I remember my math teacher Mr. Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger. w.w I was not very good at English and math. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the “big prison for kids”.
I tried really hard for weeks. I just couldn’t understand how to make different parts of numbers into whole things.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage (孤儿院) was going to send me to the big prison if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned. I smiled at him and said, “Mr. Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you’re missing your finger?”
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing.
“They shouldn’t do that to you because you can’t help not having a finger, Mr Young. Just like I can’t help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that,” I said.
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened it: Geography, B+; Mechanical Drawing, C-; English, D-; History, C-; Gym, B+; Art, C; Math, D-.
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received. Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head.
1. From the second paragraph we can infer that the boy is ______ in some subjects.
A. mind-blowing B. slow-witted C. fun-loving D. badly-behaved
2. Where may the boy live according to the passage?
A. In an
orphanage. B. In a big prison.
C. In the school dormitory. D. In his home.
3. What grade should the boy have got in the math test this time?
A. D-. B. C. C. B+. D. E.
4. The underlined word “tucked” in the passage most probably means “________”.
A. stuck B. listed C. hid D. copied
5. The reason why the boy remembers Mr Young is that _________.
A. he missed one of his fingers B. he treated his students very well
C. he understood the boy D. he taught his students in a special way
My 17-year-old daughter went off to college and having her away from home brought back memories of watching Peter Pan when she was little. In the classic TV production, one scene in particular impressed me: when Mrs Darling puts her children into bed. As she turns off the last of the night lights, she takes one last look at the bedroom and says, “Dear night lights, protect my sleeping children.” As a mother, I know how much she loves her children.
It has been several weeks since we took our daughter to college and she seems to be adjusting (适应) well after a short period of homesickness. For us, though, it’s another story. Like most parents, I love checking in on my children at night. But now she’s gone, and I find nighttimes the hardest. I miss her most at night.
In my neighborhood, most of the parents whose kids are off to college are dealing with similar melancholy. My husband is filled with anxiety. One friend talked about getting this sick feeling in her stomach as she prepared for the college drop-off. We complained that many of us were too busy to truly enjoy being with our children while we had them.
For us moms, seeing Toy Story 3 only made the sadness worse as we watched the character Andy, who is the same age as our kids, say goodbye to his childhood as he prepares to leave for college. And it’s not just “first-time” parents like me. Two moms who have kids already well into college said the separation didn’t get any easier. “You feel like something has been taken away from inside you,” said one of them.
I imagine things will get easier with time, especially as I see my daughter adjust to college life. Meanwhile, as I keep my cell phone close to me in bed and text my daughter goodnight and sweet dreams every night, I like to think that messages serve as a night light that keeps her safe.The writer was deeply impressed by the scene in Peter Pan because ___________.
| A．she watched the scene with her daughter |
| B．the scene was very exciting and interesting |
| C．the scene taught her and her daughter a good lesson |
| D．the scene showed a mother’s deep love for her children |
After he daughter went to college, the writer ___________.
| A．didn’t get used to the change for a long time |
| B．often cried as she missed her daughter so much |
| C．realized she hadn’t done enough for the daughter |
| D．failed to have a good sleep every night |
What is the underlined word “melancholy” in Paragraph 3 similar in meaning to?
| A．Happiness. | B．Anger. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Excitement. |
According to the last paragraph, why did the writer keep her cell phone close to her in bed?
| A．To call her daughter any time |
| B．To wait for her daughter’s calls |
| C．To say good night to her daughter |
| D．To wait for her daughter’s messages |
If you want to find a part-time job or learn something different during your spare time, you can have a look at the following jobs offered by the DC Public Library.
Teens of Distinction Program
The DC Public Library offers part-time jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work for 10-12 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects. The Teens of Distinction Program is now hiring! To apply, you have to：
● be a DC resident
● have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average
● be 16 to 18 years old
● be able to work for 10-12 hours per week
● be able to work for DCPL for at least 9 months
Oh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality!
Teen Volunteer Opportunities
If you want to earn community service hours for school, Youth 202 is a good choice.
Youth 202 is a radio program created by youth and for youth. You can learn radio production skills, interview people around you, and help keep other teens to learn news, events, and anything else you think is important.
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
Every summer, teens can work here to help library customers organize books and learn lots of new skills, such as program planning, writing and media production.
On Friday, January 25 at 12：15 p．m., the application for the 2014 SYEP will be open to teens between the ages of 14 and 21.
Applications will be processed on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Space is limited this year, so teens are encouraged to apply early, and remember not to miss the deadline, Saturday, February 16.Working for the Teens of Distinction Program, teenagers will ________．
① become a DC resident
② work for 10-12 hours per week
③ work for DCPL for at least 9 months
④ have a wonderful personality
| A．③④ | B．①②③ | C．①③④ | D．②③ |
If a teenager wants to interview people around him, he should apply for a job at ________．
| A．Teens of Distinction Program |
| B．Teens Library |
| C．Youth 202 |
| D．Summer Youth Employment Program |
Who has the biggest chance to work for the 2014 SYEP?
| A．A teenager who is smart. |
| B．A teenager who is popular. |
| C．A teenager who gets high grades in exams. |
| D．A teenager who applies early. |
The aim of the text is to ________．
| A．introduce the DC Public Library |
| B．offer teenager part-time jobs in the DC Public Library |
| C．teach how to apply for part-time jobs |
| D．describe the job of library workers |
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity（繁荣）. Others say that competition is bad, that it sets one person against another and that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit（追求） of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which only values the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary player, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they always have an excuse: “ I may have lost, but it doesn’t matter because I really didn’t try.” What is not usually admitted by them is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot.
Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistaken belief that one’s self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued．Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to disappear can we discover a new meaning in competition.Why do some people favor competition according to the passage?
| A．It pushes society forward． |
| B．It builds up a sense of duty. |
| C．It improves personal abilities. |
| D．It encourages individual efforts. |
The underlined phrase “ the most vocal” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
| A．those who try their best to win |
| B．those who are against competition most strongly |
| C．those who value competition most highly |
| D．those who rely on others most for success |
Which point of view may the author agree to?
| A．Every effort should be paid back. |
| B．Competition should be encouraged. |
| C．Winning should be a life-and-death matter. |
| D．Fear of failure should be removed in competition. |
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds dashing and dancing in the exciting atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the controlling string and the clumsy tail kept them in tow(牵引), facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They flew beautifully even as they fought the forced restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say, “Free to fly with the wind.”
Yet freedom from control simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic gentle wind. It flew ungracefully to the ground and landed in a twisted mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last”. Free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to settle down lifeless against the first roadblock.
How much like kites we sometimes are. There always exist misfortunes and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Prohibition is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us pulled at the rules so hard that we never fly fast to reach the heights we might have obtained. If we keep all the commandment(戒律), we will never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the prohibitions are actually the steady force that helps us climb and achieve.In the passage the writer watched _______.
| A．many young people flying multicolored kites |
| B．many birds dashing and dancing in the sky |
| C．many young people enjoying the sunny day |
| D．the strong winds blowing against the sky |
What didn’t happen to the freed kite?
| A．It was blown helplessly around. |
| B．It lay powerless in the dirt. |
| C．It was trapped in a dead bush. |
| D．It kept flying freely in the air. |
What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
| A．To give up tips on how to fly kites effectively. |
| B．To warn us that freedom is actually powerless. |
| C．To teach us a lesson that rules are important in life. |
| D．To explain that restrictions are really unnecessary. |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Where to Fly | B．Fly with Restrictions |
| C．Why to Fly Kites | D．Fly to Freedom |
I had worried myself sick over Simon's mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest account of the students' work. In Simon's case，the grades were awfully low. He couldn't read his own handwriting. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.
So when Simon's mother entered the room, my palms (手掌心) were sweating. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. Because of me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend's house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.
I sat, stunned, for about half an hour，wondering what had just happened. How did I make such a life changing difference to that boy without even knowing it？What I finally came to remember was one day, several months before，when some students were giving reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke quietly，and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon's the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can't hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, smiled more，and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.
It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I'm thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.We can infer that when Simon’s mother entered the room, the writer felt _______.
| A．nervous | B．satisfied | C．happy | D．surprised |
Why did Simon’s mother come to visit the writer?
| A．Because she worried about her son’s poor work. |
| B．Because Simon asked her to do so. |
| C．Because she wanted to show her gratitude to the writer. |
| D．Because she wanted to know her son’s performance in the school. |
The following words can be used to describe Simon before he met the writer EXCEPT _____.
| A．unconfident | B．lonely | C．clever | D．outgoing |
The purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．share a valuable lesson with readers |
| B．tell teachers how to be kind to students |
| C．advise the readers to be kind to others |
| D．tell the story of Simon |