The Story of a Broken Bowl
Henry is a boy of nine. Three years ago he began to go to school. He studied hard and does well in his lessons. His parents like him very much.
Henry’s grandpa is a single man. But once he lost a leg in a traffic accident. And now he can’t work. He often tells the boy all kinds of interesting stories. Sometimes he makes a kite or a cage. And he teaches the boy how to catch the singing birds and how to give them food. The boy admires him very much and always stays with him when he’s free. But Henry’s mother didn’t like the old man. She always thought him useless and dirty, and didn’t let her son play with him but the boy didn’t listen to her. When they sat at table, she put some food on another table and filled a broken bowl with rice and porridge. The old man was very sad but he dared not say anything. Henry was angry with his mother about it. One day he saw a broken bowl on his way home. He picked it up and put it into his bag. His mother found it and asked, “ Why have you brought a broken bowl home, dear?” “ I keep it for you.” said Henry, “When you’re old like my grandpa, I’ll fill it with rice for you !” Having heard this, the woman began to cry. Since then she’s been good to the old man.
【小题1】 His parents like Henry because _____________.

Do you play a musical instrument? If so, you may be getting smarter. A recent study shows that taking music lessons can raise a person’s IQ.
Scientists studied 132 children in Canadian schools. At the beginning of the school year, these children took an IQ test. Then they were divided into four groups. One group took singing lessons. Another group took weekly piano lessons. The third group took classes in drams(戏剧). And the last group did no special activities at all.
At the end of the school year, the 132 children took an IQ test again. In all four groups, the average score went up. However, the piano players’IQs went up 7.0 points on average. The average increase for the other three groups was only 4.3 points.
The researchers say that the difference is small and it may not result in better grades for the piano players. However, they still consider the results important. Learning an instrument helps kids becomes better at concentrating and at memorizing things. Therefore, the researchers say, it may be good for brain development in young people.
If you have a chance to learn to play a musical instrument, never miss it. Remember it can make you smarter.
【小题1】 Which of the following is NOT true of the study?

A）根据下面短文内容，在文章后小题的空格里填入适当的词语，
注意：每空一词。
Different cultures make different families. For example, there are differences in the way Chinese and Americans raise children.
First, Chinese and American families have different attitudes towards independence (独立). Each Chinese child has been considered to be the apple of parents’ eyes. It is not surprising to see Chinese parents always helping their children with getting dressed, having meals, bathing, and other things. American parents, on the other hand, teach their children how to do things alone from childhood.
Second, most Chinese parents often make their children have extra classes, such as piano, drawing, or singing lessons. Parents want their children to develop in an all-round way and be better students than other children. The problem is that their children may not be interested in these classes. American parents try to respect (尊重) their children’s interests and usually don’t make them do what they don’t like.
Third, there is a difference in the way parents in China and American treat mistakes that children make. Many Chinese people believe in the saying, “Spare the rod, spoil the child (不打不成器).” When Chinese parents see their children make mistakes, they often get very angry, some even hit them instead of making them realize their mistakes. This affects the children’s growth and the forming of their character, and also makes the generations gap (代沟) wide. American parents think it is common for people to make mistakes because mistakes are a part of life. They often say, “It’s OK to make mistakes. Making mistakes helps you learn.” They help their children deal with mistakes by giving them ideas about how to turn mistakes into learning opportunities (机会).
Families in China and America are quite different, and one way may seem better than the other, but it is better to think about whether the parents fit the family or not instead of talking about which one is wrong or right.