We’ve all heard “Never judge a book by its cover”, but that’s exactly what this activity asks your children to do. It’s not all it will ask, though. It makes them interested with a little guess work, and then gets them to read the book to see if their predictions are right. ____36______It’s about getting them involved in the reading experience. When your kids take the time to use the information they get from the cover and title, they’ve taken the first step to dive into the book. 37
First, encourage your child to choose a book and examine the cover. Ask your child to tell you his or her predictions on what the book is about, then have your child write down the predictions on a piece of paper. ____38__ Once the book is read, you and your child can look at the paper to check or correct the predictions.
Then, have your child discuss the plot(情节) with you, and summarize(总结) what the book was really about. If your child is writing on his or her own, let him or her write a brief summary of the book. 39 At the same time, let him or her draw a picture on the back of the book.
When your children take time to predict, discuss, summarize, and even draw pictures about what they’ve read, it builds their reading skills. 40 Share your experiences on the Scholastic Parents Facebook page!
A. Your child’s next step is reading the book.
B. It makes the reading a daily experience for your kids.
C. Do your children really like the book that they read?
D. If not, have your child dictate(口述) summary to you.
E. Here’s how you can help your child complete this activity.
F. Do you have any tips to help your children remember what they read?
G. Now, making predictions about a book isn’t about testing children’s ability at making guesses.
四、完型填空（共20题；每小题1分,满分20分)
One afternoon, after finishing my lesson with Mr. Graffman at Curtis, my teacher shocked me.
“Lang Lang, I was thinking about Chinese artistic 41 ,” he said. “It is so highly 42on every level. Everyone is ranked. The competitive spirit has 43 to your development, Lang Lang.”
I nodded, appreciating the rigors(严厉) of my own culture, and that the path to success in Chine was 44 : you had to beat everyone else in every contest you entered.
Mr. Graffman smiled, 45 knowing what I was thinking. “Yes, your competitive culture 46 you many benefits, but not here, not in the United States. The rules are 47 . It is my firm 48 that your days of participating in competitions are over.”
“How is that 49 ?” I asked. I knew my father had been going over a list of upcoming competitions, certain that I could 50 all of them. Wining contests was 51 The more I won, the more I wanted to win.
“ I live for being number one,” I said, unashamed of my ambition. “ What’s wrong with52 ?”
“They give you a particular attitude. They direct your energy away 53 the process to the prize. And in my view, Lang Lang, it can’t be about the prize. It must be about the 54 .”
“Excuse me, Mr. Graffman. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but what I’ve 55 in your country is no different from in China. Look at Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. It’s all about being number one in your specialty. They’re number one 56 they beat everyone else.”
“That may be true for 57 , Lang Lang , but classical music is different. 58 some teachers at Curtis push their students to compete, I prefer mine to 59 such an idea from their thoughts. This allows them to 60 other aspects of playing the piano.”
“What aspect?”
“Spiritual.”
I was deep in thought. Maybe acquiring an understanding of spirituality was the next step for me.
41. A. history B. culture C. customs D. habits
42. A. difficult B. strange C. competitive D. effective
43. A. devoted B. managed C. compared D. contributed
44. A. clear B. easy C. brief D. unique
45. A. even if B. as if C. so that D. in case
46. A. tell B. buy C. offers D. promises
47. A. positive B. popular C. similar D. different
48. A. belief B. plan C. hope D. concept
49. A. available B. possible C. practical D. convenient
50. A. achieve B. receive C. win D. try
51. A. nothing B. everything C. something D. anything
52. A. desires B. dreams C. contests D. ambitions
53. A. off B. out C. over D. from
54. A. process B. game C. match D. result
55. A. applied B. accepted C. felt D. seen
56. A. because B. until C. before D. unless
57. A. music B. sport C. science D. art
58. A. As B. If C. While D. Since
59. A. give up B. set out C. bring up D. run out
60. A. put off B. get over C. take down D. concentrate on
