Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House. The passage is probably taken from _____.
| A．a radio | B．a magazine | C．TV | D．a paper |
What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．nurses | B．doctors | C．hospitals | D．points |
Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
| A．his hard work | B．his teacher | C．his mother | D．his father |
What’s the aim to write the passage?
| A．To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson. |
| B．To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements. |
| C．To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded |
| D．To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work |
Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison. Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison. |
| B．Unknown things about Nelson Mandela. |
| C．Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career. |
| D．The achievements of Nelson Mandela. |
Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?
| A．Because he wanted to be a boxer. |
| B．Because he loved the science in boxing. |
| C．Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing. |
| D．Because he had nothing else to do in the prison. |
What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?
| A．He broke his glasses into pieces. |
| B．He left his own glasses at home. |
| C．He had to use his wife’s glasses. |
| D．His wife wanted to borrow his glasses. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Nelson Mandela was not his original name. |
| B．Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher. |
| C．Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree. |
| D．Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years. |
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.The author(作者) had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because __________ .
| A．the town was far away from Sydney |
| B．she missed the only train back home |
| C．she was going home for her holidays |
| D．her work delayed her trip to Sydney |
Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
| A．He bought sandwiches for the girl . |
| B．He gave the girl a ride back home. |
| C．He helped the girl find a ride. |
| D．He watched the girl for three hours. |
The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that __________.
| A．she realized he was Gordon |
| B．she had known him for decades |
| C．she was going to the nearby town |
| D．she wanted to pay back the help she once got |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Sometimes giving produces nice results. |
| B．Those who give rides will be repaid. |
| C．Good manners bring about happiness. |
| D．People should offer free rides to others. |
Most people are aware of what the adoption process is because it has become rather common in our society. Adoption is where a child is legally placed with guardians (监护人) or parents (or perhaps a single parent) other than the birth mother or father. Once an adoption is finalized, all parental rights are turned over to the adoptive parents and there is no legal difference between adoptive parents and natural birth parents. There are generally two types of adoption, which are closed adoption and open adoption.
When an adopted person has access to his or her adoption file and original records, it is referred to as an open adoption. The term is also used to describe any contact that may be between the adoptive family, the birth parents, and the adopted child. The level of openness can change greatly in such contact depending on each individual relationship. There can be indirect contact between the natural birth parents and the child through the form of letters and photographs, or there can be actual physical contact.
A semi-open adoption is where the birth parents may have contact with the adoptive parents before the birth of the child, either once or several times. After the birth there is no more contact. A semi-open adoption may remain as it is or it can become either open or closed.
A closed adoption is where only the medical and historical information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive family. Typically, the birth and adoptive parents do not know each other’s identities. The record of the birth parents is kept sealed (密封). A closed adoption is usually only effective in the adoption of babies. The adoption of an older child who already knows his or her birth parents cannot be kept closed.How many adoption types are mentioned in the passage?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the closed adoption?
| A．The birth parents may have indirect contact with the adoptive parents. |
| B．The biological parents may often go to see their birth child. |
| C．No information about the biological parents is given to the adoptive parents. |
| D．Generally speaking, the adoptive parents do not know the birth parents’ identities. |
Suppose someone adopts a child and his biological parents often get contact with the child by telephone. We can call this adoption _____.
| A．a closed adoption | B．an open adoption |
| C．a semi-open adoption | D．a semi-closed adoption |
From the passage, we know adoption is _____.
| A．where a child is brought up by the government |
| B．where a child is legally sent abroad by the birth parents |
| C．where a child is legally placed with adoptive parents |
| D．where a child is sent to live with the children whose parents have died |
You might not know it, but there is something wonderful at your fingertips. You can make people happier, healthier and more hard-working just by touching their arms or holding their hands.
Doctors say that body contact is a kind of medicine that can work wonders. When people are touched, the quantity of hemoglobin (血红蛋白)－a type of matter that produces the red color in blood increases greatly. This results in more oxygen reaching every part of the body and the whole body benefits. In experiments, bottle-fed baby monkeys were separated from their mothers for the first ten days of life. They became sad and negative. Studies showed the monkeys were more probable to become ill than other babies that were allowed to stay with their mothers.
Human babies react in much the same way. Some years ago, a scientist noticed that some well-fed babies in a clean nursery became weak. Yet babies in another nursery were growing healthily, even though they ate less well and were not kept as clean. The reason, he concluded, was that they often had touches from nurses.
Experiments show that most people like being touched. And nearly all doctors believe touch helps to reduce patients' fear of treatment. Of course there is time when a touch is not welcome. But even if we don't like being touched, a smile can make us feel better. Smiling increases blood flow and starts the production of "happy brain" chemicals. So let's have a big smile and don't forget to keep in touch.Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Everyone knows that body contact can make people happier. |
| B．People may work harder because of body contact. |
| C．Your fingertips can do something. |
| D．People may not understand the importance of touching. |
According to the passage _____.
| A．human brains need oxygen and blood supply now and then |
| B．touches from doctors and nurses have nothing to do with treatment |
| C．new-born baby monkeys should stay away from their mothers |
| D．not all the people like being touched |
The word "benefits" in the second paragraph probably means _____.
| A．to be useful or helpful |
| B．to get something useful or helpful |
| C．to be ill |
| D．to be hurt |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．Why People Touch | B．Smile and Touch |
| C．Wonders of Touch | D．Touch or Not |
Where do you find out about the world’s longest walk? The world's tallest man? The world's oldest woman? You know the answer, of course. It is the Guinness Book of World Records. How would people find such unusual facts without this book?
Guinness Book did not exist until 1951. Here is what happened. The managing director of Guinness Brewery was a curious man. He wanted answers to some questions about records. For example, he wanted to know what was the fastest flying game bird in Europe. But he was frustrated. There was no book to answer questions like this.
The director, Sir Hugh Beaver, contacted the McWhirter twins. They were brothers who owned a research agency. He asked them to put together a new reference book. It would include all kinds of unusual records. The brothers quickly accepted. The first edition of their book was published in 1955. Soon the Guinness Book of World Records was a best seller. It has sold more copies than any book except the Bible. A new edition is published every year.
Where do all the book's records come from? They are a combination of things like natural wonders, sports records, and stunts(特技) (How many people would push an egg with their noses if they weren’t trying to get to the book?). But the editors try to keep things honest. All records must be verified by an investigator. Only then are they printed.
The Guinness Book is a big business. It is published in dozens of languages. There are TV shows and museums. It is proof of how interested people are in strange pieces of information. The passage is mostly about _____.
| A．the McWhirter twins |
| B．the director Sir Hugh Beaver |
| C．unusual records in the Guinness Book |
| D．a history of the Guinness Book |
The Guinness Book _____.
| A．is a best seller |
| B．is published only in English |
| C．does not always check its records |
| D．has a full-length movie based on it |
It is clear from the passage that the McWhirter twins _____.
| A．wanted to publish the book so that they set up a research agency |
| B．owned so good a research agency that they liked to help others |
| C．recognizes that Sir Hugh's idea for a book was a good one |
| D．wanted to know the answers to some questions about records |
In this passage, the underlined word "verified" means _____.
| A．questioned | B．proved the truth | C．written up | D．blocked |