From age eight to eleven, I attended a small school in Bath, England. It was a small school of four classes with about twenty-five children in each class according to age. For the most part, one teacher had to teach all subjects to the children in the class. However, sometimes the headmaster, Mr. Ronald Broaches, would come in and spend an hour or so, teaching some subjects in which he was especially interested. He was a large man with a very happy nature. He had a sense of humor and would delight in telling the children small stories that would make us laugh. He was a very fair man and had a great influence on many of the children. In my own case, I found that he took great interest in me and he quickly found that I enjoyed puzzles. He would often stop me as I was going to class and take a piece of paper out of his pocket, often with a puzzle already on it. The puzzles were usually mathematical or logical. As time went on, they slowly got more difficult, but I loved them. Not only that, they made me interested in math and problem solving that stays with me to this day. They also served to show me that intellectual activity was rewarding when the correct answers were found, but perhaps more importantly it was great fun. To this day, I can remember Mr. Broaches' cheerful cry of "Well done!" whenever I got a problem right. The simple communication with a man whom I loved greatly has had a deep influence on my life. I shall forever be thankful that our paths crossed. Mr. Broaches died just two weeks after I had won the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Unluckily, I had no chance to speak to him before he died. I learnt later that he had heard of my success and I will always hope that he knew the deep influence he had made on my life.

                                                        By Richard J. Roberts

54. From the passages, we can learn that ________.

   A. the puzzles made the students laugh

   B. the students were afraid of the headmaster

   C. the puzzles made Richard enjoy math

   D. the headmaster never taught in the school

55. The writer felt sorry because ________.

   A. Mr. Broaches had passed away before he won the Nobel Prize

   B. he didn't express his thanks before Mr. Broaches died

   C. he couldn't find Mr. Broaches after he grew up

   D. Mr. Broaches didn't know his success

56. What is the best title for the passages?

   A. The Story of Mr. Broaches

   B. The Story of Richard J. Roberts

   C. My Early School Life

   D. An Important Teacher in My Life

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy
—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.
【小题1】According to George, reading aloud to children_______________.

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.

“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”

George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.

     Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy

—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.

     Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.

【小题 1】According to George, reading aloud to children_______________.

  A. helps them correct mistakes

  B. is helpful to their reading

  C. is parents’ first duty to their children

  D. can get children out of television’s attraction

【小题2 】The underlined word (in Paragraph 4 ) means something that_________

  A. can improve children’s reading

  B. can help children’s right way of reading

 C. can make children interested in reading

 D. can make children not attentive

【小题3 】Which of the following is important according to the fourth paragraph?

  A. Reading skills.                       B. Reading speed.

  C. Reading materials.                 D. Reading environment.

【小题 4】If the passage is not completed, which of the following can follow the fifth

paragraph?

  A. Parents choose reading materials for their children.

  B. Advice is given to control their children.

  C. What TV programs children can watch during reading.

  D. How children improve their reading by themselves.

【小题 5】 Which one would be the best title for the passage?

  A. Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents.

  B. Parents Are Their Child's First Teacher.

  C. How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader.

  D. How to Improve Children's Reading Ability.

Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With the help from their parents, children can learn techniques to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy
—television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joines said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not count on their children being interested in it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.

1. 1.

   According to George, reading aloud to children______.

   1. A.
      helps them correct mistakes
   2. B.
      is helpful to their reading
   3. C.
      is parents’ first duty to their children
   4. D.
      can get children out of television’s attraction
2. 2.

   The underlined word (in Paragraph 4 ) means something that______.

   1. A.
      can improve children’s reading
   2. B.
      can help children’s right way of reading
   3. C.
      can make children interested in reading
   4. D.
      can make children not attentive
3. 3.

   Which of the following is important according to the fourth paragraph?

   1. A.
      Reading skills.
   2. B.
      Reading speed.
   3. C.
      Reading materials.
   4. D.
      Reading environment.
4. 4.

   If the passage is not completed, which of the following can follow the fifth paragraph?

   1. A.
      Parents choose reading materials for their children.
   2. B.
      Advice is given to control their children.
   3. C.
      What TV programs children can watch during reading.
   4. D.
      How children improve their reading by themselves.
5. 5.

   Which one would be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents.
   2. B.
      Parents Are Their Child's First Teacher.
   3. C.
      How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader.
   4. D.
      How to Improve Children's Reading Ability.