Each year, prizes are presented to adults who make great achievements in art, writing, science, and economics. So why not give awards to kids?
Harry Leibowitz asked himself that question in 1996. As an answer, he and his wife, Kay, created the World of Children organization and began handing out awards to kids and adults whose work has helped kids all over the world. The awards the World of Children presents are nicknamed(给……起绰号)the “ Children’s Nobel Prize”.
“You know, children are so important,” Leibowitz, a retired business manager, told me. “ We should have prizes for children if we’re going to have prizes for everything else.”
Talia Leman, from Iowa, was awarded a Founder’s Youth Award for Leadership this year. She is only 13 years old, but she has completed a lot. In 2005, she founded “ RandomKid”. Since then, it has raised more th
an$10 million to help kids in 48 states in the U.S. and in 19 other countries.
One place helped by RandomKid was a school built in Cambodia to enable 300 kids to go to school. The organization has also helped fix a school for 200 kids in Louisiana, and provided interactive play centers that serve more than 500 kids in hospitals in Iowa. In faraway places like Africa, RandomKid has provided money to buy water pumps(水泵).
Talia never thought that the organization she founded would be as successful as it has become. She said, “ My first goal was to raise $1million. That seemed really high, but when you reach a goal, you always wind up reaching higher, and we actually raised $10 million.”
I asked her what advice she would offer to other young people who want to help kids in need. “ Well, I’d say the first thing would be to find an adult and tell them your idea,” Talia said. “ They’re really the people who can help, and from there I think it can just really take off.”
63. The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to tell us .
A. the origin of the Nobe1 Prize
B. the achievements Harry and his wife made
C. how the “ Children’s Nobe1 Prize” was started
D. how Harry and his wife helped kids
64. The World of Children presents awards to those who .
A. help the kids in the U.S B. realize the importance of education
C. raise a lot of money for the poor D. do a lot to help kids in need
65. Which of the following is TRUE about Talia?
A. She founded a hospital for 500 kids in Iowa.
B. She offered money to buy water pumps for Africans.
C. She helped teach 300 kids in a school in Cambodia.
D. She built a school for 200 kids in Louisiana.
66. What advice is given by Talia to those who want to help kids in need?
A. To ask for an idea from adults. B. To set a higher goal at first.
C. To win help from adults. D. To make an idea become popular.
Sometimes educators need to be reminded that their job is important and they are very much appreciated. Here are some movies that inspire us and make educators feel proud to be in the field of education where they really do have an impact.
The Miracle Worker
The ultimate teaching miracle, Anne Bancroft is awesome as Annie Sullivan who uses ‘tough love' to get through to the deaf and blind Helen Keller played by Patty Duke. Very few people can watch the famous ‘water' scene without experiencing a feeling of victory and relief. Excellent portrayal of the importance of perseverance. Both Bancroft and Duke won an Academy Award for their performances.
The Karate Kid
While not normally thought of as a ‘classroom' movie, The Karate Kid has much to say to teachers: Sometimes we have to have our students do things that they will not understand until much later; Basic skills are most important; Honor and integrity are central to character; Students need to see us beam with excitement over their achievements. A fun, nostalgic and inspiring movie to relish.
To Sir With Love
Produced in 1967, this film with Sidney Poitier as a novice teacher has a lot to teach us today. Poitier takes a teaching position in the rough part of London in order to pay his bills. Realizing that his students need to be taught important life lessons more than the curriculum he has been handed to teach them, he throws out the lesson plans and makes a real impact on their personal lives.
Mr. Holland's Opus
This memorable movie gives all teachers hope that they truly have an impact on their students. Richard Dreyfuss is wonderful as a musician/composer who must take a teaching job to support his family. In the end, Dreyfuss' character realizes that he has had as much if not more of an impact from his teaching ashe would have as a composer.The four films above are specially intended for_______.
A.students | B.teachers | C.parents | D.managers |
Which film tells us that students not only need to learn knowledge in the books but also knowledge in life?
A.Mr. Holland's Opus | B.The Karate Kid |
C.To Sir With Love | D.The Miracle Worker |
Which of the following statements is True according to the passage?
A.The actress who plays won a prize. |
B.Richard Dreyfuss finally became a composer that he dreamt to be. |
C.Helen Keller is the teacher of Annie Sullivan. |
D.In the film “The Karate Kid” the teachers later have students do what they understand. |
Alfred Alder, a famous psychiatrist, had an interesting experience. When he was a small boy he got off to a poor start in arithmetic. His teacher got the idea that he had no ability in arithmetic, and told his parents what she thought in order that they would not expect too much of him. In this way, they too developed the idea, “Isn’t it too bad that Alfred can’t do arithmetic?” He accepted their mistaken estimate of his ability, feeling that it was useless to try, and that he was very poor at arithmetic, just as they expected.
One day he became very angry at the teacher and the other students because they laughed when he said he saw how to do a problem which none of the other students had been able to solve.
Adler succeeded in solving the problem. This gave him confidence. He rejected the idea that he couldn’t do arithmetic and was determined to show them that he could. His anger and his new found confidence stimulated him to go at arithmetic problems with a new spirit. He now worked with interest, determination, and purpose, and he soon became extraordinarily good at arithmetic. He not only proved that he could do arithmetic, but he learned early in life from his own experience that, if a person goes at a job with determination and purpose, he may astonish himself as well as others by his ability.
This experience made him realize that many people have more ability than they think they have, and that lack of success is as often the result of lack of knowledge of how to apply one’s ability, lack of confidence, and lack of determination as it is the result of lack of ability.Alfred gained confidence in learning arithmetic_______.
A.after he managed to find a solution to a difficult problem |
B.after his teacher made his parents know his ability in arithmetic |
C.after he grew up and became famous |
D.after his parents gave him encouragement |
In Alfred’s opinion, if a person is unsuccessful, he may be_______.
A.slow- thinking. | B.disabled | C.self-centered | D.undetermined |
The last sentence of paragraph 1 implies________.
A.Alfred thought he couldn’t change others’ mind |
B.Alfred agreed with the wrong judgment |
C.Alfred believed it was no use learning arithmetic |
D.Alfred expected that he could succeed though it was hard |
What can we conclude from the text?
A.Alfred has a strong determination and a firm belief |
B.Others’ opinions are important |
C.A person lacking in ability can still succeed |
D.Alfred’s teacher and classmates will regret. |
At least 10 million hectares of cultivated(耕作)land in China are polluted, which makes a grave threat to the country’s food safety, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday.
The polluted land,which is mostly in economically developed areas,accounts for one-tenth of the country’s total arable(可耕种的)land,according to an incomplete survey by the State Environmental Protection Administration,China’s top environment watchdog.
Pollution on cultivated land threatens the environment,food safety and the sustainable development of agriculture,the administration said.
Because of continual,too much use of chemical fertilizer, pesticide and agricultural plastic sheeting, as well as irrigation using polluted water, a large amount of contaminants(污染物)remain in the cultivated land.
The contaminants affect the soil’s ecological structure and function,leading to decreased soil productivity, lower crop yield(产量),and lower quality of agricultural products-
It also leads to worse water quality in rural areas.
Less than 9 per cent of drinkable water passed checks for bacteria in243 rural water supply stations across the county.
Another survey, which took samples of drinking water and groundwater an 69 small towns。 in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province of North,China, showed that more than half of the water contains too much nitrate(硝酸盐),which may cause diabetes(糖尿病)and damage the kidney.
The administration estimated at least 1 90 million farmers are drinking water that contains harmful substances.
Many villagers drink unfiltered water taken from shallow water wells or water cellars, which are reported to have poor sanitary conditions·The author writes the passage to.
A.1et the readers examine their mistakes |
B.present the readers a new idea |
C.come up with a solution to ending farmland pollution |
D.inform the readers of the importance of fighting farmland pollution |
The underlined word “grave” in Paragraph 1 probably means
A.serious | B.certain | C.big | D.terrible |
Pollution on cultivated land leads to the following outcomes EXCEPT.
A.a threat to China’s food safety |
B.worse water quality in rural areas |
C.a variety of diseases |
D.the sustainable development of agriculture |
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly relying on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more widespread among university students. Almost all their assignments and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said, “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic (审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的) and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand. Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
A.The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
B.To type or to Handwrite. |
C.Writing by Computer will Replace Writing by Hand. |
D.Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
Which of the following statements is NOT the advantage of handwriting?
A.Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. |
B.The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting. |
C.Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence. |
D.Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
The underlined expression “taking stock in” probably means ___________.
A.getting bored with | B.getting dependent on |
C.becoming curious about | D.getting curious about |
We can draw the conclusion from the passage that ___________.
A.more and more students will give up writing on a computer. |
B.writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day. |
C.more and more students will pay attention to handwriting. |
D.the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality. |
As for visiting Walt Disney World. People usually have trouble in arranging. The following will give you some practical suggestions on paying a valuable visit to the famous park.
When to go?
While it’s always busy, Disney World is slightly slower between mid-January and March. It’s summer when the visitors , combined with the heat and humidity(潮湿), are crowded. Your best choice is either early in the morning or late in the day--- often you can enjoy more rides in the first or last two hours of the day than you can the entire rest of the day combined.
Where to stay?
The question: to stay on Disney World Resort property or not. Disney World offers three resort pricing: Deluxe(豪华的), Moderate, and Value, with good facilities and in-hotel attractions. That said, they all offer “Extra Magic Hours”(early access to the theme parks), guaranteed entry when the parks are over-crowded, and frequent shuttle service to the many attractions. Off-property hotels will have shuttle transfers, but often at less regular intervals(间歇),wasting more time in transport. You’ll also need a rental car, which adds to the expense, making up for saving in the hotel rate. The “Magic Your Way Package” is a good value if you have a large family.
What to do?
Make use of the “Fast Pass” , which , for no extra cost, allow you to insert your entrance ticket into a particular machine at the attraction and receive a schedule ride time a little later on. For example, use your Fast Pass ticket at a ride just before getting lunch. Once you’re done eating, you can return to the ride and jump right on during the busiest time of day. At the Animal Kingdom, the animals are most active either early or late in the day, so plan accordingly. Thankfully this is fit for the least busy times of day in the park. Study the map of the park the night before to plan your visit. You’ll save time by knowing where things are and where you’re headed. Visitors who use Fast Pass tickets ________
A.can get discounts on tickets |
B.will have a well-planned ride time |
C.will often be checked at the exit |
D.have to pay more for their tickets |
If you have referred to the map of the park, you ________
A.are sure to save time |
B.will get the lowest-priced tickets |
C.can learn the park’s location |
D.may have your lost tickets replaced |
The underlined word “this” in the text probably refers to the fact that ________
A.there are more visitors at that time |
B.animals are active at that time |
C.the Animal Kingdom attracts fewer visitors |
D.Fast Pass benefits visitors a lot |
It can be learned from Part 2 that _________
A.every visitor will have a rental car for free |
B.all the shuttle transfers are convenient for visitors. |
C.three typed of resort pricing are offered by Disney World |
D.Young couples are advised to take the Magic Your Way Package |