Ibrahim became disabled after contracting polio (小儿麻痹症) when he was three years old. At first his parents, like many other parents of disabled children in Niger, did not want to send him to school. They were worried he would be laughed at by his classmates.
Despite his disability, and his parents’ doubts, Ibrahim was determined to go to school. “When I was eight,” Ibrahim says, “other kids of my age were going to school while I stayed at home. I did not like that. So, I pestered (缠着) my parents until they finally let me go to school.”
Ibrahim’s parents sent him to a private school nearby. Although the journey to and from school was a short one, it still wasn’t easy for Ibrahim. He had to use his hands to help him move along, protecting them with plastic slippers. But at least he was getting an education.
However, after only a year in school, Ibrahim’s education was interrupted when his parents separated. His mother did not have the means to continue paying for his tuition.
In 2007, Ibrahim received some money to be fitted with a leg brace (支架), corrective shoes and his first pair of crutches (拐杖). Now that he was more mobile than before, the most important thing for him was to find a way to go back to school.
“I wanted to start school again last October,” Ibrahim says. “After my mother told me she could not afford it, I went to visit some of my relatives for support. And I collected 5,000 francs CFA (US $8) to pay my tuition for half a year. I will find the rest of the money somehow.”
Ibrahim attends a school in which he is the only disabled student. According to his teacher, he is among the top five students in a class of 55. Why did Ibrahim’s parents prefer Ibrahim to stay at home?
| A．There was a lot of housework for him to do. |
| B．They had no money to pay for his tuition. |
| C．There were not enough schools in the country. |
| D．They were afraid the students would make fun of him. |
How did Ibrahim go to school before his parents separated?
| A．He went to school on his wheelchair. |
| B．He went to school on his parents’ bicycle. |
| C．He walked to school with the support of his hands. |
| D．He walked to school using a pair of crutches. |
Ibrahim’s education was interrupted because of his _____.
| A．parents’ doubts | B．lack of tuition | C．physical disability | D．terrible mood |
The best title for the passage might be _____.
| A．A long way to go | B．Determined to learn |
| C．The only disabled student | D．I did not like that |
Taiwanese fishing boats that sailed to the Diaoyu Islands to protest Japan's "purchase" of part of the islands completed their voyage Tuesday morning and have set sail for home.
Local media reported that the boats finished their protest at 9:15 a.m. and are expected to return to a port in northeast Taiwan's Yilan county at noon Wednesday.
Although the boats originally numbered 75，they were joined at sea by other boats from different parts of Taiwan, raising the total number to about 100 vessels. Organizers said the voyage was made to protect Taiwanese fishing rights in nearby waters and to protest Japan's "purchase" of part of the Diaoyu Islands.
The Japanese government announced a plan to "purchase" part of the islands earlier this month despite repeated protests from the Chinese government. The action aroused demonstrations across China as well as consumers' boycott of Japanese products in recent weeks. Local authorities in Taiwan have also protested the move.
"Japan's purchase and nationalization of China's Diaoyu Islands are putting China-Japan economic and trade ties at risk due to man-made factors." An official spokesman from Beijing warned .
China-Japan economic and trade relations was back on track in 1952 when the two countries signed their first non-governmental trade agreement. Currently, China has been Japan's largest trade partner since 2007 while Japan is China’s fourth largest trade partner, after the EU, U.S. and the ASEAN. Meanwhile, China is the biggest destination for Japanese exports and biggest source of imports. In the first half of 2012, Japan's exports to China totaled 73.54 billion U.S. dollars, down 6.2 percent from the same period last year, while its import from China was 91.29 billion U.S. dollars, up 7 percent from the same period last year.
Now, China-Japan economic and trade relations are at a crossroads. Negotiation could be the way out of the rift.Why are China-Japan economic and trade relations at a crossroads?
| A．Because Taiwan fishing boats sailed to the island to protest Japan. |
| B．Because Taiwanese are deprived of their fishing right. |
| C．Because Japan is not China's largest trade partner. |
| D．Because Japan announced to purchase China's Diaoyu Islands. |
We can infer from the passage that _____.
| A．About 100 boats joined the original team later. |
| B．Negotiation will bring both countries out of the conflict. |
| C．Japan's “purchase”has cast a shadow on China-Japan export and import. |
| D．Japan's exports to China totaled 78 billion U.S. dollars in 2011. |
What does the underlined word “rift” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．gap | B．conflict | C．crash | D．quarrel |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Japan declared to purchase China's Diaoyu Islands. |
| B．Japan's purchase of Diaoyu Islands aroused nationwide protest. |
| C．The Diaoyu Islands belong to China! |
| D．China plays an important part in Japan's economy development. |
Greg Woodburn, a student at the University of Southern California, spends a lot of time cleaning sneakers he collected．But soon the shoes will be sent to poor children in the United States and 20 other countries, thanks to Woodburn’s Share Our Soles (S.O.S.) charity．
A high school track star in the town of Ventura, California, Woodburn was treated in hospital for months with knee and hip injuries．
“I started thinking about the health benefits, the friendship and the confidence I got from running,” he says, “And I realized there are children who don’t even have shoes．”
Woodburn gathered up his old sneakers, then asked his friends to donate．His goal was to have 100 pairs by Christmas this year．When he collected more than 500 pairs, he decided to turn the shoe drive into a year-round endeavor．
Back then, the sneakers came from donation boxes at the YMCA and the local sporting goods store and from door-to-door pickups．Woodburn has now set up collection boxes at two high schools, city gym and recreation center．He has started accepting adult sizes and sandals．So far, S.O.S has collected and donated more than 3,000 pairs．
Woodburn has cleaned all the shoes．After sorting the shoes by size, Woodburn selects the good shoes for the washing machine and the worn-out ones for recycling．
To ship the footwear, Woodburn teamed with Sports Gift, a nonprofit organization that provides soccer and baseball equipment to children around the world．Keven Baxter, founder and president, says, “We’d send kids balls and shoes．I've heard that for many of these kids, these old sneakers are the only shoes they had．They wear them to school and to do sports．So Greg’s running shoes were a nice addition for us．”
For many recipients, the shoes represent opportunity．Two young boys in Southern California attended school on alternate days because they shared a pair of shoes．They were too big for one boy and too small for the other．Thanks to S.O.S., each brother received his own pair of shoes．The boys now attend school daily and enjoy their learning．When they graduate, they say, they will help a stranger, just as Woodburn helped them．What caused Greg Woodburn to donate old shoes for poor children?
| A．The benefits from playing sports． |
| B．News about some poor children． |
| C．His reflection to school life． |
| D．The medical treatment he received． |
When collecting more sneakers than expected, Woodburn decided to ．
| A．include adult sizes and sandals |
| B．set up branches in different cities |
| C．collect shoes throughout the year |
| D．expand his endeavor in the whole city |
How did Woodburn manage to deliver the shoes collected?
| A．By sending them by mail． |
| B．By working with Sports Gift． |
| C．By advertising for those in need． |
| D．By offering them from door to door． |
What can we learn from Keven Baxter’s remarks?
| A．Sports Gift is popular around the world． |
| B．Many children need Greg’s old sneakers． |
| C．Greg’s running shoes are the best gifts for children． |
| D．International organization should provide more help． |
Going to school from 8 am until 5 pm may sound terrible，but Sydney Shaw，a seventh grader at the Alain Locke Charter Academy on Chicago's West Side，has come to like it—as well as the extra 20 or so days that she's in class every year．“I'm sure every kid at this school says bad things about the schedule sometimes，”says Sydney, who was at school on Columbus Day, when most Chicago schools had a holiday．“But we all know it's for our benefit.”
Finding ways to give kids more classroom time，through longer hours，a longer school year，or both，is getting more attention．“If you want to look at schools where the achievement gap is narrowing, they're saying they couldn't do it without the added time，”says Jennifer Davis．“Even when you get good teachers into schools，you also need more time．”
According to studies, low-income students fall back more than two months in their reading skills over summer vacations．“It's over the summer months that poor kids fall behind，”says Karl Alexander，a sociologist．“If you have parents who themselves didn't succeed at school and aren't highly educated，kids aren't going to get those skills at home．”
Schools are asked to take a full year to plan how to best use the extra time—a process involving teachers，principals，students and parents．They are given outside support to help them base their plans on the best available analyses of student needs．It's still early，but officials are already seeing stronger test scores and a narrowing achievement gap．
But some critics are worried．“We risk producing something that's very expensive and time-consuming, and that will give educators a lot of trouble，”says Frederick Hess．“Before we spend all that extra money，I'd much rather see if we can figure out how to get 50 percent more instructional time out of the current school day．”From the first paragraph，we learn that．
| A．the longer schedule is harmful to kid's health |
| B．all Chicago students had a holiday on Columbus Day |
| C．Sydney Shaw supports the added time |
| D．few kids are bored with the lack of holidays |
Low-income students fall behind in summer because．
| A．no good teachers are willing to teach them |
| B．they can't get help from their parents |
| C．their parents are unwilling to hire private teachers |
| D．they themselves have no desire to learn |
Some people are worried about adding school hours mainly because．
| A．it will have a bad effect on the kids’ futures |
| B．the current school day has been too busy |
| C．no one supports the idea |
| D．it will be costly and time-consuming |
The text is mainly about．
| A．whether a longer school day will help narrow the achievement gap |
| B．how students have benefited from additional school hours |
| C．why the achievement gap among students needs to be narrowed |
| D．what causes the achievement gap among students |
When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China.
When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans. Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now.
Still, her answer surprised me: “Green tea.”
As long as I can remember she didn’t even drink Indian tea.
I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story. My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses.
At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average Indian. It was a strange country.
How things change! And how soon!
Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”. And everyone is talking about China.
The government of India has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done. A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment (投资) and such a step would “work wonders as it did for China”.
But it’s a two-way street. I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Rangalore to train in software. Meanwhile, all the IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China.
No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US $15 billion for last year and US $20 billion by 2012, a goal set by both governments.
No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino-Indian (中国和印度的) century as the two countries started on January 1st the Sino-Indian Friendship Year.
But what is still a wonder to me is my mother’s drinking Chinese tea.Why did the mother ask for Chinese green tea?
| A．She was tired of Indian tea. |
| B．She had a son working in China. |
| C．She believed it had a curing effect. |
| D．She was fond of Chinese products. |
What does the author mean by “it’s a two-way street” in Paragraph 10?
| A．China and India have different traffic rules. |
| B．Tea trade works wonders in both India and China. |
| C．Chinese products are popular in both China and India. |
| D．There are exchanges between India and China. |
What do we know about the Indian IT industry?
| A．It is seeking further development in China. |
| B．It will move its head office to Shenzhen. |
| C．It has attracted an investment of US $15 billion. |
| D．It caught up with the US IT industry in 2008. |
In the text the author expresses _______.
| A．his concern for his mother’s health |
| B．his support for drinking Chinese green tea |
| C．his surprise at China’s recent development |
| D．his wonder at the growth of India’s IT industry |
It is inferred in the text that _______.
| A．the author’s mother loves China very much |
| B．the Indians were not familiar with China before |
| C．the government of India encourages their people to buy Chinese green tea |
| D．the two countries didn’t cooperate until last year |
Nothing succeeds like confidence. When you are truly confident, it radiates (辐射) from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet (磁铁). Besides, those who are self-confident can in turn inspire (encourage) confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.
So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success?
First, do what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it in any situations, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them.
Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What’s more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Always be ready to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you!
As you sow, so will you reap. With your perseverance (毅力) and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to give congratulations and compliments on your achievements. “Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.” The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well worth the effort! Those who are truly confident _______.
| A．succeed without effort and hard work |
| B．encourage people around to become confident |
| C．appear more attractive and thus become successful |
| D．gain the confidence of others and feel successful |
The underlined word “mock” (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to _______.
| A．praise | B．imitate (模仿) | C．punish | D．laugh at |
When others congratulate us on our achievements, we are supposed to _______.
| A．praise them in return |
| B．gain further improvement |
| C．politely accept the compliments |
| D．expect them to congratulate you again |
Which of the following proverbs (sayings) best goes with Paragraph 4?
| A．Look before your leap. |
| B．It is no use crying over spilt milk. |
| C．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. |
| D．Learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones. |
The purpose of the text is to _______.
| A．tell people how to become successful |
| B．convince people to do what they believe to be right |
| C．encourage people to build confidence and achieve success |
| D．criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career |