Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women’s tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and twounsuccessful stops along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division (国际网球联会青少年赛).. Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate (大学的) sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. “There’s no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic (学术的) study there. You can only do one, not both,” Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer (转学), Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. “I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn’t what I thought it would be,” Siwosz said. “I wasn’t happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more.”
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz’s luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. “I knew she was unhappy there,” he said. “I saw the opportunity for her to come here.” Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. “I ended up loving this place and this school,” Siwosz said. “I came here a lot over the summer, I gave it a shot and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country.”
What does “two unsuccessful stops” (Par
agraph 1) refer to?
A.Poland and the U.S. |
B.Baylor and Berkeley. |
C.The community college and Baylor. |
D.The ITF Junior division and the Berkeley tennis team. |
Why did Siwosz want to leave her homeland for America?
A.Poland had no culture of sports. |
B.Berkeley had always been her dream university. |
C.She wanted to play tennis and have a good education. |
D.She wanted to improve her tennis skills and get a higher ranking. |
Why did she leave Baylor?
A.The level of tennis there was not high. |
B.It was not suitable for international students. |
C.She couldn’t get along with her friends there. |
D.She was not satisfied with the education level there. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A.How Siwosz left Poland. |
B.How Siwosz realized her dream. |
C.How Siwosz became a top tennis player. |
D.How Siwosz transferred from Baylor to Berkeley. |
On the first day of the new term, I met my new headmaster at the school gate. “Follow me, please!” he said. He had a quiet, kind voice. He took me into my new classroom and left. In front of me, thirty pairs of eyes looked at me. I knew he had told the students that I was blind. I could almost feel the question behind their eyes: Blind? I felt the answer too: If she’s blind, this should be good! I heard quiet voices in a corner of the classroom. For a moment, I felt afraid. I knew at once that I had to be strong.
“Class,” I said as loudly as I could. “I may be blind. But I am not foolish. Take those naughty smiles off your faces, and stop talking, please!” Of course, I could not see their faces; I just guessed that some of them were smiling. The class were quiet. They were very surprised. I knew that I had done the right thing.
As the days went by, the students had more surprises. I could smell when the children were eating sweets. I could easily hear combs going through hair, students passing messages, and so on. Once I found a girl passing a message to a friend. I took the message to the teachers’ room. A teacher read it to me. On one side it said, “Do you think she can see?” on the other it said, “I think so. She always knows what we’re doing.”
Soon the students stopped being naughty, and started to work hard. Before long, they brought in photos of their families for me to look at; I knew then they were my friends. I also knew they had forgotten that I could not see.In Paragraph(段) 1 the writer said she must be strong because.
A.she was too weak |
B.the students laughed at her |
C.the headmaster left her alone |
D.she felt the students were not friendly to her |
The students were surprised for the first time because.
A.the teacher seemed to know everything |
B.the teacher caught them smiling |
C.the teacher caught them talking |
D.the teacher was not foolish |
In the new teacher’s class the students often.
A.exchanged sweets | B.combed their hair |
C.wrote letters | D.read letters |
The students brought their photos for the writer to look at.
A.to interest her | B.to cure her illness |
C.to make friends with her | D.to show their friendliness |
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they will become weak; when you start using them again, they will slowly become stronger again.Everybody knows that .yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it.
When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his own fault.But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault.Have you ever noticed that some people can’t read or write but usually they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write so they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook.They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memories are being exercised the whole time.So if you want to have a good memory, learn from these people:Practise remembering.One has a poor memory mainly because.
A.his father or mother may have a poor memory |
B.he does not use his arms or legs for some time |
C.his memory is not often used |
D.he can’t read or write |
If you do not use your arms or legs for some time,.
A.you can’t use them any more |
B.they will become stronger |
C.they become weak and won’t become stronger until you use them again |
D.they will become neither stronger nor weaker |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Your memory works in the same way as your arms or legs. |
B.Your memory, like your arms or legs,becomes weak if you don’t give it enough chance for practice. |
C.Don’t learn how to read and write if you want to have a better memory. |
D.A good memory comes from more practice. |
Some people can’t read or write, but they usually have better memories, because.
A.they have saved much trouble |
B.they have saveed much time to remember things |
C.they have to use their memories all the time |
D.they can’t write everything in a little notebook |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A.Don’t Stop Using Your Arams or Legs |
B.How to Have a Good Memory |
C.Strong Arms and God Memories |
D.Learn from the People |
A study shows that about two-thirds of typical Chinese Internet users use the computer for news,often entertainment-related, or for online games, music or movies, all of which can be downladed for free. Most people prefer messages to e-mails, and seldom do online shopping at all.
Although they are now depending on the Internet more often than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and interests, online shopping still remains unpopular in China. Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and 10 percent do shopping even once a month.Among those who do buy online.most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardwares or so of iwares.
"Many people don't trust the quality of goods bought online," the researcher said. "If they buy something in a store and don't like it, they can easily bring it back."
The survey was done in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha. There-
sults do not necessarily show the situation countrywide because internet use in the countryside is lower than in cities. The study showed that the typical netizensc网民) in the five cities are richer and more highly educated. Males make up two-thirds of the group, and more than 80 percent of users are under 24. As the age increases, the percentage of netizens decreases.
China has more than 20 million people online, however, forty-two percent say they do not use search engines.Others seek entertainment news, as well as information useful for work or study online. Baidu.com is used by half of those surveyed, compared with a quarter for Go-ogle, the leading search engine in the United States.The passage is mainly about.
A.shopping online | B.Internet use in China |
C.the typical Chinese netizens | D.popular search engines |
A typical Chinese lnternet user will be the one who.
A.likes to send e-mails | B.likes to buy goods online |
C.likes to pay for entertainment | D.likes the games sites |
Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because.
A.it is more difficult to return the goods |
B.most people haven't got computers |
C.people can't have a look at the goods |
D.goods bought online are of good quality |
Which is NOT the character of most typical "netizens" in the five cities?
A.Well educated. | B.Richer. | C.Female. | D.Young. |
Which picrure shows the right relation between online people and their ages?
Planet English is the world's leading interactive multimedia software package for English language teaching and learning.
For Students
Planet English uses the latest in multimedia and information technology to support students who wish to learn English for international communication.
Planet English is an exciting, high-tech, interactive way of learning English. It contains more than 40 hours of video and audio recordings, over 2,500 0riginal graphics, 3,000 interactive screens and 80 different activity types including real time student voice recordings.
For Teachers
Planet English is more than just a computer program. It includes a package of resources to complement any Eng-lish language teaching programme. Teachers can easily integrate Planet English with classroom activities using the detailed Teacher's Manual(手册) and Student Workbooks.
Teachers can also manage the learning experience for students using the unique Planet English Courseware Management System (CMS). The CMS allows teachers to tailor courses to their syllabus(课程提纲) and to students' needs by "mapping" content for classes or individuals. Activities and exercises that are relevant to the center's syllabus are then delivered to students in the appropriate lesson, ensuring students "navigate" to the right area of the programme of each lesson.
For Educational Managers
Planet English is the world's leading Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) program. It allows English language teaching centers to enhance the educational quality of teaching programmes, improve learning outcomes and provide professional development for teaching staff. Implementing(实施) Planet English allows English language teaching centers to maximize the benefits of computor hardware because it provides teachers and learners with an easy-to-use and highly productive CALL resource.The main purpose of this passage is to.
A.encourage more people to attend the Planet English course in time |
B.promise everyone can learn English well without teachers |
C.call on people who learn or teach English to interact with English speakers |
D.introduce an interactive multimedia software for English learners, teachers and managers |
Which of the following is true about Planet English according to the passage?
A.Planet English can support the students who study computer. |
B.Planet English can help the students and their teachers interact. |
C.Planet English makes it possible for students to communicate with speakers from around the world. |
D.Planet English offers only a range of spoken communication for students. |
The underlined word "mapping" means .
A.making a map of | B.making a survey of |
C.making a detail planning of | D.establishing a mapping of |
Planet English, as described in the passage,.
A.is attractive to students because it combines English learning with computer games |
B.is popular with the teachers because they can manage the learning experience with the help of CMS |
C.is designed for the educational managers to evaluate the teaching staff |
D.is provided to students, teachers and managers for free |
What is NOT the characteristic of Planet English?
A.Interesting. | B.Interactive. | C.Practical. | D.Efficient. |
Harry is eighteen now. He studies in a middle school.His parents like him very much and hope he can become a famous man. So they often tell him to study hard and they do almost everything for him. They wakes him up at six in the morning, after breakfast his father takes him to school in a car and in the afternoon, as soon as the young man comes back, the supper is ready. Of course, he never washes his clothes or goes to buy anything in the shops.
Once Harry’s father was sent to London on business. He would stay there for half a year. Upon leaving, he told his wife to take good care of their son. The woman had to get up eatlier and did all that her husband did before. And two months later she was so tired that she was ill in bed. Now the young man got into trouble. He couldn’t do any housework. He had to do as his mother told him. He didn’t even know where to get on the bus!
One day Harry’s mother found his shoes were worn out and told him to buy a pair in the shop. But he didn’t know how to choose The woman had a sigh (叹息)and give him a shoe patten(鞋样)and told him to buy a pair of.shoes himself. With a policeman’s help, Harry found a shop. The shopkeeper was friendly to him. The man brought a lot of shoes and asked him to choose. When he was trying on a pair, suddenly he remembered something and took them off. The man was surprised and asked, “What’s the matter, young man?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve left the shoe pattern at home!”always does some housework in the morning
A.Harry's father | B.Harry's mother |
C.Harry | D.Nobody |
The woman had to look after her son by herself because.
A.her husband wasn't at home |
B.she was stronger than her husband |
C.she knew the youno man well |
D.she was freer than her husband |
When his father was in London,.
A.Harry had to stay at home |
B.Harry couldn’t even find the bus stop |
C.Harry fell behind in his class |
D.Harry wouldn’t go to school |
Harry had to buy shoes himself because _.
A.his mother didn't know what kind he needed |
B.his mother was busy with the housework |
C.something was wrong with his mother |
D.his mother wanted her son to do something himself |
According to the passage, what can we learn about Harry?
A.He wanted his mother to buy shoes for him. |
B.He would rather use the shoe pattern than try the shoes himself. |
C.He wouldn't listen to his mother. |
D.He was strong enough to buy shoes for himself. |