英語課外的閱讀文章
我們提高英語的水平寢室有很多種，有一種就是可以看一些英語的新聞和閱讀，還有英語的電視劇和電影，這樣可以很快的提高我們的英語口語，接下來小編給大家帶來英語新聞，需要的同學們可以看一看。
課外閱讀1
The mother of an 8-year-old Arizona girl who was presented with a "Catastrophe Award" forapparently having the most excuses for not having homework believes her child washumiliated by her teacher.
美國亞利桑那州一所學校的教師向一名8歲女生頒發“災難獎”，理由是這名學生不完成家庭作業的理由最多。學生的家長認爲孩子遭到了老師的羞辱。
Christina Valdez said her daughter, Cassandra Garcia, came home one day from class at DesertSprings Academy in Tucson, Ariz., with the paper award.
克里斯蒂娜-瓦爾迪茲說，她的女兒卡桑德拉-加西亞有一天放學回家時帶回一張紙“獎狀”。女兒在亞利桑那州圖森的沙漠甘泉學校就讀。
The document, which looks like a colorful card, contained the following message: "You'reTops! Catastrophe Award. Awarded to Cassandra Garcia. For Most Excuses for Not HavingHomework."
“獎狀”看似彩色卡片，上面寫着：“你最棒!災難獎。獎給桑德拉-加西亞。獎勵你有最多不完成家庭作業的理由”。
The teacher signed the card "Ms. Plowman," added the date - May 18, 2012 - and even includeda smiley face.
老師在卡片上署名“普洛曼女士”，日期爲“2012年5月18日”，卡片上還畫着一個笑臉圖案。
The teacher announced the award in front of the entire class, and the other students laughedat her daughter, Valdez said in a Thursday interview with ABC TV affiliate KGUN-TV inTucson.
瓦爾迪茲週四在接受美國廣播公司圖森KGUN-TV電視臺採訪時說，老師當着全班學生的面把“獎”頒給加西亞，女兒遭到了其他學生的嘲笑。
When she contacted the school to complain, the principal "blew me off," Valdez added. "Shesaid it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children."
瓦爾迪茲後來聯繫學校投訴，稱校長的回答讓她很失望，“她說這只是玩笑，老師們經常和孩子們開玩笑”。
But Valdez told KGUN that she didn't find any of it funny.
但瓦爾迪茲告訴這家電視臺，她覺得一點兒也不好笑。
"I think it's cruel and no child should be given an award like this. It's disturbing," she said, adding that she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework, and that the girlhad been enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program.
瓦爾迪茲說：“我覺得這很殘酷，不應該給孩子發這樣的‘獎’。這很讓人心煩。”她還說自己的女兒在完成家庭作業方面沒有問題，還參加一個課後輔導班。
Desert Springs Academy's principal declined to comment to a KGUN reporter, the affiliatereported.
據報道，該校校長拒絕就此事接受電視臺採訪。
課外閱讀2
看罷中國小孩子的“悽慘生活”，你先別忙着嘆氣，這個世界上人的差別其實並不大。那年在尼泊爾旅遊，小編不經意間看到“補課”的小廣告，再稍留意，才發現，這種小廣告到處都是。敢情這補課也講究“接軌”啊。其實，不僅僅是補課，就連“不要輸在起跑線上”也不是中國特色呢。這段印度人講的英語，一開始聽起來會很費力。要注意幾點：一是印式英語總體上來說發音與英式英語更近，特別是元音;二是印式英語的輔音，尤其是詞首輔音不標準，如T、D不分等;三是印式英語就跟寶萊塢的歌舞片一樣，語調變化特別多，而且一般的陳述句也常常以升調結束。
All work and no play. That seems to be holding true for kids these days. Children as young astwo can now sing, rattle off nursery rhymes and are growing up faster than anyone could everimagine.
只能用功，不能玩。如今，這一準則對於小孩子來說似乎很適用。年齡小至兩歲的小孩子現在會唱歌、能輕鬆地背出童謠，他們的成長速度是任何人都無法想象的。
It looks like innocent fun, but these toddlers are actually shaping up for graduation day; andthey started early, mind you. Like baby Via, who can sing, rattle off nursery rhyme identifycolours and animal all before she turns two. Little Via and her classmates are learning vitalsurvival skill skills these future leaders of India Inc. being taught in a 12-month program in aMumbai school. And, of course, these doting parents are very, very proud.
這看起來像是天真無邪的童趣，其實，這些纔剛剛學步的孩子們正在爲畢業日做準備呢。請注意，他們起步早。比如說維亞寶寶，她在兩歲前，就能唱歌、會背童謠、辨認顏色和動物。維亞寶寶和她的同學正在學習的可是不可或缺的生存技巧，孟買一家培訓機構正通過一個爲期一年的培訓計劃向這些印度未來領袖傳授所必需的技巧。當然，那些溺愛兒女的父母再驕傲不過了。
Mother: I feel like they have that potential, and we should use it.
母親：我覺得既然我們看到了他們的潛力，就應該加以開發。
No time to goof around—unh uh—or slack off in class. The rat race just got tougher, andthere's not enough time to soak it all up.
不能浪費時間胡鬧，或者在課堂上偷懶，那是不可以的。你死我活的競爭只會越來越激烈，沒有時間慢慢理解這一切。
But are these children learning to run before they can walk? Or are they getting a head start ina ruthlessly competitive world? It's a question being asked with more and more schools inMumbai turning toddlers into little adults. Parents feel that such a program is essential fortheir young kids today because these young children, themselve are inquisitive to learn newthings. And perhaps that's why this school has a wait list for the next mother/toddler program. But perhaps it is this thought that is not going down well with the child psychologists.
可是，這些小孩是不是還未學會走就先學跑呢?還是說他們在這個競爭殘酷的世界裏有了領先的優勢?如今，在孟買，有越來越多的培訓機構提供此類課程，努力把小孩子打造成小大人。因此，這個問題就被提了出來。可父母覺得這種課程對當今的孩子來說是很關鍵的，因爲這些小孩子本身對新事物好奇心很重。也許這也正是這家培訓機構的下一期母親與孩子的課程有一個等候名單的原因。可同時，也正是這個想法不被兒童心理學家認同。
Dr. Chabbria (Child Psychologist): What is happening is that we might be churning out robotswho have all the information but actually do not really know how to use that information, andmaybe even be getting overconfident kid who cannot see beyond themselves.
查布拉博士(兒童心理學家)：如今的現象會導致這樣一個結果：我們可能是在粗製濫造一些知道很多信息，但卻不知道該如何使用這些信息的機器人。我們可能會培養出一些過於自信，且目中無人的孩子。
Parents and children that play together learn together, and the school says parents are taughtconstructive play techniques. But the big question i with all that learning, does it leave theselittle ones any time to play?
在這裏，家長與孩子一起玩耍，一起學習。培訓機構表示，他們會教家長一些有益的玩耍技巧。可是，更關鍵的問題是，要上這麼多的課，學這麼多東西，這些小傢伙還有時間玩嗎?
