Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone’s life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn’t a very good answer and my student didn’t let it slide.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I’m one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It’s in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled (逐渐灌输) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can’t have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that’s what I try to do.
I genuinely love teenagers. I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they’ll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.
Teaching isn’t for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?
| A．Because he thought her answer was unbelievable. |
| B．Because the writer was insincere. |
| C．Because the student was naughty. |
| D．Because the answer was difficult to understand. |
What do you think of the writer?
| A．Stupid. | B．Honest. | C．Conservative （保守的）. | D．Polite. |
According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her. |
| B．The writer’s answer made the student confused. |
| C．In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach. |
| D．The writer annoyed the student who asked the question. |
We can infer from the text that _________.
| A．the writer was also a good teacher in school |
| B．the writer often plays with her students beside a pond |
| C．the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students |
| D．the writer often accompanies the students on their way home |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．A student’s silly question. | B．A good teacher who likes students. |
| C．A confused student. | D．The reason why I teach. |
"Mark Twain" was the name used by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) when he wrote books. His father was a lawyer, but a poor one, who lived at Florida, Missouri. The family was so poor that Samuel did not receive much teaching. He had to learn all that he could from the people whom he met. His father died when he was very young, and then there was even less money than before.
Many of the men in this part of America worked in the ships on the great River Mississippi, and he did this himself at one time (1857).
Where did he find the name "Mark Twain"? It came from the great river itself. It was part of one of the cries used by men who worked in the ships. When a man called "By the mark twain!" he meant that the river was "two marks deep" there, that is to say, six feet deep ( "Twain" is an old form of the work "Two".) Samuel Clemens often heard these words when he was young, and he used them as a penname all his life.
During his work on the Mississippi he met travelers of all kinds, and this helped him a great deal when he started to write. But the number of travelers became smaller when war started in America in 1861. Many of the great ships on the river stopped work. Samuel left then and went to Nevada with his brother, who was at that time Governor of Nevada. There, near the town of Carson, Samuel became a gold miner, but he never made much money at the time. He soon saw that life in the gold mines was not for him. He also tried writing for the newspapers in Nevada, and this seemed more hopeful. He found that he could write.
He went to Europe in 1867 and visited France and Italy. In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon, and two years later he was spending nearly all his time writing. Among his books is his own story (1908).
He is now always known as Mark Twain, and many people do not even know that his family name was Clemens. He traveled in America and in England, and went to Oxford in 1907. He was one of the great American writers of the time, and could make his readers laugh – a thing which few writers can do. He died in 1910.
1."Mark Twain" was _________.
A. a famous American writer B. name of a book
C. a great river in AmericaD. a large ship
2. As a child, Samuel did not get much education because _________.
A.his father died too early
B.the family was very poor
C. he disliked school very much
D. he could learn what he liked from the people he met
3. What gave him a great deal when he started writing? _______
A. His poor childhoodB. The Mississippi river
C. All kinds of travelers he met D. His brother
4. We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. Samuel loved writing from his early age
B. Samuel did not love writing at the beginning
C. his writings to the newspaper were successful
D. his brother encouraged him to write more
5 According to the writer of the passage, a good writer could _________.
A. write a lot for his readers
B. make a lot of money for his family
C. cause his readers to laugh
D. travel everywhere he wanted
Guangzhou（Xinhua）——12 people were killed and 20 injured early yesterday morning when they jumped from a burning train car into the path of an oncoming goods train in Southern China. When No. 247 Wuchang——Guangzhou passenger train was passing the Dayaoshan Tunnel in Guangdong Province， South China at 00 ：17 hours yesterday， a fire caused by passengers' smoking broke out on No. 17 car. They wanted to extinguish fire. As the train stopped some frightened passengers jumped from windows.
12 people were crushed to death and 20 others injured by a northward passing goods train（No. 1766）。
1. In which direction did the passenger train travel？
A. Northward. B. Southward. C. Eastward. D. Westward.
2. For what did the passenger train stop？
A. To put out the fire.B. To let the passengers jump out.
C. To let the other train pass. D. To pick up some other passengers.
75. What was the cause of the fire？
A. A heavy rain. B. High temperature. C. Carelessness. D. Fear.
To swim across the English Channel takes at least nine hours. It‘s hard work and it makes you short of breath. To fly over the channel takes only twenty minutes as long as you’re not held up at the airport， but it‘s an expensive way to travel. You can travel by hovercraft （气垫船）if you don’t mind the noise and that takes forty minutes. Otherwise， you can go by boat， if you remember your sea-sickness pills. All these means of transport have their problems， and the weary（厌烦的）traveler often dreams of being able to drive to France in his own car. “Not possible， you say. Well， wait a minute. People are once again considering the idea of a channel tunnel or bridge.” This time， the great London Council（议会）is looking into the possibility of building a channel link straight to London. A bridge would cost far more than a tunnel， but you would be able to by rail or by car on a bridge， yet a tunnel would provide a rail link only. Why is this idea being discussed again？ Is Britain realizing the need for links with Europe as a result of joining EEC？ Well， perhaps， the main reason， though， is that a tunnel or bridge would reach the twenty square kilometers of London‘s discussed dockland（船坞）。 A link from London to the continent would stimulate（刺激） trade and revitalize（使重新具有活力）the port， and would make London a main trading center in Europe. With a link over the Channel， you could buy your fish and chips in England and be able to eat them in France while they
are still warm！
1. From the lines we can see that people crossed the Channel by ______ in the past.
A. air B. boat C. Swimming D. A， B， or C
2. The weary traveler thinks the best way to cross the Channel is ______.
A. by swimming B. in his own car C. by air D. by hovercraft
3. A tunnel would cost______ a bridge.
A. far less than B. as much as C. far more than D. as little as
4. According to the passage， a link from London to the continent would be______.
A. necessary for its trade B. important for its politics
C. useful for its industry D. helpful for its culture
5. The main idea of the passage is______.
A. how to develop the trade of London
B. when to cross the Channel
C. how to get to Europe from London more conveniently
D. what to do in the developing of traveling
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl , she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college. Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）。 Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes； she hopes to get a master‘s degree （M A）。 With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well. The school day at Mrs. Blake‘s high school， like that in many high schools in the United States， is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period， which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M. ， Mrs. Blake must meet with parents， make out examinations， check assignments at all， Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in
the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.
1. According to the article， which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
A. a doctor‘s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree
B. a bachelor’s degree – a master‘s degree – a doctor’s degree
C. a master‘s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree
D. a bachelor’s degree – a doctor‘s degree—a master’s degree
2. Which of the following sentences is not true？
A. Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates
B. Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality.
C. Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees.
D. The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states.
3. According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
A. lonely B. free C. funny D. busy
Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air， water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air， water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us. If you look carefully at the plants around you， you will find that there are two kinds of plants： flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed， some have two， three or four， and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）。 Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places， they usually grow into new plants.
1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
A. plants are important for life B. plants cannot grow without air
C. there are many plants in the world D. we can not live without water
2. Plants can make food from______.
A. flower， water and air B. water， sunlight and air
C. air， water and soil D. air， sun and light
3. What can we infer（推断） from the passage ？
A. Of all living things animals are most important
B. Spores are seeds C. All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D. Without plants， man will die out
4. This passage may be taken from______.
A. a medicine book B. a novel
C. a science magazine D. an experiment report
5. The underlined word “protected” in the third paragraph can be replaced by ______.
A. damaged B. polluted C. prevented D. guarded