Reading for pleasure is declining among primary-age pupils, and increasing numbers of "time poor" parents are dropping the practice of sharing bedtime stories with their children once they start school. Research presented to a conference last week found that, while parents read to preschoolers, this later tails off, and by the final year of primary school only around 2% read to their children every day. Once children can read skillfully, parents tend to step back, and this usually happens at the age of seven or eight. The report also found that 82% of teachers blame the government's "target--driven" education policies for the fact that fewer children are reading for pleasure. They believe that a straitjacket of strictly organized schooling is containing young people's ability to read more widely. Two-thirds of teachers surveyed said they lacked time in the school day to introduce a variety of books and that this was a "major obstacle to being able to develop a level of reading". Teachers also cited as main factors the reduction in the number of school librarians, who could put interesting books before children, and the rise in "screen time", switching children from reading to playing games. The majority of teachers said the curriculum's " emphasis on reading as a skill to be mastered" was increasing the pressure. This was _ by parents who saw reading just as a focus of learning, a skill critical to career advancement in a competitive world. Reading habits and the digital revolution in publishing were key topics of debate at the conference. The theme of the lack of British culture was supported by children's writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, who wrote the scripts( ) for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics. "We discovered the whole nation had forgotten that they did the industrial revolution," he said. "Books are so central to it; books can be written by anyone. A lot of the pleasure of a book is listening to somebody read it to you. " "We found a real love of reading among teachers, and a... What is the passage mainly about? A) Parents should set a limit to their children's using electric devices at home. B) Children are encouraged to read as many interesting books as they can. C) Children miss out on pleasures of reading a good book in modern life. D) Experts appeals to the government to reduce the heavy burden on children.
C
A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it "was too crowded." "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus. Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements. As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School." For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion. A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time. When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. How did a Realtor help the church? A) He made the story known to the public by publishing it. B) He sold a land to the church for free. C) He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents. D) He raised money for the church.
C
(Q).
DNA is a substance that makes up genes. Everything alive has genes. Plants have genes. Animals have genes. You have genes. Genes are the basic units of heredity . Heredity means all the characteristics you inherit from your parents. You get your genes from your parents. You inherit half of your genes from your mother. You inherit half of your genes from your father. Genes are a kind of code. A tree's genes tell what shape its leaves will be. A cat's genes tell what color1 its fur will be. Your genes tell what color1 your eyes will be. Your genes tell what color1 your hair will be. Everything about you comes from the code in your genes. Genes line up on strands called chromosomes in cells. Everything alive is made up of cells. Chromosomes are in the center, or nucleus, of cells. An Austrian monk named Gregor Mendel first saw inherited patterns in pea plants. He experimented with pea plants in the 1860s. One of the things, or traits , Mendel studied was what makes some pea plants tall and some short. He said that the traits must come from units of heredity passed from the parent plants. These units were called genes. In the mid-1900s, scientists discovered that genes are made of DNA. In the 1970s, scientists learned how to change DNA with genetic engineering. Scientists also learned that problems with certain genes cause diseases. Muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia are some genetic diseases--diseases caused by problems in genes. Today, scientists are looking for ways to cure genetic diseases by _ genes through a process called gene therapy. In the last sentence, the word "altering" can best be replaced by _ . A) changing B) preserving C) deserving D) digesting
(A).
A