Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to ev

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Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask．But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history．Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history．
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past．I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures．However, as the unfortunately true statement goes "the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don"t seem to learn from history". Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this．
A second major reason for studying history is th

at it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context．We can’t even understand why we are and where we are without history, much less （更不必说） try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be．
I teach my children history, for one more reason．I purchased a set of historical audio （录音机） tapes for our children．My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over．It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himsel

f．I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr．if, in doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished．I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for．
小题1:What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 ?

A．Many people aren"t clever enough to learn well from the past．

B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes．

C．Many people feel it hard to understand history．

D．Many people have no interest in studying history．

小题2:In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because _______________．

A．It makes the current political situation go smoothly

B．It helps us realize the importance of historical events

C．It helps us understand why things are the way they are

D．It helps people accept the present situation where they live

小题3:Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show ______________．

A．People can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil

B．People may also learn from bad historical figures

C．More celebrations should be held to honor their achievements

D．Today’s people can also achieve what they achieved

小题4:What would be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．How to teach history effectively．

B．Some negative reasons for studying history．

C．Ho

w to get more people to study history．

D．Some bad historical figures．

小题5:The main purpose of this passage is to ____________．

A．inspire the parents to teach their children history

B．show the importance of history in politics

C．explain the reasons why children study history

D．introduce the writer" s own way of teaching history

答案

小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:B
小题1:C

解析

略

举一反三

Do you think it is ever a good idea for a teenager to have a credit card?
My kids watch closely as I swipe the card through the register．They’ve seen me do it hundreds, thousands of times．Cool．They are itching to swipe it through the machine themselves． When we walk out of the store with our groceries or pet food, or whatever, it’s almost as though money has not changed hands, painless, easy．
So it shouldn’t be shocking to discover that teenagers are becoming card carrying consumers in their own right．The question is, should they?
While some argue it’s best to teach kids how to use a credit card while still living under the family roof, not everyone agrees． Dave Ramsey, financial expert says getting a credit card for your teenager is actually, “an excellent way to teach him or her to be financially irresponsible．”
Now parents are required to co-sign on credit cards for children under 21．“If their name is on the credit card, then the parent may say, ‘Hey, my name is on this．Don’t get me into trouble,” says Mary Beth Pinto, a marketing professor．“When parents were the co-obligors（共同借贷人），the children caused less debt．If the parents are the co-obligors, the tendency is that the parents were explaining how to use the cards．” Still, Pinto believes parents should start

the process much earlier．“Yes, there has to be teaching going on and it has to start when they’re younger． You’re not going to get rid of credit cards．They are here to stay． You have to have them． You can’t fight progress,” Pinto said．
Ramsey, however, disagrees．“Throwing teens into a pool of （credit）sharks is a sure way to guarantee a life-time of heartache,” he said．“You can make online purchases and rent a car with a credit card．Of course, you must have money in your bank account before you can make a purchase with a credit card．But paying for things with money is what you are supposed to do．”
小题1:The author mentioned her experience in Para 2 mainly to______．

A．prove the convenience of using credit cards

B．tell what impression credit cards le

ave on kids

C．give advice on using credit cards wisely

D．explain the pleasure credit cards bring to customers

小题2:The underlined word in Para 2 can be replaced by __________．

A．eager

B．afraid

C．embarrassed

D．thankful

小题3:What’s Ramsey’s attitude towards teens’ using credit cards?

A．He feels it is worth a try

B．He is very supportive

C．He is strongly against it

D．He considers it as a pleasant experience

小题4:Pinto will most likely agree that __________．

A．parents should let teens own their credit cards earlier

B．you shouldn’t be in control of credit cards

C．it is never good for anyone to get a credit card

D．learning to use credit cards is practical

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When Harvard was founded in 1636, there were no other colleges in the American colonies, and it would become the model for many of those that followed. When it began requiring applicants to take a test known as the SAT in 1935, Harvard started another trend. Two years ago, after it announced an aggressive new financial-aid policy, it helped push social class to the center of the national debate over higher education and forced two of its main competitors, Stanford and Yale, to follow its lead.
Last week. Harvard began to make another effort to affect higher education in its image, its president, Derek Bok, announced that the college would abandon its early admissions program, which for decades has allowed high school seniors to apply in October and get an answer yes, no or maybe – in December, shortly before the regular deadline for applications.
Harvard officials argue that the program is beneficial to rich students who don"t need to compare financial-aid offers from various colleges. After the announcement, many people within education urged other colleges to take a similar step.
"We"re thrilled," said Laurie Kobick, a college counselor (顾问) at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. "I think it"s going to make admissions better in so many different ways. It will indeed go a small way toward leveling the field among applicants. Of course, it will also have an effect on colleges, and the biggest winner will almost certainly be Harvard. a fact that may prevent many other colleges – perhaps all of them – from following Hazard this time. Because any college that does so will risk losing some of its best applicants."
小题1:From the first paragraph we can learn that Harvard ____.

A．was the first college in the American colonies

B．was best known for the SAT

C．was muck better than Stanford and Yale

D．refused to offer financial-aid to applicants

小题2:By abandoning early admissions program, Harvard wants ____.

A．to attract the public"s attention

B．to influence higher education in its own way

C．to save money spent in attracting students

D．to allow its competitors to admit more students

小题3:Early admissions program is good for rich students because ____.

A．they have more chances to enter college

B．they can enter college with a lower score

C．they have special right to be admitted into college

D．they have no problem in supporting their studies

小题4:Why does Laurie Kobick think other colleges may not follow Harvard?

A．Because they think the action will harm high education.

B．Because they are afraid that the action is not practical.

C．Because they may attract fewer top students than he[ore,

D．Because they are afraid the action will damage their reputation.

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Most people hate change, which is sad since we often go through intense changes in life. And for some of us, even the smallest changes can upset our day. So the question is: Why do most of us find making adjustments to our lives so hard?
Fear of change is nothing new. Over a century ago, the Parisians were unhappy over a particular addition to their city: the Eiffel Tower. In fact, the citizens were so angry about the plans for the tower that they protested its construction. As strange as it may seem, their anger was completely natural. They were given no choice about the huge change that was going to be made, so they became angry.
But we get upset over changes even when we do have a say in the matter and think about them carefully. Changes are brought about every day by the decisions we make: which school to attend, which job to take, whom to marry. Voluntary changes also make most of us uneasy because we don’t know how those changes will affect our future.
People have discovered that the key to overcoming the fear and anger associated with change is to be flexible. When they are flexible, people can adapt to new situations more easily. Being flexible is especially important in the 21st century as technology makes change occur faster than ever before. Those who oppose change, especially with technology in the workplace, may find themselves out of a job.
When change comes, and you have no choice but to face it, embrace it. A positive attitude helps a lot. In fact, the change may turn out to be the best thing for you. That new job you got may end up being much better than your old one. You may make the best friends of your life in the new city you moved to. Don’t merely focus on how you feel about change; instead decide to accept the change. The change is the reality, and it’s up to you whether the change will be a success or a failure. You never know – your next change may be your life’s Eiffel Tower!
小题1:Why did the building of the Eiffel Tower make the Parisians unhappy?

A．Because they didn’t like the design of the Eiffel Tower.

B．Because they couldn’t avoid accepting the Eiffel Tower.

C．Because it was no use building the Eiffel Tower.

D．Because the Eiffel Tower seemed strange.

小题2:According to the passage, it can be inferred that what won’t disturb us are _____________.

A．the changes that have agreement with one’s will

B．the small changes we meet in our daily life

C．the changes whose effect we can predict and control

D．the changes that we discuss or consider thoroughly

小题3:How should we overcome negative emotions that the changes bring?

A．We are not supposed to face the changes and let them alone.

B．We should actively accustom ourselves to the new circumstance.

C．We should not take the changes seriously and avoid them as much as possible.

D．We should know that the changes merely bring us bad influence.

小题4:What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The change will

probably make you fail like the Eiffel Tower.

B．The change is like the Eiffel Tower which is not good for our future life.

C．Your future life is never known just like the Eiffel Tower unknown to the Parisians.

D．Your future life is likely to be a great achievement due to the change.

小题5:What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Psychology of Change	B．The ways to Overcome the Fear
C．Changes That Disturb Us	D．The Bad Effect of Changes

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Most recently, it"s very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews． Naturally, it"s easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us． We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them．As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me．So, I"ll let them fail．
I"ll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow．And failure is along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc．—will be part of growth for them．Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today．From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish．
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate （协商） everything now．It"s a small price to help them learn a skill they"ll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don"t accompany them on job interviews．
小题1:Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?

A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties．

B．Because they think they can help them on the questions．

C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews．

D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so．

小题2:According to the author, what is beneficial to kids" development?
A．Sheltering them． B．Keeping them safe．
C．Leaving them alone． C．Blaming them．
小题3:Why does the author stress failure in kids" life?

A．To make them stronger than other kids．	B．To help them grow in this tough world．
C．To help them develop all social skills．	D．To make them learn to compromise．

小题4:Which of the following might be the best title for die text?

A．Never Shelter Your Kids	B．Let Your Kids Fail
C．Be Eager to Grow Up	D．Live Without Parents

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US researchers have found traces of an anc

ient lake on Mars recently, increasing hopes of discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life.
The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 80 square miles and was up to 1,500 feet deep, said the team from the U

niversity of Colorado.
“This is the first clear evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars,”said Boulder’ s research associate, Gaetano Di Achille, in a study published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters.
“The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago.”
Analysi

s of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon (溪谷) in which it was found, which then opened out into a valley depositing (使淤积) sediment (沉积) which formed a delta (三角洲).
“Finding shorelines is a great discovery to us,” said assistant professor Brian Hynek, adding it showed the lake existed at a time when Mars was thought to have been cold and dry.
Scientists believe the oldest surfaces on Mars formed during the wet and warm era known as the Noachan epoch, about 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago.
The newly discovered lake is believed to date from the Hesperian era and postdates the end of the warm and wet period on Mars by 300 million years, according to the study.
Scientists believe deltas next to the lake may well hold secrets about past life on Mars as such places on Earth have become the natural deposits of organic carbon and other markers of life.
小题1:The size of the lake found on Mars is ______.

A．80 square miles	B．1,500 square miles
C．3.4 billion square miles	D．300 million square miles

小题2:When the lake existed, the weather on Mars was ____.

A．hot and wet

B．wet and warm

C．cold and dry

D．cold and wet

小题3:Why do scientists think deltas near the lake may hold secrets about past life on Mars?

A．Because similar places on Earth have become natural deposits of marker

s of life.

B．Because someone has put secrets about past life on Mars there.

C．Because past life has been found in other deltas on Mars.

D．Because some people are said to have already seen life marks there.

小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The Noachan epoch was a wet and warm era.

B．The lake might have existed 3.4 billion years.

C．The discovery can’ t fully prove that the Mars once hosted life.

D．The lake traces prove that there exists life on Mars now.

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