Benefits of Reading
The benefits of reading start with the first book a baby hears and continue into childhood and throughout the child’s life. Here are some reasons why reading is important.
Reading teaches children about the world around them. 1.They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. This builds a store of background knowledge, which helps younger children learn to read confidently.
2.When we read, our brains translate the descriptions we read of people , places and things into pictures. When we are reading a story, we are also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation
Children who read do better at school. And they don’t just do better at subjects like reading, English and history. 3.
Reading is a great form of entertainment! A paperback book or an e-reader doesn’t take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you’ll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag. 4.
Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. 5.The constant movement, flashing lights and noise are quite stressful for our brains. When we read in silence, the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.
A. Reading improves concentration.
B. Reading develops a child’s imagination.
c. We seem to have forgotten how to relax and how to be silent.
D. Children learn new words and greatly enlarge their vocabulary.
E. They do better at all subjects and they do better all the day through school.
F. You can read while waiting for a friend or during a flight delay at an airport.
G. By reading, children learn about people, places and events outside their own experience.
In 2016, a team of Japanese scientists found bacteria capable of breaking down and “eating” one of the world’s most popular plastics-polyethylene terephthalate(PET). It was valued as a potential breakthrough at the time. But a new discovery came as a team of British scientists examined an enzyme(酶) produced by the Japanese bacteria to find out more about its structure. While operating the structure to better understand how it worked, they accidentally created the changed enzyme that’s even more efficient at breaking down plastic bottles.
The researchers are now working to further improve the enzyme so it can be used on an industrial scale. It’s possible that within the next few years there could be an industrially possible process for turning PET into other substances so it can be recycled.
The ability to scale up the process will be important. Plastic pollution is fast becoming one of the biggest environmental issues of our time. More than 1 million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute. Most of these bottles are made from PET，which can take up to00 years to biodegrade(生物降解), and many are left in the oceans. Over half of global PET waste is not collected for recycling and only 7 percent of bottles are recycled into new bottles.
Some scientists say the breakthrough, though promising, is nowhere near enough to solve our pollution crisis. These enzymes are not abundantly present in nature. So you would need to produce the enzyme first, then add it to the PET plastic to degrade it.”This is likely to be a slow process. If you have gone through the trouble of collecting the PET waste, then there are clearly far better ways to recycle it or burn it for energy,” said Wim, head of the Industrial Biotechnology Center. He suggested the use of commercially available biodegradable bioplastics would still be a better bet.
1.What unexpected discovery did the British scientists make?
A. An effective way to deal with plastic waste.
B. A potential solution in collecting PET waste.
C. The way to understand the structure of enzyme better.
D. The real value of the discovery by Japanese scientists.
2.What does the underlined phrase “the process” in Paragraph 3 actually refer to?
A. The process to find the enzyme.
B. The process to make more plastics.
C. The process to reduce the PET waste.
D. The process to produce kind of new PET.
3.What is the problem about recycling the PET waste?
A. Large quantities of plastic bottles are used.
B. Ocean plastic waste is harder to biodegrade
C. Most of the PET waste is left without treatment.
D. Most of the plastic products are made from PET.
4.What can be concluded from the last paragraph?
A. The enzyme does not exist in nature.
B. The enzyme has helped to solve the plastic problems.
C. Burning plastic waste for energy is now the best way to rid it.
D. We have a long way to go to use the enzyme to recycle PET waste.
As the parent of two teenagers who have played multiple sports over the years, I’ve seen the good, the bad, the ugly and the absolutely cruel. I realize
However, when I think about the value of sports and why my kids continue to play sports teach kids lessons to become successful adults. Through sports, kids learn how to work in teams, how to take risk, how to challenge themselves to be better, and how to behave when they lose—and when they win.
Whether kids play soccer, baseball, football, or cheer, they learn they are part of a team where one person depends on another. When my son plays baseball, he’s not the only one who needs to play well; he depends on his defense to make the plays in the field. When my daughter plays tennis, she depends on her partner to cut off the ball at the net and win the point, and the tennis team depends on each person in order to win the overall match. Sports also teach children to trust and respect the decisions of someone who understands how the entire team needs to work in order to succeed.
Sadly, though, youth sports have suffered from the “winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” attitude. They have become too much of a reflection of professional sports. Winning is a happy result, but the lessons from losing are even more important. When my daughter loses tennis match, her coach reminds her that you learn more from losing than from winning. Losing makes you focus on improving your skills and your strategy. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them.
I believe that participating in youth sports is much more than building a sound body winning a scholarship to college. Sports are the best way to shape and build more self-motivate and happier children and help them become more self-motivated and happier adults.
1.What is the authors attitude to youth sports?
A. Critical.
B. Positive.
C. Doubtful.
D. Unclear.
2.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A. What sports the author’s kids take.
B. What the authors kids do in sports.
C. How sports benefit the authors kids.
D. How the authors kids continue to play sports.
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Teenagers don’t have to win every time.
B. Winning is the only goal for teen players.
C. Teenagers should work together to succeed.
D. Winning is not the most important in sports.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. Youth Sports Build Better Adults
B. Teenagers Suffer from Youth Sports
C. Losing Brings More than Winning Does
D. Teenagers Perform Better than Adults in Sports
Martha Gruber, a Tampa Bay Watch environmental scientist, has been honored with a Disney Conservation Hero Award from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund( DWCF)
The award recognizes local citizens for their tireless efforts to save wildlife, protect habitats and educate communities. Recipients were nominated(提名) by nonprofit environmental organizations, and each honoree receives an award of $l,50o from DWCF.
“Working with students in Tampa Bay is rewarding because I get to see firsthand the impact that our hard work has on the local habitat,” Gruber said. “I’m proud to say that Tampa Bay Watch’s Bay Grasses in Classes(BGIC) program has given me the opportunity to assist in restoring close to 300 acres with over 19,000 students. Being a Disney Conservation Hero is truly an honor and I am proud to share this achievement with the other Tampa Bay Watch staff members that have contributed to these efforts.”
Gruber has worked with Tampa Bay Watch since 2003, overseeing the Community Salt Marsh program and the BGIC program. She also has been in charge of many large-scale(大规模的)community plantings in her term. In her more than 11 years, Gruber has worked with more than 4,400 community volunteers to restore approximately 148 acres of marsh(湿地) habitat.
The BGIC program works with local middle and high schools to grow salt marsh grasses on their campuses and then involves them in the planting of their nursery raised grasses at a restoration site.
In her time, Gruber has led the BGIC program to contribute salt marsh grasses to help restore 91 acres of habitat around Tampa Bay. In addition to Martha’s impressive restoration impact, she also has a deep impact on everyone with whom she works. She approaches each project with a passion and work ethic(职业道德) that is inspiring.
Since 2004, Disney has honored more than 100 leaders around the world for their extraordinary conservation efforts.
1.DWCF gives its awards to people who .
A. devote themselves to education
B. have a good impact on students
C. promote the knowledge of nature
D. achieve greatly in wildlife protection
2.Why does Gruber think her work worthwhile?
A. Her work connects students with nature.
B. Working with children makes her happy.
C. Her colleagues support her work heartily.
D. She can see their efforts make a difference.
3.What does the underlined word “approaches” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A. Assists.
B. Provides.
C. Deals with.
D. Comes up with.
4.How are the students involved in the BGIC program?
A. By attending classes.
B. By planting salt marsh grasses.
C. By contributing salt marsh grasses.
D. By calling on the public to take action.
Overview of the recommended travel guides
◆Amsterdam Destination Guide
Amsterdam is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, famous for its beautiful canals, top art museum, cycling culture. Most visitors begin their Amsterdam adventure in the Old Centre，which is full of traditional architecture, shopping centers ，and coffee shops. The top museums to visit are the Rijksmusuem, the Ann Frank House, and the Van Gogh Museum.
◆Copenhagen Destination Guide
Like Amsterdam, Copenhagen is one of the world’s best cycling cities. To see the city with ease, rent a bike or take a small group tour to see the sights, including the Little Mermaid, the island Amager, and the community of Christiania. You can also take a canal boat tour to see the city from a unique perspective. There are some excellent museums to explore.
◆Bangkok Destination Guide
Travel in Bangkok is often described as a whirlwind(旋风)—It’s hot, crowded and full of unusual and exciting energy. This popular tourism destination is a city of extremes with grand temples, floating markets, romantic rooftop restaurants, and a wide range of accommodations to suit every budget.
Bangkok is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of the East” because of is network of canals, so take a boat tour to scee sights like the Khmer wats and the riverside dwellings.
◆Azores Destination Guide
The Azores is a charming region of Portugal that’s made up of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. Compared to many island destinations, the Azores aren’t touristy, noisy, or polluted. Instead, travelers can expect to discover untouched nature, and charming villages with rich cultural traditions. Nature lovers will be thrilled to discover all of the outdoor shot trips available to them in the Azores.
1.Which of the following can visitors enjoy more natural beauty?
A. Amsterdam.
B. Azores.
C. Bangkok.
D. Copenhagen.
2.What do you know about Bangkok?
A. It has pleasant weather.
B. Its buildings are similar to Venice.
C. Every visitor can find proper hotels.
D. Visitors can see sights only by boat.
3.What do the four destinations have in common?
A. They have cycling culture.
B. They are very noisy places.
C. They have many famous museums.
D. They have convenient water transport.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华，你的英国朋友George要来北京，其间他想参加中国传统文化方面的课程，来信希望你能推荐一个课程。请你给他回信，内容包括：
1. 你推荐的课程,
2. 该课程的内容,
3. 你推荐的理由。
注意：词数100左右。
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