Bedtime stories play an important role in your child's development. Not only do bedtime stories create an opportunity to increase the closeness between parents and their kids, but reading a little one at the same time night after night can help them form a healthy sleep routine. Child psychologists also point to the cognitive benefits for young people who are raised with bedtime stories, including the higher-than-average ability to read and write and an emotional connection to reading. Let’s look at some of the most popular bedtime storybooks that are available in print.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Considered one of the greatest bedtime stories of all time, this classic has a lovely narrative and lively illustrations(插图) by Clement Hurd. Goodnight Moon celebrated the 70th anniversary of its original publication in 2017, a three-dimensional version is also available on YouTube.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
First published in 1969, this beloved tale features striking illustrations and finger-sized cutouts(剪成的图样) that allow children to physically participate in the story. If your kids enjoy this one, check out the other titles from author and illustrator Eric Carle; his 50-year career includes a bibliography of more than 70 titles.
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam Mcbratney and Anita Jeram
This heartwarming tale explores the bond between Big Nutbrown Hare and his son, Little Nutbrown Hare. The book—which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2015—was followed by four books.
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Cat in the Hat spins a tale about a naughty cat that entertains a pair of children for the afternoon. Roughly 10 million copies have been printed since its original publication in 1957, and the book has been translated into more than a dozen different languages.
1.What benefit do bedtime stories have?
A.Help children get a higher education. B.Help kids form a good reading habit.
C.Help children sleep and get up early. D.Help parents bond with their kids.
2.Who is good at drawing according to the text?
A.Margaret Wise Brown B.Sam McBratney
C.Eric Carle D.Dr. Seuss
3.Which book was published the earliest?
A.The Cat in the Hat B.Goodnight Moon
C.Guess How Much I Love You D.The Very Hungry Caterpillar
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In October 2013, Davion Only made an appeal on the Internet. He had learned that his biological mother had died not long before. ”My name is Davion and I've been in foster care (寄养照管) since I was born," he said, “but I'm not giving up hope. "
The heartbreaking appeal spread quickly, and Only's foster agency received calls from more than 10,000 people. Only ended up travelling to Ohio to live with a family. But after Only got into a physical fight with one of his elder would-be brothers, the family changed their minds.
Back in Florida, Only passed through four different temporary homes over the following year, until he called Connie Going, his adoption case worker, to make a special request. Only had known Going for nearly ten years, and had asked every year if she would adopt him, but she always hesitated. “I always believed there was a better family than us out there," Going said in an interview. But last July, when Only called and asked again if she might adopt him, Going said something felt different. "When he asked me, my heart felt this ache and I just
knew he was my son," she said.
So Going, 52, invited Only to start spending time with the rest of her family-her two daughters, Sydney, 21, and Carly 17, and a son Taylor, 14, who she also adopted out of foster care. Eventually, after seeing how well the arrangement was working, Going, who had rented a bigger home, started adopting Only. Only moved in with her family last December.He officially joined Going's family on April 22, 2015 when the adoption papers went through.
"Today, I feel blessed and honored to have been chosen to be the parent of all my children," Going said.
1.By making the appeal, Davion Only hoped that
A.service in his foster agency would improve
B.his biological mother would come to him
C.a foster agency would accept him
D.he would be adopted by a family
2.Davion Only didn't live with the family in Ohio because
A.he hated living with them
B.they finally refused to accept him
C.he has received another invitation
D.he often fought with his would-be brothers
3.What do we know from Paragraph 3?
A.Davion Only had fun living in different homes.
B.Connie Going had cared about Davion Only for over ten years.
C.Davion Only had a strong desire to be adopted by Connie Going.
D.Connie Going believed she would give Davion Only what he wanted.
4.After Davion Only joined Connie Going's family,
A.Connie Going bought a bigger house
B.the four kids often had physical fights
C.Connie Going didn't regret her decision
D.another three kids were later adopted as well
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
A study examining the children of people evacuated(撤离) during the WWII showed the daughters of female evacuees were up to four times more likely to suffer from serious mental health conditions compared to those whose parents stayed at home.
In the largest enquiry ever of its kind, researchers examined the health records of 3000 children of Finnish people evacuated to Sweden during the 1941-1945 conflict with Soviet Russia. The evacuees, many of whom were at a pre-school age, were placed with foster families in Sweden and were forced to learn Swedish, later returning to Finland. The study found that the female children of these girls had an increased risk of being hospitalized for conditions such as depression. However, this was not the case with children of boys evacuated during the war.
The study could not determine why. One possibility is that the stress of the evacuees’ experience affected their psychological development in ways that influenced their parenting style. Another possibility is that the evacuees’ experience resulted in epigenetic changes—changed in the way genes are expressed. For example, the researchers mentioned an earlier finding that Holocaust survivors have higher levels of methyl groups bound to the FKBP5 gene and have passed his change on to their children. This higher level of methyl groups appears to change the production of cortisol, a hormone(荷尔蒙) that controls the stress response.
“The Finnish evacuation was intended to protect children from the harm associated with the country’s wars with the Soviet Union”, said study co-author Dr Torsten Santavirta, from Uppsala University.
“Our observation of the long-term psychiatric(精神病的) risk that reached into the next generation is concerning and stresses the need to weigh benefits as well as potential risks when designing policies for child protection”.
1.What can we infer about the new study?
A.It involved the most test subjects. B.Its finding is relatively reliable.
C.Its finding is contrary to an earlier one. D.It was conducted right after the WWII.
2.Which method does the author use to develop Paragraph 3?
A.By introducing a conclusion. B.By conducting an experiment.
C.By making assumptions. D.By supporting opinions.
3.How does Dr. Santavirta find the Finnish evacuation?
A.It didn’t fully fulfill its original purpose.
B.It resulted in wars with the Soviet Union.
C.It was first suggested by the Soviet Union.
D.It was a good example of the child protection.
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Children’s mental health is greatly influenced by wars.
B.Women’s mental illness can be passed to the future generation.
C.Mothers’ childhood mental condition may affect their daughters.
D.Girls are more likely to suffer from mental problems than boys.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you are worried about the planet, please make sure your rubbish is buried under the ground.
People talk about “reduce, reuse, recycle.” It sounds like a good idea. There is a problem, though. Recycling costs too much money.
Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says it only makes sense economically and environmentally to recycle about 35 percent of disabled (废弃的) materials. Among those materials are paper and aluminum(铝) cans. Recycling 1 ton of paper or aluminum cans, the agency says, can save about 3 tons of CO2 emissions (排放物) over producing those materials anew. Paper producers pay for the trees they process. If it was cost-effective to recycle paper, producers would be beating down your door to buy it. But they aren’t. That means it’s more expensive to recycle old paper than to cut trees and then replant trees for processing.
Plastic can be recycled too. Given the recent drop in crude oil (原油) prices, it is now cheaper to make a new plastic container than to recycle an old one. Even if that were not true, the EPA says that recycling a ton of plastic saves only about a ton of CO2. However, it doesn’t take into account the water most consumers use to wash their plastic containers before having them recycled. The New York Times journalist John Tierney recently wrote, “If you wash plastic in water that was heated by electricity, then the effort of your recycling could be more carbon in the atmosphere.”
Glass is another recyclable material. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 ton you have to recycle 3 tons of glass. If one includes the cost of collecting glass waste from neighborhoods, and the pollution produced by the collection trucks and the recycling process itself, glass recycling creates more greenhouse gas emissions and is more expensive than making new glass, which comes primarily from sand that exists everywhere.
If recycling were truly cost-effective, private companies would be lining up at your doorstep to buy your rubbish. Don’t look now because they’re not there.
1.What’s the EPA’s attitude to recycling aluminum cans?
A.It is helpful to the environment.
B.It is actually a waste of money.
C.It costs less than recycling paper.
D.It costs the same as producing new cans.
2.What increases the cost of recycling plastic?
A.The crude oil.
B.The water pollution
C.The process to clean it.
D.The electricity for lights.
3.What can be learned about making new glass?
A.It results in lots of waste in neighborhood.
B.The material for new glass can be easily got.
C.It is slightly more expensive than recycling glass.
D.Making 3 tons of new glass produces 1 ton of carbon emissions.
4.What does the author mean by saying the underlined sentence?
A.Recycling will disappear soon.
B.Companies will line up at your doorstep.
C.Recycling is a way to deal with your rubbish.
D.Companies won’t bother to collect discarded materials.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Sometimes it can be difficult to relate to the generations that have come before us. 1.
But older people have plenty of wisdom and knowledge to share with younger generations, and treating them with respect should be second nature for all of us.
Call people sir or ma’am. Even if you have grown up in a more casual environment where you usually call your friends’ parents by their first names, you shouldn’t assume that all older people are comfortable with that kind of informal life. 2. They prefer you call them Mr/Mrs. That’s why it’s always best to ask what name they prefer and use sir or ma’am when you don’t feel comfortable asking.
3. While it’s true that many elderly people have health problems that may require special assistance, aging doesn’t affect all people in the same way. Assuming that an older person has poor eyesight or hearing can be extremely embarrassing and make him or her feel self-conscious. That’s especially true if you make a big deal out of it, such as raising your voice every time you speak to him or her. If you’re unsure whether an older person has such problems, just ask. 4..
Show interest in their lives. It’s easy to think that older people don’t have much going on because they don’t do many of the things that they used to when they are younger.5. When you visit or call your elderly loved ones, make sure to ask about their favorite activities. If they have a hobby that they particularly enjoy, you might even offer to do it with them. That’s a great way to show them just how interested you are in what’s important to them.
A.Do offer them necessary help.
B.Don’t assume they have disabilities.
C.However, many elderly people are still active.
D.Some elderly people may be more traditional.
E.We ourselves will be old some day in the future.
F.It’s better to be straightforward than to risk annoying someone.
G.Growing up differently makes us feel we have nothing in common with them.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Abbey is 34 years old, who lives in Oklahoma. She was in _________ when she was told at her 19-week scan that her baby was _______ by the deadly illness—anencephaly (无脑畸形). It meant she would not_______beyond a few hours.
According to the National Institute of Health, the illness means the baby has an _______ brain and incomplete skull. Approximately one in 10,000 babies in the US is born with anencephaly, most of which _______ miscarriage(流产).
_________, Abbey and her husband Robert decided to have a live_______so that they could spend time with their baby and_______her organs— _______ the baby the first infant newborn donor in the state.
Afterwards, they asked the doctor for the________ of their unborn child and decided to name her ________. They called her: Annie, which means “grace”.
Abbey told, “__________a terminally-ill baby to term was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done. For us, when ________, we were still able to see so much __________.
The family spent just 14 hours and 58 minutes with Annie ________ she passed away. Her organs were not __________ for transplant because her oxygen levels were too low—which Abbey said was__________––but they were able to give her heart valves and some of her organs could be used for ________.
She believes Annie’s story__________hope and it shows people that in the midst of__________, there can be beauty.
1.A.embarrassment B.desperation C.regret D.shame
2.A.occupied B.affected C.seized D.trapped
3.A.insist B.stand C.live D.grow
4.A.unbelievable B.underdeveloped C.inaccurate D.unaccustomed
5.A.involve in B.take in C.result in D.call in
6.A.Therefore B.However C.Besides D.Instead
7.A.performance B.operation C.meeting D.birth
8.A.dislocate B.preserve C.donate D.replace
9.A.making B.selecting C.pushing D.guaranteeing
10.A.identity B.sex C.nationality D.condition
11.A.on the bed B.on the way C.on the spot D.on the watch
12.A.bringing B.raising C.carrying D.accompanying
13.A.heartbroken B.stressed C.frightened D.lonely
14.A.comfort B.sadness C.possibility D.beauty
15.A.when B.after C.before D.since
16.A.workable B.easy C.adoptable D.valuable
17.A.improper B.unpleasant C.disturbing D.disappointing
18.A.research B.profit C.exchange D.storage
19.A.commits B.gathers C.symbolizes D.expects
20.A.venture B.risk C.disbelief D.misfortune
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1 个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The history of Chinese poetry dates back almost 2,700 years 1. the Spring and Autumn period (770-476BC). Records are rare before that time 2. of Qin Shi Huang’s destruction of all the books that could 3. (locate). The styles, rules, and regulations for Chinese poetry gradually 4. (change) until the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD), 5. became the golden age for Chinese poetry. During that time a number of 6. (product) poets turned out as many as 50,000 classical poems. All aspects of Chinese society 7. (high) regarded these poets. Seven-character lines became very popular.
Poetry, paintings, and calligraphy (书法) are three of these art forms that go particularly well together. Many poets were also excellent 8. (paint) and calligraphers. A poem would be written for 9. purpose of matching a painting and then written into the forefront of the painting with traditional Chinese calligraphy. This gives the paintings deeper meaning and more elegance. It is common to find this type of poetry, calligraphy art 10. (hang) in people’s homes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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：在错的词下面画一横线，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。
Dear Mr. Green,
With World Water Day drawing nearly, our school is planning a series of relating activities. I’m writing to invite you for a lecture concern waste water recycling. The lecture will be hold in our school hall from 4:00 to 5:30 in the afternoon of March 19. We hope it can arouse student’s awareness of water crisis. Therefore, we also hope it can help students get into the habit of saving and recycling water. Make a good use of water from now on, so we together will make a big difference. I would appreciate if you could accept my invitation. I’m looking forward to your early reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，你的美国网友Tom对遍布中国大街小巷的扫码支付很感兴趣，特意给你写信想了解一下。你根据以下提示给他回信：
1．中国扫码支付的现状；
2．扫码支付方法：在智能手机上打开支付宝或微信app，扫描二维码；
3．扫码支付的好处。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：扫码支付Scan to Pay；支付宝Alipay；微信WeChat；二维码QR code
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析