Have you heard of the saying, “If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well”? The proverb is a piece of advice to make effects towards perfection in whichever job one does. It could be a small task like folding up your clothes, or a major one like organizing a business meeting in your later life.

Perfection just needs paying attention to details. If it is your job to dust the furniture at home, dust it so that not a single spot of dirt shows from any direction. If your task is to make the beds, make them so that not a single crease（皱纹）shows on the bed-covers.

There are only two ways to do a job: either sloppily, or well. If you choose the latter, you need to realize that any job that qualifies as (取得…的资格)“your” work deserves your best. Perfection is an attitude that can be developed with just a little effect. It is a habit that is helpful to a person in later life. Let us prove with an example: you may be asked to turn in an essay on, for example, wildlife, for a school project. Instead of writing carelessly a few facts that you already know, you could make the project more effective by looking up a reference books, encyclopedias（百科全书）or websites for additional information. You could then go over the finished essay for slips（疏漏）and errors, and provide pictures where necessary. If you make it a habit to put in extra effort in your school homework, will it not help you to handle more difficult projects at the college or university level?

As Michelangelo, the famous 16th century sculptor and painter, once put it: Trifles（琐事）go to make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.

1.According to the passage, to achieve perfection is _______.

A．to realize the quality of the work

B．to pay attention to details of one’s work

C．to do as many jobs as possible

D．to form the habit of doing things ahead of time

2.The underlined word “sloppily” in paragraph 3 may mean _______

A．badly

B．patiently

C．carefully

D．slowly

3.What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

A．It is necessary to provide pictures for your essay.

B．Websites are the sources of information you want.

C．Perfection is a habit that promises a good future.

D．You should make much effort to develop perfection.

4.The purpose of writing this passage is to _______.

A．introduce the famous painter Michelangelo

B．advise us to do the things that are worth doing

C．explain to us the meaning of the perfection

D．expect us to give our best to our work

 

Last night’s meteor(流星) shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers. According to Gabe Rothsclild, Emerald Valley’s mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky. What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city’s lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.

 “My family was so frustrated,” admitted town resident Duane Cosby, “We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment. ”

       Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—-have been complaining about this problem for decades. They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past. They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.

 There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats frogs, snakes, etc. For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating(迁徙的)birds. According to the International Dark-Sky Association. “100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers. ”

 Countless more animals casualties(伤亡）result from the use of artificial lighting. Clearly, people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans, too. They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase person’s chances of getting cancer.

        Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution. For years, Flagstaff,Arizona,has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory. Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.

1. What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?

A. Birds may take other migration paths

B. Animals’ living habits may change suddenly

C. Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced

D. Animals’ survival is threatened by outdoor lighting

2.Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to

A. Lessen the chance of getting cancer

B. create an ideal observation condition

C. ensure citizens a good sleep at night

D. enable all creatures to live in harmony

3. What message does the author most want to give us?

A. Saving wildlife is saving ourselves

B. Great efforts should be made to save energy

C. Human activities should be environmentally friendly

D. New equipment should be introduced for space study

 

 

Can you understand the beginning of this essay（短文）?

“My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF.”

The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages（短信）. Text messages (also called SMS) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called “texting.”

A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it's common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent（代表） a word, like “r” for “are,” “u” for “you,” and “2” for “to.” Several letters can also represent a phrase, like “lol” for “laughing out loud.” Another characteristic（特征） of  texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling “please” as “pls.”

Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, “My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.”)

Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always develop, and this is just another way in which English is changing. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past.

1. What is the writer's opinion of text messaging?

A. The writer does not give his opinions.     

B. It is not bad for children.

C. It will make children bad writers. 

D. It is fun and easy to do.

2. Which characteristic of texting is NOT described in the passage? 

A. Using letters to represent words. 

B. Using phrases to represent essays.

C. Using letters to represent phrases. 

D. Using numbers to represent words.

3. Which of the following was most probably the title of the student's essay?

A. My Smmr Hols              B. CU in LA                 C. My GF           D. My Gr8 Tchr

4. Why do some people think that texting is bad?

A. It costs too much.                                             B. It's too difficult to type.

C. Teenagers won't learn to write correctly.  D. It's not comfortable.

5. Why aren't some people worried about the effect of texting?

A. Not many people use texting.        

B. Spelling in English is too difficult.

C. Teenagers quickly become bored with texting.      

D. Texting will disappear because of new technology.

 

 

  Uncertainty spreads through our lives so thoroughly that it dominates our language. Our everyday speech is made up in large part of words like probably, many, soon, great, little. What do these words mean?Such verbal expression is not necessarily to be criticized. Indeed, it has a value just because it allows us to express judgments when a precise quantitative statement is out of the question.

  We have been trying to pin down by experiments what people mean by these expressions in specific contexts, and how the meanings change with age. For instance, a subject is told “There are many trees in the park” and is asked to say what number the word many mean to him. Or a child is invited to take “some” sweets from a bowl and we then count how many he has taken. We compare the number he takes when he is alone with the number when one or more other children are present and are to take some sweets after him, or with the number he takes when told to give “some” sweets to another child.

  First, we find that the number depends, of course, on the items involved. To most people some friends means about five, while some trees means about twenty. However, unrelated areas sometimes show parallel values. For instance, the language of probability seems to mean about the same thing in predictions about the weather and about politics: the expression “is certain to” (rain, or be elected) signifies to the average person about a 70 percent chance; “is likely to”, about a 60 percent chance; “probably will” about 55 percent.

  Secondly, the size of the population of items influences the value assigned to an expression. Thus, if we tell a subject to take “a few” or “ a lot of” glass balls from a box, he will take more if the box contains a large number of glass balls than if it has a small number. But not proportionately more: if we increase the number of glass balls eight times, the subject takes only half as large a percentage of the total.

  Thirdly, there is a marked change with age. Among children between six and fourteen years old, the older the child, the fewer glass balls he will take. But the difference between a lot and a few widens with age. This age effect is so consistent that it might be used as a test of intelligence.

1. What’s the right attitude towards the words like probably, many, soon?

A. They are inaccurate and we should avoid them.

B. They are necessary since we cannot be always precise.

C. They should be criticized because there are too many of them.

D. Their value is not yet clear since we don’t know their meaning.

2. Why do we do experiments with the words “many” and “some”?

A. To prove people are insensitive to these words.

B. To prove the words dominate our everyday speech.

C. To find out how the meanings vary with age and contexts.

D. To find out whether the words can mean a precise quantity.

3. Which of the expressions means a larger chance in weather broadcast?

A. Possible         B. Probable      C. Be likely to     D. Be certain to

4. Which of the following will least definitely influence the number of items a kid takes out of a box when he is invited to take “some”?

A. Whether the quantity of items is large or small.

B. Whether the items are candies or toys.

C. Whether the kid is a toddler or a youngster.

D. Whether the kid is alone or accompanied by other children.

5. What will tell us about the intelligence of a child?

A. The consistency of picking up a certain glass ball.

B. How many glass balls he will take when he’s asked to.

C. The difference between a lot and a few when he takes glass balls.

D. Whether there are marked changes in his first pick and second one.

 

Children are great. However, being a parent to a child can be very challenging. In your child’s preschool years he is sure to test you to see what he can and can’t get away with. Ensuring your child behaves himself is easier said than done. But you can minimize(最小化)frustrations and enjoy every moment you have with your child by the following.

Spend quality time with your child. Try putting off some work to spend time with your child. Play with him or read him a book. By spending quality time with him every day you are letting your child know that you are concerned about him.

State your rules in black and white. At first, it may be tough for you to carry them out just because of your child’s too much crying, and you have to give in to him at times. But in the long term, by sticking to your rules, you are letting your child know what behaviour you will and will not bear.

Punishment should be avoided if possible. It will deeply affect your child’s physical and mental health. It you want to correct his mis behavior, do it in a friendly way.

You children copy their parents’ behavior. If you are trying to teach your child to always be kind to others, your behavior needs to suggest that. By being on your best behavior in front of your child you will set a wonderful example to him. Your child will only be this age once. Allow your child to make his own decisions. Let him make mistakes sometimes so he will learn to be more responsible for his actions.

Another thing that you have to remember is to let your child understand that his actions always affect other people and his misbehavior is not the solution to his problem.

By following those above, you are on your way to having a well-behaved child and getting along well with him.

Title: How to raise 1._______ I. Difficulty It is 2. ______to shape a kid. II.3. _______ l Spare some time with your kid and let him know 4. _______. l Be consistent in carrying out 5. _______. l Correct your kid’s misbehavior in a friendly way rather than 6. _______. l Make yourself a good 7. ______ to your kid. l Give your kid 8. ______ to arrange his own life. l Help your kid know 9. _______ have an effect on others and his misbehavior makes no sense. III. 10. _______ Your kid will behave himself and you will have a good relationship with him.