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There is nothing better than an old-fashioned swimming hole to get away from the heat this summer. Here's where to find the best places all over the country.
| Madison Blue Spring, Florida This naturally-formed spring (泉水) lives up to its name (名副其实): The water is blue and attractive. Now a state park, the 25-foot deep swimming hole lies inside a lovely forest next to the Withlacoochee River in northern Florida. If you are brave, you can even swim into the hole's underwater caves. | Santa Rosa Blue Hole, New Mexico Like an oasis (绿洲) in the desert, this swimming hole keeps a perfect temperature of 62 degrees. The water is so clear that you can see the bottom. It is because the water, which is connected to an underwater cave system (系统), renews itself every six hours. You can even jump in from the edge of the broken sinkhole (沉洞), which is off the famous highway Route 66. |
| Switzer Falls, California You can get out of the city with a trip to the Bear Canyon area of Angeles National Forest near Los Angeles. Follow the river to the 50-foot Switzer Falls, and you can pass lots of natural pools before and after the waterfall (瀑布). You can choose what you like! Getting there requires hiking a couple of miles out and back, but the cool water on a hot day is worth it. | Peekamoose Blue Hole, New York Sometimes natural beauty can be nearly ruined because it is famous. The Peekamoose Blue Hole is in such a worrying situation. The swimming hole faced overuse, environmental harm and pollution. So strict rules were made to protect the quiet place several years ago. In the future, a permit (许可证) may be required to visit the pool to limit the number of visitors. |
1.What is a feature of Madison Blue Spring, Florida?
A.It is beyond a forest. B.It can provide an underwater adventure (探险).
C.It is dug by workers. D.It's 25 meters deep.
2.What can we know about Switzer Falls from the passage?
A.It helps visitors avoid summer heat. B.It lies inside the city.
C.Visitors can drive directly to it. D.It has only one natural pool for visitors.
3.What will happen to Peekamoose Blue Hole in the future ?
A.It will be repaired to attract more visitors. B.Swimmers will not be allowed to visit it.
C.Visitors will become fewer than before. D.People will volunteer to protect it.
4.What does the underlined word "ruined" probably mean?
A.赞扬 B.毁坏 C.保护 D.联系
5.Where can you read the passage?
A.In a book review. B.In a novel. C.In a textbook. D.In a travel magazine.
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The last football season was long over. Our team had done well but I wanted us to do even better the next year. But how? Then an idea hit me. I ordered cards with simple words—"BOONVILLE PIRATES—1974 STATE CHAMPIONS(州冠军)!"
When the cards were printed, we gave them out all over the town. Pretty soon those cards were everywhere. That was what we wanted. We wanted our goal(目标) to be right in front of us, and for all to see.
Although someone doubted our words, it only served to encourage us to make our dream come true. Our school had never won a state champion in any sport—we decided to change that history.
By the time football practice started in late August, we were focused. With our goal in our minds, we stepped into the final.
Then it started to snow. A huge storm broke and school was cancelled. But we made it to the school gym(体育馆) and kept practicing.
Our coach received a call the night before the game. He told us that sate officers were thinking of cancelling the game and announcing that both teams were champions because of the bad weather. We were asked if we would accept that. "No way" was our answer.
The day came. We arrived at the football field and found it was covered in snow. Still, we began our warm-ups.
Both teams didn't score in the first half. We became worried because time was running out on our team. During the break, Coach Rengan reminded us of what we had been through to get to this moment. Then he pulled out the card, saying. "Do you want this?"
Paying conditions were still difficult, but our determination didn't disappear. We unbelievably scored 34 points in the second half. Our year-long dream came true—1974 STATE CHAMPIONS.
1.Why did the members give out the cards all over the town?
A.To make their dream about a state champion known.
B.To call on people to join their team.
C.To tell their success in the last football season.
D.To invite people to watch the game.
2.What do we know about the team?
A.They changed the words in their cards.
B.They learned a lot from the other team.
C.They refused the decision made by the state officers.
D.They practiced out of school because of the storm.
3.Which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A.The author(作者) ordered cards in 1973.
B.Some people in town doubted the words on the card.
C.The players became worried when arriving at the football field.
D.The author's team scored 34 points in the final.
4.What did the Coach Reagan do during the team's break time?
A.He taught them to stay calm. B.He gave them some valuable advice.
C.He comforted (安慰) them for a scoreless first half. D.He reminded them of their dream.
5.What can be the best title for the passage?
A.No pain, no gain B.Work towards your dream
C.Face difficulties with courage D.Find what you love
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Studies show that language learning in babies is improved when parents speak more than a few simple words and use a wider vocabulary(词汇). Earlier research found that the style of speech used by parents to communicate with their baby could increase language development.
One such speaking style is known as "parentese". Research has shown that babies react (反应) better to this kind of language in the first months of life. Generally, "parentese" requires adults to speak in a higher voice and at a slower speed. The language is made easier to understand, while sentences are short and often repeated.
Can parents be taught good ways to improve their "parentese" skills? Patricia Kuhl, a professor of speech and hearing sciences, carried out a study on it. She says the purpose of the study was to find out whether a parent can be "trained" to create their own speaking style to improve language learning in children.
Naja Ferjan Ramirez helped lead the study. "Most parents know that the amount(数量) of language their child hears is important," Ferjan Ramrez said. "What we shared with them through training is that how they talk to their baby may matter even more."
For the study, parents were given a small recording device(设备), which they put inside a piece of their baby's clothing. All spoken communication from parents and the child was recorded. The recordings were made at three different periods of the child's life: when the child was six, ten and fourteen months old. The parents were divided into two groups: a control group and an intervention(干预) group. Those in the intervention group received training after their six and ten month recordings.
The study found that between the ages of six and fourteen months, trained parents increased the amount of speech directed to the child and their use of "parentese" by 15 percent. Parents in the control group showed less growth in those areas, about 7 percent.
1.What can parents do to improve their baby's language learning?
A.Communicate with their baby with a few simple words.
B.Communicate with their baby with a wider vocabulary.
C.Communicate with their baby using longer sentences.
D.Communicate with their baby in a gentle voice.
2.What can we learn about "parentese" from the text?
A.It means that adults talk with their babies in a lower voice.
B.It means that the language parents use becomes more difficult.
C.It means that adults talk with their babies more quickly.
D.It means that the sentences parents use are short.
3.According to Ferjan Ramirez, what do the researchers want parents to know about through training?
A.The importance of the amount of language their child hears.
B.The importance of the type of language their child understands.
C.The importance of the way parents talk to their children.
D.The importance of high and low voices when parents talk to children.
4.What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?
A.What the study needed. B.How the study was carried out.
C.The reason why the study was carried out. D.The advantages of the study.
5.What can be concluded(推断) from the study mentioned above?
A.Trained parents are more likely(可能的) to improve their children's language learning.
B.Six to fourteen months is the best time to improve children's language learning.
C.Parents in the control group used more "parentese" than in the intervention group.
D.Trained parents needed to use "parentese" for at least fourteen months.
