When we play a game with our classmates or friends, we usually need to make some rules first. I think it's very important to have rules.
There are lots of rules in my school. We must get to school on time. We have to wear the school uniform on Mondays and Thursdays. We can't run in the hallways. We can't fight. I think it's very good to have rules at school.
We must follow traffic (交通) rules. We can go at green lights (灯) and have to stop at red lights. The traffic rules make us safe (安全的).
When we take a car and sit next to the driver, we must wear the safety belts (安全带). Also, children must sit on the safety seats.
Teaching your child to read can be one of the most rewarding(值得的) experiences you have as a parent.
Nothing can replace the head start(起步时的优势)that a child receives from becoming familiar with books and the way that the written word sounds when read aloud. If your child sees that reading is important to you, then he will be much more likely to want to learn how to read himself.
If your child shows interest in learning letters and looking through books, he may be ready to begin learning to read. Learning how to read cannot be rushed. If your child has no interest in learning his letters, then wait a month or so and try again.
You can make this fun, such as saying “I see a [k]-[æ]-[t]-cat” whenever you see a cat. The sound of a letter is much more important than a letter's name because the child will need to combine the letter sounds to make words.
Some children learn their letters faster by seeing or hearing them, while other children learn letters by using their bodies. Encourage your child to draw the letter and then paste pictures of something that begins with that sound onto the letter. Sing songs about the letter. Read your child a story that repeatedly uses that letter sound.
Rather than try to teach a child 26 new letters at one time, focus on one letter a day or a week. This enable the child to master each letter sound and feel proud of himself/herself for doing so.
A. Read to your child daily. B. Show your child your love for reading. C. Make sure your child is ready to begin learning how to read. D. Focus on one letter at a time. E. Teach your child the sound of each letter. F. Use sight, sound and touch as you teach each letter. |
You may have heard of MOOCs—Massive Open Online Courses(大规模在线开放课程).
These courses are given by famous universities around the world. They were usually for university students or adults, but that's changing. MOOCs are also for younger learners now.
Mr Wei is a teacher from a middle school in Shanghai. He opened several computer courses last year. He recorded his courses and put them on the Internet as a part of the "MOOCs Go to Middle School" project in China. Middle school students can now choose from those online courses and study by themselves outside school.
Some teachers are worried. Although they can learn a lot from MOOCs, middle school students may not have enough time to take MOOCs outside the class.
In November, 2012, a university in the USA opened the world's first free MOOC for middle school students—a three-week class on biology. About 200 middle school students took the class and some were from as far away as China. You see, time and distance are not problems for eager learners.
"I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning and I surf the net." "I often check my e-mail forty times a day." "I often spend more than three hours during one time on the net." "I spend more time in chat rooms(聊天室) than with my 'real-1ife' friends."
Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction(瘾) called Internet addiction. Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug(毒品) use. People lose control(控制) of the time they spend on the Internet
For example, one college student was missing for several days. His friends were worried, and they called the police. The police found the student in the computer lab: he was surfing the net for several days straight.
Studies show that about 6 to 10% of Internet users become addicted. And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them. They spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.
Is "surfing the net" a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms(症状):
You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet.
You can't wait for your next online time.
You plan to spend a short time online, but then you spend several hours.
You go out with your friends less and less.
Yang Yu, 14, of Jilin, hasn't adapted (适应) himself to the changes in his classroom since the first day of this term: teachers now hold classes with a computer and screen. "Instead of writing on the blackboard as before, they click the mouse and show us the Power Point (PPT) slides (幻灯片) on the screen. Sometimes, there is not even one word on the blackboard after a whole class," Yang said. "I'm not quite used to the multimedia (多媒体) class."
More and more middle schools in China now use multimedia in class. Teachers put their courses on a computer and show their lessons with a PPT. To make the lessons more interesting, they play animations (动画) and movies.
Hu Wei, an English teacher in Sichuan, thinks multimedia class seems to be more interesting than traditional classes. His students practice their oral English by following music and animations on a computer. "It helps them speak English bravely and actively," Hu says. "Besides, it's also a helpful tool for teachers because showing PPTs saves us more time than writing notes on the blackboard."
However, multimedia class makes things more difficult for students like Liu Yifang, a 15-year-old Beijinger. She can't take all her notes as before. "There are no words on the blackboard, but many on the screen," Liu says. "Besides, my teacher speaks so fast that I can't catch up."
Liu thinks it is not the best way to learn. "For me, I like the old way. I agree that the multimedia is helpful, but so is the blackboard," Liu says. "If teachers can use both tools properly in class, I think that will be really good for everyone."
This is the school timetable of Class One, Grade Three, Sunshine School on Monday.
9: 10-10:00 a.m. |
Technology In this lesson, students learn how to surf the Internet safely and effectively. |
10:10-11:00 a.m. |
Drama During this lesson, students will have the chance to act out roles with other students. |
11:10-12:00 a.m. |
Painting Students learn how to use watercolors properly. If the weather is good, the lesson may take place outdoors. |
12:10-1:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
1:10-2:00 p.m. |
Sports Theory (理论) Students learn about the skills used in a certain sport, and we see real action from past games on videos. |
2:10-3:00 p.m. |
Sports Practice Students will play a short match lasting 50 minutes. This week, the sports are soccer (for boys) and volleyball (for girls). |
Homework Technology一the teacher will give students websites to look up (about 20 minutes). Drama一students have to learn a part for the next lesson (30-60 minutes). |
Every school has its own (自己的) rules. In some schools in Asia (亚洲), students 1 smoke or talk loudly. In some schools in America, each child must look after their 2 well. They should cover (覆盖……的表面)the books. But one 3 is very popular around the world: Students have to wear 4 on weekdays. But many students don't like to wear the school uniforms 5 they think the uniforms are the most ugly(丑陋的) clothes in the world, but schools don't let their students wear 6 own clothes at school. Some students 7 beautiful pictures or their favorite stars on their uniforms, because they don't want to wear the 8 clothes. What do you think 9 it? Do you 10 your school uniform?
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles (肌肉).
The study also found the effect (效果) is greater when the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners. Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference. "Our findings suggest that the structure (结构) of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn. Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (灵活的)," he said. "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings had the same result in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists.
I like to get up late, so my ideal school starts at9 a. m. It finishes at 3p.m. , so we will have lots of time for after-school activities. There is a big dining hall.
We have an hour for lunch. We eat lunch and chat there. We can also listen to pop music in the hall. We eat fruit and vegetables every day. We have Maths every day because I think Maths is very interesting to us. I love computers, so we have Computer Studies every day. We wear school uniforms, but we do not wear ties. The classes are quite small. There are 15 students in each class.
There is a park on one side of our school and a shopping mall on the other. We have a big library with lots of useful books. We also have a tennis court and a swimming pool.
There are lots of clubs and after-school activities. We only have half an hour of homework every day, and we do not do homework at weekends. Every month, we go on a school trip to a museum or a theatre.
"Make-A-Wish" is one of the world's most well-known charities(慈善机构) . It makes wishes come true for children who have serious illnesses. It gives them hope and joy and helps them forget about their health problems and have fun.
It all started in 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christopher was a 7-year-old boy who was very sick. He always dreamed of becoming a police officer. Tommy Austin and Ron Cox, two police officers, made his wish come true. They gave Christopher a tour of the city in a police helicopter(直升飞机) and made a real police uniform(制服) for him.
There are four kinds of wishes children usually have:
I wish to go. Children usually want to travel or go to a concert, a game or a park.
I wish to meet. Children sometimes want to meet their favourite actors, singers or players.
I wish to be. Some children wish to become actors, singers or police officers.
I wish to have. They often want to have a computer, a game, a bike or many other things.
Let's hope more wishes will come true in the future. People who work in the charity always try for the best. Almost 25 ,000 volunteers(志愿者) help, work or give money. Will you be one of them?
Today we started our new school term. We were very happy to see friends again. But the most exciting of all, the new term is the time to plan new hobbies. It is common in Britain for students to plan new hobbies after the Christmas holidays. Deciding to start something new is a common New Year resolution.
Most schools offer different kinds of hobby classes. Students take them in their free time or after school. You have to pay for some classes and others are free. For example, I once took a free Friday evening gymnastics(体操) class my school offered. But when I wanted to learn how to play the drum, my parents had to pay for the lessons.
The most popular extra classes at my school were piano lessons. We also like playing a role in the drama (戏剧) club. Both classes offered exams students could take. Students with many hobbies sometimes felt more stressed than those without any. But the students with hob-bies left school with many extra skills.
I have not stopped any of the hobbies I began at school. Although sometimes I may feel very tired, there are also some good reasons for me to insist on it. And I have never regretted taking them. My best friend today is someone I met in my gymnastics class. We have the same hobby and we spend time a lot.
After-school Activities |
|
Would you like to be a singer? Teacher: Miss White Place: In the music room Time: Monday, 16: 00—18: 00 Age: Over 4 years old |
Do you enjoy playing chess? Teacher: Mr. King Place: In the library Time: Friday, 15: 30—18;00 Age: Over 7 years old, under 10 |
Are you good at painting? Teacher: Mrs. Hunt Place: In the art room Time: Saturday, 9: 00—10: 30 Age: Over 6 years old, under 14 |
Are you interested in ball games? Teacher: Mr. Green Place: On the playground Time: Sunday, 14: 30—16: 30 Age: Over 10 years old |
A. Use business recordings B. Speak slowly and clearly C. Learn telephone manners D. Practice often with a friend E. Try your best to listen to the other person F. Make sure you understand the other speaker |
Some people are afraid of answering the telephone call. Here are some tips to help you when you are answering the call.
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Listening to someone speaking in a second language over the telephone can be very
challenging because you cannot see the person you are trying to hear. You may not realize that your pronunciation isn't clear. So pay special attention to your pronunciation and speak as slowly as possible.
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Don't pretend to understand everything you hear over the telephone. Don't be afraid to remind the person to slow down more than once.
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Ask another student to practice talking on the phone with you. Try to talk for at least fifteen minutes.The most important thing about practicing telephone English is that you are not able to see others' mouths.
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There are many ways to get free telephone English practice. After business hours, you can call and listen to recorded messages. Write down what you hear the first time, and then call back and check if your notes are right.
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Many speakers make the mistake of being too direct on the telephone. Sometimes just one word such as could or may is necessary in order to sound polite.Take the time to learn how to answer the phone in a polite manner.
My name is Carol Brown. I am a middle school student. I have some 1 at school and at home. And I think every student has school rules and family rules.
We can't get to school late. We have to finish our homework first 2 we can go out and play. We can't stay out 3 school nights. We have to be 4 in the library. Do you have these rules?
Some students think these rules are 5 , and they don't like them. But I don't think so. I think these rules can help us a lot. If we don't follow 6 , how can we be good at our study? For example, our teachers 7 us to clean our classroom every day. If we don't, the classroom will be very dirty. It is bad for our health, too. If your parents ask you to be in bed early and you don't listen to them, you can't 8 on time next morning.
Everyone 9 some rules. And we must 10 them. Don't you think so?
Nowadays, a new method(方法)is used to decide who are the top students in school. The best students are those who not only get high marks, but also follow the rules and the behavior standards for middle school students. Here are some of the new rules and standards.
Tell the truth. Don't copy someone else's work in the exams. That's not something an honest student should do. If you have played online games for two hours in your room, don't tell your parents you were doing homework.
Learn to be loving and caring. Good students love animals and care for other people.
Learn to work together with others. It would be more fun when more people work together. Did you quarrel with your teammates when your basketball team lost? Only working together can make your team stronger. You shouldn't only think of yourself. You should also think of others.
Be open to new ideas. Have you ever thought that people could live on the moon? Perhaps you'll discover Earth Ⅱ someday. Don't look down on new ideas. Everyone's ideas are important. You should welcome them, because new ideas make life better for everyone.
Use the Internet carefully. The Internet can be very useful for your studies. Some websites(网站) on the Internet aren't for kids, so make sure to visit the ones that are good for you. You can use the Websites for fun or homework. Can't you find any good websites for you?
At the age of four, our kids began to help us with the housework. They helped 1their pets and clean the house. Now Tate can make her bed,2her clothes and set(布置) the table. Last week, she even helped me3.We were happy because it was delicious. I like getting kids to start early for a few4. First, it is fun for kids to help. Kids like to work5the same things as their parents do. They want to stay with their parents but to do things by themselves. It's a good time to6them to help you when you are busy. Second, it's never too7for them to learn some things.8, having kids do chores is not robbing(剥夺)their playing time.9make(s) them know the joy of working.10, it does help. I feel that Tare likes doing chores and she helps me a lot.