There was a story many years ago of a school teacher — Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. He didn’t play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.
Then Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother’s perfume (香水)
Teddy said, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to.” After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy’s mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.
Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed: Theodore Stoddard, M.D. (医学博士).
The story doesn’t end there. On his wedding day, Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference.”
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.” What did Mrs. Thompson do on the first day of school?
A.She made Teddy feel ashamed. |
B.She asked the children to play with Teddy. |
C.She changed Teddy’s seat to the front row. |
D.She told the class something untrue about herself. |
What did Mrs. Thompson find out about Teddy?
A.He told lies every now and then. |
B.He was quite good at math. |
C.He needed care from mother or someone like that. |
D.He enjoyed playing with others. |
In what way did Mrs. Thompson change after she received the gifts?
A.She taught fewer school subjects. |
B.She became stricter with her students. |
C.She no longer liked her job as a teacher. |
D.She cared more about educating students. |
Why did Teddy thank Mrs. Thompson at his wedding?
A.She had kept in touch with him. |
B.She had given him encouragement. |
C.She had sent him Christmas presents. |
D.She had taught him how to judge people. |
Trees are useful to man in three important ways: They provide him with wood and other products; they provide him shade;. and they help to prevent droughts(早灾)and floods.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important.In his eagerness to make money from trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And besides, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even more serious: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil allowing the rain to sink in and also bind(固定)the soil, thus preventing it from being washed away easily;but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When the top-soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.
Two thousand years ago,a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire(帝国).It set up the empire, but, without its trees, its soil became poor and grew weak. When the empire fell to pieces, the home country found itself faced by floods and starvation(饥荒).The most important service of trees to man is that___________.
A.they give them wood and other products | B.they give them shade |
C.they help him prevent droughts and floods | D.they help him made money |
In many parts of the world, forests slowly disappear because___________.
A.many trees have been cut down by man | B.man has not paid enough attention to planting trees |
C.new trees are not looked after properly | D.all the above |
Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because____________.
A.roots of trees break up the soil | B.there are too many rainfalls |
C.there are no larger trees to keep rain and protect the top-soil | D.strong winds bring a lot of sand |
The country mentioned in the passage suffered from floods and starvation because________.
A.it set up an empire | B.the empire fell to pieces |
C.it built too many warships | D.it lost its trees |
Which title best fits the passage?
A.Trees and Man | B.How Trees Prevent Droughts and Floods |
C.How an Empire Fell | D.A Story about Trees. |
If you are looking for the place that has everything, there’s only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit(成功) shows in one place? Only in New York.
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Centre. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you’ll find in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there’s a world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a statue of Liberty(自由女神像), a Rocketfeller Centre or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park, only in New York.Which of the following programme can a visitor have only in New York?
A.To enjoy Beijing duck. | B.To taste the finest French coq au vin. |
C.To spend an evening with Beethoven. | D.To see the statue of Liberty. |
From the text we know that ‘Rembrandt’ is most likely the name of a famous _______.
A.singer | B.painting | C.play | D.painter |
What the writer really wanted to do is to _______.
A.try to persuade readers to pay a visit to New York |
B.give readers some information about New York |
C.supply readers some wonderful programmes in New York |
D.help readers to get a better understanding of New York |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things.Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend(hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this term of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing(批评)and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation(模仿).It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接触)with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.People who are unhappy _______.
A.always consider things differently from others |
B.usually are affected by the results of certain things |
C.usually misunderstand what others think or say |
D.always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
A.we should pity all such unhappy people |
B.such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
C.people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
D.unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should ____.
A.prevent any communication with them | B.show no respect and politeness to them |
C.persuade them to recognize the bad effects | D.quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
In this passage, the writer mainly _______.
A.describes two types of people |
B.laughs at the unhappy people |
C.suggests the unhappy people should get rid of the habits of unhappiness |
D.tells people how to be happy in life |
Once upon a time, there was a man who was so famous that everyone in his country knew him.
One day, the famous man was sitting in a restaurant with his sister. “It must be great to be famous. Everyone tries to please you, and you can do whatever you want to,” said his sister. “It’s quite the opposite sometimes, in fact. Because I’m famous, I can’t do what I want to,” he denied. “But look, we’re sitting at the best table and eating the best food. We couldn’t sit here and eat this if you weren’t famous,” said his sister. “I’ll show you what I mean,” said he.
The next day, the famous man picked up his sister and took her to another country. “I’m not at all famous here,” he said. “Let’s see how we get on.” Soon they found a restaurant, but it was very busy, so they had to queue. “This wouldn’t have happened if you were famous,” said his sister, but the famous man just smiled.
When they finally got a table, it took the waiter years to bring what they ordered. And the food supposed to be hot was cold, and the food supposed to be cold was hot! Eventually, the famous man couldn’t stand any more and asked to see the manager. “This food is awful. We had to wait an hour for a seat, and the service is also very poor. Look, even my spoon is dirty!”
Showing his horribly yellow teeth, the manager, smiling, said, “Well, that’s just bad luck for you.”
“Don’t you know who I am?” asked the famous man.
“I’ve no idea,” replied the manager.
So the famous man and his sister ran away, without paying.What’s the attitude of the man’s sister toward famous people?
A.Indifferent. | B.Envious. | C.Curious. | D.Annoyed. |
The famous man took his sister to another country to ________.
A.see how famous he was there | B.enjoy the delicious food there |
C.enjoy the beautiful views there | D.see what would happen if no one knew him |
In fact, the famous man thought that being famous ________.
A.was a thing worth taking pride in | B.could bring him all he needed |
C.was not all great with everything | D.would enable him to travel abroad |
The passage is written mainly ________.
A.to describe famous people’s life |
B.to explain the importance of being famous |
C.to show how to deal with problems in a restaurant |
D.to show that famous people are watched more |
In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”. To many people the cause is obvious (明显的): they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they ate more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat.
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.
A.they are too slim | B.they work too hard |
C.they are too fat | D.they lose too much body fat |
According to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?
A.150. | B.300. | C.600. | D.270. |
Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?
A.Yes, there is plenty of evidence. |
B.Of course, there is some evidence to support this. |
C.There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this. |
D.We are not sure. |
The Americans in 1910 ________.
A.ate more food and had more physical activities |
B.ate less food but had more physical activities |
C.ate less food and had less physical activities |
D.had more problems |