Does handwriting have a practical use today? Do we really need it? Many educators say yes．

Handwriting is important because research shows that when children are taught how to do it，they are also being taught how to learn and how to express themselves．Students with fluent（流畅的）handwriting produce better homework and get higher grades，a new study by Professor Steve Graham shows．

Handwriting is a basic skill of learning，expert Emily Knapton says．She believes，“When kids have trouble with handwriting，it affects all their subjects．Spelling becomes a problem；maths becomes a problem，too．Both of the subjects will be much easier for these kids to learn if their handwriting is improved．”

Fluency and speed of handwriting are very important．Graham's study has also shown that from kindergarten（幼儿园）through the fourth grade，kids think and write at the same time．If they have to struggle to remember how to spell the words，their ability to express themselves will suffer．Stephen Pevely，a professor of education says，“From the writing speed of primary school students，we can know the quality and quantity of their writing in middle school．”

Predictions of handwriting's end didn't begin with the computer；they date back to the introduction of the Remington typewriter in 1873．But for at least a generation（一代人），handwriting has seemed much less important．Now，supported by new research，educators are trying to bring back its special importance into the classroom．

1．Many educators agree that handwriting ________ today．

A．is not necessary                       B．is unimportant

C．has a practical use                       D．is useless

2．Graham's study shows that students with fluent handwriting probably have ________．

A．lower grades                           B．worse homework and grades

C．good reading skills                        D．better homework and grades

3．When a student has good handwriting，his spelling and maths will be ________．

A．much easier        B．much harder      C．great fun          D．a problem

4．The underlined word "suffer" in the passage means “________”．

A．be strongly influenced                        B．be deeply moved

C．be badly affected                         D．be seriously hurt

5．Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．Kids' handwriting has a good effect on their learning．

B．Handwriting helps improve kids' performance in all their subjects．

C．Students should try to improve the fluency of their handwriting．

D．Handwriting came to an end after the typewriter appeared．

Each year，many Chinese people go abroad because of all kinds of reasons．They are becoming younger and younger year by year．Even some Chinese parents send their children to foreign countries when they are only in a middle school．They think their children can get a wider view，less academic（学业）competition or family honor．But life can be hard for young people there．At first，they have to face the culture differences and language problems．However，these are not always the most difficult things to overcome（克服）．To most children，controlling（管理）themselves well is a big challenge when studying alone in a strange country．

Yu Yang，a 15-year-old student from Guangdong Province studies in a high school in Toronto，Canada．To his surprise，his teachers there seldom push students to study hard．And usually there isn't too much homework．Students have lots of free time to do some activities．Some of his friends spend their whole year's money in the first two months of the new term．So they have to ask their parents for some more money．

On the one hand，studying abroad can help students learn foreign languages quickly and open up their eyes，but on the other hand，some children may feel lonely，become bad，lose themselves，etc．Many problems may happen to them．These are different from their original thoughts．So parents should think them over before their children go abroad．

Answer the questions according to the passage．

1．Why do Chinese parents send their children abroad?

2．What do the students have to face in foreign countries at first?

3．Controlling themselves well is a big challenge，isn't it?

4．Do students in Canada have more free time than those in China?

5．What’s the article mainly about?