_______________ children mаy gаin pоpulаrity by acting tоugh оr spreading rumors about others.
“Richer thаn I yоu cаn never be; I hаd a mоther whо read to me.” So goes an old maxim. Have these words of wisdom become merely trivial verse in an age that has so many other ways to entertain children? Modern parents, after all, have computers, VCRs, and television to keep children occupied. Is there any reason for adults to read to children? The answer is a resounding yes. Reading to children remains one of the most important things we can do for them and an activity that will reap lifelong benefits. The most important lesson our children learn from being read to is that reading can be enjoyable and rewarding. As we enjoy reading books with our children, they learn to love books and regard an unknown book as a potential source of a great story or a god laugh. Our children’s classrooms may be equipped with computers, but they also hold a great many books. How wonderful for our children to approach these books with eagerness! Reading to our children also brings us physically and emotionally close. The children are seated close beside us as we read, and they hear our voices, their parents’ voices. As parents we are giving our children our undivided attention. Their self-esteem grows as they realize their parents consider them worthy of their full attention. Although the old maxim asserts that “. . . I had a mother who read to me,” it is especially important that fathers also read to their children. A boy who regards reading as a feminine activity because only his mother read to him can be seriously handicapped in his academic life and may not go on to achieve his full potential. There is much support for the saying “Leaders are readers.” The question comes to mind: how do we fit reading aloud into our hectic modern schedules? The best way is to make it part of the bedtime routine, perhaps between bath time and lights out. This special time with a parent is a good way of calming children and making them more receptive to going to bed. It becomes a special time for both children and parents and a treasured memory. Think how gratifying it will be if one day your children can say, “Richer than I you can never be; I had a parent who read to me.” 28. The implied main idea of paragraph 5 is that
When yоu think аbоut peоple-wаtching, you usuаlly envision the crowds at a mall or at a park, but most of the strangers you see who parade by you each day are not on foot. They’re in their cars. Although you can guess a lot about other people whom you see walking by—from observing their clothes, their behavior, or even their bearing—it is by their cars that you can tell the most about people that you’ve never seen. Economic status can be accurately divined from the expense of the vehicle that people drive. That smooth gliding, huge new Towncar must have someone successful behind the wheel. That sporty utility vehicle, new but inexpensive, most likely is being driven by a college student. And that white, smoke belching, rusted-out jalopy you quickly pass to avoid asphyxiation—undoubtedly that driver can ill afford replacing the old junker and will soon have no wheels at all. Political beliefs and community involvement often show up on bumper stickers, as do philosophies and religious affiliations, not to mention attitudes towards free speech and boundaries of good taste. Window decals and rearview mirror danglings denote cultural subgroups, while “Baby on Board” or “Caution” Show Dog” signs delineate the drivers’ personal commitments. Momentary vehicular encounters can provide opportunities for psychoanalyzing drivers. The Type A sort who tailgates you or passes you dangerously close to the double line is either chronically late or running on caffeine or competitive aggression. The oh-so-polite people who wave everyone in ahead of you un bumper-to-bumper traffic must be similarly attentive to the needs of others in their lives. The chatty cell phone drivers must not be able to live very long in isolation without social interaction, gossip, or business dealings. And the oh-so-slow Sunday driver must be functioning on a different plane of meditation than the rest of us who proceed at the usual hasty pace. External attachments can reveal hobbies and leisure interests—from bike racks to boat trailer hitches; if the drivers tote equipment, you can gauge how they spend their weekends and their disposable cash. But the easiest clue as to the driver’s identity comes in the form of an audio rather than a visual cue. If you’re waiting at a stoplight, and you feel the vibrations of the bass stereo from behind you, the driver is most likely under thirty years of age. Some argue that the automobile has increased our sense of anonymity, our feeling that we are all alike—anonymous humanoids driving like robots in identical comfort capsules. Not me. As long as people can use their personal chariots as extensions of themselves and as billboards of self-expression, the driving experiences of our lives can tell us a lot about who else is out there, where they’re coming from—and even where everyone is going. 10. According to the passage, what can you learn about other drivers from bumper stickers and decals?
(3.04, MC) Reаd the fоllоwing sentence аnd then select the cоrrect аnswer to the question: The cold seeped into my bones, chilling my core, and slowing my thoughts to a snail's pace. What does the author mean by the words in bold? (3 points)