Now let us look at how we read. When we read a printed text, our eyes move across a page in short, jerky movement. We recognize words usually when our eyes are still when they fixate. Each time they fixate, we see a group of words. This is known as the recognition span or the visual span. The length of time in which the eyes stop ---the duration of the fixation ----varies considerably from person to person. It also varies within any one person according to his purpose in reading and his familiarity with the text. Furthermore, it can be affected by such factors as lighting and tiredness.
Unfortunately, in the past, many reading improvement courses have concentrated too much on how our eyes move across the printed page. As a result of this misleading emphasis on the purely visual aspects of reading, numerous exercises have been devised to train the eyes to see more words at one fixation. For instance, in some exercises, words are flashed on to a screen for, say, a tenth or a twentieth of a second. One of the exercises has required students to fix their eyes on some central point, taking in the words on either side. Such word patterns are often constructed in the shape of rather steep pyramids so the reader takes in more and more words at each successive fixation. All these exercises are very clever, but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently. Reading requires the ability to understand the relationship between words. Consequently, for these reasons, many experts have now begun to question the usefulness of eye training, especially since any approach which trains a person to read isolated words and phrases would seem unlikely to help him in reading a continuous text.
【小题1】The time of the recognition span can be affected by the following facts except ________ .

A．the length of a group of words.

B．lighting and tiredness.

C．one’s familiarity with the text.

D．one’s purpose in reading.

【小题2】The author may believe that reading ______.

A．demands an deeply-participating mind.

B．demands more mind than eyes.

C．requires a reader to take in more words at each fixation.

D．requires a reader to see words more quickly.

【小题3】What does the author mean by saying “but it’s one thing to improve a person’s ability to see words and quite another thing to improve his ability to read a text efficiently.” in the second paragraph?

A．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve an efficient reading.

B．The reading exercises mentioned has done a great job to improve one’s ability to see words.

C．The ability to see words is not needed when an efficient reading is conducted.

D．The reading exercises mentioned can’t help to improve both the ability to see or comprehend words.

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The emphasis on the purely visual aspects is misleading.

B．The eye training will help readers in reading a continuous text.

C．The visual span is a word or a group of words we see each time.

D．Many experts began to question the efficiency of eye training.

【小题5】The tune of the author in writing this article is ________.

A．pessimistic

B．optimistic

C．critical

D．neutral

It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why．
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things． It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing． If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”． Look around you． With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning． Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb． When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success． Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded． Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer．
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake． Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again．
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem． Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate （分配） these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again． Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough．”
So go forth and make mistakes． And learn． And grow． And prosper（成功）．
【小题1】From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．

A．mistakes are unnecessary for development

B．we are afraid of trying new things

C．it’s common for people to make mistakes

D．mistakes are better than not trying

【小题2】According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is   ．

A．avoiding making the same mistakes

B．accepting the punishment willingly

C．taking consequences into account

D．trying things out one by one

【小题3】What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?

A．Never mind, I can always try again．

B．I’d better stay out of trouble．

C．Ok! Now I can learn something．

D．Look at this mess． Anyone would be upset．

It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why．
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things． It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing． If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”． Look around you． With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning． Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb． When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success． Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded． Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer．
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake． Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again．
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem． Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate （分配） these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again． Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough．”
So go forth and make mistakes． And learn． And grow． And prosper（成功）．
【小题1】From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．

A．mistakes are unnecessary for development

B．we are afraid of trying new things

C．it’s common for people to make mistakes

D．mistakes are better than not trying

【小题2】The underlined word “eliminate” means _______．

A．avoid

B．remove

C．accept

D．solve

【小题3】According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is   ．

A．avoiding making the same mistakes

B．accepting the punishment willingly

C．taking consequences into account

D．trying things out one by one

【小题4】What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?

A．Never mind, I can always try again．

B．I’d better stay out of trouble．

C．Ok! Now I can learn something．

D．Look at this mess． Anyone would be upset．

The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: "Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes."
【小题1】What should you do in learning English?

A．Try to make some mistakes.	B．Avoid making any mistakes.
C．Remember as many new words as you can.	D．Use it as often as you cam

【小题2】If people laugh at the mistakes you make, you should ___________.

A．be angry with them	B．be angry with yourself
C．not care	D．believe you are right

【小题3】When you make a mistake, you should___________.

A．never make any mistakes again

B．tell others not to make the same mistake

C．punish yourself for making it

D．keep your sense of humor

【小题4】The story tell us:" ___________."

A．It is normal (正常的) that we make some mistakes in learning English

B．Everyone must make mistakes

C．We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language

D．Laughing can help one learn English well

Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a small pool of water ahead on the path. I angled my direction to go around it on the part of the path that wasn't covered by water or mud. As I reached the pool, I was suddenly attacked!
Yet I did nothing for the attack. It was so unpredictable and from somewhere totally unexpected. I was surprised as well as unhurt though I had been struck four or five times. I backed up a foot and my attacker stopped attacking me. Had I been hurt I wouldn't have found it amusing. And I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!
　　Having stopped laughing, I took a step forward. My attacker rushed me again. He charged towards me at full speed, attempting to hurt me but in vain. For a second time, I took a step backwards while my attacker paused. I wasn't sure what to do. After all, it's just not everyday that one is attacked by a butterfly. I stepped back to look the situation over. My attacker moved back to land on the ground. That's when I discovered why my attacker was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate and she was dying.
　　Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only admire the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate. He had taken it up on himself to attack me for his mate's sake , even though she was clearly dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few precious moments of life, should I have been careless enough to step on her. His courage in attacking something thousands of times larger and heavier than himself just for his mate's safety seemed admirable. I couldn't do anything other than reward him by walking on the more difficult side of the pool. He had truly earned those moments to be with her, undisturbed.
　　Since then, I've used that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration and to remind myself that good things are worth fighting for.
【小题1】The writer changed his direction while walking down a path because he want__________.

A．To get close to a butterfly.	B．To escape a sudden attack.
C．To look over the bad situation.	D．To avoid getting his shoes dirty.

【小题2】What made the man feel funny?

A．Making the attacker pause.	B．Being stepped on by his mate.
C．Discovering the angry butterfly.	D．Being attacked by a butterfly.

【小题3】Which of the following words can best describe the butterfly?
　　A. careless   B. amusing    D. aggressive      D. courageous
【小题4】From this experience the man learned_____.

A．how he should deal with attacks

B．how to deal with challenges in his life

C．people should protect butterflies

D．people should show sympathy to the weak

Here are six steps to better studying.
Pay attention in class
Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Are you sitting next to a loud person? Tell your teacher or parents about any problem that is preventing you from paying attention.
Take good notes
Write down facts that your teacher mentions or writes on the board. Try to use good handwriting so you can read your notes later. It’s a good idea to keep your notes organized by subject.
Plan ahead for tests and projects
Waiting until Thursday night to study for Friday’s test will make it hard to do your best. One of the best ways to make sure that doesn’t happen is to plan ahead. Write down your test dates. You can then plan how much to do after school each day, and how much time to spend on each topic.
Break it up
When there’s a lot to study, it can help to break things into several parts. Let’s say you have a spelling test on 20 words. Instead of thinking about all of the words at once, try breaking them down into five-word groups and work on one or two different groups each night.
Ask for help
You can’t study effectively if you don’t understand the material. Be sure to ask your teacher for help. If you’re at home when the confusion occurs, your morn or dad might be able to help.
Sleep tight
So the test is tomorrow and you’ve followed your study plan—but suddenly you can’t remember anything! Don’t panic. Your brain needs time to digest all the information you’ve given it. Try to get a good night’s sleep and you’ll be surprised by what comes back to you in the morning.
【小题1】We know from the passage that a loud person is       .

A．a student who always answers questions loudly in class

B．someone who likes to talk with others in a loud voice

C．a student who likes speaking with others in class

D．a person who makes a lot of noise in public places

【小题2】According to the author, which of the following is an effective studying method?

A．Don’t try to review everything you have learned in one go.

B．Try to review what you’ve learned in one go.

C．To read all your notes the night before the test.

D．Try to remember everything on the first try.

【小题3】If you don’t understand what you have learnt, you can       .

A．read your notes over and over again

B．turn to people around you for help

C．put aside the material for later review

D．ask your teacher to explain it the next day

【小题4】By saying “Sleep tight”, what does the author mean?

A．Sleep again after waking up.

B．Sleep holding your breath deep.

C．Get a good night’s sleep.

D．Go to sleep early every night.

Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank (打屁股) the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to strike them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong

everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing。
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion（宗教）tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts (法院) say that parents have the right to teach their children how to behave.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child exactly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child’s level and taking a more child-friendly approach (方法) can help as well.
【小题1】According to the passage, when children do something wrong, one thing that parents usually do to punish them is to ________.

A．strike them on the bottom	B．try to help them do the right thing
C．teach them what to do	D．take them to court

【小题2】Which of the following is NOT the problem caused by spanking?

A．It teaches the child to hit others when they offend him or her.

B．The parent may get angry and hit the child too hard.

C．Sometimes parents may use spanking for everything.

D．It makes parents try other ways to make the child do right.

【小题3】Which of the following can best describe the writer’s attitude towards spanking?

A．favorable (赞同的)	B．indifferent (不关心)
C．interested	D．unfavorable

【小题4】From this passage, we can conclude that ________.

A．Good children always do the right thing.

B．Parents should try their best to avoid spanking their children.

C．Parents have no choice but to spank their children when they do something wrong.

D．Children can have more than one choice to avoid being spanked.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.
Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and other things including cups-porcelain(瓷杯子), glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some elegant -- telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "I notice that all the nice looking and expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2011. And enjoy your hot chocolate in 2012!”
【小题1】 When did they decide to go to see their professor?

A．After the reunion.	B．During the get-together.
C．Before they graduated.	D．Just after the professor retired.

【小题2】Why did the professor offer them different cups?

A．Because cups were not enough for everyone.

B．Because cups were beautiful.

C．Because the professor wanted to teach them something.

D．Because hot chocolate should be contained in different cups.

【小题3】What caused the professor to say those words?

A．Their graduation.

B．Their reunion.

C．Their visit.

D．Their complaints.

【小题4】What does the word “cup” in this passage refer to?

A．Life	B．happy things in life
C．hot chocolate	D．tools to hold and contain life

【小题5】What is the purpose of the professor’s words?

A．To tell them life is not easy, so try their best to be happy.

B．To educate them that the happiest people don't have the best of everything.

C．To wish them to be grateful to their life and make the best of everything that they have.

D．To use different cups to tell them they should try different things in life.

The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you'll get your words mixed up (混合) and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can't understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don't be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It's better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don't understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don't be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”
【小题1】The writer thinks that the most important thing for you to learn a language is___________.

A．reading

B．practicing

C．talking about it

D．listening

【小题2】What should you do in learning English?

A．Try to make some mistakes.	B．Avoid making any mistakes.
C．Remember as many new words as you can.	D．Use it as often as you cam

【小题3】When you make a mistake, you should___________.

A．never make any mistakes again	B．tell others not to make the same mistake
C．punish yourself for making it	D．keep your sense of humor

【小题4】The story tells us: “___________”.

A．It is normal that we make some mistakes in learning English

B．Everyone must make mistakes

C．We can avoid making mistakes in learning a language

D．Laughing can help one learn English well

Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study ,looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year -olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood .But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don’t ride out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人）may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. These with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per week night during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedrooms
【小题1】According to the California study, the low-scoring group might   ____________ .

A．have had computers in their bedrooms	B．not be interested in math
C．be unable to go to college	D．have watched a lot of TV

【小题2】What is the researchers’ understanding of the New Zealand study results?

A．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain

B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest

C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds.

D．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV.

【小题3】What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．More time should be spent on computers.

B．TV sets shouldn't be allowed in children’s bedrooms.

C．Children should be forbidden from watching TV.

D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done

【小题4】What would be the best title for this text?

A．Computers or Television	B．Studies on TV and College Education
C．Effects of Television on Children	D．Television and Children’s Learning Habits