The whole morning we just checked our own things. We were looking for items to give away. We thought of blankets, food and clothing. Our aim was not to find things we no longer wanted, but things we use every day and would be useful to others.
We made up boxes with the things and added some small toys. Inside the boxes a simple letter was placed, reading:
“Please take these items and know that your life is important. Times are difficult but they will pass. We share what we have, believing it will matter. Use the blanket to stay warm. Be safe and know that the human spirit can overcome（战胜） anything. Don’t hold your head down. Someday please do the same when you can. How you do it and when, your heart will tell you.
This kind act was not because the phone rang or for any reason. It was simply because it was the right time to do. We have often seen homeless people at the park where we left the belongings. The city would say that it isn’t a problem but I see the lives walking to and from it.
I noticed that my wife had put her favorite green coat into one of the boxes. I asked if she was sure about it and she simply replied that it had a hood (风帽). She liked the coat but knew the hood could shelter (遮挡)someone from the rain.
We don’t know where these gifts of compassion（同情）will go. We never go back and see what happens. It’s unimportant. The right things will find the right people and that is all that counts. On the way my wife started to cry. When I asked why, she said because some things felt so right. What can we learn from the first paragraph about the couple？
| A．They had deep feelings of their work |
| B．They often threw the useless daily items away |
| C．They liked helping others by sharing their things |
| D．They often gave away the daily items they didn’t use |
The couple placed the letter inside the box mainly to_______________.
| A．help the poor go through the difficulties |
| B．let the poor know who gave away the things |
| C．tell the poor how to use the items correctly |
| D．tell the poor to pass on the spirit to others |
Why did the author ask his wife if she was sure about giving away her green coat? _________.
| A．Because he thought the coat was very valuable |
| B．Because he thought the coat was of a very high price |
| C．Because he thought he liked the coat very much himself |
| D．Because he thought she liked the coat very much herself |
The couple liked this kind act because _______.
| A．they thought it was the right thing to do |
| B．they had a good habit of saving things |
| C．they often received telephone calls for help |
| D．they hated being troubled by homeless people |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Boxes filled with compassion | B．Good behavior leading to happiness |
| C．The most important thing in our life | D．Happiness coming from sharing things |
A
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
| Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18,2015) |
|
| Nearpod ◇ 9:00 am to 10:00 am ◇ Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context(语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO ◇ 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ◇ Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
| Kahoot ◇ 10:30 am to 11:00 am ◇ Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback(反馈), including reports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi ◇ 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm ◇ Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students’ attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
Nearpod can be used to .
| A．offer grammar tests |
| B．teach listening on-line |
| C．help vocabulary learning |
| D．gain fluency in speaking |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to .
| A．Room 501 | B．Room 502 |
| C．Room 601 | D．Room 602 |
Which of the following can assess your grammar learning?
| A．Nearpod. | B．Kahoot |
| C．TEO. | D．Prezi. |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by .
| A．9:00 am | B．10:30 am |
| C．2:00 pm | D．3:30 pm |
Everyone has done experiments in high school laboratories，but have you ever thought about designing a satellite to explore space？
On Nov．19，a team of students from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in the US awed peers and even scientists by successfully launching a satellite．
The first satellite designed and built by high school students was sent up into space along with a record setting．28 other small ones on a rocket were sent from a NASA center in Virginia，CNN reported．It took the students seven years to build．
The students call their tiny satellite TJ3Sat，which is named after their school．It is just 10x10x12 centimeters and weighs only 0．89 kilograms，according to Orbital Sciences，a company which developed the rocket and supported the students’ project．It can be controlled with a smartphone．
Like most satellites，TJ3Sat can send and receive data．The small spacecraft is equipped with a voice synthesizer (合成器)，which can switch text to voice and transmit those sounds back to Earth over radio waves，said Orbital officials．In this case，anyone can give it a try via the project’s website (school website) by submitting (提交) a text．The texts that get approved will be sent to the satellite，changed to voice and then broadcast back to Earth via radio waves．
“I can say ‘Go Colonials’on our ground station and when it is on the other side of the world，in India，someone can hear‘Go Colonials’over the radio，”the team explains on the website．
The satellite will stay in space for at least three months．
School principal Evan Glazer told The Washington Post that the project started in 2006 as an activity in the spare time．Later it became a research project for a select group of seniors．
At a time when American students are busy with SATs，the launch of the satellite shows what diligent teenagers can achieve when allowed to pursue their own curiosities，Glazer said．
“It used to be that kids growing up wanted to be an astronaut,” Andrew Petro，program executive (主管) for small spacecraft technology at NASA，said in a statement．“I think we might be seeing kids saying what they want to do is build a spacecraft．The idea here is that they really can do that．”The underlined word “awed” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to _____．
| A．influenced |
| B．amazed |
| C．delighted |
| D．inspired |
Which of the following statements about TJ3Sat is TRUE according to the article？
| A．It took a group of students about a decade to build the satellite． |
| B．Besides TJ3Sat，28 other small satellites were built by the students． |
| C．TJ3Sat can receive text messages that the students send into space，which can be changed to voice messages and broadcast back to Earth． |
| D．TJ3Sat is expected to stay in orbit for the next year，sending out messages together with information about its position in space． |
According to the article，the launch of the satellite _______．
| A．is evidence of the advance of spacecraft technology |
| B．proves that hard working teenagers can achieve a lot |
| C．shows the importance of extracurricular activities at school |
| D．has inspired many people to take an interest in space travel |
Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home，proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression．According to a US expert，Emily Post，“All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness．”
While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict，he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior like selves into more elegant ones．
So where did table manners come from？
In medieval England，a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full．And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除)．
Disappointingly，that idea never caught on．It was during the Renaissance，when there were real technical developments，opinions of correct behavior changed for good．“None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings．“Gradually，as forks became popular，they brought the new way of eating，making it possible，for instance，to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty．”
Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later，the first table fork reached America．Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic，there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK．For example，in the US，when food needs cutting with a knife，people generally cut a bite，then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand．Then they pick up one bite at a time．By contrast，Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down．
Though globalization has developed a new，simpler international standard of table manners，some people still stick with the American cut and switch method．The Los Angeles Times noted，“They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency．”What does the story mainly talk about？
| A．The importance of proper table manners． |
| B．The development of table manners in Western countries． |
| C．Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK． |
| D．Differences between American and British table manners． |
The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______．
| A．worked in practice |
| B．became popular |
| C．drew attention |
| D．had a positive effect |
Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article？
| A．The introduction of forks． |
| B．The tax deduction policy． |
| C．The rise of the Renaissance． |
| D．Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners． |
What can we conclude from the article？
| A．British and American table manners are completely different from each other． |
| B．American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do． |
| C．With globalization，the American cut and switch method has been abandoned in the US． |
| D．British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s． |
Homework and stress are rarely reduced inside the classroom．Meanwhile，outside the classroom，the pressure is on to find scholarships for college．
According to Braintrack，a higher education database with worldwide reach，more than 3 billion US dollars (18 billion yuan) in private scholarships are awarded to college students annually．Average awards range from $2,000 to $3,000．
The scholarship application process is similar to the college application process: forms to be completed，test scores and transcripts to be sent，essays to be written and often interviews to be prepared for．
A few great places to start looking for scholarships are: www．fastweb．com，www．finaid．org and www．collegexpress．com．Check out the annual scholarship guidebooks Scholarships，Grants & Prizes by Peterson’s and the Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships，Grants and Prizes by Gen Tanabe and Kelly Tanabe．
Be selective．Thoroughly research the qualifications required by each of the scholarships．Don’t waste your time applying for those that are need based if you can’t produce the appropriate documents．
Research past recipients (接受者)．Check out the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships．Many post the biographies of past recipients．You don’t need to have cured cancer，but if you don’t think your résumé (履历) measures up to the past winners’，you might be better served by moving onto the next scholarship on your list．Prepare for the interview．
You’ll want to dazzle them with your personality，but above all you’ll want to be prepared．Find someone you trust to conduct a similar interview with you – someone who will be honest with you and provide valuable suggestions．
Let your personality shine through in your essays．The essays are the best way for students to share who they are，where they’ve come from，what they’ve overcome and so on．Tell your story in an interesting and persuasive way．And if you do have an interview，send a thank you note afterward．
By Lee BiererWhat is the author’s main purpose in writing the article？
| A．To explain where to find scholarships for US colleges． |
| B．To inform readers of the scholarship application process． |
| C．To introduce some typical scholarships offered by US colleges． |
| D．To give tips on applying for US college scholarships． |
If you want to learn about past recipients of a scholarship，you can use ______．
| A．www．collegexpress．com |
| B．the annual scholarship guidebooks published by Peterson’s |
| C．the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships |
| D．The Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships，Grants and Prizes |
The underlined word “dazzle” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ___．
| A．influence | B．impress | C．guide | D．present |
To increase your chance of winning a scholarship，you are advised to ____．
| A．apply for as many scholarships as you can |
| B．tell an interesting story in your essay |
| C．do a similar interview to help you prepare for the real one |
| D．have a talk with past recipients and try to talk like they do |
Dear Dad,
Today I was at the shopping mall and I spent a lot of time reading the Father's Day cards．They all had a special message that in some way or another reflected how I feel about you．Yet as I selected and read，it occurred to me that not a single card said what I really want to say to you．
You'll soon be 84 years old，Dad，and you and I will have had 55 Father's Days together．I haven't always been with you on Father's Day but I've always been with you in my heart．
You know，Dad，there was a time when we were separated by the generation gap．You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other．
The Father Daughter Duel shifted into high gear ( 档位) when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the '54 Chevy whether you liked it or not．The police officer who sent me home，after you reported the Chevy stolen，didn't have much tolerance for a stub¬born 16 year old，while you were so tolerant about it，Dad，and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life．
Our relationship greatly improved when I married a man you liked，and things really turned around when we began making babies right and left．Somewhere along the line，the generation gap disappeared．I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together，rather like a fine wine．
But the strangest thing happened last week．I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car．It didn't immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car．It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere．Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day．
I guess what I'm trying to say，Dad，is what every son and daughter wants to say to their Dad today．Honoring a father on Father's Day is about respect and sharing and acceptance and tolerance and giving and taking．It's about loving someone more than words can say，and it's wishing that never had to end．
I love you，Dad．
Love,
JennyHow did Jenny probably feel on the night she was sent home by the police？
| A．Disappointed |
| B．Nervous |
| C．Guilty |
| D．Frightened |
We can learn from the passage that Jenny and her father_________．
| A．kept in touch by writing each other |
| B．are separated due to the generation gap |
| C．have been getting along very well |
| D．had a hard time understanding each other |
Why did Jenny feel strange when she saw her father last week？．
| A．She seldom saw him driving that huge car． |
| B．She had never realized his being old and weak． |
| C．She didn't expect to meet with him there． |
| D．She had never seen him driving so slowly before． |
Jenny wrote his father this letter to _________
| A．tell him about their conflicts |
| B．say sorry for her being stubborn |
| C．express her gratitude to him |
| D．remind him of the early incident |