Creativity(创造力) is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.

　 Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily an indicator(标志) of high intelligence(智力). Just because a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using his resources to produce new ideas that are good for something.

　 It is important to let children choose. From an early age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it's choosing food for lunch, making decision helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important characteristic of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.

Creativity is something ______.

A. that people are born with

B. that depends on intelligence

C. that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems

D. that is not important

What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?

A. Try to help them as much as possible.

B. Take no notice of whatever they do.

C. Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much.

D. Leave them as they are.

What is the proper title of the passage?

  A. The Problems in Education     B. Let Children Choose

  C. Children Need Creativity       D. A Brighter Future

There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time set aside for fun. And the best part is that these are the kind of memories a child will remember for a lifetime.

Family game night

Find out any of the games that are already around the house. Kids often get computer games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of your own. “Charades” is a fun game to play that will challenge a child to use his/her imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words that the other has to act out.

 

________________________

Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own masterpiece. It doesn't need to be just a drawing -- take some old magazines sitting around the house, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own montage. Or, use items from nature. Let them use leaves, pine cones, twigs and whatever else they can find to create something from their imaginations.

 

Family Picnic

Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesn't cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let the kids have a day of playing. Or, if it is the middle of winter and a foot of snow is on the ground, set up a picnic in the living room.

 

Family Field Trip

A family field trip doesn't have to cost a dime. Ask a nearby farm if it would be alright to bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park and make a scavenger hunt where they need to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work -- you might be surprised at the number of people who would be thrilled to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for the kids.

1.We can learn from the passage that “charades” ________.

A. is a computer game           B. is too difficult for children  

C. involves acting out words   D. should be played by more than four people

2. What is the best title to be put in the blank of part two? ____________.

A. Family art time          B. Family gardening time  

C. Family music time        D. Family cleaning time

3.According to the passage, the family picnic____________.

A. should be held in the middle of winter

B. can be held inside your house

C. will be very meaningful if held in offices

D. will cost much money if held on a farm

4.Who might be most interested in this passage? _________.

A. Parents      B. Teachers     C. Farmers       D. Employers 

5.The writer wrote this passage mainly to _____________.

A. encourage children to use imagination.

B. share precious family memories

C. discuss young children’s interests

D. suggest fun activities to families

 

When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

　　Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system（循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.

　　The main benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."

1. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that

__________.

A．they must reach the age of 60

B．they should be easy to make friends with

C．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February

2. Doctors __________.

A．encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively

B．point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming

C．believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer

D．have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming

3.According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that __________.

A．you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue

B．cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter

C．cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high

D．Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

4.The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.

A．they can remain young	B．it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
C．they find it enjoyable and interesting	D．they might meet fewer troubles in life

5. The passage is mainly about __________.

A．a group of cold-water swimming lovers

B．the polar bears' life

C．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

D．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club

 

Poetry is an interesting form of writing. It is very free, has few restrictions and can be a great way to express feelings. Writing a poem is all about observing the world within you or around you.

To write a poem, first you should begin with an idea or inspiration. Inspiration may come at any time unexpectedly. It may be a specific person, place or thing that causes some sort of strong emotion. It may be more of an abstract idea or release of emotion.

After getting the idea, you can write down everything that comes to mind. Don’t think much and let all feelings pour out. Remember everything can be thrown out later.

Then, you can think about its form and begin to organize thoughts. Poetry comes in many forms, from epic poetry that has a story to dramatic poetry intended to be performed. Try them all out. One will come naturally. Maybe different poems fit different forms. When you write a poem, think about both meter (韵律) and rhythm carefully, which are equally important in poetry. Meter is the fixed pattern of the poem, while rhythm refers to the sound when it is spoken. It is also important to use a lot of descriptive words. Create imagery (意象) with words, trying to make them attractive to all the senses. For auditory (听觉的) interest, try repeating of similar sounds in a sentence or phrase. All of this adds life and interest to a poem.

After you finish your work, don’t be afraid to share your work with others. When others point out your weakness, accept and grow from it.

1.What does the underlined word “restriction” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?_______

A．Change.

B．Order.

C．Limitation.

D．Organization.

2.When you begin to write a poem, you should first 　　　.

A．begin with some specific persons	B．come up with an idea
C．describe a famous place	D．organize your thoughts

3.We can infer from the text that 　　　.

A．writing poems needs imagination and the ability to use language well

B．people can get more ideas if they often share their poems with others

C．people should first learn to write epic poetry, then dramatic poetry

D．people need to write down every feeling they want to release at a time

4.What’s the purpose of the text?_________

A．To tell readers how to write a poem.

B．To encourage more people to write poems.

C．To show what quality a good poem should have.

D．To teach people how to appreciate poems.