I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all--there wouldn't be enough time in a day. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are mostly asked. Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started. As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my farm is a very pleasant place to be--at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save his life. Three years after I started writing it; it was published . ( I am not a fast writer, as you can see.) Sometimes I'm asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing could be a way of making a living. Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary stories. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn't write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too--truth about the way people and animals feel, think and act. The writer wrote this passage to _ . A) introduce his new books. B) introduce two funny stories C) explain why he enjoys writing D) answer some readers' questions
D
Personality is, to large extent, inherent --A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor lives of their children. One place where children _ A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the "win at all costs" moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying,"Rejoice, we conquer!". By far the worst form of competition in school is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful. Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into Bs. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is top management. What attitude does the author hold toward examinations in schools? A) positive B) negative C) doubtful D) neutral
C
Q: Play is the basic business of childhood, and more and more in recent years research has shown the great importance of play in the development of a human being.From earliest infancy , every child needs opportunity and the right material for play, and the main tools of play are toys.The main function of toys is to suggest, encourage and assist play.To succeed in this, they must be good toys, which children will play with often, and will come back to again and again.Therefore, it is important to choose suitable toys for different stages of a child's development. In recent years research on infant development has shown that the standard a child is likely to reach, within the range of his inherited abilities, is largely determined in the first three years of his life.So a baby's ability to benefit from the right play materials should not be underestimated.A baby who is encouraged, talked to and shown things and played with, has the best chance of growing up successfully. The next stage, from three to five years old, curiosity knows no bounds.Every type of suitable toy should be made available to the child, for trying out, experimenting and learning, for discovering his own particular ability. Bricks and jigsaws and construction toys; painting, scribbling and making things; sand and water play; toys for imaginative and pretending play; the first social games for learning to play and get on with others. By the third stage of play development--from five to seven or eight years old-- the child is at school.But for a few more years play is still the best way of learning, at home or at school.It is easier to see which type of toys the child most enjoys. Until the age of seven or eight, play and work mean much the same to a child.But once reading has been mastered, then books and school become the main source of learning.Toys are still interesting and valuable, which lead up to new hobbies, but their significance has changed --to a child of nine or ten years old, toys and games mean, as to adults, relaxation and fun. 60. The writer wants us to understand that a child _ . A) cannot grow up without toys B) matures through play C) uses toys as friends D) has to be taught how to play
A: B
(Q).
There are many people who could be Olympic Champions. I'd estimate five million people could have beaten me in the pole-vault on the years when I won it, at least five million. Men were stronger, bigger, and faster than I could have done it, but they never picked up a pole, never made the efforts to vault their legs off the ground to try to get over the bar. Greatness is all around us. It's easy to be great because great people will help you. What was fantastic about all the conventions I went to was that the greatest in the business would come and share their ideas, their methods and their techniques with everyone else. I have seen the greatest salesmen showing young salesmen exactly how they did it. They didn't hold back. I have also found it true in the world of sports. I'll never forget the time I was trying to break Dutch Warmer Dam's record. I was about a foot below his record, so I called him on the phone. I said, "Dutch, can you help me? I seem to have _ . I can't get any higher." He said, "Sure, Bob, come on up to visit me and I'll give you all I got." I spent three days with the master, the greatest pole-vaulter in the world. For three days, Dutch gave me everything he'd seen. There were things that I was doing wrong and he corrected them. To make a long story short, I went up eight inches. That great guy gave me the best that he had. Great people will share. Great people will tell you their secrets. Look for them, call them on the phone or buy their books. Go where they are, get around them and talk to them. It is easy to be great when you get around great people. The author of this passage must be _ . A) a world record holder in pole vault B) a Dutch pole-vaulter C) an Olympic Champion D) a student of Warmer Dam's
(A).
C