Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮)  by one of our garden snakes.

'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah.  Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.

"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.

"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin.  It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did.  Like buying a new suit. "

Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off.  I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.

"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained.  "lt happens as part of their growth. "

"I see, Dad. " said Sarah.  She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.

I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的);  or at best,  remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.

1.When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________

A．he was shocked and jumped

B．he tried to understand her point of view

C．he thought that telling the truth was a merit

D．he decided to teach her something about the garden

2.How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?

A．Confused.         B．Boreci            C．Satisfied.          D．Excited.

3.Which of the following would the author agree with?

A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves.

B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things.

C．The community and culture force us to change.

D．It is natural to keep some old clothes.

4.From the text, we can conclude that the author___________.

A．does not like nature much

B．takes the chilcl's feelings lightly

C．is both a logical and thoughtful person

D．loves to see his daughter excited about animals

5.Which of the following could be the best title for the article?

A．The things we should cast off              B．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyes

C．A natural part of our growth               D．Renewal for snakes and us

 

In this age of Internet chat，videogames and reality television，there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied．Yet，despite the competition，my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories．She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest，a competition she won last year．
As a writer I know about winning contests，and about losing them．I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher．I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories．What if she doesn.t win the contest again？That’s the strange thing about being a parent．So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface．
A revelation（启示）came last week when l asked her，”Don’t you want to win again？” “No,” she replied，“I just want to tell the story of an angel（天使）going to first grade．”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them．Telling myself that l was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall. I offered suggestions for characters，conflicts and endings for her tales．The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly“guided”by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson．I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it．
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks．Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade，I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience．
While stepping back was difficult for me，it was certainly a good first step that l will quickly follow with more steps，putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked．All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment，grow and find their own voices．
【小题1】What did the author say about her own writing experience？

A．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers．

B．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer．

C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations．

D．She was constantly under pressure of writing more．

【小题2】Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest？

A．She wanted to share her stories with readers．

B．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help．

C．She believed she possessed real talent for writing．

D．She had won a prize in the previous contest．

【小题3】The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because       ．

A．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing

B．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

C．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

D．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer

【小题4】What’s the author’s advice for parents？

A．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in．

B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience．

C．A writing career，though attractive，is not for every child to pursue．

D．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions．

The Best Rice Cookers
☆☆☆☆Tefal Automatic 2W3 Classic Rice Cooker
One of the largest rice cookers on the market, with a 2-litre capacity （容量）（up to 12 servings）．It looks "rather utilitarian", but gives "the least sticky results" and its removable power cord means it can be taken outdoors or to the table．It comes with eight recipes and once cooking is completed it automatically switches to "keep-warm mode"．Price; $29．99．Call 0800-616413 for stockists．
☆☆☆ Keiswood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC310
A "stylish looking machine with a heavy glass lid and a steam tray for steaming fish and vegetables．It cooks up to ten portions of rice（l．8-litre capacity）, and produces "good results" although the rice tends to get sticky on the bottom layer．It keeps the rice warm once cooking is completed, but the power cord is not removable．Price:$34．99．Call 01705-392333 for stockists．
☆☆☆Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W
This cooker has a one – litre capacity (five portions of rice) and keeps rice warm for up to 12 hours after cooking. The lid has a clip – lock and is sealed so cooking is pressurized. It cooks rice “perfectly”, though “at a price”. Price: $ 109.90. Call 0181 – 9982100 for stockists.
☆☆☆Magimix – 2 – Tier Steamer
A double – layer steamer with two large stainless – steel steam baskets. Rice is cooked in a heat – proff dish which is inserted in the bottom tier (层). It is “perfectly done” in just 20 minutes, with “no stickiness or scorching (烧焦).” The rice can also be kept warm on half power. Price: $ 89.95. Call 04183 – 427411 for stockiest.
☆☆☆Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Raf 4241)
A four – portion steamer which takes just ten mantes in the microwave to cook four “fluffy” portions of rice. It is alos suitable for vegetables, noodles and pasta and is “great for smallest quantities”. Price: $ 5.95. Call 015394 – 88100 to order.
☆☆Hinari Steam Supreme
A double – layer steamer which comes with an additional rice bowl and lid. Its main drawbacks are “time and capacity”; the rice bowl can only hold two portions and this takes 55 minutes to cool. The instructions are also confusing. “Good as a general steamer, mediocre as a rice cooker”. Price: $ 19.99. Call Alba Ltd on 0181 – 7873111 for stockiest.
【小题1】Which of the following is unlikely to be considered by a housewife who hates washing sticky cookers?

A．Tefal Automatic 2003 Classic Rice Cooker

B．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310

C．magimix 2 – Tier Steamer

D．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref 4241)

【小题2】     may not be so popular with customers as others because it is time – consuming, low in capacity and vague in instructions.

A．Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W

B．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref4241)

C．Hinari Steam Supreme

D．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310

【小题3】The phrase “at a price” describing Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W implies that its price is           .

A．low

B．high

C．above average

D．reasonable

I credit my typing skill to so many hours of chatting online. Unfortunately, as my typing speed increased on the Internet, all grammatical rules went out of the window. You see instant messages have their own shorthand language and grammar isn’t important, of which even a newbie (新手) is aware. They can leave out articles, subjects (主语), pronouns, etc. They can misspell or “respell” almost any word. They often ask “A/S/L” when they first chat. Abbreviations (缩写) and capitalizations (大写) are particularly important. English-speaking instant messengers also refuse to burden themselves with punctuation and capitalization.

After I came back China, I discovered not one but two instant messaging crazes. The first, which brought back memories of my previous addiction to the computer, was QQ. I can see evidence that the Chinese have the same kind of separate instant messaging language, even when they chat in English. My first word in this language, for example, was “ft”. This abbreviation for “faint” is used whenever there is a need to express surprise. I also discovered that Chinese use the same kind of abbreviation for a laugh. And there is an extraordinary number of smileys (表情符) to the “vomit” and “army soldier” smileys. There is even a SARA smiley.

After QQ, there is another, perhaps more widespread messaging trend. You guessed it --- cell phone text messaging. I now understand how useful text messaging is and why it is so common. I admit that I have been guilty of sending text messages while walking outside or sitting on the subway. Who hasn’t ? No matter where I go, I see people on their cell phones, messaging. In fact, it’s rare to see someone actually talking on their phone!

So it looks as if there is no escape from the instant messaging crazes, no matter where in the world I go. And that’s plainly not going to change. In the end, though, I can’t complain: instant messaging is quick, it’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s extremely fun too. And after all, everyone’s doing it.

1.The underlined phrase “went out of the window” in Paragraph 1 probably means        .

A．increased

B．occurred

C．disappeared

D．changed

2.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Grammar and correct spelling are very important while chatting online.

B．There are enough smileys and icons to express yourselves while chatting on line.

C．The writer is skilled at typing and once was addicted to online games.

D．It is impolite to leave out some unimportant words or letters while chatting online.

3.The writer believes that instant messaging is          .

A．full of fun but time-consuming

B．widespread but unnecessary

C．quick but difficult to do

D．common, used and cheap

4.Which might be the main idea of the passage?

A．Who can escape QQ and cell phone text messaging?

B．Why is instant messaging so popular?

C．Chatting online is good for your typing skill.

D．Chatting on QQ is natural for people.

 

The Best Rice Cookers

☆☆☆☆Tefal Automatic 2W3 Classic Rice Cooker

One of the largest rice cookers on the market, with a 2-litre capacity （容量）（up to 12 servings）．It looks "rather utilitarian", but gives "the least sticky results" and its removable power cord means it can be taken outdoors or to the table．It comes with eight recipes and once cooking is completed it automatically switches to "keep-warm mode"．Price; $29．99．Call 0800-616413 for stockists．

☆☆☆ Keiswood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC310

A "stylish looking machine with a heavy glass lid and a steam tray for steaming fish and vegetables．It cooks up to ten portions of rice（l．8-litre capacity）, and produces "good results" although the rice tends to get sticky on the bottom layer．It keeps the rice warm once cooking is completed, but the power cord is not removable．Price:$34．99．Call 01705-392333 for stockists．

☆☆☆Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W

This cooker has a one – litre capacity (five portions of rice) and keeps rice warm for up to 12 hours after cooking. The lid has a clip – lock and is sealed so cooking is pressurized. It cooks rice “perfectly”, though “at a price”. Price: $ 109.90. Call 0181 – 9982100 for stockists.

☆☆☆Magimix – 2 – Tier Steamer

    A double – layer steamer with two large stainless – steel steam baskets. Rice is cooked in a heat – proff dish which is inserted in the bottom tier (层). It is “perfectly done” in just 20 minutes, with “no stickiness or scorching (烧焦).” The rice can also be kept warm on half power. Price: $ 89.95. Call 04183 – 427411 for stockiest.

☆☆☆Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Raf 4241)

    A four – portion steamer which takes just ten mantes in the microwave to cook four “fluffy” portions of rice. It is alos suitable for vegetables, noodles and pasta and is “great for smallest quantities”. Price: $ 5.95. Call 015394 – 88100 to order.

☆☆Hinari Steam Supreme

A double – layer steamer which comes with an additional rice bowl and lid. Its main drawbacks are “time and capacity”; the rice bowl can only hold two portions and this takes 55 minutes to cool. The instructions are also confusing. “Good as a general steamer, mediocre as a rice cooker”. Price: $ 19.99. Call Alba Ltd on 0181 – 7873111 for stockiest.

Which of the following is unlikely to be considered by a housewife who hates washing sticky cookers?

       A．Tefal Automatic 2003 Classic Rice Cooker

       B．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310

       C．magimix 2 – Tier Steamer

       D．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref 4241)

      may not be so popular with customers as others because it is time – consuming, low in capacity and vague in instructions.

       A．Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W

       B．Lakeland Ltd Microwave Multi – Steamer (Ref4241)

       C．Hinari Steam Supreme

       D．Kenwood Rice Cooker and Steamer RC 310

The phrase “at a price” describing Zojurushi Rice Cooker / Warmer NDAQ – N10W implies that its price is           .

       A．low   B．high  C．above average  D．reasonable