More and more high-rise buildings have been built in big cities space.
A. in search of B. in place of C. for lack of D. for fear of
In science fiction we read of flying saucers travel through _____ space, so people want to have ______ better knowledge of the universe.
A. the; a B. /; / C. the; / D. /; a
I felt so bad all day yesterday that I decided this morning I couldn’t face ________ day like that.
A. other B. another C. the other D. others
The medicine is on sale everywhere. You can get it at ___ chemist’s.
A. each B. some C. certain D. any
—Did you have any trouble with the customs officer?
—________ to speak of.
A. No B. Nothing C. None D. Neither
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 contest, 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 pressures 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 I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them. Telling myself that I 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 trade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her fist 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 I 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.
1.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Many children find lots of fun in mindless activities.
B. Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.
C. Rebecca collects online materials for her writing.
D. Rebecca is different from any other child of her age.
2.What was the author's writing experience?
A. She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
B. Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
C. She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
D. Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
3.Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?
A. She possessed real talent for writing.
B. She wanted to win.
C. She wanted to share her stories with readers.
D. She had won a prize already.
4.The author took great pains to refine her daughter's stories because ______.
A. she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance
B. she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who wanted to win the contest
C. she wanted to help Rebecca win in the contest
D. she was afraid Rebecca's imagination might run wild while writing
5.What's the author's advice for parents?
A. A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.
B. Children should be given freedom to grow through experience.
C. Parents should keep an eye on their kids' activities.
D. Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.
