I created a writing group at my school this year, and it has become a _ with all students who enjoy writing. Now students of the group make rapid progress in their writing. Let me share a few tips that you can use to start your own writing group. Set up separate groups for different ability levels You probably don't want to mix a gifted eighth grader with a second grader who writes very little. In a larger school, you could have a beginner group, a more advanced group, and a publishing group. Members can move to more appropriate groups if they are not comfortable in the current one. Advertise the group in different ways Send advertisements home with students, and put an advertisement on the school website or in the school newsletter. The first meeting should be very open At the first meeting, you should tell the students that this group is all about them. It is not a class, not a grade and not a requirement. Then tell them what some other writing groups do, and ask what they would like to do. Set up a time to meet once or twice a month It is important that students bring their writing with them. The group could go in any direction: criticize each other's work, read your writing aloud, read silently, publish your work in a booklet , play creativity games or do an online chat with a published author. It will take a little while to find out what works best for your group Search for creativity exercises and role plays. You might even be able to set up a special section of your school's website just for your writing group. The purpose of this passage is to _ . A) introduce how to start up a writing group B) offer some advice on how to teach writing C) train highlevel students to start up a writing group D) compare different tips on starting up a writing group
A
There is one word that is on the lips of Americans , day and night , "Sorry". One time as I was walking on the street , a young man ran by hurriedly , brushing against my handbag . Even as he continued on his way , he turned back and said "sorry" to me . Even in a rush , he didn't forget to apologize . One day , after I bought some apples , the salesman was giving me the change , but I wasn't ready for it , and a coin dropped on the ground, "I'm sorry ," he said while bending down to pick it up . I was puzzled --why would he apologize when it was my fault ? Another time , I stepped on a man's foot in an escalator . At the same time , we both said "sorry" . I thought it interesting : was it really necessary for him apologize ? Later on , an American friend explained to me that according to the American ideas, the escalator is public place which everyone should be able to stand in . After someone occupies a position in the escalator , making it difficult for someone else to find a place to stand in , isn't it necessary to express an apology ? During my stay in America , I gradually realized that when friction occurs in daily life , Americans don't care much about who is responsible . If someone is troubled , a "sorry" is always necessary . Even if the other person is hurt , the "sorry" would cool tempers . Perhaps this is why I never saw anyone quarreling on the buses , subways or streets in America . The man on whose feet I stepped apologized to me because _ . A) the escalator is a public place B) the man was very afraid of me C) the "sorry" said to me was for everyone D) there wasn't enough room to get my feet in
A
Q: Many of people like cooking but never have much time for it. Helen Fry's new book Quick Cookinghas been specially written for busy people. It has over 1,000 recipes, from the famous Spanish gazpacho to Swedish smorgasbord. The book is well written and the photographs and drawings are clear. (They are like those in the excellent littleQuick DressmakingandQuick Gardening.) The book has a strong plastic cover. It is easy to find your way around it too. And busy people, notice this, Mrs Fry tells you how much time you need in order to get each dish ready. Quick Cooking has four parts, one for each season. This helps you to use fresh fruit and vegetable when they are cheaper--and, of course, better. There are a lot of exciting ideas from foreign countries, and most of the recipes are easy to follow. You take something simple like a chicken or some cheese, and make an unusual dish out of it. For example, there are no fewer than 40 recipes for eggs! Mrs Fry does not plan complete meals for the "quick book". The beginners will have to find out a lot of things for himself or herself. But this ought to be difficult with such a good book. I wanted to try many of the recipes as soon as I read them. For people with little spare time, Helen Fry's Quick Cooking is excellent value. This passage is most probably _ . A) a book review B) a notice C) a letter to an editor D) an introduction on cooking
A: A
Q: Anger is good for you, as lon g as you control it, according to new psychology research. A new study from Carnegie Mellon University shows anger may help people reduce the negative impacts of stress and help you become healthier. "Here getting emotional is not bad for you if you look at the case of anger," said Jennifer Lerner of Carnegie Mellon. "The more people display anger, the lower their stress responses." Lerner studied 92 UCLA students by asking them to count back from 6,200. They must say out loud every thirteenth number. Researchers disturbed them by asking them to count faster or ask them other questions. If they made any mistakes, they had to restart from the very beginning. Many students felt depressed about making so many mistakes or got angry because the researchers were interrupting them. Lerner used a hidden video camera and recorded all their facial expressions during the test. The researchers describe their reactions as fear, anger and disgust. Other researchers recorded the students' blood pressure, pulse and production of a high-stress hormone called cortisol. People whose faces showed more fear during th e experiment had higher blood pressure and higher levels of the hormone. Both can have lasting effects such as diabetes , heart disease, depression and extra weight gain. When people feel fear, negative impacts increase, but when they get angry, those negatives go down, according to the study. "Having that sense of anger leads people to actually feel some power in what otherwise is maddening situation," Lerner said. Lerner previously studied Americans' emotional response to the 911 terrorist attacks two months after the incident. She found people who reacted with anger were more optimistic. These people are healthier compared with those who were frightened during the event. So in maddening situations, anger is not a bad thing to have. It's a healthier response than fear. What is the story mainly about? A) The findings of new psychology research. B) What you can do with anger in certain cases. C) Different effects produced by anger and fear. D) Healthier responses in maddening situations.
A: A