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A
Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone's life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn't a very good answer and my student didn't let it slide.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I'm one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It's in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled(逐渐灌输) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can't have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that's what I strive to do.
I genuinely love teenagers.
I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they'll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.
Teaching isn't for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.
41. Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?
A. Because he thought her answer was unbelievable.
B. Because the writer was insincere.
C. Because the student was naughty.
D. Because the answer was difficult to understand.
42. What do you think of the writer?
A. Stupid. B. Honest. C. Conservative. D. Polite.
43. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her.
B. The writer’s answer made the student confused.
C. In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach.
D. The writer annoyed the student who asked the question.
44. We can infer from the text that _________.
A. the writer was also a good teacher in school
B. the writer often plays with her students beside a pond
C. the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students
D. the writer often accompanies the students on their way home
45. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. A student’s silly question. B. A good teacher who likes students.
C. A confused student. D. The reason why I teach.
Global emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning jumped by the largest amount on record in 2010. Emissions rose 5.9 percent in 2010, according to an analysis released on Sunday by the Global Carbon Project.
Scientists said the increase was almost certainly the largest absolute jump in any year since the Industrial Revolution. The increase solidified a trend of ever-rising emissions that will make it difficult, if not impossible, to stop severe climate change in coming decades.
The burning of coal represented more than half of the growth in emissions, the analysis found. In the United States, emissions dropped by a remarkable 7 percent in the year of 2009, but rose by over 4 percent in 2010, the new analysis shows.
“Each year, emissions go up, and there’s another year of negotiations, another year of indecision,” said Glen P. Peters, a researcher at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research. “There’s no evidence that this path we’ve been following in the last 10 years is going to change.”
Scientists say the rapid growth of emissions is warming the Earth and putting human welfare at long-term risk. But their increasingly urgent pleas that society find a way to limit emissions have met sharp political resistance in many countries because doing so would involve higher energy costs.
The new figures show a continuation of a trend in which developing countries have surpassed (超过) the wealthy countries in their overall greenhouse emissions. In 2010, the burning of fossil fuels and the production of cement (水泥) sent more than nine billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, the new analysis found, with 57 percent of that coming from developing countries.
On the surface, the figures of recent years suggest that wealthy countries have made headway in stabilizing their emissions. But Dr. Peters pointed out that, in a sense, the rich countries have simply exported some of them.
The fast rise in developing countries has been caused to a large extent by the growth of energy-intensive manufacturing industries that make goods that rich countries import. “All that has changed is the location in which the emissions are being produced,” Dr. Peters said.
Many countries, as part of their response to the economic crisis, invested billions in programs designed to make their energy systems greener. While it is possible, the new numbers suggest they have had little effect so far.Many governments in the world resist limiting emissions because .
| A．it is not the best way to solve such problems |
| B．they don’t realize the risks of carbon emissions |
| C．it would probably harm human welfare in the long run |
| D．they are unwilling to accept higher energy costs |
According to Glen P. Peters, We can learn that .
| A．the rapid growth of emissions contributes to potential risks for humans |
| B．rich countries actually take more responsibility for the growth of emissions |
| C．human beings will follow the same path of negotiations in the next 10 years |
| D．some countries negotiate together yearly whether to reduce the amounts of emissions |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Emissions in the United States dropped by about 7 percent in 2010. |
| B．Developing countries will produce less emissions with economic development. |
| C．There is a long way to go for many countries to limit the fast growth of emissions. |
| D．Over 50 percent of the growth in emissions resulted from the burning of fossil fuels. |
The text mainly talks about .
| A．an analysis released by the Global Carbon Project |
| B．the record jump in carbon dioxide emissions |
| C．the possible climate change in future decades |
| D．the main harm of greenhouse gases |
Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9 each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot(积累奖金)in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing. Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80. The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly didn’t affect ticket sales. In the last few days before the drawing, tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second.
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action. Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people. It allows them to dream about wealth they’ll probably never have.
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized (合法化的)gambling. Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets. There are also many addicts who take the game seriously. They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets. Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice(恶习), under the name of social progress.
No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not, you cannot refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans.The main idea of the passage is that __________.
| A．lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them |
| B．playing a lottery is just like investing in the stock market |
| C．a lot of people buy lottery tickets, but lotteries cause disagreement |
| D．lotteries are just legalized vice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Politicians like lotteries because they don’t have to pay extra tax. |
| B．The popularity of lotteries in America actually is social progress. |
| C．Some critics don’t like lotteries because many poor people waste their money on them. |
| D．People love the lottery because it is a stock market. |
In just one hour in the last few days, the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling_______.
| A．$1.62 million | B．$90 million | C．$9.6 million | D．$87 million |
People who are addicted to playing lotteries should _________.
| A．join a club | B．kick the habit |
| C．win the Pennsylvania | D．save every cent |
Filmmakers Michele dive into an eerie (怪诞的) world. The usually colorful corals are a ghostly white. Most of the fish, crabs, and other animals have disappeared. The reef is sick and dying.
Coral reefs are often called “the rainforests of the sea” because of their abundance of life forms. A great diversity of animals finds food and shelter in every crack and crevice.
Today’s reefs are about 10,000 years old. Found in sunny, shallow water in warm seas all over the world, reefs are made up of the hard shells of millions of corals. As corals live and die, they create a giant, rocky honeycomb. Only a thin top layer is living coral.
A reef grows only about as fast as your fingernails—three-quarters of an inch a year. But coral reefs are huge, and in time a healthy reef can be thousands of miles long.
Millions of people around the world rely on reef fish and other animals for food. And reefs provide protection from storms at sea. Without thousands of miles of reefs surrounding coastal areas, many beaches and even whole islands could be destroyed by the pounding of powerful ocean waves.
“Let’s say a grazing animal like the parrot fish is overfished,” Michele explains. “Without them, the kind of algae (海藻) that the fish feed on could grow like weeds and take over the reef. The competition for space and sunlight could then starve the coral.”
Nearly 27 percent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost or damaged. But there is hope. Many reefs around the world—including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the reefs off the Florida Keys in the United States—are now protected areas where scientists study how to keep reefs healthy. They determine how many and which kinds of fish can be taken for food without hurting the reef’s delicate balance.
There is hope, too, that people will learn to be good partners to the reefs. “We want our film to inspire people to help coral reefs,” says Michele. “For me, even though I may not go back to the South Pacific, just knowing the reefs are there and thriving brings a sense of contentment (满足) to my spirit.”What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?
| A．To describe what coral reefs are. |
| B．To tell people to protect coral reefs. |
| C．To introduce a film to people. |
| D．To ask people to visit coral reefs. |
From the passage we can infer that .
| A．coral reefs grow very fast |
| B．there are few huge coral reefs |
| C．coral reefs appear mostly in deep water |
| D．it takes a long time to make a coral reef |
By mentioning the parrot fish, Michel wants to tell us .
| A．coral reefs need sunlight to survive |
| B．the biggest enemies of reefs are weeds |
| C．the parrot fish feed on a kind of algae |
| D．it is easy to destroy coral reefs |
What is the author’s attitude towards the protection of reefs?
| A．Optimistic | B．Disappointed. | C．Uncertain. | D．Pessimistic (悲观的). |
Sometimes, something that is considered to be negative turns out to be an advantage on the job. Though he is only l8 years old and blind, Suleyman Gokyigit is among the top computer technicians and programmers at InteliData Technologies Corp., a large software company with several offices across the United States.
"After our company united with another one last October, two different computer networks were driving us crazy," recalls Douglas Braun, the InteliData president. "We couldn't even send e-mail to each other.” In three weeks Mr Gokyigit created the software needed to connect the two networks. "None of the company's 350 other employees could have done the job in three months," says Mr. Braun. " Suleyman can 'see' into the heart of the computer.”
Mr. Gokyigfi's gift, as Mr. Braun calls it, is an unusual ability to form an idea of the inside of a machine. "The computer permits me to reach out into the world and do almost anything I want to do," says Mr. Gokyigit
The young programmer is at home with hardware as well, thanks partly to a highly developed sense of touch. Mitzi Nowakowski, an office manager at InteliData, remembers how he easily disconnected and reconnected their computer systems during a move last year. "Through feel, Suleyman can find the position of connectors, pins and wires much faster than most other people with sight," he says.
Much of the student programmer's speed comes from his ability not to be interrupted while at the computer. When typing, he listens carefully to the synthesizer （合成器）. His long, thin fingers fly over the keyboard. "Nothing seems to shake his attention," says Mrs. Nowakowski, his boss.
Mr. Gokyigit is the only company employee who is available 24 hours a day. "We consider him our top problem solver." says Mr. Braun.According to Mr. Braun, Suleyman ________________.
| A．can work wonders on computer |
| B．is the best technician in the world |
| C．has done a hard job in three months |
| D．has united InteliData Technologies Corp. with another computer company |
The underlined part "is at home with hardware" ( paragraph 4 ） means _________.
| A．is good at dealing with computer hardware |
| B．is fond of computer hardware |
| C．works with computer hardware at home |
| D．feels comfortable when working with computer hardware |
Suleyman was quick while at the computer mostly because of ______.
| A．his blindness | B．his attention on the synthesizer |
| C．his long, thin fingers | D．his ability not to be interrupted |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Computer technicians are more likely to be gifted. |
| B．One's disadvantages may prove to be advantages. |
| C．The disabled can also play an important role in society. |
| D．Top computer scientists have unusual abilities to form ideas of computers. |
For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas (地区). Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, golden Delicious, and McIntosh.
Apples are different in colour, size, and taste. The colour of the skin may be red, green, or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart (酸的). Generally, sweet apples are eaten fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce (苹果酱).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve metres. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree. It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are _______________
| A．grown in France. | B．sold everywhere. | C．very big. | D．quite sweet. |
Cold winter weather is good for _______________
| A．the growth of apple trees. | B．producing large apples. |
| C．improving the taste of apples. | D．the increase of water in apples. |
China, France and the United States are considered to _______________
| A．be large producers of apples. |
| B．be large producers of applesauce. |
| C．have the longest history in apple production. |
| D．have the coldest winter among apple producing countries. |
The word yielded in the last sentence means _______________
| A．improved. | B．increased. | C．produced. | D．sold. |