Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers. A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors. The newly formed Wild Network, a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations, is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screens and into fields, woods and parks. Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well-being. A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature. Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS Sustainable Development Unit. Andy Simpson, chairman of Wild Network, said, "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation." Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost. Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers , camping, snail racing, and observing autumn colors on trees. From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more _ This is not the first time the message of fewer screens, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go to do... Which of the following could be the best title for the passage? A) A new campaign B) Fewer screens, more play outdoors C) A newly formed Wild Network D) Children get to know wild things
B
I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it. Mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be a most wonderful thing in the world. Years later, during her final illness, Mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk," she said again, "is for Elizabeth." I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed in action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter. They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was "too emotional ". But she lived "on the surface ". As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me. My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace - it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not. But the present of her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside - a photo of my father and a one-paper letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter. "In any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words." What's best title of the passage? A) My letter to Mother B) Mother and children C) My Mother's Desk D) Talks between Mother and me
C
Q: Bamboo is one of the nature's most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass. Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains. Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide _ . This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green. Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong. In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered. Why did the engineers teach the poor farmers in Africa to make use of bamboo? A) Because it is cheap. B) Because it is colorful. C) Because it drills fast. D) Because it is used by Asians.
A: A
More than seven hundred years ago, the Prince of Wales had a very big and brave dog called Gelert. One day the Prince wanted to go hunt-ing with his men. He told his dog to stay at home and look after his baby son. The baby was in a wooden cradle, which was like a small bed. When the Prince came back from hunt-ing, Gelert ran out to meet his master. He wagged his tail and jumped up to put his paws on the Prince's chest. Then the Prince saw the blood on Gelert's jaws and head. "What have you done?" the Prince said. He rushed into his house and looked for his baby son. The cradle was lying on its side on the floor. The clothes were torn and there was blood on them. "So you have killed my son?" the Prince said angrily. "You unfaithful dog!" He took out his sword and killed the dog. Just as Gelert was dying, he managed to bark. Then the Prince heard a baby call to the dog. The Prince ran out of the house and saw his son lying on the ground unhurt. Near him was a dead wolf. Then the Prince knew that Gelert had defended the baby and killed the wolf. The Prince ran back into the house but he was too late. Gelert was dead. The Prince was very sad indeed. Tears ran down his face when he realized 'he had killed his faith-ful friend. The Prince carried the body of his brave dog to the top of a mountain and buried him there. After this, the Prince never smiled again. Every morning at dawn, he walked up the mountain and stood by the dog's grave for a few minutes. If you go to Mount Snowdon in Wales, people will show you where Gelert is buried. There is a sign by his grave. It reminds peo-ple of a brave and faithful dog. The Prince told the dog to _ when he was leaving. A) watch the door B) take care of his baby at home C) welcome his friends D) stop the strangers
B