More teachers are starting off the school year with letters to parents and students to introduce themselves and set a tone (基调) for the year. The letters are a good way to start positive communication with parents, several teachers told Education World.
“I think it’s professional, ”said Dorothy Peselli, an English teacher at Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersay, Peselli, who gives out the letters the first day of school, told Education World. “It gives parents an image of you as a professional. If you start communication off in a positive manner, you will have the parents on your side when you need them.”
In her letter to parents, Peselli encourages them to call or e-mail her with specific concerns about their children. “I want to work as a team to make sure that your child becomes an independent lifelong learner,” Peselli wrote to parents last September. She also telephones the parents of all her students at the beginning of the year.
Peselli includes with the letter a classroom handbook (手册) listing plans and rules. And she requires that both parents and students read and sign statements (included in the letter) when they read the handbook. The student letter also lists needed supplies and gives encouragement. “Please come to class ready to work and learn. This will be an exciting year for all of us,” it says.
Last year, Peselli taught at a different high school and parents there were “shocked”, but appreciative, that she had so much contact with them. “I received roses and a thank-you note from one boy and his mother,” Peselli said. She wished her own children’s teachers would take the time to write notes as well. “I never got a letter home from any of my daughter’s high school teachers.” she said, “It would be nice to know the background of some of the people who are teaching my daughter.”
1. We may learn from the text that ______.
A. most teachers are writing letters to parents and students
B. the handbook is used to list supplies and give encouragement
C.Peselli believe it important for teachers to exchange information with parents
D. Peselli mainly introduces her background and teaching experiences in the letters
2. The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to _____.
A. the handbook B. the requirement
C.the school D. the letter
3. We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
A. parents were satisfied with Peselli’s way of working
B. Peselli means to surprise parents by writing students
C.Peselli seemed to be popular among boy students
D. all Peselli’s children are studying in high schools
4. The purpose of the text is to ______.
A. introduce an English teaching method
B. give advice on how to teach students
C.encourage teachers to keep in touch with parents
D. show us how Dorothy Peselli makes teaching plans
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph 1?
| A．To some extent, intelligence is given at birth. |
| B．Intelligence is developed by the environment. |
| C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid. |
| D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment. |
It is suggested in this passage that ________ .
| A．unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence |
| B．close relation usually have similar intelligence |
| C．the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be in intelligence |
| D．people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees of intelligence |
The phrase “at random” (Line 3, Para.2) means ________ .
| A．purposely | B．regularly |
| C．independently | D．aimlessly |
The best title for this article would be ________ .
| A．What Does Intelligence Mean? |
| B．We are Born with Intelligence |
| C．On Intelligence |
| D．Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence |
What is homestay? Literally it is a home for you to stay when you are not home. To be specific, homestay provides foreign language students with the opportunity to speak native language outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a local home. Here is what you will experience in our British Homestay Program.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and meals. Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week. You will be given the house key and the host is there to offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and of the transport system. Most hosts do not live in the town centre (Zone 1) as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的). Zones 3 and 4 often offer smaller accommodation in a more crowded area. It is very convenient to travel in London by underground.
Meal Plans Available
◆Continental Breakfast
◆Breakfast and Dinner
◆Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It's important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked breakfast. Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice, cereal(谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee. Cheese, fruit and cold meat are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England. Dinners usually consist of meat or fish with vegetables followed by desert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host's permission. You have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of their privacy.
SelfCatering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a roomonly basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities and often a main living room. This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle and is more suitable for the longstay student. However, it does not provide the same family atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practice English at home quite as much.The passage is probably written for_________.
| A．hosts willing to receive foreign students |
| B．English learners applying to live in English homes |
| C．travelers planning to visit families in London |
| D．foreigners hoping to build British culture |
Which of the following will the host provide?
| A．Medical care. | B．Free transport. |
| C．Room cleaning. | D．Physical training. |
According to the passage, what does continental Breakfast include?
| A．Dessert and coffee. | B．Fruit and vegetables. |
| C．Fruit and cold meat. | D．Bread and fruit juice. |
Why do some people choose selfcatering accommodation?
| A．To enjoy much more freedom. |
| B．To enrich their knowledge of English. |
| C．To entertain friends as they like. |
| D．To experience a warmer family atmosphere. |
It's really true what people say about English politeness: it's everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow passage, people say "sorry". When getting off a bus, English passengers say "thank you" rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customers and retail assistants in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional（例外的）to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.What is the author's attitude towards English politeness?
| A．He thinks it is artificial. |
| B．He appreciates it very much. |
| C．He thinks little of it. |
| D．He thinks it goes too far. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The author think it's unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver. |
| B．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job. |
| C．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough. |
| D．German men never treat a woman to dinner. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．English people try to avoid criticizing others in the daily life. |
| B．In Germany, passengers sometimes say “thank you” to bus drivers. |
| C．English drivers often say “thank you” to passengers when they get off the bus. |
| D．Germans are more considerate and polite than Englishmen. |
The author develops the text through the method of .
| A．giving comments |
| B．telling stories |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．giving reasons/examples |
Even with the multimedia excitement of the web. Electronic Mail, email, is the most frequently used application of the Internet. Many people who have a chance to use the Internet at school, home, and work. They use the Internet for no other purposes than to send or receive emails.
It's all very easy. You prepare the message, log onto(登录) the Internet, and send it. The message first goes to your Internet Service Provider's mail server, which in turn sends it to the recipient's(邮件接收者) mail server. On the way your message may go through several servers, each reading the name in order to send it to the right server. The message then remains in the recipient's mail email server until he requests it by “checking his mail”.
The benefits of emails are obvious: mostly it's quick. Also, many people feel that the rules for regular mails don't apply to email, making it less formal, which in turn make email easier to write and send.
It's not just friends and coworkers that are receiving emails. Wherever you look, the Web is providing email addresses. This has made communication between strangers easier than ever. You can read an interesting article online and immediately send the author an email. Anyone who posts his email address on a Web page is saying he wants to receive email.
There are places you can go if you don't know someone's email address. Check out Bigfoot, the Internet Address Finder, or Netscape's Email Directories for more information.
Email is one of the services offered by your Internet Service Provider—a service that you're applying for every month.The passage is about .
| A．the multimedia excitement | B．different websites |
| C．email | D．mail server |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．email is the only application of the internet |
| B．if you want to send and receive emails, all you have to do is to log onto the Internet. |
| C．many people use the Internet only for the purpose of sending and receiving email |
| D．you can send emails to friends and coworkers but you can't make communication between strangers |
If you don't know someone's email address, .
| A．look up in a dictionary |
| B．check on Netscape's Email Directories |
| C．ask your computer teacher |
| D．refer to your textbook |
What can you infer from the fourth paragraph?
| A．Only friends and coworkers send emails. |
| B．It's convenient to communicate between strangers online. |
| C．It's difficult to contact the author on the Internet. |
| D．You can't log onto the Internet except at home. |
If practicing an attitude of gratitude (感激) during the storms of life is too much for you right now, that’s OK. When things are tough, most people have a hard time being thankful. They’re so caught up in what’s wrong in the present moment that they simply can’t see some things are still right.
If that’s true for you, then accept it. You’re going through a particularly difficult or unhappy period of time, and you don’t like it one bit. Very normal, very human. But remember this: there is always something to be grateful for. It may be only a small comfort right now, but it is a start. Make a list of some of the terrible things that didn’t happen. For example:
You’re in debt ... but you’re not homeless.
You lost your job ... but you didn’t lose your health.
You broke your leg … but you didn’t break your neck.
Your mother has Alzheimer’s disease ... but your father doesn’t.
No matter how bad things are, they could always be worse. Start finding gratitude for what might have happened, but didn’t. It does help a lot. Of course, you may not be thankful for everything — but you can always be thankful for something.How many “terrible things that didn’t happen” are listed in this passage?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
The writer thinks it ______ for people to feel unhappy in time of difficulty.
| A．necessary | B．normal |
| C．great | D．helpful |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To discuss ways to make a list of terrible things. |
| B．To explain what is gratitude towards the storms of life. |
| C．To persuade people to be thankful for what didn’t happen. |
| D．To show people different ways to consider their tough situations. |
How is the passage organized?
| A．Explanation—Comparison—Topic |
| B．Argument—Opinion—Discussion |
| C．Comparison—Argument—Explanation |
| D．Introduction—Discussion—Conclusion |