Does handwriting have a practical use today? Do we really need it? Many educators say yes．

Handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to do it，they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves．Students with fluent（流畅的）handwriting produce better homework and get higher grades，a new study by Professor Steve Graham shows．

Handwriting is a basic skill of learning，expert Emily Knapton says．She believes，“When kids have trouble with handwriting，it affects all their subjects．Spelling becomes a problem；maths becomes a problem，too．Both of the subjects will be much easier for these kids to learn if their handwriting is improved．”

Fluency and speed of handwriting are very important．Graham's study has also shown that from kindergarten（幼儿园）through the fourth grade，kids think and write at the same time．If they have to struggle to remember how to spell the words，their ability to express themselves will suffer．Stephen Pevely，a professor of education says，“From the writing speed of primary school students，we can know the quality and quantity of their writing in middle school．”

Predictions of handwriting's end didn't begin with the computer；they date back to the introduction of the Remington typewriter in 1873．But for at least a generation（一代人），handwriting has seemed much less important．Now，supported by new research，educators are trying to bring back its special importance into the classroom．

1．Many educators agree that handwriting ________ today．

A．is not necessary                       B．is unimportant

C．has a practical use                       D．is useless

2．Graham's study shows that students with fluent handwriting probably have ________．

A．lower grades                           B．worse homework and grades

C．good reading skills                        D．better homework and grades

3．When a student has good handwriting，his spelling and maths will be ________．

A．much easier        B．much harder      C．great fun          D．a problem

4．The underlined word "suffer" in the passage means “________”．

A．be strongly influenced                        B．be deeply moved

C．be badly affected                         D．be seriously hurt

5．Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Kids' handwriting has a good effect on their learning．

B．Handwriting helps improve kids' performance in all their subjects．

C．Students should try to improve the fluency of their handwriting．

D．Handwriting came to an end after the typewriter appeared．

    Do you like English? How many English words have you learned so far? It seems that many students find it difficult to remember new words when they begin to study English．Let me give you some advice：

    1．Do not waste time in learning a list of English words．It is the hardest way to remember them．How did you learn to speak English? You did it by listening carefully to people talking around you．Find some radio programs，TV programs and records，and listen to them carefully．The best way to learn all new words is by ears．As you listen to more and more dialogues，you will learn how English is pronounced in phrases and sentences．Of course．it is not enough to learn new words；you must learn how words are put together, and why some words in English are emphasized(重读)．

    2．Some people have found that they can learn tile names of everyday objects such as a box，a bottle，a cup，a desk，in the following way．They write the words as they say them．Try this and see if this way works for you．If it does not，then practice dialogues．

1．Who gave the advice? Perhaps it was given by        ．

    A．a doctor                      B．a teacher from England

    C．American parents                D．a teacher of English

2．The advice the writer gave as is mainly about        ．

    A．how to learn English             B．how to put word together

    C．how to learn new words      D．how to memorize dialogues

3．The writer gives us two pieces of advice on learning new words．He seems to prefer     ．

A．the first one     B．the second one    C．both of them    D．neither of them

4．The writer thinks that the best way to learn new words is          ．

    A．to do more reading                     B．to do more writing

    C．to do more listening               D．to learn which word is emphasized

5．Writing the names of objects on paper and saying them out aloud            

    A．works for everyone                   B．does not work for everyone

    C．works only for some people          D．works only for the Chinese students

How do I like to travel?
　　Many people like to travel by plane, but I don’t like it because an airport is usually far from the city. You have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. you can’t open the window. You can’t choose（选择；挑选） the food. Planes are fast, but they still take hours to get out of the airport and into the city.
　　I like traveling by train. I think trains are safe. Railway stations are usually in cities. When you are late for a train you can catch（赶上） another one .you can walk around in the train and open the windows. You can see many interesting things on your way. I know it takes a little more time.
　　I also like cars. You can start your journey when you want to, and you don’t need to get to a railway station or a bus stop. Also you can carry(携带；拿) many things with you in a car. But sometimes there are too many cars on the road.
【小题1】Why do many people like to travel by plane?
A. Because it is fast.
B. Because it is safe.
C. Because you can walk around in the plane.
【小题2】Which is not the good thing about the train?
A. It is safe.
B. It takes a little more time.
C. You can open the windows.
【小题3】If you want to take a lot of things with you ,what do you take to go out?
A.A bus        B.A car.          C.A train
【小题4】What is the bad thing about the car?
A. you needn’t go to a station
B. you can start your journey when you want to.
C. There are too many cars on the road.
【小题5】What does the writer think of the plane ,train and car?
A. he thinks it takes a lot of time to go to and get out of the airport.
B. He likes to take a train because it takes a little more time.
C. He likes to take a car because he has a car

How do I like to travel?

　　Many people like to travel by plane, but I don’t like it because an airport is usually far from the city. You have to get there early and wait for hours for the plane to take off and it is often late. you can’t open the window. You can’t choose（选择；挑选） the food. Planes are fast, but they still take hours to get out of the airport and into the city.

　　I like traveling by train. I think trains are safe. Railway stations are usually in cities. When you are late for a train you can catch（赶上） another one .you can walk around in the train and open the windows. You can see many interesting things on your way. I know it takes a little more time.

　　I also like cars. You can start your journey when you want to, and you don’t need to get to a railway station or a bus stop. Also you can carry(携带；拿) many things with you in a car. But sometimes there are too many cars on the road.

1.Why do many people like to travel by plane?

A. Because it is fast.

B. Because it is safe.

C. Because you can walk around in the plane.

2.Which is not the good thing about the train?

A. It is safe.

B. It takes a little more time.

C. You can open the windows.

3.If you want to take a lot of things with you ,what do you take to go out?

A.A bus        B.A car.          C.A train

4.What is the bad thing about the car?

A. you needn’t go to a station

B. you can start your journey when you want to.

C. There are too many cars on the road.

5.What does the writer think of the plane ,train and car?

A. he thinks it takes a lot of time to go to and get out of the airport.

B. He likes to take a train because it takes a little more time.

C. He likes to take a car because he has a car