Children find meanings in their old family tales.

When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about bow his grandfather, a banker,　 1　 all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times　 2　 his strong-minded grandfather was nearly　 3　 , he loaded his family into the car and　 4　 them to see family members in Canada with a　 5　 ,“there are more important thins in life than money. ”

The 6　 took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a　 7　 house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was 8　　 that his children ,a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t　 9　　 , their reaction echoed （共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they 10　 was how warm the people were in the house and how 11　　 of their heart was accessible.

Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children　 12　 hard times. Storytelling expects say the phenomenon reflects a growing 13　　 in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.

A university　 14　 of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to Ks15　 parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.

The 16　 is telling the stories in a way children can 17　　 . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that　 18　 , “When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow. ” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s 19　 , and make eye contact （接触） to create “a personal experience”,. We don’t have to tell children

20 they should take from the story and what the moral is . ”

1. A. missed　 　 B. lost　 C. forgot 　 D. ignored

2. A. when　 B. while C. how　 D. why

3. A. friendless　 B. worthless C. penniless D. homeless

4. A fetched　 　 B. allowed　 C. expected D. took

5. A. hope　 B. promise　 C. suggestion 　 D. belief

6. A. tale　 B. agreement　 　 C. arrangement 　 D. report

7. A. large　 B. small　 　 C. new　 D. grand

8. A. surprised B. annoyed C. disappointed D. worried

9. A. Therefore B. Besides C. Instead D. Otherwise

10. A. talked about　 　 B. cared about C. wrote about D. heard about

11. A. much B. many C. little　 D. few

12. A. beyond　 B. over　 C. behind 　 D. through

13. A. argument B. skill　 　 C. interest D. anxiety

14. A. study　 　 B. design　 C. committee　 D. staff

15. A. provide　 B. retell　 C. support D. refuse

16. A. trouble　 B. gift C. fact　 D. trick

17. A. perform　 B. write C. hear D. question

18. A. means　 　 B. ends C. begins 　 D. proves

19. A. needs B. activities 　 C. judgments　 　 D. habits

20. A. that　 B. what　 C. which　 　 D. whom

 

——Someone might see us.

——　　 ? We’re not doing anything illegal.

A. So what　　　 B. What for　　　　　 C. Why not　　　　　 D. What’s up

 

Flat 4B, Sunrise Court

　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 68, Orchard Road

　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 Singapore 1084

　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　 December 10th, 2004

Dear Celine,

　 I’m writing to tell you about my plans for the Christmas holiday. My family is planning to go to Japan for two weeks this winter. First, we’re going to spend a few days in Tokyo. Tokyo is the capital of Japan. Then we’re going skiing in Hokkaido. This is an island to the north of Japan.

　 I’m very excited about the trip. I’ve neither been to Japan nor skiied before, and I have never seen snow! My friend Carol went skiing last year. Unfortunately, she broke her leg. I hope I won’t get hurt! At first, I’m going to ski very slowly because I want to be safe.

　 We’re going to leave Singapore on December 20th. Singapore will be warm then, but the weather in Tokyo will be cold. It will be very cold at night. We’re staying in Tokyo for three days before flying to Hokkaido so I will have enough time to buy a new Discman. Of course, it will be very cold in Hokkaido and there will be lots of snow. When we leave Singapore, we will wear summer clothes. Then a few days later in Japan, we will wear thick jackets and gloves so that we are warm! We’re going to spend Christmas in Hokkaido and the New Year in Tokyo. We’re going to come back to Tokyo on New Year’s Eve. We will leave Japan on January 2nd.

　 I saw a television program about Tokyo recently. I’m looking forward to our trip because it looks like a very interesting city. In fact, it looks a little like Singapore, but the buildings in Tokyo are much taller. It is just as busy and crowded, though!

　 Well, that’s all for now. I’ll send you a postcard from Japan.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　 Joyce

1. Joyce’s pen pal ______.

　　 A. is going to Singapore for a holiday　　

　　 B. is going skiing this winter holiday

　　 C. lives in Australia　　　　　　　　　　

　　 D. is writing to Joyce from Australia

2. Joyce is excited about her holiday because ______.

　　 A. Japan is her favorite country　

　　 B. she has never been to Japan or skiied before

　　 C. she is going with her family　　　　

　　 D. she will meet her pen pal there

3. Joyce is going to ski slowly because _____.

　　 A. last time she broke her leg　　　　　

　　 B. she doesn’t know how to ski quickly

　　 C. she has a broken leg　　　　　　　

　　 D. she doesn’t want to get hurt