Teens and kids are reading a lot less for fun, according to a recent report.

Although the decline(下降) in the past ten years is very surprising for teen readers, some data(数据) in the report shows that reading is still a big part of many children’s lives.

According to the report, the number or teens who hardly read has gone up from 8 percent to 25 percent today. The report data shows that kids’ reading ability remains almost the same. However, the amount of reading time has fallen, from about an hour every day to half an hour.

As for children’s e-reading, the report mentions little about its effects. But it says that many parents choose to control the time spent on e-books, mainly because they are worried about the increased screen time. After all, it is important to protect their kids’ eyes.

The most helpful part in the report is parents’ effects on their children. It shows that parents are examples and important guides for them in reading. If parents read more and find more time to read with their children, it turns out that their children actually read more often.

As summer vacation arrives, parents might take this chance to step in, make a reading list and enjoy the pleasant family reading time.

38．What do we know about children’s fun reading time?

A．It is much shorter.                                      B．It stays the same.

C．It is much longer.                                       D．It changes a little.

39．Why do many parents control e-reading?

A．It can waste kids’ time.                               B．E-books are not so important.

C．It can harm kids’ health.                             D．E-books are a waste of money.

40．How should parents encourage children’s reading?

A．By making reading plans.                           B．By setting good examples.

C．By praising kids’ reading.                           D．By offering different books.

41．What’s the writing purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To prevent e-reading.                                 B．To encourage family reading.

C．To advise family trips.                                D．To describe vacation pleasure.

Dear Mr. Brown，

My name is Tom. I’m not famous（有名气的） now. But maybe I can be famous someday（有一天）! I can’t sing or dance or act in movies, but I do many other things. I can play three instruments: the guitar, the violin and the drums. I think I can be in the music club. Maybe I can be a famous musician. I like to read story books and I can write stories. Maybe I can be a famous writer. I like sports, too, but I am not good at sports. Can I join you?

280．What’s the meaning（意思）“instruments” in Chinese? It is__________.

A．乐谱             B．乐器             C．乐章             D．琴

281．What can’t Tom do?

A．He can’t read   B．He can’t write stories              C．He can’t play the violin D．He can’t act in movies

282．Tom thinks he can be a famous ___________ or a famous writer.

A．musician         B．actor            C．singer           D．sports man

283．What club can Tom join?

A．Art club.        B．Movie Club.      C．Chess club.      D．Music club.

284．Why doesn’t Tom be in sports club?  ___________.

A．He doesn’t like sports              B．He doesn’t do well in sports

C．He is not strong（强壮）             D．He thinks sports are boring

Madam: I’m thinking about getting a pet. Can you give me some advice?

Vet: How much time can you devote to looking after your pet?

Madam: I’m really busy, so I can’t feed a dog. I don’t have time to walk it every day.

Vet: You are right.

Madam: Actually, I don’t want a pet with long hair, like a cat or a dog. I don’t want a pet that could be dangerous, either, like a spider or a snake.

Vet: How about ants? They are easy to look after. Come here and have a look. You only need to put the ants into a glass box. The box is filled with special soil, so you needn’t feed them. The most interesting part is that you can watch the ants dig roads in the soil.

Madam: It sounds good. How many ants should I get at least? How long can they live?

Vet: Eight at least. They can live three to six months.

Madam: Thanks a lot. I will try to find out more information on the Internet and come here next week.

Vet: That’s fine.

26．Where are the people in the dialogue?

A．In a hospital.          B．At school.               C．In a pet shop.          D．In the post office.

27．What are the people in the dialogue talking about?

A．Making a movie.                                       B．Raising a pet.

C．Having a trip.                                            D．Taking a course.

28．What will Madam probably do next week?

A．She will buy some ants.                              B．She will go to Paris for a holiday.

C．She will visit a wild animal park.                 D．She will go hiking with her friends.

Hobbies can be the first teachers for many of life’s lessons. If you are collecting something as a hobby, it may be coins, stamps or what else interests you, you learn many things along the way. Kids can learn skills of their future work from hobbies.

So what are the best hobbies for kids?

Reading

If a child can lose himself or herself in a good book, they can find a whole new world without ever leaving the house! It is reported that readers do better than non-readers in school work and exams.

Arts and crafts (工艺)

Arts and crafts are also a great way for teaching kids the importance of using their own hands to create something from nothing.

Collections

Whether they are stamps, coins, baseball cards, model cars, ships, dolls, or whatever else interests your child. a collection is a great way to learn about people and places. Anything they choose to collect can be turned into an educational experience, important events and even all the social skills.

Music

This may not be ideal (理想的) for all kids as some people are naturally more musical than others. Yet if your kid enjoys singing or dancing, they can become great hobbies. Even learning a musical instrument is a good way to obey rules.

Sports and Games

Outdoor sports and indoor games are good for the complete development of a child s personality (品格). Speed, skill and teamwork are needed. This is a good hobby for any kid.

51．According to the passage, children who like reading can do better than ________.

52．Arts and Crafts can teach kids to create something from nothing ________.

53．Collections can help kids learn about ________.

54．Learning a musical instrument can make kids learn to ________.

55．Sports and Games can develop ________.

To improve your reading, you can try the form of readers’ theatre, a formatted script for readers to read aloud. It’s so interesting!

Cast of Characters: Narrator, Kayla, Ms. Lee, Zack

Narrator: On a sunny day in southern Texas, Ms. Lee’s students gathered in the school playground.

Ms. Lee: Tomorrow is the day of the sidewalk （人行道） chalk-art festival. The principal has allowed us to practise our wet-chalk drawing on the playground sidewalk, which will be our studio. Remember, whenever you want to draw on a sidewalk, always ask an adult in charge for permission before you draw. Now let’s review the steps of wet-chalk drawing. What do we do first?

Narrator: As the students told her the steps in order, Ms. Lee wrote them on a large pad of paper. When she finished writing, she pulled the paper off the pad and displayed the directions so everyone could read them. Then the students chose and soaked （浸湿） their pieces of chalk. Meanwhile, Kayla and Zack planned their drawing.

Kayla: Let’s draw a jungle feast. Parrots can be eating all kinds of fruit.

Zack: I’ll draw a model train carrying food to the birds.

Narrator: The students removed their pieces of chalk from the water and drew. As Zack drew a sweeping curve of train track, his hand knocked over the jar of water. He and Kayla watched water streak across their drawing.

Zack: Our drawing is ruined （毁坏）！

Kayla: Don’t be so worried! Quick, mix the water and the chalk together! Now let’s use more chalk and smear （涂抹） it around.

Narrator: Kayla and Zack worked quickly. The smeared colours looked glorious, like rich, thick frosting on a cake.

Ms. Lee: That looks great! That’s a special method you’re using, kids. Are you two interested in taking part in the chalk-art festival tomorrow? The timetable for the festival says that drawing starts at 9:00 a.m.

Kayla and Zack: Sure!

Kayla: Tomorrow we’ll pour water over our drawing on purpose .

Zack: Then we’ll know just what to do!

7 ． What do we know about readers’ theatre?

A ． A place for readers to enjoy plays.

B ． A reading material for people to read aloud.

C ． A series of steps for children to draw on the sidewalk.

D ． A number of people gathering together to play games.

8 ． What does the underlined word “ streak ”  in the passage mean?

A ． Rise rapidly. B ． Move quickly. C ． Disappear suddenly. D ． Swim slowly.

9 ． The narrator in the readers’ theatre ________.

A ． tells the whole story in a silent way B ． gives instructions to the characters

C ． helps the characters understand the story D ． describes settings and events

10 ． What does the underlined sentence “Tomorrow we’ll pour water over our drawing on purpose.” at the end of the passage mean?

A ． Kayla and Zack will ruin their drawing with water for fun.

B ． Kayla and Zack will find the steps by accident by themselves.

C ． Kayla and Zack will draw as well as their teacher by pouring water.

D ． Kayla and Zack will draw pictures using the method they discovered today.