Creating a reader-friendly home
A home filled with reading material is a good way to help kids become enthusiastic readers. What kind of books should you have? 1. If they're too young to have a preference, your local librarian can offer suggestions about age-appropriate books.
Here are some other tips:
2.
Collect board books or books with mirrors and different textures(质地) for babies. Preschoolers enjoy alphabet books, rhyming books, and picture books. Elementary-age kids will enjoy variety: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, plus dictionaries and other reference books.
Keep reading material handy.
Keep sturdy(耐用的) books with other toys for easy exploration. Books near the changing table and high chair can be helpful distractions for younger kids at appropriate moments.3. Keep books next to comfortable chairs and sofas where you cuddle up (蜷缩着睡)so you can read after feedings and before naps.
Create a special reading place.
As kids grow, keep age-appropriate books and magazines on shelves they can reach in their favorite places around the house. 4. Place some of the books with the covers facing out so they're easy to spot. Put a basket full of books and magazines next to their favorite places to sit. Create a cozy reading corner, and encourage kids to use it by setting up "reading corner time" each day.
Keep it appealing.
Make sure reading areas have good lighting. Change the materials often — add seasonal books, change different magazines, and include books that relate to what kids are interested in or studying in school. 5.. Place a CD or tape player nearby for audio books.
A. Try to teach kids some artwork on their own.
B. Decorate the corner with your child's artwork or writing.
C. Keep a varied selection.
D. Encourage kids to create their own reading
E. Make these shelves appealing and keep them organized.
F. Plastic books can even go in the bathtub.
G. Ask your kids about their interests.
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
"My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day," have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent husband replied that he had not.
"But it is, it is," she replied excitedly.
Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.
"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I'd better listen."
"Well, my dear, the rumour is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month."
"What is her name?" "Bingley."
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. "
"How so? How can it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going."
"Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place."
"Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call."
"Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job." "Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same."
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Austen was born 200 years ago.
B. Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.
C. Austen's updated work gains popularity.
D. Austen's success lies in her wisdom.
2.The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs. Bennet _________.
A. felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley
B. was extremely anxious to meet Bingley
C. had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley
D. had a great curiosity about Bingley
3.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A. Women with brains can also be as successful as men.
B. Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.
C. Women have to pay a high price for success.
D. A judgment must be made free from prejudice.
Dreams can be familiar and strange, fantastical or boring, but some dreams might be connected to the mental processes that help us learn. In a recent study, scientists found a connection between nap-time dreams and better memory in people who were learning a new skill.
In the study, 99 college students between the ages of 18 and 30 each spent an hour on a computer, trying to get through a virtual maze(迷宫).The maze was a different place each time they tired—making it even more difficult. They were also told to find a particular picture of a tree and remember where it was.
For the first 90 minutes of a five-hour break, half of the participants stayed awake and an half were told to take a short nap . Participants who stayed awake were asked to describe their thoughts. Participants who took a nap were asked about their dreams after sleeping—and they were awakened within a minute of sleeping to describe their dreams. Stickgold, a neuroscientist(神经科学家),wanted to know what people were dreaming about when their eyes weren’t moving during sleep.
Four of the 50 people who slept said their dreams were connected to the maze. Some dreamed about the music that had been playing when they were working ; Others said they dreamed about seeing people in the maze. When these four people tried the computer maze again, they were able to find the tree faster than before their naps.
Stickgold suggests the dream itself doesn’t help a person learn—it’s the other way around.He suspects that the dream was caused by the brain processes associated with learning.
All four of the people who dreamed about the task had done poorly the first time, which makes Stickgold wonder if the dreams show up when a person finds a new task particularly difficult. People who had other dreams, or people who didn’t take a nap, didn’t show the same improvement.
1.After having a short nap, participants of the experiment were asked to____.
A. stay in a different place in the maze
B. try to remember something about their dreams
C. design a virtual maze which is difficult to get through
D. get through a virtual maze on a computer from the same place
2.What can we learn from the text?
A. Participants who took a nap were required to express their thoughts.
B. Some dreams may encourage people to invent something new.
C. Participants who dreamed about films could finish the task more easily.
D. Participants whose dreams had something to do with the maze could find the tree faster.
3.According to Stickgold, ____.
A. every person may dream about what they learned
B. once people's eyes stop moving, they are sure to dream about something
C. people's brain processes may still be connected with their learning in their dreams
D. no matter how fantastical or boring, dreams are connected with people's life
4.What is the best title for this text?
A. Dreams Are Strange.
B. Not All Dreams Are True.
C. Dreaming Makes Perfect.
D. Stickgold, a Dream Expert.
Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Windsor is one of the official residences (住所) of the Queen, who sometimes stays here.
Audio tours
Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit. There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors.
Guided tours
Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide. Tours depart at regular intervals throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments.
Visitors with children
For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends. Please note that, for safety reasons, pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments. However, baby carriers are available to borrow.
St George’s Chapel
Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15:00 from march to October are advised to visit St George’s Chapel first before it closes.
Shopping
Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children’s toys. Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service.
Refreshments
Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops. From April to September ice cream is also available. Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops. Eating and drinking are not permits in the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel.
Photography and mobile phones
Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle. Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel. Mobile phone must be switched off inside the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel in consideration of other visitors.
Security
As Winter Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongings should get through airport-style security checks. For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route.
1.Who can get re-entry permits?
A. Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops.
B. Visitors buying water from the Courtyard.
C. Visitors wishing to eat outside the Castle.
D. Visitors eating outside St George’s Chapel.
2.Why are visitors required to turn off their mobile phone?
A. To prevent them from disturbing others.
B. To ensure the safety of others.
C. To ensure the security of the Castle.
D. To prevent the use of the built-in cameras.
3.In the last part, a "working royal palace" refers to one ________.
A. where the Queen usually works
B. where works of art are on show
C. still being constructed
D. still used by the royal family
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What do we know about the Plaza Leon?
A. It’s a new building. B. It’s a small town. C. It’s a public place.
2.When do parents and children like going to the Plaza Leon?
A. Saturday nights. B. Sunday afternoons. C. Fridays and Saturdays.
3.Which street is known for its food shops and markets?
A. Via Del Mar Street. B. Fernando Street. C. Hernandes Street.
4.Why does the speaker like Horatio Street best?
A. It has an old stone surface.
B. It is named after a writer.
C. It has a famous university.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does Jan consider most important when he judges a restaurant?
A. Where the restaurant is.
B. Whether the prices are low.
C. How well the food is prepared.
2.When did Jan begin to write for a magazine?
A. After he came back to Sweden.
B. Before he went to the United States.
C. As soon as he got his first job in 1982.
3.What may Jan do to find a good restaurant?
A. Talk to people in the street.
B. Speak to taxi drivers.
C. Ask hotel clerks.
4.What do we know about Jan?
A. He cooks for a restaurant.
B. He travels a lot for his work.
C. He prefers American food.
