Opening your mailbox to find a personalised letter from a family member, friend or even a pen friend from the other side of the world used to be common. But the special pleasure of sending or receiving a handwritten letter is one that many kids have never and likely will never know, unless the art of letter writing is revived.
“It can help us to understand how we are feeling, share in a gentle way, unburden ourselves of our worries, say goodbye to different feelings or chapters in our lives, and to connect with others if we choose to share our letter,” ReachOut lead Linda Williams said. By establishing meaningful connections and releasing negative thoughts and feelings, letter writing could also be helpful for kids during stressful periods. “ReachOut offered young people opportunities to write letters to themselves and people in their lives as Covid lockdowns ended, as a tool to help them process their feelings and the experience,” Ms Williams said.
When it comes to the physical act of putting pen or pencil to paper, letter writing has proven to be additionally beneficial for children’s cognitive and fine motor (精细动作) skill development, as well as recall and literacy. These benefits are why handwriting remains a key part of the school curriculum, said Dr Maria Nicholas from Deakin University.
Watching the letters being formed, and feeling the movement of the pen, combined to create a stronger memory of what was written than typing the same word, according to the director of ACU’s Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy, Professor Rauno Parrila. “There is also evidence that handwriting improves letter recognition for children just learning to read,” Prof Parrila said.
Dr Nicholas suggested that engaging children in letter writing came down to making the process meaningful to them. “Whether children are writing letters to a friend, a family member, a favourite author or a key figure in the community, these sorts of scenarios (场景) engage children in writing lessons that motivate them to learn because they have an authentic purpose for the activity,” she said.
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1.What might Linda Williams agree with?
A Pressure helps improve people’s love for writing.
B People make connection through hand-writing.
C Letter writing is a valuable form of self care.
D Hand-writing can improve letter quality.
解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“unburden ourselves of our worries, say goodbye to different feelings or chapters in our lives”“as a tool to help them process their feelings and the experience”可知，写信可以帮助人们自我治愈。故选C。
2.Dr Maria Nicholas thinks handwriting is important espacially for _______.
A adults
B kids
C teachers
D parents
解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“letter writing has proven to be additionally beneficial for children’s cognitive and fine motor skill development, as well as recall and literacy”可知，玛丽亚·尼古拉斯博士认为，手写信对孩子的认知和精细运动，记忆力以及读写能力都有好处。故选B。
3.According to Rauno Parrila, writing is beneficial to ________.
A memory
B fast reaction
C mental health
D body movement
解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“to create a stronger memory of what was written than typing the same word”可知，看着字母形成，感受笔的运动，这两者结合起来，比电脑打字更能让人记住写过的单词。故选A。
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A The Lost Art of Letter Writing.
B Is the Art of Letter Writing Disappearing?
C The Future of Letter Writing.
D Art of Letter Writing Should Be Continued.
解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。根据全文内容及最后一段中的“engaging children in letter writing came down to making the process meaningful to them”可知，是时候让手写信回归生活了。故选D。
