I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I wanted to tell you today：Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion, the bigger pay-check…
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to existinstead of to live. I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, and something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the de
stination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this：Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived. It can be inferred from the passage that_____.
| A．the author is a success in personal life |
| B．the author didn’t try her best to work well |
| C．the author spent all her time caring for her children |
| D．the author likes traveling very much |
How did the author form her view of life?
| A．Through social experience. | B．By  learning from her friends |
| C．Through an unfortunate experience | D．From her children and husband. |
By the underlined sentence “ It is so easy to exist instead of to live” in the fifth paragraph, the author really means that people tend to_____.
| A．make a living rather than live a real life |
| B．work rather than enjoy life |
| C．waste a lot in life |
| D．forget the most important lessons in life |
What’s the author’s attitude towards work?
| A．Do it well to serve others. |
| B．Earn enough money to make life better. |
| C．Try your best to get higher position and pay. |
| D．Don’t let it affect your real life. |
Around four years ago, I received a call from the principal of our school as to the “Parents View” talk the next morning. He asked me to speak to the group. After the call, my whole body became feverish and panicky. The time from his call to the next morning seemed like years. The whole night, I could not sleep with many ominous apprehensions in mind. One of them was to call the principal with regret and tell him that I could not come. Finally, I gathered some courage. I thought, “If I miss this opportunity, surely the school will never invite me again to any of their programs.”
I reached the school in time. Before my turn came, my whole body was trembling. When my turn came and I started speaking, my heartbeat increased and my mouth went dry. I wasn’t even able to read the written speech properly. I was not aware of where I was standing and what I was reading. That was the day when I realized my biggest weakness, Public Speaking.
After my speech, I met with the principal and explained what happened to me. He told me that this happens to everyone. Even great speaker, faced the same things when they started. He suggested that I come again next time.
Around one month later, I was invited to refer to a topic on Motivation. This time I was feeling comfortable. My speech was not only appreciated by the principal as well as the teachers, because I was able to get my idea across to them. They encouraged and praised my efforts.
After delivering is successfully, I became more confident .l said to myself, “If I can speak in front of such a learned audience, like the principal who educates others, I can now speak in front of others too.”
I started delivering lectures in my plant, on various topics like Self Motivation, Personality Development, Personal Excellence, Spoken English and Presentation Skills. This has become a passion for me. I learned that everything is possible if we have the courage to take the first step. Which of the following is the hest title for the passage?
| A．Practice Makes a Man a Better Speechmaker |
| B．Public Speaking Makes a Man Embarrassed. |
| C．Principal Provides the Best Chances. |
| D．Spoken English Develops in Malting Speeches. |
The author had bad feelings before the speech because______.
| A．he disliked the idea of giving a lecture |
| B．he had got a high fever before that |
| C．he regretted accepting the invitation |
| D．he feared he couldn't perform it properly |
What does the underlined part “ominous apprehensions” in the first paragraph mean?
| A．Unlucky opportunities. |
| B．Negative ideas. |
| C．Curious views. |
| D．Happy comments. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．Nothing is to be got without pains but poverty. |
| B．Knowledge makes humble, ignorance makes proud. |
| C．A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. |
| D．Necessity is the mother of invention. |
Delta College starts Street Fair
San Joaquin Delta College will introduce its new Summer Street Fair, which runs from noon to 8 p. m every Friday stating this week through Aug. 9 in Delta’s L-l parking lot near Pacific Avenue and March Lane. The fair goes with Delta’s weekend flea market.
This week’s featured performers are guitarist Travis Matsumoto from noon to 3 p.m., and Julio and his Jazz Trio from 3 to 6 p.m.
Lode Farmers Market opens
The Angels Camp Certified Farmers Market begins its yearly run from 5 p.m. to dusk this Friday in Utica Park in downtown Angels Camp. Opening night will feature wine tasting from award-winning Four Winds Cellars, and live music by guitarist Nicholas Leffler. Visitors will find fresh, locally grown produce and specialty foods. There will also be barbecue and California-
Mexican fusion cuisine.
Join River Rafting for a good cause
Whitewater enthusiasts can participate in Mokelumne Rive, Rafting Adventures on June 16 in Mokelumne Hill. Local outfitter O.A.R.S. is donating its services to help with the event. Departures are at 8 a.m., noon, or 4 p.m. The trip should last about three hours.
The trip is appropriate for those 7 and older, and the ability to swim is not required. The cost is $ 70 per person.
Films center on paddling water
The festival is an annual contest that awards winning films that focus on paddling in rivers, lakes and oceans in a variety of locales. Tickets to the film festival are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and are also available online at ticketriver.com/event/7002-reel-paddling-film-festival.
The evening also includes a drawing. Prizes include whitewater trips on the South Fork of the American River.If you want to go to the Summer Street Fair, .
| A．you must be a student from Delta College |
| B．you can go there on the afternoon of Friday |
| C．you should live near the Pacific Avenue |
| D．you must give a performance in the market |
If you want to enjoy the tasty foods, you can go to____.
| A．the new Summer Street Fair of Delta College |
| B．Lode Farmers Market |
| C．Mokelumne River Rafting Adventures |
| D．the film festival centering on paddling water |
If you are interested in paddling in rivers.
| A．you can know all the American rivers |
| B．you must try hard to get many prizes |
| C．you can get tickets from a website |
| D．you must keep silent in the evening |
D
Many thousands of Chinese are studying at schools in the United States. And writer Liel Leibovitz says the students are following an example that began in the eighteen seventies.
Mr. Leibovitz and writer Matthew Miller joined forces to tell the story of the students in their book, “Fortunate Sons.” The book says China sent one hundred twenty boys from 1872 to 1875 to America to learn about developments that could help modernize their country.
Mr. Leibovitz got the idea for the book about the boys a few years ago when he was traveling with his wife in China.
Mr. Leibovitz learned that Qing government sent a whole delegation(代表团) of boys to learn the ways of the West. The goal was for them to return to China and help their country.
The book says the boys received their American training in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It must have been a very good education. Mr. Leibovitz says the first prime minister of the Chinese Republic completed this program. And so did the first engineer to build a large-scale railroad without foreign help. The same was true of the fathers of Chinese education, diplomacy and the Navy.
The book-writers had only to open some boxes containing the writings of these men to learn about them. Their notebooks, journals, letters and postcards were in English. Mr. Leibovitz said he was lucky to have so much information from events that took place long ago.
The students returned to China after about nine years. They no longer spoke Mandarin(国语) well enough to answer questions. Police welcomed them home by putting them in jail. The young men were released after about a week. But they were given low-level jobs.
Mr Leibovitz says it took about ten years for them to rise to higher positions. He said their story continues today with large numbers of Chinese studying in the United States.How many exchange children did Qing government send to America?
| A．1872. | B．1875. |
| C．120. | D．210. |
The Qing government send the boys to America because it .
| A．wanted them to help their country |
| B．lost the war |
| C．expected them to destroy the culture of the West |
| D．wanted the Western to help the boys |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．Many thousands of Chinese are studying at schools in America． |
| B．Some of the boys received their American training in California． |
| C．Police welcomed the boys home by putting them in jail． |
| D．One of the boys became the father of Chinese education． |
C
Thirteen can be a challenging age. Not only did I have to adapt to my changing body, I also had to deal with my parents’ bitter divorce, a new family and the upsetting move from my country home to a crowded town.
When we moved, my beloved companion, a small brown pony had to be sold. I was heartbroken and terribly lonely. I couldn’t eat or sleep and cried all the time. Finally, realizing how much I missed my pony, my father bought me another horse, Cowboy.
Cowboy was without doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn’t care. I loved him beyond all reasons.
I joined a riding club. When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse was judged by appearance, we were quickly ”shown the gate”. I knew nothing could turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the timed speed events. I chose the jumping race.
For the whole next month we practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home, totally exhausted.
All of our hard work didn’t make me feel confident by the time the show came. One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons. I sat at the gate and sweated all out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the court and finish in first place.
My turn finally came. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped over it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line.
No cheers filled the air. The end of our run was met with surprised silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds.
I gained much more than a blue ribbon that day. At thirteen, I realized that no matter what the odds, I’d always come out a winner if I wanted something badly enough to work for it. I can be the owner of my fate.Why did the author like Cowboy so much in spite of its ugliness?
| A．Because she loved horses more than anything else. |
| B．Because Cowboy was a strong and smart young horse. |
| C．Because Cowboy had a lot in common with her pony. |
| D．Because she was sad and lonely and needed a companion. |
The audience fell into silence at the end of the run probably because_________.
| A．they didn’t expect Cowboy would win the event |
| B．they were unhappy that Becky was beaten in the event |
| C．they didn’t like cowboy, for it was too ugly |
| D．they never saw a horse running as fast as Cowboy |
After the competition, the author came to realize that _______.
| A．she ought to gather the courage to solve all the problems |
| B．it was time to forget her pony and treat Cowboy better |
| C．she needed to work harder to win more blue ribbons |
| D．she could be the god of her own fate if she tried hard enough |
It can be inferred from the story that _________.
| A．all of their hard training was totally in vain |
| B．a blue ribbon must be the second highest prize |
| C．Cowboy lost in the event of being judged by appearance |
| D．both Becky and the author won in the jumping event |
B
2014 TFK Poetry Contest
Calling all poets! TIME For Kids has a challenge for you：Write a funny, rhyming poem. It must be an original poem that does not copy another poet’s work. Enter it in the TIME For Kids Poetry Contest. As fewer and fewer children are interested in writing poetry of their own, TIME For Kids decides to organize and sponsor such a contest to change the situation.
Contest Rules
1. How to enter: This contest begins 12:01 am on March 6, 2014 and ends 11:59 pm on July 24, 2014. To enter, mail the following information to 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 32nd Floor, New York, New York 10020: (a) an original and previously unpublished poem that is humorous and has a rhyme scheme(韵律); (b) Entrant’s first name only and a parent’s mail address. Limit one entry per person. By entering, Entrant promises that the entry (1) is original, (2) has not been published in any medium and (3) has not won an award.
2. Judging: All entries will be judged by poet Kenn Nesbitt, based on the following criteria: creativity and originality (50％), use of language and rhyme (25％) and appropriateness to the theme of the contest (25％). The length of the entry will not be taken into consideration.
3. Prizes: Our judge will select four semifinalists(半决赛选手)from which one grand-prize winner and three finalists will be chosen. The one grand-prize winner will receive an online class visit from Children’s Poet Kenn Nesbitt and a signed copy of his newest book of poetry, The Armpit of Doom：Funny Poems for Kids, approximately value: $275. The three finalists will each get a signed copy of Nesbitt’s newest book of poetry，The Armpit of Doom: Funny Poems for Kids，and both their poems and that of the grand-prize winner will be published at timeforkids.com.
4. Eligibility(参赛资格)：Open to legal citizens of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who are primary school students and are 8 to 13 years old at time of entry．
5. Winner’s list：For names of the winner and finalists，visit timeforkids.com(after August 1, 2014, available for a period of 10 days)．The purpose of the contest is to__________.
| A．encourage children to learn from other poets |
| B．help children realize the dream of poetry writing |
| C．encourage children’s interest in poetry writing |
| D．encourage children to read more original poems |
Which of the following characteristics of a poem is valued most in judging?
| A．Being creative and original． |
| B．Using a proper number of words． |
| C．Using proper language and rhyme． |
| D．Being appropriate to the contest theme． |
What can be known about the finalists of the contest?
| A．They will get a great deal of money. |
| B．Their poems can be read at timeforkids.com. |
| C．They will receive an online class visit from Nesbitt． |
| D．Their poems will appear in Nesbitt’s newest book of poetry. |
According to the contest rules,____________.
| A．poems can be sent to the organizers by e-mail |
| B．all children have the right to take part in the contest |
| C．the number of poems to enter the contest is not limited |
| D．the result of the contest will be unknown before August, 2014 |