2009年6月英語四級(jí)閱讀沖刺倒計(jì)時(shí)(倒數(shù)8天)

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　　In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn't win the contest again? That's the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.

　　A revelation(啟示) came last week when I asked her, “Don't you want to win again?”“No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously(自發(fā)地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting(借用) my daughter's experience.

　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough a way to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

　　1. What do we learn from the first paragraph?

　　A) A lot of distractions compete for children's time nowadays.

　　B) Children do find lots of fun in many mindless activities.

　　C) Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.

　　D) Rebecca draws on a lot of online materials for her writing.

　　2. What did the author say about her own writing experience?

　　A) She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

　　B) Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

　　C) She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

　　D) Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

　　3. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?

　　A) She had won a prize in the previous contest.

　　B) She wanted to share her stories with readers.

　　C) She was sure of winning with her mother's help.

　　D) She believed she possessed real talent for writing.