You also suggest that children need your toy to protect them “when you go outside.” This is not a healthy attitude for children to have.     I hope you will stop advertising your product in such a way that may harm our children.                                        Sincerely yours,                                     （Mrs.） Alma Hernandez President, Parents for Non-violent Toys  Enc.

 

It’s here! Ready for You, Now! It’s Electro-Robo! Every boy dreams of being in control of a robot, and AmToy can make your dream come true! Electro-Roho is the world’s first fully automatic robot with radio control. Standing 80 centimeters tall, Electro-Robo is like a friend at home. He can walk, talk, and even shake your hand! He has two guns and laser eyes to help you defend yourself when you go outside with him. Every boy needs Electro-Robo! Ask your Mom and Dad to buy Electro-Robo for your birthday or for Christmas, which is coming up soon. Imagine that you are in control of your friend for life, Electro-Robo!     Available at all toy stores and department stores NOW!

1.What is the purpose of the letter?

 A. To complain about a broken toy.        B. To oppose the advertising.

 C. To order a gift for Christmas.           D. To apply for a job in a toy company.

2.What dose “Enc.” at the end of the letter mean?

 A. Something attached to the letter.         B. A complaint to the toy company.

 C. A hidden message                     D. An encouraging response.

3. Electro-Robo can do all the following EXCEPT ______-.

 A. sitting down    B. shaking hands     C. talking       D. walking

 

One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear – producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.

Each of us had a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.

Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive（认知的）skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three – year – old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.

Kids are not to blame. They are over – protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.

Everyone from developers to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that cement（增强）love, respect and need for the landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.

1..

 According to Paragraph 2, the writer thinks that_____.

A. we are the last generation to experience nature.

B. the author of Last Child in the Woods don’t defend parks against encroachment

C. without having a nature experience, kids are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives

D. children should grow up to be protectors of nature

2..

 According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will     .

A. keep a high sense of wonder

B. be over – protected by their parents

C. be less healthy both physically and mentally

D. change wild places and creatures for the better

3..

. According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is     .

A. the fault on the part of their parents

B. the natural experience in their growing up

C. the result of their own carelessness in play

D. the effect of their repetitive stress from computers

4..

 In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to     .

A. blame children for getting lost in computer games                 

B. encourage children to protect parks from encroachment

C. show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature

D. inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around