A couple had a son eleven years after they married. They were a loving couple and the boy was the apple of their eye. When the boy was around four years old, one day the father was very tired after work so he asked his wife to pick up their son. The mother, who was very busy in the kitchen, totally forgot about it.
Later the boy lost his way on the street. When the son was found missing, the mother hurried to look for him, but she didn’t find him. The mother felt very sad and didn’t know how to face her husband.
When the father went to the police station after hearing that the son was missing, he looked at his wife and said just four words. What do you think the four words were? The husband just said "I love you, darling."
The son was missing. If he had picked him up earlier, this would not have happened. There is no point in blaming (责备) anyone. His wife had also lost her only child. What his wife needed at that moment was comfort and understanding from her husband. That is what the husband gave his wife. Several weeks later, with the help of the police, the couple finally found their lost son. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.
Sometimes we spend lots of time asking who is to blame. We miss many chances to give each other support and let each other feel the warmth of human relationships. Get rid of all your unwillingness to forgive, selfishness, and fears and you will find the world is much more wonderful.
1.What is the meaning of the underlined phrase "the apple of their eye"?
A. A person who always has a sweet smile.
B. A person who is as pretty as an apple.
C. A person who is loved more than anyone else.
D. A person who looks like an apple.
2.Why didn’t the father pick the boy up himself?
A. He was very lazy.
B. He thought the mother had picked him up.
C. He forgot to pick him up.
D. He was too tired to do it.
3.What do you think of the husband?
A. Friendly. B. Careful.
C. Hard-working. D. Broad-minded.
4.What’s the difference of the family’s relationship after this matter?
A. The family’s relationship became stronger over that time.
B. The family’s relationship became worse over that time
C. The family’s relationship is the same as before.
D. Not mentioned.
As a parent you might never guess all the ways a good imagination benefits your child. It helps a preschooler(学龄前儿童)：
Develop social skills
As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and coworkers and learn more about how people interact. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients. Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play helps develop empathy(同情) for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build selfconfidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers(摩天大楼) or a superhero defending the planet is empowering to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought. Children who can see a king's castle in a mound(堆) of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically(象征性地). This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numerals symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking. This helps boost their vocabulary, improve sentence structure and promote communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work out their fears and worries. When children roleplay about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn't seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids vent(发泄) confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or compete with a new sibling(兄弟姐妹)．
Enjoy reading books
To encourage your youngster's imagination, read to him every day. Books offer children the opportunity to visit other worlds and create new ones of their own.
For generations children have enjoyed reading the story of Peter Pan because Peter takes them on fascinating adventures. Reader's Digest Young Families offers a beautiful typical Disney edition of Peter Pan, which is an iParenting Media Award winner. Click here to find out how you can get this classic story along with 2 free books-Bambi and Pinocchio.
1.What's NOT the advantage of children having a good imagination?
A．Helping them form a good habit of reading stories.
B．Expressing their feelings like anger.
C．Having a strong faith in their own abilities and potential.
D．Understanding the other people's feelings and problems.
2.What does the underlined word “Boost” mean?
A．Push. B．Limit. C．Improve. D．Praise.
3. From the last paragraph we can learn that ________．
A．the story of Peter Pan has been popular with kids
B．Disney edition of Peter Pan can be got online for free
C．Reader's Digest Young Families wins an iParenting Media Award
D．Bambi and Pinocchio are offered for free because of bad sales
4.What's the purpose of writing the article?
A．To persuade parents to buy the Disney edition of Peter Pan
B．To introduce some wonderful Disney stories to readers.
C．To provide ways of helping make kids more imaginative.
D．To tell readers the benefits of encouraging children's imagination.
Everyone knows how the story of Cinderella does everything from sweeping the floor to cooking the meals before she meets the prince. If someone asked Cinderella, “Are there any kinds of household work that you particularly hate?” She probably would answer , “Why , none , of course. Housework is my duty!” In the real world, however, most people have certain dislikes for some kinds of household work. Two of these tasks are ironing（熨）clothes and washing dishes.
Ironing clothes is most hated because it is not a task that can be completed quickly or thoughtlessly. Each piece of clothing must be handled（处理）separately, so ironing a basket of them can take hours! If you do not follow directions carefully, it might become wrinkled and you have to start over. Perhaps that is why ironing is not a favorite thing to do. It calls for extreme attention to detail from beginning to end.
Another household job that many people dislike is washing dishes. Of course, some people claim that this work is no longer a problem because , we have dishwashers now! However, no one would argue that dishes, silverware, and especially pots and pans washed in a dishwasher don’t come out as clean as they do when washed by hand. For this reason, many of us continue to wash our dishes. And it is a job that not only takes a lot of energy but also requires the patience to wash and dry them. In addition, unlike ironing clothes, washing dishes is a thing that usually must be done every day. I don’t know how Cinderella felt about this particular task, but I believe that most people hate it as much as I do.
1.For Cinderella, doing household work is __________.
A. what she hates to do
B. what she is responsible for
C. what she loves to do
D. what she is content with
2. Most people hate to do clothes-ironing because _________.
A. it takes a lot of time
B. it has to be done by one person
C. it must be handled skillfully
D. it needs careful planning
3. Many people still prefer washing dishes by hand to machine washing because _________.
A. hand washed dishes are cleaner
B. dishwashers are not so easily handled
C. some dishes cannot be washed by machine
D. washing dishes by hand is cheaper
4.Ironing is different from washing dishes in that _________.
A. it requires patience
B. it is not a daily housework
C. it is not tiring
D. it needs less care
After a busy day of work and play, the body needs to rest. Sleep is necessary for good health. During this time, the body recovers from the activities of the previous day. The rest that you get while sleeping makes it possible for your body to prepare itself for the next day.
There are four levels of sleep, each being a little deeper than the one before. As you sleep, your body relaxes little by little. Your heart beats more slowly, and your brain slows down. After you reach the fourth level, your body shifts back and forth from one level of sleep to the other.
Although your mind slows down, you will dream from time to time. Scientists who study sleep point out that when you are dreaming, your eyeballs begin to move more quickly (although your eyelids are closed). This stage of sleep is called REM, which stands for rapid eye movement.
If you have trouble falling asleep, some people suggest breathing very slowly and very deeply. Other people believe that drinking warm milk will make you drowsy. There is also an old suggestion that counting sheep will put you to sleep.
1.The text makes us know that not getting enough sleep might make you _________.
A. suffer form poor health B. enjoy more
C. dream more often D. breathe quickly
2. During REM, _______.
A. you move restlessly
B. you start dreaming
C. your mind stops working
D. your eyeballs move quickly
3.The underlined word “drowsy” in the last paragraph probably means______.
A. lazy B. sleepy C. relaxed D. pleased
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从笫11处起)不计分。
I'd like tell you something about your life in this boarding schoo1．I stay in a dormitory with three other girls，all of them are kind and nice． We get on well to others and have become good friends．Living in a boarding school make me independent．I am confidence to take care of myself，wash the clothes，and clean the rooms，which I never did when at home．The classes here are very interesting and challenged．I’m still feeling a little dissatisfied with some other thing．The living conditions are not as good as it at home and the chance to get in touch with the outside world is limited．Anyway，I’II get used to living here and hope everything will be more better soon．
