20.When friends come to visit us in the evening,they spend their time telling us that they are in a hurry and looking at their watches.It isn't that our friends are all very busy;it is just that we haven't got a television.People think that we are very strange. "But what do you do in the evenings?" They are always asking.The answer is simple.Both my wife and I have hobbies.We certainly don't spend our evenings staring at the walls.My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages.This is particularly useful as we always go abroad for our holidays.I collect stamps and I am always busy with my collection.Both of us enjoy listening to music and playing chess together. Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house.This does not worry us as we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before.Our friends have lost television!So they don't know what to do.On such evenings our house is very full as they all come to us.They all have a good time.Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television,everybody talks and plays games.Yes,life is possible without television!
(1)The writer and his wife
. A.enjoy watching TV every day B.are too busy to watch TV in the evening. C.don't enjoy watching TV in the evening D.are too busy with their work (2)Why do the writer's friends visit the writer in a hurry?
A.There isn't a television at the writer's home. B.They want to go shopping. C.The writer's friends are all busy. D.They will go to work. (3)The writer doesn't worry when there are power cuts because
. A.they have candles B.they stare at the walls C.they can listen to music D.they can do things as usual by candle light (4)When there is no electricity,the writer's friends
. A.cannot see anything at home B.don't know how to spend their evening C.do something else by candle light D.stay at home and wait until electricity is on again (5)The story tells us that
. A.the writer and his wife don't like watching TV B.watching TV wastes too much time C.the writer and his wife have a lot of hobbies D.we can manage to live without television
21.What makes one person more intelligent than another?What makes one person a genius,like the brilliant Albert Einstein,and another person a fool?Are people born intelligent or stupid,or is intelligence the result of where and how you live?These are very old question and the answers to them are still not clear. We know,however,that just being born with a good mind is not enough.In some ways,the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle.It needs exercise.Mental (done with the mind) exercise is particularly important for young children.Many child psychologists (心理學家) think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about.The children are then more likely to grow up bright and intelligent.If,on the other hand,children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do,they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent. Parents should also be careful what they say to young children.According to some psychologists,if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot,then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things.So it is probably better for parents to say very positive (helpful) things to their children,such as "That was a very clever thing you did." or "You are such a smart child."
(1)According to the context we can guess that a genius is while an idiot is .
A.a normal person…a funny person B.a strong person…a weak person C.a highly intelligent person…a foolish or weak-minded person D.a famous person…an ordinary person (2)A person
is more likely to become a genius. A.whose parents are clever B.often thinking about difficult problems C.often helped by his parents and teachers D.born with a good brain and putting it to active use (3)Which of the following is not true according to the article?
A.Parents should be careful what they say to young children. B.The less you use your mind,the duller you may become. C.parents shouldn't play with their children more often. D.Parents should always encourage their children.