In 1693 the philosopher John Locke warned that children should not be given too much “unhealthy fruit” to eat. Three centuries later, misguided ideas about child-raising are still popular. Many parents fear that their children will die unless ceaselessly watched. In America the law can be equally paranoid (偏执的). In South Carolina this month Debra Harrell was jailed for letting her 9-year-old daughter play in a park unsupervised (无人监督的).
Her severe punishment reflects the rich world’s worry about parenting. By most objective measures, modern parents are far more conscientious (认真的) than previous generations. Dads are more hands-on than their fathers were, and working mothers spend more time nurturing their children than the housewives of the 1960s did. However, there are two problems in this picture, connected to class. One is at the lower end. Even if poor parents spend more time with their children than they once did, they spend less than rich parents do. America is a laggard here: its government spends abundantly on school-age kids but much less than other rich countries on the first two or three years of life. If America did more to help poor parents with young children, it would have huge returns.
The second one, occurs at the other end of the income scale, and may even apply to otherwise rational (理性的) Economist readers: well-educated, rich parents try to do too much. Safety is part of it—they fear that if they are not constantly watching their children may break their necks, which is the least rational. Despite the impression you get from watching crime dramas, children in rich countries are safe, so long as they look both ways before crossing the road. The other popular parental fear—that your children might not get into an Ivy League college—is more rational. Academic success matters more than ever before. But beyond a certain point, parenting makes less difference than many parents imagine. Studies in Minnesota and Sweden, for example, found that identical twins grew up equally intelligent whether they were raised together or apart. A study in Colorado found that children that adopted and raised by brainy parents ended up no brainier than those adopted by average parents.
This doesn’t mean that parenting is irrelevant. The families who adopt children are carefully screened, so they tend to be warm, capable and middle-class. But the twin and adoption studies indicate that any child given a loving home and adequate stimulation is likely to fulfill her potential. Put another way, better-off parents can afford to relax a bit. And if you are less stressed, your children will appreciate it, even if you still make them eat their fruit and vegetables.
1.Which of the following statements is NOT a misguided idea of parenting mentioned in the passage?
A. Children should be protected from any dangers by their parents.
B. The more conscientious parents are, the more children will surely benefit from parenting.
C. Children will die unless ceaselessly watched.
D. Children are likely to fulfill their potential with a loving home and adequate stimulation.
2.The underlined word “laggard” in Paragraph 2 probably means a country that ________.
A. is ahead in development
B. falls slow behind others
C. is free from physical or mental disorder
D. moves to a higher position
3.Which of the following can we learn from the passage?
A. Only warm, capable and middle-class people can adopt a child.
B. When it comes to child-raising, Economist readers will become more rational.
C. Children in rich countries are in greater danger due to the bad influence of crime dramas.
D. Although poor parents spend more time with their kids than they once did, they spend less than rich parents do.
4.This passage is mainly written to ________.
A. urge American laws concerning parenting to be changed
B. advise modern parents to learn from their previous generations
C. persuade stressed parents to learn to relax and give more freedom to their children
D. call on the government to do more to help poor parents with school-age children
Every few years comes a fitness trend that has people scratching their heads in amazement. “Crunning” will probably be one of them. The “c” stands for “crawling”(爬行). This new sport needs two-legged humans running on all fours!
The funny idea is the brainchild of Shaun McCarthy. The 34-year-old is convinced that it will revolutionize fitness as we know it. According to the sports enthusiast, “The only thing that crunning’s changed about fitness is that it’s changed everything about fitness.”
Mccarthy has no scientific evidence to prove that crunning is more efficient than traditional two-legged running. However, he believes it is a more effective way to exercise because it puts an emphasis on the shoulders and arms, providing a complete body workout. Mccarthy also says crunning seems to tire him out more. He therefore concludes that the unconventional exercise is a bigger calorie burner than normal running.
While experts generally agree that crunning may provide a better workout, many are not sure if it is the right exercise for humans. Fitness coach Kevin Dean says we are not built to be on all fours and our wrists are therefore not as strong as our ankles. He believes crunning, which he calls a fad(时尚), could result in bad wrist and shoulder injuries, not to mention broken noses.
But McCarthy is not worried. Since the release of his crunning video a few weeks ago, many Melbourne residents have been seen scampering around on all fours. As it turns out they are not the only ones. In the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, crawling, a much slower version of crunning, has been a favorite activity for many years. According to some enthusiasts, the light exercise that is believed to date back two thousand years to the Han Dynasty, is good for curing back and spine ailments.
Ready to give crunning try? Then Mccarthy recommends investing in some good shoes, hardy gloves and most important of all, a face mask!
1.What can we learn about crawling according to Kevin Dean?
A. Our ankles are stronger than our wrists.
B. Crawling is an efficient way to work out.
C. The city of Zhengzhou is the origin of crawling.
D. Crawling can burn more calories than normal running.
2.What does the author think of crunning?
A. Dangerous. B. Interesting.
C. Beneficial. D. Unbelievable.
3.Why does McCarthy suggest people wearing a face mask when crunning?
A. To amuse other people.
B. To avoid being recognized.
C. To protect the nose from being injured.
D. To prevent sweat dropping on the ground.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. A new way of crawling.
B. A new trend of exercising.
C. A scientific discovery.
D. A traditional way to keep fit.
In August 2015, President Obama announced that North America’s highest mountain, Mount McKinley, would be renamed. Its new moniker（名字）, Denali, was actually its original Aleut name, meaning “the high one”. The previous name, on the other hand, only dates back to 1896—the year when it was named in honour of William McKinley（1843—1901）, who was shortly to become President of the United States. Denali is of course not the only mountain with an interesting linguistic history, so let’s travel to Asia, and across Europe, to explore the naming of those continents’ most famous peaks and mountain ranges.
The Nepalese name Himalaya comes from a Sanskrit word meaning “Abode of Snow”, from hima for “snow” and ālaya for “abode”. In Buddhist sources, Himalaya is known by various names such as Himavā and Himavanta.
In 1856, Mount Everest was named after Sir George Everest （1790—1866）, who was the superintendent （负责人） of the Trigonometrical Survey of India. Everest himself was initially displeased by the naming, since he feared that local inhabitants might not be able to pronounce it.
K2 stands for Karakoram 2, because it was the second peak to be surveyed in the Trigonometrical Survey in the Karakoram system. It was also formerly known as Mount Godwin Austen after Col. H. H. Godwin Austen, who first surveyed it. Another alternative name for the mountain is Chhogori.
Annapurna is a household Goddess for Hindus, who guarantees to her worshippers （崇拜者）that food will not fail. The name derives(源出) from a Sanskrit word meaning “one who gives nourishment”.
The Matterhorn’s name derives from the name of the nearby town of Zermatt, the second element of which is apparently Matte “meadow”, and Horn, “horn”. Horn is not an unusual element in German names of mountains with jutting（突出的）peaks. The mountain is called Mont Cervin in French and Monte Cervino in Italian, from the Italian adjective cervino “deer-like”, which conjures up （使想起）a deer’s antlers.
Ben Nevis is the Anglicized form of the Scottish Gaelic name Beinn Nibheis, which means“Mountain by the（River）Nevis”. The name of the river apparently derives from a Celtic root for “water”.
1.How many continents’ mountains are mentioned in the passage?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
2.Himalaya is a mountain also named ________.
A. Nepalese B. Abode of Snow C. Alaya D. Himavā
3.Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A. Everest was unhappy about the name of Mount Everest at first.
B. K2 was once called Col. H. H. Godwin.
C. Annapurna means “one who offers food”.
D. Matterhorn comes from the name of the nearby town of Zermatt.
4.The above mountains’ names come from sources other than _________.
A. color B. a Sanskrit word
C. a person’s name D. geographic name
Chester City Library offers a range of Library Special Needs Services to people who don’t have access to our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Chester City, we’ll provide a wide range of library services and resources including:
● Large printed and ordinary printed books
● Talking books on tape and CD
● DVDs and music CDs
● Magazines
● Reference and information requests
Home delivery service
Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you. Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library. You can also choose the resources you need personally.
Talking books and captioned videos
The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don’t have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge.
Languages besides English
We can provide books in a range of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia.
How to join
Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible(合适的) for any of the services we provide — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am — 5pm on 4297 2522 for more information.
1.Library Special Needs Services are meant for ________.
A. those who are fond of reading
B. people living in Chester City with an illness or disability
C. only those who have walking disabilities
D. those who can’t get medical help in Chester City
2.What can we learn from the passage
A. Few entertaining resources are offered here.
B. People with limited hearing have to pay for captioned videos.
C. Books with different languages are available.
D. People have to choose what they need by themselves.
3.To get home delivery service, you must ________.
A. only choose printed books
B. have others choose the resources for you
C. pay the library ahead of time
D. register ahead of time
书面表达
假期中你外出旅游时发现许多不文明行为，如随地吐痰、乱涂乱画、乱丢垃圾等，请你给Beautiful China编辑部写一封信，呼吁人们提高素质、文明出行。
内容要点：1.你所看到的不文明行为及危害；
2．为建设美丽中国，提出你的倡议(至少两点)。
3．开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
4．不得出现真实姓名。
注意：1.词数100～120；
参考词汇：吐痰spit；刻画 scratch；不文明行为immoral behaviors
Dear editor，
I am writing to tell you about what I saw while traveling during this winter vacation.
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Best wishes!
Yours,
Li Hua
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。错误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仅限一词；
2 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不记分。
For a person, belief always plays an important role in his life. Anyone who has strong belief can enjoy a colorfully life. Otherwise, he will lose him in his own way of life. Belief is so important what it can change one’s fate. Marie Curie, famous scientist, also has set a good example. In 1898, Marie find a new element. In order to improve her discovery, Marie and her husband worked hardly. At last they saw at the dim blue light of new element—radium, which made her dream came true.
To my personal view, it can be seen that one with firmly-held belief is likely to getting successful and master his own life.
