When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying: “We have to go to work now,” you’re left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is, until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.

　　Stage schools often act as agencies（代理机构）to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.

　　A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn’t settle for spending only half the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?

　Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 to 80 days.

　The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don’t make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.

　People would stop feeling uneasy when realizing that the children they’re talking to________.

　　  A. attend a stage school　　　　  B. are going to the theatre

　　  C. have got some work to do 　　  D. love singing and dancing

　　 In the writer’s opinion, a good stage school should ________.

　　  A. produce star performers

　　  B. help pupils improve their study skills

　　  C. train pupils in language and performing arts

　　  D. provide a general education and stage training.

　“Professional work” as used in the text means ________.

　　  A. ordinary school work　　　　　  B. money-making performances

　　  C. stage training at school 　 　  D. acting, singing or dancing after class

　 Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?

　　  A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.　　　　

　　  B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.

　　  C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.

　　  D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.

One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn’t or couldn’t sleep, I tried everything I could think of : a warm bottle, songs gentle rocking. Nothing would settle him. Guessing that I had a long night ahead of me, I brought a portable TV into his room, figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill of the hours till dawn. To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right down, his little eyes focused brightly on the tube. Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoes out of the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday.

My wife and I heard none of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV himself.

I found in my baby's behavior a symbol of the new generation. My wife and I had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit upon them. When we read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don't read and they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion: “Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight about it? Let them watch it all they want!

1．Why did the author bring a TV set into his son's room?

　　A．To make his son keep quiet.

　　B．To spend the night by watching TV programs.

　　C．In order not to let his son feel lonely.

　　D．To make his son go to sleep as soon as possible.

2．The baby's reaction to the TV program was _______ .

　　A．unexpected         B．encouraging         C．exciting              D．calm

3．From this passage we know that the author is           .

      A．a doctor              B．a reporter            C．an editor              D．a teacher

4．According to the passage, which is true of the school children?

　　A．They prefer reading to watching TV.

　　B．They like watching TV after school.

　　C．They would rather watch TV than read books.

　　D．They like their teachers who teach them reading.

5．What does the underlined phrase fight about mean according to the passage?

       A．talk about      B．think about       C．quarrel about     D．care about

Editor:　　 Today our topic is part-time job. Are they good for school children or not?
Headmaster: Certainly not. Children have got two full-time jobs already: growing up and going to school. Part-time jobs make them so tired that they fall asleep in class.
Mrs. White: I agree. I know school hours are short, but there’s homework as well, and children need a lot of sleep.
Mr. White:　 Young children, perhaps some boys, stay at school until they’re eighteen or nineteen. A part-time job can’t harm them. In fact, it’s good for them. They earn their pocket money instead of asking their parents for it. And they see something of the world outside school.
Businessman: You’re quite right. Boys learn a lot from a part-time job. And we mustn’t forget that some families need the extra money. If the pupils didn’t take part-time jobs, they couldn’t stay at school.
Editor:　　 Well, we have got two for, and two against. What do our readers think?
1. Who have the same opinion?
　 A. Headmaster and Mrs.White.　　　　　 B. Editor and Mr.White.
　 C. Mr. and Mrs. White.　　　　　　　　 D. Businessman and Headmaster.
2. Mrs. White thinks the young children maybe ________.
　A. need to stay at school until they are eighteen or nineteen 　

A.    need to have some pocket money

C. should see something of the world outside school　　　　

D. need to have a lot of sleep

3. What does the editor think of part-time jobs?
　 A. They can help students from poor families. B. They are good for school children.
　 C. They cannot harm school children.　　　　 D. We are not told.

 

One hot night last July, when our new baby wouldn’t or couldn’t sleep, I tried everything I could think of : a warm bottle, songs gentle rocking. Nothing would settle him. Guessing that I had a long night ahead of me, I brought a portable TV into his room, figuring that watching the late movie was as good a way as any to kill of the hours till dawn. To my surprise, as soon as the TV lit up, the baby quieted right down, his little eyes focused brightly on the tube. Not to waste an opportunity for sleep, I then tiptoes out of the room, leaving him to watch the actors celebrate John Bellushi's forty-fifth birthday.

My wife and I heard none of the baby that night, and the next morning when I went into his room, I found him still watching TV himself.

I found in my baby's behavior a symbol of the new generation. My wife and I had given him some books to examine, but he merely spit upon them. When we read to him, he did not feel comfortable. And so it is in the schools. We find that our students don't read and they look down upon reading and scold those of us who teach it. All they want to do is watch TV. After this experience with the baby, however, I have reached a conclusion: “Let them watch it!” If television is that much more attractive to children than books, why should we fight about it? Let them watch it all they want!

1．Why did the author bring a TV set into his son's room?

　　A．To make his son keep quiet.

　　B．To spend the night by watching TV programs.

　　C．In order not to let his son feel lonely.

　　D．To make his son go to sleep as soon as possible.

2．The baby's reaction to the TV program was _______ .

　　A．unexpected 　　 B．encouraging　　 C．exciting 　 D．nervous

3．From this passage we know that the author is　　　　　 .

A．a doctor　 B．a reporter C．an editor　 D．a teacher

4．Accordingg to the passage, which is true of the school children?

　　A．They prefer reading to watching TV.

　　B．They like watching TV after school.

　　C．They would rather watch TV than read books.

　　D．They like their teachers who teach them reading.

The police had _______news report written about ______ traffic accidents in the city involving _______ school children.

　　　A.a; the ; the B.不填；不填；the C.a; 不填；不填 D.a ; the; 不填