Whether rich or poor, parents who have books in the home increase the level of education their children will attain, according to a 20-year study led by Mariah Evans. For years, educators have thought the strongest predictor of attaining high levels of education was having parents who were highly educated. But, the study showed that the difference between being raised in a bookless home compared to being raised in a home with a 500-book library has as great an effect on the level of education a child will attain as the difference between having parents who are barely literate and having parents who have a university education. Being a sociologist, Evans was particularly interested to find that children of lesser-educated parents benefit the most from having books in the home. What kinds of investments should we make to help these kids get ahead? The results of this study indicate that getting some books into their homes is an inexpensive way that we can help these children succeed. Evans said, "Even a little bit goes a long way. Having as few as 20 books in the home still has a significant impact on _ a child to a higher level of education, and the more books you add, the greater benefit the children get." The researchers were struck by the strong effect having books in the home had on children's educational attainment even above and beyond such factors as education level of the parents, the father's occupation or the economic level of the country. Having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education level, and more important than whether a child was brought up in a developing country or a developed country. Surprisingly, the difference in educational attainment for children born in developed country and children born in developing country was just 2 years, less than two-thirds of the effect that having 500 or more books in the home had on children. In the past educators held a point of view that _ . A) children whose family had a library would possibly attain high levels of education B) children who were born in poor families studied harder than those in rich families C) parents' level of education had nothing to do with their children's levels of education D) children whose parents are highly educated would attain high levels of education
D
The Book of Life So far,scientists have named about 1.8 million living species ,and that's just a small number of what probably exists on Earth.With so many plants,animals,and other living things covering the planet,it can be tough to figure out what type of grass is growing by the roadside or what kind of bird just flew by. A soon-to-be-started Web site might help.An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia of Life(EoL).The project aims to list every species on Earth in a single,easy-to-use reference guide. To get the encyclopedia started,the creators will use information from scientific databases that already exist.And eventually,in special sections of the site,non-scientists with specialized knowledge will come to help.Bird-watchers,for example,will be able to input what birds they've seen and where.To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate,scientists will review much of the information added to it. As the EoL develops,you might find it useful for school projects.The site will feature(......) _ special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods.Another convenient feature of the EoL is that you'll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interests,age,and knowledge. It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species.The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new fool will speed up that process. The Web based EoL aims to _ . A) find out what covers the earth B) list all living things on Earth C) work out the number of birds D) save the existing plants
B
Q: Britain's longterm unemployed could be forced to carry out manual work or risk losing their welfare benefits under plans being put forward by the government. The U.S.style scheme would see the longterm jobless ordered to take up fourweek placements in order to get them used to having a fulltime job. The idea is part of major reforms, due to be unveiled this week, to make cuts to Britain's huge welfare bill, reduce dependency on benefits and weed out those earning money but not declaring it, papers said. "What we are talking about here is people who have not been used to working having both the opportunity and perhaps a bit more of a push as well, to experience the workplace from time to time. The vast majority of people in Britain will think that is the right thing to do." Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC TV. Shortly after the ConservativeLiberal Democrat Union took power in May, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith unveiled plans to simplify the complex web of benefits available to reduce errors and inefficiencies. Duncan Smith said the system had become regressive and was not giving people the right encouragement to work as many were financially better off unemployed. Under his plans separate benefits for items such as housing, income support or disability will be replaced by a "universal credit" system whereby individual households would get a single welfare payment to ensure those in work would be better off. The Observer newspaper said that in return, longterm unemployed would be told to take up work placements of at least 30 hours a week for a fourweek period. If they refuse or fail to complete the programme, their jobseekers' allowance, worth 64.30 pounds a week for those over 25, could be stopped for at least three months. How can a longterm unemployed save his welfare benefit at least? A) They could be introduced to work in some foreign countries. B) They should work at least thirty hours a week for four weeks. C) They should help neighbors and friends in their spare time. D) They should work for the churches without accepting pay.
A: B
(Q).
Typhoons in the northern part of the world have girls' names.Sometimes they have very beautiful names.Rose is a pretty name but there was nothing pretty about Typhoon Rose.It was the worst typhoon to hit Hong Kong in ten years. It began to rain in the morning of Monday, August 16th, 1971.At ten o'clock in the morning, Typhoon Rose was still 130 miles away but already the wind was blowing people's umbrella away.The wind became stronger and stronger.The typhoon shelters were soon full of boats.Ships that were too big to go inside the shelters put down more anchors .Some very big ships went out to sea.It is safer for a big ship to be at sea in a typhoon because it cannot be blown onto rocks.Kai Tak Airport closed.No planes were able to take off or land.At 9:00 in the evening, all the lights went out. No one slept well that night.It is difficult to sleep in such bad weather. In Typhoon Rose, more than one hundred people died.229 people were hurt and 66 of these had to go to hospital.1500 lost their homes.The people of Hong Kong will not quickly forget Typhoon Rose! Some big ships didn't go inside the shelters because _ . A) they had more anchors B) it is safer outside C) they were out at sea and they weren't fast enough to reach the shelters when Typhoon Rose came D) it was too expensive for big ships to go inside the shelters
(A).
B