Perhapsthemostwonderfulbuildin-优题课

Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there.
~Thomas Fuller
My father was always an enthusiastic gardener. I think his Irish blood called to the earth in much the same way his own grandfather had. One of my earliest memories is standing barefoot in the freshly tilled soil, my hands blackened from digging in the ground, still a bit cold from the turning. As a small child, the garden was an amazing fairyland, full of possibility. As a teenager, though, it was often a source of conflict between the old man and me.
As a child, I loved following Dad around in the garden. I remember Daddy pushing the tiller ahead in perfectly straight lines. His gardening gloves, banana yellow, would grip the handles of the old tiller; the roar of the machine was pleasantly deafening. After a while, he would stop and pull the gloves off to wipe his brow. Daddy loved growing all sorts of things: yellow and green onions, watermelons almost as big as me, rows and rows of yellow corn, and our favorite -- ruby red tomatoes.
As I grew into a teenager, I didn't get so excited about gardening with Daddy. Instead of the magical land of possibility, it had turned into some kind of medieval(中世纪的) prison. It was one more thing on a list of demands that I imagined no one else in the world had to deal with.
Dad would say, "Tina, come help me plant the garden today. It's a beautiful morning to be outdoors."
"Aww, Dad, I was going to the movies with my friends," I would replied.
"Tina, I could sure use a hand weeding the garden today," he would remark.
"Today? Sorry, Dad, I already made plans," I would stubbornly say, digging in my heels. "Why do we have to have a garden, anyway? It's stupid. You can buy carrots for a quarter at the grocery store," I would point out. He would just smile knowingly. I usually got my way, and didn't have to help out if I really didn't want to. After all, I had better things to do with my time.
As Dad grew older, his passion for gardening never declined. After all the kids were grown and had started families of their own, Dad turned to gardening like never before. His garden took up most of his backyard, which was quite a stretch. Even when he was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer, he still put out his garden. Still, he planted the zucchini and yellow squash, the juicy cucumbers, the spicy jalapenos, and of course, the tender tomato plants. Sometimes, I would come over to visit. He would share the rewards of his garden with me, as we would walk together through the carefully weeded rows.
But then, something changed. The cancer, bit by bit, invaded his body and stole his livelihood, his independence, his humor. Unfortunately, the doctor had run out of treatments. Hospice(临终关怀) is a whole other ballgame. Somebody has to be with the family member twenty-four hours a day. I found myself in all kinds of uncomfortable situations with Dad, and more than once I felt his anger at his helplessness. Little by little, I had to do the things he used to do. Soon I was cutting his grass, paying his bills, putting his pills in a cup, and adjusting his oxygen. These things he resisted, but I knew things were definitely changing when I began caring for the garden.
Though I had heard the words of the doctor as well, what really convinced me that Dad was dying was the state of his garden that year. That year, he only planted tomatoes. Too tired to weed them, he simply tied them with twine to the fence and let them be. So I would come over and water them occasionally, and pluck out the weeds.
Five years ago, Dad planted his last little patch of tomatoes. For the first few years after he died, I couldn't even bear to look at anyone's garden without having strong memories pour over me like cold water from a bucket. Three years ago, though, something changed, and I decided to plant my own garden. I decided I would start out with just a few tomatoes. That morning, I got out the old tiller and it roared to life, almost as if it had been waiting. After breaking up a fair amount of soil, something caught the corner of my eye and I had to smile. It was my eight-year-old son Nathan, standing barefoot in the freshly tilled soil, his hands blackened from digging in the earth.
Which word best describes the author’s feeling about gardening as a teenager?

A．uninterested	B．satisfied
C．doubtful	D．indifferent

The author’s father______.

A．devoted a lot in gardening in order to cut down the daily expenses

B．was quite angry at his daughter’s absence of gardening

C．was not as enthusiastic as before about gardening after his children’s growth

D．was probably an Irishman or had Irish blood lineage

What makes the author realize the approach of her father’s death is______.

A．what the doctor told her

B．when some one had to be with her father always

C．the state of his garden that year

D．his anger when he felt helpless

What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．It was unbearable to see other peoples’ gardens were poorly managed.

B．It was unbearable to see other peoples’ gardens were well managed.

C．Memories of Dad rushed to me the moment I saw other peoples’ gardens.

D．The idea of gardening made me feel like being in a bucket with cold water.

It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．dad preferred tomatoes a lot because of its wonderful taste

B．dad refused all things I did because I didn’t love gardening

C．the desertion of Dad’s garden resulted from his laziness

D．the author restarted gardening with a new understanding of it

The best title of the passage is ______.

A．Gardening benefits health

B．Dad’s tomatoes

C．Bridge the father-and-daughter gap

D．My love of gardening

Your money or your time?
A friend once invited me to spend a cold winter’s day picking up rubbish in a park. It was a community-service event organized by a charitable organization(慈善组织) she was involved with. I immediately told her I was not interested.
“It just makes no sense,” I explained. “Why would I spend three hours of my time picking up rubbish?” I argued that if the goal was neighborhood beautification, then I would rather donate three-hours’ worth of my labor income. The organization could then hire several people in need of a job. The rubbish gets picked up, we provide jobs, and I do not have to spend three hours in the cold. “Where can I make a donation?”
My friend sighed, said something in a low voice about it seeming like a good way to meet men, and then shuffled off to ask someone else.
When we feel inspired to do good, many of us choose to give time instead of money. Given how precious our time is– limited by demands of work, family and friends–setting some of it aside to clean parks or deliver meals seems like a valuable donation. But is this the most efficient way to give?
The economist in me is inclined to say no. As I explained to my friend, what my time is worth may be far more valuable to most charities than my actual labor. The money could go towards hiring people with limited employment opportunities, or to help cover more pressing needs facing the charity, such as rent or staff salaries. My hours of labor, on the other hand, serve the charity in only one way, and can only be provided by me.
Volunteer labor becomes more valuable if it involves a special skill. For example, if a talented doctor donates a few hours of his time to a free clinic, this may serve the charity better than a $1,000 donation. Unfortunately, I can think of few local charities that would benefit from the unique skills of an economist.
I recently explained this to a professional who regularly donates his time to a local soup kitchen. But he argued that “just throwing money at a cause” is potentially irresponsible and enables disengagement. Donating time may be a greater personal sacrifice, but it also gives him a stronger connection with the cause. He has created a bond not only with the other volunteers, but also with the people he feeds, and the result is an enriching sense of community. He also believes, as a member of the same minority group of many of the people he serves, that he provides them with a positive role model. He recognizes the value in the social interaction volunteering provides.
Of course charities benefit from both kinds of donations. They need some people to just hand over cash, but they also develop successfully by being an important part of the community. Whether it is better to give money or time depends on your goals as a donor. If the objective is simply to provide food for the hungry or to clean a park, then money is more valuable. However, if you hope to also engage with your community–not only with your peers, but also with less fortunate people whom you might not otherwise meet –no amount of money can make up for your time spent.
In the first 3 paragraphs, the author uses the case to .

A．describe a scene	B．lead in a topic
C．make a comparison	D．offer an argument

The author believes there are some efficient ways to donate EXCEPT.

A．picking up rubbish in the community

B．offering service in a free clinic as a doctor

C．donating money to deal with the charity rent

D．helping cover the needs of charity staff salaries

By “The economist in me is inclined to say no”(Paragraph 5), the author means that he .

A．is willing to serve the charity

B．aims to say no to the economist

C．tends to reject giving time instead of money

D．is longing to share his efficient way to give with his friend

In the professional’s opinion (Paragraph 7), donating time is .

A．one-sided	B．debatable
C．meaningless	D．reasonable

Which of the following does the author finally agree with?

A．It is donors’ participation that really matters.

B．Cash or labor is determined by a donor’s aims.

C．Time is much more valuable than one’s actual labor.

D．It is not responsible for donors to just donate money to the charities.

You may be able to deliver killer speeches, wonderful presentations and professions and professional talks on topics of your choice. But can you make small talk? There are times in life when you need to make casual conversation. And in business, the social aspect of a business relationship is often as important as the professional one. Here are our top tips for making small talk.
Listen
The number-one rule when making small talk is to listen. Make a conscious effort to remember what the other person is saying. Then you can use this information to generate more conversation.
Interest
While you’re talking to someone, focus exclusively on that person. And use your body language to show that you’re interested: face the person, use eye contact and nod your head at appropriate moments. Also, use conversational fillers such as “ah ha/ really? /amazing!” to show that you’re interested in what they’re saying…even if you aren’t.
Ego check
Try to avoid always turning the attention of the conversation back on yourself. For example, if someone mentions that they’ve just been to Italy, don’t respond with, “Oh, I’ve been there. We went there last year.” Instead, use this information as an opportunity to ask lots of questions about the other person’s trip: where did you go? Who did you go with? What was it like? What did you see?
Watch out!
Avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as criticism or judgment; and above all, keep away from potentially controversial topics such as religion and politics.
Write it down
Write down any interesting stories you hear, or details of funny things that have happened to you. Later, you can use these anecdotes to brighten up a dull conversation.
Think “situation”!
Think carefully about where you are. For example, if you’re at a wedding, think of all the relevant things you could ask: How do you know the bride? How long have you been friends with the groom? How did you get there? Where are you staying? Or, if you’re visiting a new company, you could ask the following: What’s it like working here? How easy is it to get into the city centre? Where’s a good place to get lunch round here? Etc.
Top topics
If you’re ever running out of conversation, use one of these fail-safe conversation topics:
the news, film, football, sport, music, the weather, fashion, literature, cars hobbies, the weekend, videogames, the theatre, family, local topics（shops, clubs, etc.）, TV, celebrities, entertainment, your home town, food, traditions, customs.
Small talk can be a lot of fun, but you need to prepare for it and practice. And remember, small talk can lead to big business!
The passage is mainly about_______.

A．customs and social manners

B．casual conversation tricks

C．communication types

D．business strategies

When making small talks, you’d better avoid _______.

A．asking some open questions

B．using some body languages

C．talking about something that can arouse conflict

D．asking some questions relevant to the situation

In order to make your small talk go smoothly, you can do the following things except that ________.

A．you can talk some topics about yourself all the time

B．you can pay attention to what others are saying and listen carefully

C．you can choose a topic that is suitable to everyone

D．you can say something funny that you have written down

When you are attending a party held by your friend, which is the most suitable question to start a conversation with a stranger?

A．How often do you get to play?

B．How old are you?

C．What are you doing this weekend?

D．How do you know the host, my friend David?

When employing role-plays, debates, topic discussions, etc., I have noticed that some students are often timid in expressing their viewpoints. This seems due to a number of reasons:
·Students don't have an opinion on the subject.
·Students have an opinion, but are worried about what the other students might say or think.
·Students have an opinion, but don't feel they can say exactly what they mean.
·Students begin giving their opinion, but want to state it in the same eloquent manner that they are capable of in their native language.
·Othermore actively participating students, feel confident in their opinions and express them eloquently making the less confident students more timid.
In fact, conversation lessons and exercises are intended to improve conversational skills. For this reason, I find it helpful to first focus on building skills by eliminating some of the barriers that might be in the way of production.Having been assigned roles, opinions and points of view that they do not necessarily share, students are freed from having to express their own opinions. Therefore, they can focus on expressing themselves well in English. In this way, students tend to concentrate more on production skills, and less on factual content. They also are less likely to insist on literal translations from their mother tongue.
Applying this approach can begin slowly by providing students with short role plays using cue cards. Once students become comfortable with target structures and representing differing points of view, classes can move onto more elaborated exercises such as debates and group decision making activities. This approach bears fruit especially when debating opposing points of view. By representing opposing points of view, students' imagination are activated by trying to focus on all the various points that an opposing stand on any given issue may take. As students inherently do not agree with the view they represent, they are freed from having to invest emotionally in the statements they make. More importantly, to some extent, students tend to focus more on correct function and structure when they do not become too emotionally involved in what they are saying.
Of course, this is not to say that students should not express their own opinions. After all, when students go out into the "real" world they will want to say what they mean. However, taking out the personal investment factor can help students first become more confident in using English. Once this confidence is gained, students - especially timid students - will be more self-assured when expressing their own points of view.
The passage is mainly about how to ______ .

A．teach students to do role-plays

B．have conversation lessons effectively

C．teach students to express their own opinions

D．help students discuss in class

Which of the following does NOT make students shy in expressing their opinion?

A．Other students are more eloquent.

B．They have no their own opinions.

C．They’re good at their own mother tongue.

D．They lack enough confidence.

According to the passage, how are conversation skills easier to be build?

A．By asking students to tell their own opinions.

B．By practicing arranged roles and opinions.

C．By keeping speaking in English.

D．By having debates at first.

The underlined word eliminating can be best replaced by ______ .

A．setting up	B．making room for
C．struggling for	D．getting rid of

One of the benefits that the students can obtain from the role-play approach is that ______ .

A．they focus more on the English language itself

B．they pay more attention to the factual content

C．they show more affection for their mother tongue

D．they gain more opportunity to express their own opinions

It was a cold winter. The day my husband fell to his death, it started to snow, just like any November day. His body, when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up. One morning, I shuffled downstairs and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling(铲) my walk. I dropped to my knees, crawled through the living room. And back up stairs so those good people would not see me. I was embarrassed. My first thought was, how would I ever repay them? I didn’t have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone’s walk.
Before John’s death, I felt proud that I rarely asked for favors. I identified myself by my competence and independence. So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if I just sat on the couch every day and watched the snow fall?
Learning to receive the love and support from others wasn’t easy. Friends cooked for me and I cried because I couldn’t even help them set the table. Finally, my friend Kathy said, “Mary, cooking for you isn’t a burden for me; it makes me feel good to be able to do something for you.”
Over and over, I heard similar words from the people who supported me during those dark days. One wise man told me, “You aren’t doing nothing because being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will ever do.”
I am not the person I once was, but in many ways I have changed for the better. I’ve been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom coming form facing one’s worst fear and walking away whole. I believe there is strength, for sure, in accepting a dark period of our life.
Which of the following is True according to the passage?

A．The writer’s friend was unwilling to cook for her.

B．The writer had been busy with her life before

C．The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with his friend’s help.

D．The day her husband died, it was snowing heavily.

We can describe the writer before her husband died as the following EXCEPT __

A．hard-working	B．independent
C．smart	D．capable

We can infer from the passage that ____________.

A．the writer found her husband immediately he fell off the roof

B．the writer became strong-willed immediately after John's death

C．the people around the writer were friendly and supported her

D．before John’s death, the writer never asked others for help

The writer wrote the passage to______

A．share her sad story with us

B．express her guilty conscience to the people who helped her

C．show her thanks to the people who love and support her

D．tell us the changes she has made because of her husband’s death

A．buy goods	B．visit an exhibition
C．travel	D．enjoy the Crystal Palace itself