Whether rich or poor, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans.
For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor(预示物) of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, the study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as the difference between having parents who are barely literate (有文化的) and having parents who have a university education.
Being a sociologist, Evans was particularly interested to find that children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. What kinds of investments should we make to help these kids get ahead? The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed. Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on motivating a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater benefit the children get.”
The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as education level of the parents, the father's occupation or the economic level of the country.
Having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education level, and more important than whether a child was brought up in a developing country or a developed country. Surprisingly, the difference in educational attainment for children born in developed country and children born in developing country was just 2 years, less than two-thirds of the effect that having 500 or more books in the home had on children.
1.In the past educators held a point of view that ______ .
A. children whose family had a library would possibly attain high levels of education
B. children who were born in poor families studied harder than those in rich families
C. children whose parents are highly educated would attain high levels of education
D. parents’ level of education had nothing to do with their children’s levels of education
2.What does the underlined word “motivating” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Making somebody want to do something.
B. Helping somebody to finish something
C. Making somebody pretend to do something.
D. Preventing somebody from achieving something.
3.Which of the following has the most important effect on the level of education a child will gain?
A. The economic level of the country.
B. The father’s occupation.
C. Education levels of parents.
D. Having books in the home.
4.Which is the following is NOT TRUE?
A. Getting books into homes is good investment parents can make.
B. Children who get a higher level of education must have many books in their homes.
C. Reading books is good for the development of children.
D. Books in home have a great effect on children’s education levels.
Jennifer Lawrence, 25, is known for being down -to- earth and likable—she ordered McDonald’s on the red carpet at the Oscars.
And when she described her anger and disappointment at the fact that women are not equal to men in Hollywood, Lawrence “continued to make America fall in love with her”, said Business Insider.
Earlier this year, an E-mail from film company Sony Pictures showed that Lawrence and Amy Adams made less money for American Hustle(2013) than their male(男性) co-stars, even though both women played major roles in the movie.
In an article published in Lenny Letter, a popular e-mail newsletter, Lawrence wrote “I’m trying to find the ‘adorable(可爱的) way to state my opinion and still be likable’!”
Lawrence joins a long list of actresses, including Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett, who have spoken up about Hollywood’s pay gap.
According to Forbes, the 10 highest paid movie actors in 2015, led by Robert Downey Jr, made ＄431 million.But the 10 highest paid movie actresses, led by Lawrence, only made about $218 million. The pay gap comes partly from the low number of actresses. According to a report in August, only 28.1 percent of characters in 2014’s 100 top grossing(高票房的) films were female(女性) and of them, only 21 percent had a female lead or co-lead character.
“People with more experience are paid more,” Nancy Dubue, the president CEO of A+E Networks, told Variety, “The problem is that the industry still gives too many men that experience.”
The pay gap is a problem that affects the whole US, The White House reported that women earn 78 cents to every dollar a man gets there.
“This is what made Lawrence’s piece powerful: it showed that women still experience pay inequality everywhere-whether you’re Hollywood’s top talent or you work in a retail store,” commented CNN.
As Lawrence points out, it’s not just about less payment for women; it’s also about women making sure that their pay shows their value.
1.According to Business Insider, Americans_____ Lawrence after she expressed her anger at Hollywood’s pay gap.
A. dislike. B. like
C. doubt D. forgive
2.From the passage we can infer that_____.
A. men earn more money for the same job than women because they are better than women
B. Lawrence is the leader of the 10 highest_ paid movie actresses
C. a great many actresses have spoken up about Hollywood’s pay gap
D. a White House report points out that men make twice as much money as women
3.The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is____.
A. to inform
B. to advise
C. to persuade
D. to argue
4.The best title of the passage can be____.
A. More Experience, More Pay
B. Asking for Fair Pay
C. Speaking up for Hollywood
D. Higher value, Higher Pay
Do you like animals? If you do, you can go to visit the following zoos around America.
Denver Zoo, Colorado
The zoo covers 80 acres in all. It houses species from all over the world, including bears, elephants, giraffes, birds, monkeys and fish. The zoo is laid out in a large circle, with animals both inside and outside the circle. It houses 4,125 animals.
Riverbanks Zoo, South Carolina
It covers 170 acres. The zoo is the beautiful home of over 2,000 animals, including African elephants, kangaroos and koalas. Also, Riverbanks Zoo has a 70-acre botanical(植物的)garden with more than 4,200 species of native and foreign plants.
Zoo Miami, Florida
It is the largest and oldest zoo in Florida. Zoo Miami is also the only tropical(热带的)zoo in the United States. There are four main sections in the zoo: Asia, Africa, Amazon and Beyond, and Australia. Don’t miss a ride on the air-conditioned monorail(单轨列车). It is a convenient and comfortable way to move between sections. And it also provides an amazing view of the zoo.
Fort Worth Zoo, Texas
The zoo has been named as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life magazine, The LA Times, and USA Today, and it made the list of top zoos in the South by Southern Living magazine. The zoo now is home to 5,000 native and foreign animals.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
America’s only mountainside zoo spans 140 acres and has a collection of more than 750 animals, representing nearly 150 different species. Don’t miss the wildly popular giraffe-feeding activity.
1.Riverbanks Zoo would most probably attract those who__________.
A. want to visit a tropical zoo
B. love both animals and plants
C. want a ride on a monorail
D. love the giraffe-feeding activity
2.Which of the following zoos has the most animals?
A. Denver Zoo.
B. Riverbanks Zoo.
C. Fort Worth Zoo.
D. Colorado Springs.
3.What makes Colorado Springs special?
A. Being the largest zoo in the US.
B. Being named as a top zoo in the US.
C. Having the largest number of animals.
D. Being the only mountainside zoo in the US
一位名叫Jack Smith的美国朋友到你校参观，现由你代表同学用英语致欢迎词，包括下列内容：
对客人表示欢迎；
介绍Mr. Smith：纽约一所中学的校长；教育、教学经验丰富。本次来访想了解中国中学生英语学习情况和计算机教学情况；
请大家畅所欲言；请Mr. Smith讲话。
注意：可适当增加细节；词数100左右。
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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文章.文中共有10处错误,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）不计分。
Three years ago, I became a student in an ordinary school. Disappointing as I felt at the shabby campus and the poorly-equipped classroom, I find the teachers patient and considerate. Besides, I enjoyed the friend atmosphere in class. I decided to make the best for it. I worked hardly and got along well with teachers and classmates. Whenever I had difficulties, they were always available. Soon, I became one of the top student in my class, what greatly increased my confidence and I got more motivated.
My experiencee tells me that it is not what you are given but that how you use it that determine who you are.
The 2,298-kilometer Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway 1. (official) opened to passengers on December 26，2012. It is the world’s longest high-speed rail route. The 2. (design)speed of the track is 350 kilometers, though speeds during the initial period of operation will be limited to about 300 km/h. The new route cuts the travel time between Beijing and Guangzhou 3.almost two thirds, from 22 hours to roughly 8 hours .On December 1, 2012，not long before the opening of the Beijing-Guangzhou High-speed Railway, the Harbin-Dalian High-speed Railway, 4. first high-speed line ever to cross land that lies frozen for almost half a year, began operations, 5. allows passengers to appreciate the view off the coast from Dalian in the morning, 6. the winter snowscape of frosty Harbin in the afternoon . At present the total 7. (long) of high-speed lines in China 8.(reach) 9,349 km. With four main lines 9. (run) east-west and four north-south, the country’s high-speed train network is the world’s largest. China plans to expand 10. high-speed railway network to 50,000 km by 2020, to cover almost all large and medium-sized cities.
