We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively（被动地）. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.

We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it’s not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers.

Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor(谣言).

Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn’t show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original message has changed.

That’s what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping（打上标记）it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.

This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the interpretation he placed upon those facts.

57. According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _______.

A. doing a medical experiment       B. solving a math problem

C. visiting an exhibition             D. doing scientific reasoning

58. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.

A. active learning                                      B. knowledge

C. communication                               D. passive learning

59. The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.

A. a message may be changed when being passed on

B. a message should be delivered in different ways

C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing

D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor

60. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Active learning is less important.

B. Passive learning may not be reliable.

C. Active learning occurs more frequently.

D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.

Homeschool materials are every where .In fact, as a homeschool parent, one of the best learning tools you can use is making use of songs. Think of it .When you hear your favorite songs come on the radio and as soon as the lyrics begin , you can join in at once and sing along. Perhaps,  you haven’t heard this song for months or even years! Doesn’t it amaze you? There is no doubt that learning through lyric and rhyme(韵律)is a great way!

With some careful searching , you can come up with many songs ,lyrics ,and rhymes that fit well with your homeschool lesson plan or unit study. Some places even have songs that have the same themes with the lessons. They are perfect to be used to add to your homeschool materials ! Even if you don’t find a particular great song for what you may be teaching at the time, you can write your own. With a little practice, you can not only write your own songs over time but also be surprised how good you can become.

Take any of the traditional chidren’s  songs and modify(修改) them to meet your needs .This is an interesting exercise for both you and your children. It helps you with reading , recognizing(识别)sounds, and improving memory. Soon you’ll have your children want to write and sing their own songs!

Song and singing is such a great way to teach your children. It’s fun and relaxing. Sometimes. you really need such a break from your study and work .It will cost nothing. So turn your creativity and imagination loose and have fun .Whisrle (吹口哨) while you work!

1.In Paragraph 1,the author proves his point through______

A. his favorite songs                 B. his own experience

C. people’s common experience            D. singing along with the radio

2.What does the underlined word “They” in  Paragraph 2 refer to?

A .Songs.     B. Themes.      C. Lessons      D. Places

3.According to the passage, modifying traditional songs can ______

A. improve people’s writing ability

B. make materials more interesting

C. help children sing better

D. help people improve memory

4.The passage is probably written to______

A .homeschool students

B. homeschool parents

C .all the children

D. school teachers

5.Which of the follwing would be the best title for the passage?

A. How to raise children at home

B. How to find homeschool materials

C. Homeschool materials in songs

D .Children’s singing materials

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring up children.       

B. Parents give love and care to children.

C. Parents pass away before children grow up.

D. Parents educate children to be good persons.

What do you know from the passage?

A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B. Not all the children respect their parents.

C. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A. It only has two kinds of color.

B. It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in June.

D. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

What do you think “florists” do?

A. They sell flowers.                  

B. They made bread.

C. They offer enough room for having family parties.

D. They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate”. But not all experts agree that this is a good idea.

One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them “people-literate”.

David Tebbutt thinks Computertowns are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any questions they have. They are not told what to do. They find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask. People don't have to learn computer terms(术语), but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming “people-literate”.

Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and

 computers?

A.Computer learning should be made easier.

B.There should be more computer clubs for experts.

C.People should work harder to master computer use.

D.Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them.

We can infer from the text that “computer-literate” means ______.

A.being able to afford a computer

B.being able to write computer programs

C.working with the computer and finding out the value

D.understanding the computer and knowing how to use it

The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to the idea that Computertowns ___.

A.help to set up more computer clubs                 B.bring people to learn to use computers

C.bring more experts to work together                D.help to sell computers to the public

David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of ______.

A.making better use of computer experts            B.improving computer programs

C.increasing computer sales                               D.popularising computers

If you know exactly what you want, the best way to get a job is to get specialized training. A recent report shows that companies like graduates in such fields as business and health care who can go to work immediately with very little on-the-job training.

That’s especially true of booming fields that are challenging for workers. At Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, for example, bachelor's degree graduates get an average of four or five job offers with salaries ranging from the high to low and plenty of chances for rapid advancement. Large companies especially like a background of formal education coupled with work experience. But in the long run, too much specialization does not pay off. Business, which has been flooded with MBAs, no longer considers the degree an automatic stamp of approval. The MBA may open doors and command a higher salary initially, but the impact of a degree washes out after five years.

As further evidence of the erosion of corporate faith in specialized degrees, Michigan State’s Scheetz cites a pattern in corporate hiring practices. Although companies tend to take on specialists as new hires, they often seek out generalists for middle and upper-level management. This sounds like a formal statement that you approve of the liberal-arts(文科) graduate. Time and again labor-market analysts mention a need for talents that liberal-arts majors are assumed to have: writing and communication skills, organizational skills, open-mindedness and adaptability, and the ability to analyze and solve problems. David Birch, manager of the Boston Red Sox, says that he does not hire anybody with an MBA or an engineering degree. “I hire only liberal-arts people because they have a less-than-canned way of doing things,” says Birch.

For a liberal – arts degree, students focus on some basic courses that include literature history, mathematics, economics, science, human behavior and a computer course or two. With these useful and important courses, you can feel free to specialize, “A liberal-arts degree coupled with an MBA or some other technical training is a very good combination in the marketplace,” says Scheetz.

67. The job market is in great need of people with          .

A. special training in special fields                     B. a bachelor’s degree in education

C. formal schooling and work experience        D. an MBA degree from top universities

68. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 means         .

A. an MBA degree does not help in future promotion

B. MBA programs will not be as popular as they are now

C. people will not forget the degree the MBA graduates have got

D. most MBA programs fail to provide students with a foundation

69. David Birch says that he only hires liberal – arts people because          .

A. they will follow others’ ways of solving problems

B. they can do better in bundling changing situations

C. they are well trained in a variety of specialized fields

D. they have attended special programs in management

70. The author supports the idea that          .

A. on – the – job training is less costly in the long run

B. formal schooling is less important than job training

C. specialists are more expensive to hire than generalists

D. generalists will do better than specialists in management