The television has been an important part of many families’ life. Many children like to sit in front of the television instead of doing something else. When many experts (专家) say that television is bad for children, some believe that television can really have a good effect on a child’s life, if it is used properly.

There are many television programmes that both provide fun and education. Spending some time on these types of programmes is good for your child’s development. The television can be more efficient at teaching a child certain (某种) tasks.

Parents can also use the television to help children read. After watching an educational programme, your child may become more interested in a topic. Use that interest to drive your child toward reading.

The television can also help to make a family closer. After a programme ends, you can start a decision about it. This can help encourage a healthy family.

The television can introduce your child to new cultures. This can help your child learn a lot from them.

The television can also help build a bridge for difficult communication between parents and children. If a child refuses to talk about a topic with his or her parents, he or she is willing to talk about it with his or her parents after watching the programme about the topic. This is an example of television’s role as a bridge to tough communication.

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the first paragraph?

A. Fewer and fewer families enjoy watching TV in daily life.                         

B. Many children prefer watching TV to doing other things.                                  

C. Some people believe that watching TV is good for children.                    

D. Many experts think the television has a bad effect on children.

2.The television can be more efficient at….Here “efficient” means ___________.

A. 有效的                  B. 缓慢的                   C. 困难的                   D. 强硬的

3.The television can help children ___________.

A. to build bridges in the future                

B. to practise English speaking skill

C. to become more interested in reading          

D. to become stronger

4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in this passage?

A. The television can help improve the family relationship.

B. The television can bring children both fun and education.

C. Children can learn much about different cultures by watching TV.

D. Children can make more friends by watching TV.

5.This passage mainly talks about _______________.

A. children’s favourite TV programmes               

B. good efffects of the television on children

C. the great importance of television                    

D. children’s different habits of watching TV

Reading is a good habit, but the problem is there’s too much to read these days and too little time to read every word of it. There are hundreds of skills to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.
Preview — if it’s long and hard. Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine articles and business reports.
Here’s how to preview.
Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully.
Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.
Previewing doesn’t give you all the details. It keeps you from spending time on things you don’t really want － or need － or read.
Skim － if it’s short and simple. Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading like popular magazines or the sports and entertainment of your daily paper.
Here’s how to skim.
Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep them across each line.
Pick up only a few key words in each line.
Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we’ll get a similar idea of what it’s all about.
【小题1】 How many skills does the writer introduce to help us in reading?

Reading is a good habit, but the problem is there’s too much to read these days and too little time to read every word of it. There are hundreds of skills to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.

Preview — if it’s long and hard. Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine articles and business reports.

Here’s how to preview.

Ø  Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully.

Ø  Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.

Previewing doesn’t give you all the details. It keeps you from spending time on things you don’t really want － or need － or read.

Skim － if it’s short and simple. Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading like popular magazines or the sports and entertainment of your daily paper.

Here’s how to skim.

Ø Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep them across each line.

Ø Pick up only a few key words in each line.

Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we’ll get a similar idea of what it’s all about.

1. How many skills does the writer introduce to help us in reading?

A. One.           B. Two.           C. Three.           D. Four. 

2. What should you do if you read a long article according to the writer?

A. Read every word of it.          B. Read all the details.

C. Pick up a few key words in each line.

D. Read the first and the last two paragraphs carefully.

3. If you read a simple article, which reading skill is better to get the general idea?

A. Previewing.     B. Skimming.       C. Reading.        D. Sweeping.

New York is one of the last large American cities to have some of its policemen on horseback. The New York police have 170 horses working in certain parts of the city. The horses are expensive to feed, but it is even more expensive to look after them. Because the horses must walk on the streets, they need special horseshoes. In fact, they need more than 8,000 of them each year. Every police horse in New York gets new shoes every month. Keeping these shoes in good repair is the job of six blacksmiths(铁匠). There are only about thirty-five of these blacksmiths in the whole United States. The cost of shoeing a horse is between twenty dollars and thirty-five dollars, and it takes a good blacksmith two or three hours to do the job.

A blacksmith’s job is not an easy one. He must be able to shape a shoe from a piece of metal and then fit it to the horse’s foot. The blacksmith must bend over all the time when he is fitting the shoe and must hold the weight of the horse’s leg while he works. Clearly, a blacksmith must be very storng. But even more important, he must be able to deal with horses---for before the blacksmith can begin his work, he has to get the horse to lift its leg.

One of the blacksmiths in New York is James Corbin. He came to the country from Ireland in 1948. He not only makes horseshoes for the police but also works for a group of horse owners near the city. Corbin became interested in blacksmithing because his father did it, and, as he puts it, “It’s a good way to make a living.”

1.According to the reading passage, a blacksmith must be likely a ________________ man.

A. clever????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. rich????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? C. strong????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. lucky

2.James Corbin became a blacksmith because he ________________.

A. was interested in horses

B. was needed by the policemen

C. drew a picture of the horseshoe

D. had to make a living

3.In the reading passage “to shape a shoe” is to ________________.

A. fit it on the horse’s foot

B. use it for two or three hours

C. make the form of a horseshoe from a piece of metal

D. draw a picture of the shoe

4.The best title for the passage is “________________”.

A. Policemen on Horseback

B. Blacksmiths and Horseshoeing

C. James Corbin, a Blacksmith

D. Horseshoeing is a Good Way to Make a Living

5.Which of the following is true?

A. Only a few large American cities have some policemen on horseback.

B. New York is the only city in America to have some policemen on horseback.

C. Policemen on horseback enjoy travelling around the United States.

D. Policemen on horseback are less expensive than those in cars.