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Some years ago, a 28yearold Californian wife and mother of three children died from drinking too much water. Her body was found in her home shortly after she took part in a waterdrinking contest that was held by a local radio show. Called “Hold Your Wee For A Wii”， the contest organizers promised a free Wii video game machine to those who drank the most water without going to the bathroom. The woman who died drank about 2 gallons of water during the contest. When she and other participants complained of discomfort and showed signs of pains, they were laughed at by the organizers.
This tragic news story shows the importance of understanding why drinking too much water can be dangerous to your health.
Consuming more water than you need can increase your total blood volume (容量). And since your blood volume exists within a closed system, increasing your blood volume puts unnecessary stress on your heart and blood vessels (血管). Your kidneys (肾) must work overtime to get rid of extra water out of your system. Your kidneys are not a pair of pipes. Flushing more water through your kidneys doesn't necessarily help it become cleaner. Rather, your kidneys can get damaged by unnecessary wear and tear over time. And drowning your system with large amounts of water is one of many potential causes of kidney damage.
Putting unnecessary stress on your system and your kidneys by consuming unnecessary water is an unnoticeable process. For the average person, it is usually impossible to know that this stress exists, as there are usually no obvious symptoms on a momenttomoment basis. But make no mistake about it: this stress is real and can hurt your health over the long term.
1.Why is the Californian woman mentioned?
A. To lead to the topic of the text.
B. To tell us a tragic news story about a mother.
C. To tell us it can be dangerous to take part in contests.
D. To tell us how much water we can drink at most one time.
2.When the participants showed signs of pains, the organizers ________.
A. became very concerned
B. were laughed at by others
C. tried to reduce their pains
D. didn't pay much attention to them
3.What's the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A. How water is consumed in our body.
B. The importance of water to our health.
C. Why drinking too much water is dangerous.
D. The function of kidneys in consuming water.。
4.The stress caused by consuming unnecessary water ________.
A. isn't that dangerous
B. can never be found out
C. is really harmful in the long run
D. leads to some obvious symptoms
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Several years ago, my parents, my wife, my son and I ate at one of those restaurants where the menu is written on a blackboard. After a wonderful dinner, the waiter set the check in the middle of the table. That’s when it happened：my father did not reach for the check.
Conversation continued. Finally I realized that I should pick up the check! After hundreds of restaurant meals with my parents, after a lifetime of thinking of my father as the one with dollars, it had all changed. I reached for the check, and my view of myself suddenly changed. I was an adult. I was no longer a kid (child).
Some people mark off (区分) their lives in years, I measure mine in small events. I didn’t become a young man at a particular age, like 16, but rather when a kid who wandered in the streets called me “mister”. These events in my life are called “milestones”(里程碑).
There have been other milestones. The cops (policemen) of my youth always seemed big, even huge, and of course they were older than I was. Then one day they were suddenly neither. The day came when I suddenly realized that all the football players in the game I was watching were younger than I was. They were just big kids. With that milestone gone was the dream that someday, maybe I, too, could be a football player. Without ever having reached the hill, I was over it.
I never thought that I would fall asleep in front of the TV set as my father did. Now it’s what I do best. I never thought that I would go to the beach and not swim, yet I spent all of August at the shore and never once went into the ocean. I never thought that I would appreciate opera, but now the combination of voice and orchestra attracts me. I never thought that I would prefer to stay home in the evenings, but now I find myself passing up parties. I used to think that people who watched birds were strange, but this summer I found myself watching them, and maybe I’ll get a book on the subject. I feel a strong desire for a religious belief that I never thought I’d want, feel close to my ancestors long gone, and echo my father in arguments with my son. I’ll still lose….
One day I bought a house. One day－What a day!－I became a father, and not too long after that I picked up the check for my own father. I thought then it was a milestone for me. One day, when I was a little older, I realized it was one for him too, another milestone．
1.The tone established in the passage is one of ________.
A. sad regret B. amusement
C. happiness D. deep feeling
2.The author mentions the event in the restaurant because ________.
A. that was one of his milestones
B. he paid the bill but he didn’t want to
C. he became a father with dollars
D. that was the last restaurant meal with his parents
3.“Then they were suddenly neither” suggests that ________.
A. suddenly they became older than I was
B. suddenly I knew that they were neither bigger nor older than I was
C. suddenly I realized that I made a mistake
D. suddenly I found myself no longer a kid
4.Which of the following best expresses the author’s thinking?
A. One day is worth two tomorrows.
B. To save time is to lengthen life.
C. Time and tide wait for no man.
D. When an opportunity is lost, it never comes back to you.
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A couple of years ago, when my older daughter was 8,she gently told my wife and me that she’d gotten too old for us to read her books anymore. We didn’t try to talk her out of it or tell her many benefits of reading aloud to a child (even after they can do so themselves). 1.
Two weeks after stopping our bedtime readings, though, my older daughter asked whether we could start again. 2. As she later explained, “Everyone likes to be read to, even adults.” We’ve continued uninterrupted since. Right now, we’re deep into Philip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass.”
3. In most of the studies, people found that reading aloud appeared to strengthen parents’ feelings of competence, improve the quality of their relationships with their children and even reduce parental stress or depression.
Reading aloud to children improves a young mind’s cognitive development (thinking, problem-solving, decision-making) and reduces behavior problems, research shows. As with playing board games, reading to them increases concentration and attention spans.
And yet, too many of us stop before the kids want us to. 4.
The conversations children have around themes and ideas in books help them make sense of the world. And it’s a joyful way to connect and be close with your kid. While reading in bed, my daughters and I lie next to each other, sometimes leaning into one another. 5. It’s as high a quality as quality time gets.
A. She simply enjoyed the practice too much to let it go yet.
B. When she was a young child, we began a nearly daily reading called Milk & Books.
C. We were disappointed but respected her.
D. Reading aloud was significantly beneficial to children and their parents.
E. In Australia, more than a third of children aged 6 to 1l whose parents had stopped reading to them wanted to continue.
F. We laugh and are surprised together and have deep conversations about the novels.
G. It’s one of the most virtuous circles of parenting and teaching.
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My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of _______. Very often when we have flowers, Denise or I would plant some between the rocks, just to add some_______to the area.
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it_______growing until we could find out what it was.
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the_______plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. I decided to_______the weeds（杂草）around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something _______.The sunflower had not_______where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the_______.
That’s when I_______that if a tiny little sunflower didn’t let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability of doing the same thing. If we________ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we ________to go and get what we need for growth.
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ________ to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had ________in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be________of who and what we are, and then the environment will begin to________us. We will find a way to go under or around any "rocks" in order to reach our goals.
1.A.flower B.insects C.vegetables D.rocks
2.A.water B.fertilizer C.color D.shape
3.A.stop B.continue C.improve D.escape
4.A.weak B.strange C.lonely D.pretty
5.A.collect B.tend C.remove D.watch
6.A.unusual B.wonderful C.terrible D.valuable
7.A.passed B.started C.left D.died
8.A.air B.top C.sun D.house
9.A.hoped B.realized C.doubted D.regretted
10.A.fill in B.put in C.worry about D.believe in
11.A.forget B.hate C.aim D.wait
12.A.wish B.plan C.ability D.idea
13.A.faith B.energy C.virtue D.courage
14.A.aware B.afraid C.proud D.tired
15.A.forgive B.support C.upset D.affect
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The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.
1.The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________.
A. wasting gold B. wasting wrapping paper
C. putting the box under the Christmas tree
D. bringing the gift to her father
2.What’s inside the box according to the little girl?
A. nothing B. air C. kisses D. gold wrapping paper
3.Choose the best title for the passage.
A. The kisses in the box. B. A girl and his father
C. A love story D. The box under the Christmas tree.
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The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.
1.The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________.
A. wasting gold B. wasting wrapping paper
C. putting the box under the Christmas tree
D. bringing the gift to her father
2. What’s inside the box according to the little girl?
A. nothing B. air C. kisses D. gold wrapping paper
3.Choose the best title for the passage.
A. The kisses in the box. B. A girl and his father
C. A love story D. The box under the Christmas tree.
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The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.
1.The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for ________.
A. wasting gold B. wasting wrapping paper
C. putting the box under the Christmas tree D. bringing the gift to her father
2. What’s inside the box according to the little girl?
A. nothing B. air C. kisses D. gold wrapping paper
3.Choose the best title for the passage.
A. The kisses in the box. B. A girl and his father
C. A love story D. The box under the Christmas tree.
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阅读理解。
The story goes that some time ago,a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.Money was tight and he became infuriated(愤怒的) when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.Nevertheless,the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said,“This is for you,Daddy.”
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction,but his anger flared(爆发) again when he found out the box was empty.He yelled at her,stating,“Don’t you know,when you give someone a present,there is supposed to be something inside?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried,“Oh,Daddy,it’s not empty at all.I blew kisses into the box.They are all for you,Daddy.”
The father was crushed.He put his arms around his little girl,and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later,an accident took the life of the child.It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years,and whenever he was discouraged,he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense,each one of us,as human beings,has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children,family members,friends,and God.There is simply no other possession more precious than this.
1.The 3-year-old girl was punished by her father for .
A.wasting gold
B.wasting gold wrapping paper
C.putting the box under the Christmas tree
D.bringing the gift to her father
2.What’s inside the box according to the little girl?
A.Nothing. B.Air.
C.Kisses. D.Gold wrapping paper.
3.The father remembered the love of his daughter by .
A.kissing the gold box
B.putting gold into the box
C.taking out an imaginary kiss from the box
D.keeping the little girl’s gold box by his bed
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The kisses in the box
B.A girl and her father
C.A love story
D.The box under the Christmas tree
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A couple of weeks ago, my 12-year-old daughter, Ella threatened(威胁) to take my phone and break it. “At night you’ll always have your phone out and break you’ll just type,” Ella says. “I’m ready to go to bed, and try to get you to read stories for me and you’re just standing there reading your texts and texting other people,” she adds. I came to realize that I was ignoring her as a father.
Ella isn’t the only kid who feels this way about her parent’s relationship with devices. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a psychologist at Harvard, wrote The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. For her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed more than 1,000 kids from the ages of 4 to 18. She talked to hundreds of teachers and parents.
One of the many things that knocked my socks off, ” she says, “was the consistency(一致性) with which children — whether they were 4 or 8 or 18 or 24— talked about feeling exhausted and frustrated or mad trying to get their parents’ attention, competing with computer screens or iPhone screens or any kind of technology.”
A couple of years ago, my daughter got a laptop for school. And because she was becoming more independent, we got her a phone. We set up rules for when she could use the device and when she’d need to put it away. We created a charging(充电) station, outside her bedroom, where she had to plug in these devices every night. Basically — except for homework— she has to put it all away when she comes home.
Steiner-Adair says most adults don’t set up similar limits in their own lives. “We’ve lost the boundaries that protect work and family life,’’ she says. “So it is very hard to manage yourself and be present in the moments your children need you.’’
After my daughter’s little intervention(介入),I made myself a promise to create my own charging station. To plug my phone in— somewhere faraway — when I am done working for the day. I’ve been trying to leave it there untouched for most of the weekend
1.Why did Ella threaten to break her father’s phone?
A. Her father spent a lot of money on his phone.
B. Her father did not do any housework or read to her.
C. Her father made a lot of noise by talking on the phone.
D. Her father gave his attention to his phone instead of her.
2. By saying “knocked my socks off ’’ , Steiner-Adair means “___’’.
A. made fun of her
B. surprised her a lot
C. took her socks off
D. made her exhausted
3.What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 4?
A. How he protected his daughter from devices.
B. Why his daughter was dissatisfied with him.
C. How to create a charging station at home.
D. Why children need a laptop or a phone.
4. We can infer from the text the author___.
A. will not use his phone form now on
B. plans to create more charging stations at home
C. is a man who learns from his mistakes
D. doesn’t think a laptop is helpful to his daughter
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A couple of days ago, as the test results came out, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. “Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone,” one boy said. “Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPad, and she's only in third grade,” said another. “And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A.”
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: As the homework load increased, my income would decrease. I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes — no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns? What about the orchestra? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
“We never paid anything for good grades,” said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. “He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it.”
Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she’s spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? “When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones ,” said one third-grader.
1.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Tips on Paying Kids for Good Grades
B. New changes in Paying Kids for Good Grades
C. Good Grades Mean Good Rewards
D. Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably mean?
A. Taking care of my children would influence my work.
B. I would spend less money on my children's good grades.
C. More rewards would be needed as my children grow up.
D. Reducing my children's homework load would cost me a lot.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. if you buy children pizza as a reward, they will work harder
B. if you pay kids for good grades, they will take it for granted
C. children will not ask for rewards when they enter high school
D. good grades won't help kids make great progress in the future
4.The author takes her neighbor as an example to show _______.
A. pizza is the best way to motivate children
B. it is necessary to reward children for their good grades
C. getting rewards for good grades is common nowadays
D. rewards are not the only way to encourage children