D
After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy（肌肉萎缩症）. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, and then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter(举重运动员), and I knew about overcoming obstacles (障碍) and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.
When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase(衣箱) and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion(冠军). You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Rick,
My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live anymore. But I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I will never get to do that. But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Mathew
72. The boy wanted to meet the author because ______.
A. he was interested in what the author was doing
B. he wanted to get a gold medal himself
C. he admired the author very much
D. he wanted the author to know him too
73. The underlined part in the third paragraph probably means “______”.
A. Why do you come to see me? B. Why do I have to stay at home?
C. Why does the disease fall on me? D. Why not give a gold medal to me?
74. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. Matthew was a determined boy and considered himself as normal
B. Rick used to have the same disease and later became a power lifter
C. Matthew was to become a champion before he died
D. After meeting Matthew, Rick regarded him as normal.
75. The author wrote the passage with the purpose of ______.
A. describing his unusual friendship with a disabled child
B. showing his admiration towards the disabled child
C. telling an experience of meeting a disabled child
D. expressing his pity to all the disabled children
Americans All
Type: Musical Running Time: 50 Minutes
This is a musical play set in a high school classroom that will teach you the importance of staying in school. This fun and entertaining musical experience will appeal to anyone. It has a positive message that will be well received by students as well as their teachers and parents. Almost all of the roles can be played either by males or females. The dialogue teaches values, ethics and how to be the best you can be. The lyrics (歌词) and music flow non-stop with piano accompaniment (伴奏).
A Mother in My Head
Type: Short Play Running Time: 45 Minutes
Where does motherly advice and direction begin and where does it end? Or does it ever end? This fast-paced play follows the lives of two young people as they begin their careers, meet, and fall in love, each coached in every step of the way by the "mothers in their heads". The on-stage presence of the mothers provides an interaction (相互交流) between characters that is thoroughly enjoyable.
One of Our Clowns Is Missing
Type: Short Play Running Time: 30 Minutes
Adapted from the full-length play One of Our Clowns Is Missing by Robert Frankel, this play will bring the audience to cheers, tears, and applause. Sandy lacks self-esteem (自尊), but after meeting a group of characters that turn her life around, she regains her confidence and makes a new start.
My Fed Ex Christmas Request
Type: Short Play Running Time: 10 Minutes
Nicky is naughty every year so instead of getting toys under his Christmas tree, Santa has been leaving him a lump (块) of coal in his stocking year after year. Well, Nicky has finally had it with being labeled as naughty by Santa and decides to pack himself in a FedEx box and ship it to the North Pole. He’s going to defend his case face to face with Santa. This comedy shows us what happens when Nicky decides he’s not going to take it anymore!To encourage their children to stay in school, parents should take their children to see __________.
| A．Americans All | B．A Mother in My Head |
| C．One of Our Clowns Is Missing | D．My Fed Ex Christmas Request |
A Mother in My Head___________________.
| A．teaches young women how to be good mothers |
| B．advises mothers to care more about their children |
| C．shows mothers’ influence on young people’s lives |
| D．encourages young people to live with their mothers |
Which of the following can inspire people to gain more self-confidence?
| A．A Mother in My Head. | B．Americans All. |
| C．My FedEx Christmas Request. | D．One of Our Clowns Is Missing. |
An inventor seeks to create a new product that serves a specific need and fulfills a role that other products do not. Sometimes an inventor comes up with a wholly new idea, but more often inventions are simply improvements on an older design. With a little imagination and creativity (创造力), an old idea can suddenly become something new.
However, creating a new invention means much more than having a brilliant idea. A good designer follows the design process: identifying the challenge, researching and brainstorming ideas(集思广益), designing a solution, testing and evaluating the ideas, and finally building the product. Designers also use science, math, technology, and engineering to design a tool that satisfies the need they identified.
Anyone can be an inventor —even kids! For example, Chester Greenwood was just fifteen years old when he invented a product that changed his life. In fact, his idea was so good that his invention supported him for the rest of his life. You may not know his name, but you probably know his invention —earmuffs (保暖耳罩)!
The inspiration for his earmuff design came to Chester when he was ice-skating. His ears were cold, and he decided to find a way to keep them warm. With the help of his grandmother, he made a new product to protect his ears and at the age of eighteen, Chester patented his earmuff design.
Many other famous inventors started young as well. Margaret Knight —the inventor of the flat-bottomed brown paper bag —is said to have created a safety device for textile looms(织布机) when she was just twelve years old. Another example is Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors in history, who applied for his first patent when he was just twenty-one years old. Over the course of his life, Thomas Edison patented a total of 1,093 inventions! In most cases, an invention ________ according to the first paragraph.
| A．comes from a complete new idea |
| B．is usually based on an old product or idea |
| C．will change its creator’s life completely |
| D．is created by scientists in different fields |
The second paragraph mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．the difficulty in making a new invention |
| B．the common steps of creating new things |
| C．having a good idea is the key to creation |
| D．designing a tool is the first step in inventing |
The example of Chester Greenwood is used to show that ________.
| A．children can also invent something |
| B．it is easy even for children to make inventions |
| C．kids have more advantages in inventing things |
| D．to be an inventor is the best way to change one’s life |
At first Chester designed his earmuffs in order to ________.
| A．protect his ears while ice-skating |
| B．earn money to support his poor family |
| C．realize his dream of becoming an inventor |
| D．make himself look fashionable while ice-skating |
Students must apply for a place before attending any class. Applications(申请) whether by post or in person, are dealt with strictly in the order they are received at the AdultEducation Office. You can apply:
By post----use the card supplied with the exact fee. You will be accepted on thecourse unless it is full, in which case we will inform you. An acknowledgement (承认) will not be made nor a receipt (收条) sent unless you supply a stamped addressed envelope. Receipts will normally be given out at the first class.
In person----call at the Adult Education Office (ground floor, C block) between approximately 9:00a.m.and 3:30p.m. (2:30p.m. on Fridays) , or at the College Reception Desk(at the main entrance) at the other time (in the evenings until about 7:30p.m.----notFridays)
Students should note that popular classes may be full well before the course is to start,so that early application is strongly advised to avoid disappointment.
For the Autumn Tem, applications will be accepted by post (better) or in person from August 1.
For the Spring Term, applications will be accepted from December 1.
For the Summer Term, applications will be accepted from April 1. Students who apply to the college by post will______.
| A．avoid disappointment |
| B．be sent a bill |
| C．have an advantage over people applying in person |
| D．be informed if they have not got a place |
Which of the following words has the closest meaning with the underlined word “approximately”in this notice.
| A．closely. | B．about. | C．mostly | D．probably. |
When and where can students apply in person?
| A．At the College Reception Desk after-about 3:30p.m. |
| B．At the Adult Education Office after about 3:30p.m. |
| C．At the Adult Education Office at 9:30p.m. |
| D．At the College Reception Desk at 2:00p.m. on Fridays. |
If the students want to apply for the Autumn Term, ______
| A．they should check whether the course is full |
| B．the college would rather they appliedby post |
| C．applications must be received by August 1 |
| D．they must apply in person |
Uncle Tom gave little Vicki Black a birthday gift one week before her birthday. He told her not to open it until her birthday. She knew her mother wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect to the kind man who helped them out after Vicki’s father passed away; besides, Vicki didn’t want Uncle Tom to get angry. But little Vicky didn’t want to just hold it and guess what was in it. After all, she looked forward to his coming to show her interesting things, like how to turn an old sock into a doll.
All the day, Vicki couldn’t stop thinking about the gift while her teacher was giving a lecture. Vicki sat still in her seat, drawing paper dolls inside the box. When school was done, she raced home. Walking into the room, again, she shook the present, but she heard nothing. Holding her breath, she opened the box and looked inside. Seconds later, she cried. When Mrs. Black saw the box, she said angrily, “Didn’t I tell you to leave it alone?” Vicki sobbed and said, “Mommy, you don’t understand.”
“Don’t cry to me. You have missed everything now, just because you couldn’t wait,” Mrs. Black accused. “What will Uncle Tom think now?”
“Uncle Tom gave me nothing,” Vicki cried and handed the empty box to her mother. “He played a trick on me.”
Mrs. Black said doubtfully, “Uncle Tom is not like that. You must have dropped it.”
Vicki kept crying. Only a rapid knock on the door made the house quiet. It was Uncle Tom. He looked at the empty box. “You have already done it? I told you to wait for your birthday.”
“You didn’t give me a gift.” Fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I try to give you something. I know your birthday is a special day. I tell myself to give you something valuable to last your whole life. I think hard and get the idea to give you an important lesson. If you open it on birthday, I see you learn. Then I will make a big party to celebrate. Maybe next year you listen and then you will understand the gift better.
Vicki’s cheeks flushed（脸红）.
Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy Vanmarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（婴儿）are able to quantify substances（物质）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, Vanmarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” Vanmarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”
“This information further refutes（驳斥）the long-held idea that babies know nothing of the world,” Vanmarle said.
“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” Vanmarle said.
In the future, Vanmarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study. The quantifying ability refers to the ability to .
| A．choose between different substances | B．describe the quantity of something |
| C．get much knowledge of the world | D．obtain math-related skills |
What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?
| A．The process of doing research. | B．The final choice of infants. |
| C．The scientific findings. | D．The observation of infants’ behavior. |
Babies choose the larger amount of food .
| A．through their natural abilities | B．with the help of parents |
| C．on personal preference | D．by saying numbers |
We can learn from the text that .
| A．some parents don’t care about their kids |
| B．scholars disagree on baby-training programs |
| C．little research has been done on infants |
| D．people used to think the world is known to babies |
What’s the best title of the text?
| A．Unique Quantifying Methods | B．Amazing Baby-training Ideas |
| C．Early Human Abilities | D．Breakthrough in Baby Studies |