Helping your children to read and write at home will improve their skills and confidence—it will also make them get ready for learning in the classroom environment.

　     　 are needed by every child in every subject in every year of their life in or outside school. Students who improve their reading and writing skills will increase their vocabulary and their ability（能力）to use the English language correctly. As parents, you can play an important role in improving your children’s literacy（读写能力）. You can make a difference by listening, asking questions, giving information, and reading with your children outside school hours.

Here are 8 tips on how to help your children to read and write:

²   having everyday conversations with your children

²   trying to ask more “wh-” questions instead of easy “yes” or “no” questions

²   encouraging your children to talk about events you don’t know

²   reading to your children each night

²   listening to your children read

²   teaching your children how to use dictionaries

²   talking about your children’s writings

²   practicing filling in forms, writing letters, sending cards or emails

You can also encourage your children to join the Reading Challenge Club and discuss the books they are reading together. In the club, children must read 15 books from the Challenge book list and 5 more books chosen by themselves. There are over 1,000 books on the list. The reading must be done in one year. What’s more, it is a wonderful way to help your children to write. For example, you can encourage them to write diaries or book reviews. Remember to make positive comments as much as possible.

1.This passage is mainly written for __________.

A. children      B. teachers     C. parents      D. doctors

2.__________ is the best for the missing part in Paragraph 2.

A. “Listening and speaking skills”         B. “Reading and writing skills”

C. “Listening and writing skills”      D. “Reading and listening skills”

3.__________ is NOT mentioned in the 8 tips above.

   A. “Listening to the radio every day    ” 

B. “Listening to your children read”

   C. “Reading to your children each night”          

D. “Talking about your children’s writings”

4.In the Reading Challenge Club, children have to read __________ in one year.

A. 5 books          B. 10 books  C. 15 books            D. 20 books

5.Parents can help children to write by encouraging them to__________.

A. draw pictures or take photos         B. listen to pop music 

C. write diaries or book reviews            D. play computer games

补全短文。（共10小题；每小题1分，计10分）

用方框内所给单词的适当形式填空，使短文完整、通顺。

Saving electricity and water is important in our life. There are 1.　　　　 little things for us to do at home to help save the Earth. They’re small, but  2.　　　　 of people do the same thing and  3.　　　　 a great difference. By making some small 4.　 　 to the way you do things at home, you are helping our planet day by day.

You can spend 5.　　　　 and improve your health better at the same time, so

6.　　　　 to save the environment is a good exercise!

You can use windows to make the house good to live in. You can keep windows and doors 7.　　　　 to keep the house warm in winter and open in summer. The wind will often keep you as cool as 8.　　　　 the open air.

And you must do something to save water. The water that you use in the kitchen can

9.　　　　 be used to wash the rice or water the flowers, and it’s very good for 10.　　　　. Please always remember to turn off the lights when you leave.

 My mum only had one eye. She cooked for students and teachers to    16    the family when I was young.

   One day my mum came to 　17  hello to me in primary school. I was so embarrassed（尴尬的） that I threw her a hateful  18  and ran out.

   The next day at school, one of my classmates said, “Your mum only has one eye!” and   19     at me.

   I hated my mum and decided to leave her, so I studied very hard. Later I got a chance to go abroad to study and I left my mother.　20　graduation I worked, bought a house and got    21  there. Then I had kids of my own. I was happy with my wife and my kids. But one day someone knocked at my door. It was my  22   !When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I   23   at her, “How dare you come to my house and scare my children! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” And to this, my mum 　24   answered, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have got the wrong   25   ,”and she disappeared.

   One day, a letter regarding a school reunion（聚会） came to my house. So I 　26   to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old house.

   My neighbors said that she    27    . I did not have a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

   My dearest son,

    I am thinking 　28　 you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your 　29　 .

     I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was still an embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

   You see…when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you grow up with one eye. So I gave you    30    .

   …  With all my love to you!

                                                                Your mother

1.A. support     B. provide       C. offer          D. prefer

2.A. speak              B. talk             C. say              D. tell

3.A. cry                B. look       C. laugh              D. smell

4.A. smiled         B. shouted          C. knocked          D. laughed

5.A. After    B. Since     C. Before           D. Until

6.A. worried   B. excited      C. married      D. satisfied

7.A. Dad                B. friend               C. son              D. Mum

8.A. said               B. screamed         C. talked           D. added

9.A. quietly    B. happily      C. loudly               D. angrily

10.A. name              B. address     C. number               D. city

11.A. laid    B. told           C. lied                 D. lay

12.A. returned   B. moved       C. hurt                 D. died

13.A. over                  B. of       C. out             D. about

14.A. wife              B. son    C. family             D. daughter

15.A. his               B. yours        C. hers                 D. mine

Joe lost his arms in an accident that killed his father. Since then, he has had to depend on the     1   of his younger sister Ella. In order to take care of him, Ella became his shadow, never leaving him     2    for years. Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.
As they grew up together, they had their share of     3   and they would often quarrel. Then one day, Ella wanted to separate from Joe, living    4    own life. So Joe was heart-broken and didn't know what to do.
A     5    misfortune (不幸) struck Rosa, too. One night her mother, who suffered(受苦) from mental illness,     6    . So her father went out looking for her mother. She tried to cook meals for her parents, only to overturn the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister Susan showed her willingness to take care of her, Rosa decided to be    7    independent. And most of all she learned to do things on her own. Once she wrote the following in her composition: “I’m lucky. Though I lost my arms, I still have legs. Though my wings are broken, my heart can still     8  .”
　　One day，Joe and Rosa were both invited to a television interview program. Joe told the TV host about his     9    future at being left on his own, while Rosa was full of hope for her life. They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes. Joe wrote：My younger sister's arms are my arms;     10     Rosa wrote: Broken wings, flying heart.
They had both stood the same sufferings, but their different     11    determined(决定) the nature of their lives. It is true that life is unpredictable. How you deal with misfortune is the true test of your character. If you choose only to complain and run away from the suffering，it will always     12    you wherever you go. But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.