Beyond Baby Mozart, Students Who Rock
Music education hasn’t changed much since the 1970s. Students are still taught to read notation(乐谱) so they can recite compositions that they would never listen to on their MP3 players or play with friends. Playing music enriches life. The question is: Why do schools teach music in a way that turns off so many young people rather than catch their imagination? Can we do a better job of using the power of music to get kids excited about school?
The experience of an organization called Little Kids Rock suggests the answer is yes — if we change the way music is taught. Little Kids Rock has helped music programs in over a thousand public schools and served 150,000 children. The organization has given 30,000 free instruments out, mainly guitars, and trained 1,500 teachers to run music classes in which students quickly experience the joys of playing their favorite songs, performing in bands(乐队), and writing their own music.

The key to Little Kids Rock is that it teaches children to play music the way many musicians learn to play it — not by notation, but by listening, imitation(模仿) and meaningful experimentation. “The knowledge you need to get started playing rock music is very limited,” explains Dave Wish, the founder of Little Kids Rock. “In high school, my friend Paul taught me a couple of chords(和弦) and my life was changed forever. On the first day of class, Little Kids Rock teachers place guitars in the hands of their students and get them practicing chords that will enable them to play thousands of songs. The kids decide what songs they want to learn and the class is off and running. Their progress is surprising. Within a year, eight and nine-year-olds are playing musical instruments, and giving concerts, even performing their own songs.
One of the biggest advantages that music offers is the ability to encourage students who are otherwise bored by school. “I’ve had students start coming back to school because of this program,” said Adkison Thomas, who heads up music for the Dallas Independent School District. He added, “One of the best things is that the teachers discover a new side of their students. They see kids become successful who weren’t before.”
【小题1】The expression “turn off” in Paragraph 1 means “______”.

A．make kids feel cool	B．make kids feel bored
C．make kids feel confident	D．make kids feel nervous

【小题2】How did Little Kids Rock help the school?

A．By writing music for kids.

B．By playing kids’ favorite songs.

C．By making instruments for school.

D．By training teachers for music classes.

【小题3】Little Kids Rock is successful because ______.

A．it encourages kids to experience music

B．it helps kids learn from great musicians

C．it allows kids to decide how to learn music

D．it offers musical programs all over the country

【小题4】What does the writer want to tell us?

A．Learning music is a good way to become successful.

B．Teaching in a proper way benefits students’ development.

C．It’s necessary for students to practice a lot in learning music.

D．It’s important for teachers to discover the new sides of students.

One of the most popular items(项目) in the school newspaper is the advice column. No one knows who writes it. The students think their teacher does, but it might be a student using a false name.
The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column. Here are some of them and their answers.
Ask the Wise Owl
Q: I’m always late for school. I try not to be, but I can’t help it. Please advise me what to do. Tommy.
A: You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school. My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more, then you won’t be late so often.
Q: I find it difficult to make friends. What do you think I should do? Sara.
A: I can’t advise you until I know more about you. Your problem may be that you are shy. On the other hand, it may be the opposite. You may be too bold(冒失). Write and tell me more about yourself.
Q: I’m always at the bottom(底部，末尾) of the class. What do you advise me to do? Molly.
A: I advise you to concentrate on(全神贯注) improving your grades in one subject to start with. If you can do this, you should move a little way up from the bottom. Next, try to improve your grades in another subject, and so on. If you concentrate on one subject at a time, by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom in all your classes.
【小题1】What is Tommy’s problem?

A．He needs help with his homework.

B．He finds it difficult to make friends.

C．He is always late for school.

D．He is always at the bottom of his class.

【小题2】What does Molly want to do?

A．To stay at the bottom of her classes.

B．To make more friends.

C．To concentrate on one subject at a time.

D．To improve her grades.

【小题3】What does the Wise Owl want Sara to do?

A．Give more information about herself.

B．Stop being so shy.

C．Make more friends.

D．Stop being so bold.

【小题4】By the end of the year, where should Molly be in all her classes?

A．At the top.

B．Quite a long way up from the bottom.

C．At the bottom.

D．A little way up from the bottom.

【小题5】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．Sara finds it difficult to make friends.

B．Tommy wrote to the school newspaper to ask for advice.

C．The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular.

D．The school newspaper has an advice column.

请先阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后根据短文内容从下面方框内的七个选项中，选择五个还原到文中，使短文意思通顺、结构完整，并在答题卷上将其序号涂黑。(每小题2分)

Hi Grace,

How's it going? Sorry I haven't emailed for a while, but I had so much to do!

I had told you about my decision to take up a sport. I knew I wasn't fit and I wanted to get some exercise. But that wasn't the only reason that I decided to do a sport. Students who play sports do better at school. 1.                    Exercise also helps learning and memory (记忆).

 2.                 First, I tried soccer. I had played a bit of soccer before and I thought it wouldn't be too bad. I knew I couldn't nm for very long without feeling tired. On the first day, I was able to nm for the first ten minutes, but then I was so tired that I couldn't even kick the ball!

Then, I tried volleyball. 3.               I was able to run for the first twenty minutes and I wasn't the slowest runner in the team! After a few weeks .I could run faster and longer. I was doing better and feeling better. 4.            Maybe I'm not a team sport person after all!

Finally, I tried kung fu (功夫). It's a great sport that exercises the body and the mind. You learn to follow instructions carefully and do what you are asked to do. This is the right sport for me!  5.                 I feel so confident that l even showed some moves to the class last week! Can you believe it?

I hope you're OK! Write and let me know what you've been doing!

Bye for now!

Kristie

 

 

I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago. Her husband died because of traffic accident. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insights with us.

The class was clearly over. She said,＂Before class is over, I would like to share with all of you an important thought.”  “Each of us is on Earth to learn, share, love and *appreciate. We must *cherish every single day.”

Her eyes beginning to water, she went on, “So I would like you to make me a *promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful. It could be a *scent----perhaps of freshly baked bread, or it could be the sound of the *breeze slightly *rustling the leaves in the trees.”

“Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound * trite, these things are the *stuff of life. They are the little things on Earth to enjoy. They are the things we often take for *granted. We must try to notice them because it can be easily taken away at any time.”

 The class was completely quiet. We picked up our books and went out of the room silently. That afternoon I noticed more things on my way from school than I had that whole semester.

  I often think of that teacher and try to appreciate all off those things that sometimes we *overlook.

 Take notice of something special you see on your lunch time today. Walk *barefoot along the beach at *sunset. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we regret, but the things we didn’t do.

1.In the writer’s eyes , the high school teacher was ________________________.

A. weak     B. happy       C. strict        D. special

2.The words “insight” in the first paragraph means_____________________.

A. promise     B. thought       C. love       D. thing

3.From the underlined sentence in the third paragraph we know the writer’s teacher suggests ____________.

A. cherishing every single day    

B. finding something beautiful       

C. cherishing even very little things     

D. taking for granted

4.The best title for the passage may be __________________________.

A. My high school days               B. Making a promise     

C. My teacher’s insights               D. Little things in life

 

Hi Grace,

How's it going? Sorry I haven't emailed for a while, but I had so much to do!

I had told you about my decision to take up a sport. I knew I wasn't fit and I wanted to get some exercise. But that wasn't the only reason that I decided to do a sport. Students who play sports do better at school. 1..                      Exercise also helps learning and memory (记忆).

2. First, I tried soccer. I had played a bit of soccer before and I thought it wouldn't be too bad. I knew I couldn't last for very long without feeling tired. On the first day, I was able to run for the first ten minutes, but then I was so tired that I couldn't even kick the ball!

Then, I tried volleyball. 3.I was able to run for the first twenty minutes and I wasn't the slowest runner in the team! After a few weeks .I could run faster and longer. I was doing better and feeling better.4..              Maybe I'm not a team sport person after all!

Finally, I tried kung fu (功夫). It's a great sport that exercises the body and the mind. You learn to follow instructions carefully and do what you are asked to do. This is the fight sport for me!  5. I feel so confident that l even showed some moves to the class last week! Can you believe it?

 I hope you're OK! Write and let me know what you've been doing!

 Bye for now!

                                       Kristie