I’m a teacher. But there are days, like today, when I wonder why. The results of an English quiz taken by my fifth-graders were depressing. Despite my best efforts, the world of pronouns remains a mystery to them. How I wish there were a way to make the study of our language as exciting as a computer game, so the glazed (目光呆滞) looks would not appear in their eyes at the mention of the word “grammar.” I remember my husband’s words: “Why don’t you quit? You’d probably make more money by doing something else, and you wouldn’t have papers to grade every night.”
Tonight I have a stack of papers to grade, which I promised my students I would return tomorrow. But a friend, whom I haven’t seen in a year, is visiting from Belgium, and I told her I would keep this evening free.
Sitting in traffic behind a distant stoplight, it’s hard not to replay the day. A voice reports the body of a local youngster, missing for weeks, has been identified.
This missing child has had a deep effect on my students. They wondered, “If it happened to her, could it happen to me?”
My children had found the answer themselves. They got out their pencils, markers and made cards. Cards were written with words of compassion and love for a mother and father they didn’t know. Cards were filled with red hearts, golden crosses, flowers and angels. Their cards, intended to comfort others, comforted the children themselves by leading them past the anxiety, back into the world of security (安全) that should be theirs.
And then I remember why I’m still teaching. It’s the children. They’re more important than a lifetime filled with quiet evenings and more valuable than a pocket filled with money. My classroom, a child-filled world of discovery, of kindness and of caring is the real world.
It’s time to call my friend. I have promises to keep. She’ll understand. After all, she’s a teacher.The writer wonders why she is a teacher because _____.
| A．her students often play games in class |
| B．teaching is not a well-paid job |
| C．her students feel bored with grammar |
| D．she feels frustrated at teaching |
The students’ attitude to the missing child’s parents might be that of _____.
| A．doubt | B．unconcern | C．sympathy | D．tolerance |
What is the most important according to the writer?
| A．A pocket filled with money. |
| B．The kind and caring children. |
| C．A lifetime filled with quiet evenings. |
| D．The freedom to control her own time. |
What promise will the writer keep?
| A．To grade papers that night. | B．To help a student with homework. |
| C．To accept her husband’s advice. | D．To meet her old friend. |
Bill and his family has been living in the six－family building for years. All the neighbors got along fairly well with each other until recently.
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor. Bill’s mother and the old lady were good friends. Unfortunately the lady died last month. Her husband could not live alone, so he had his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbors, especially to Bill’s family. The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy. Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night. Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise. That is too much for Bill’s family.
Bill’s mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night, but obviously the man didn’t understand what she meant. If he did and spoke to his grandson, the young man obviously didn’t listen, since things haven’t changed any. Everyone in Bill’s family agrees that something must be done though they don’t want to hurt the kind old man.Bill’s family got angry because ________.
| A．the old lady had died |
| B．a young man moved in |
| C．the old man could not live alone |
| D．the grandson made a lot of noise |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The old man could not live without his wife’s help. |
| B．The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too. |
| C．Bill’s mother was kind to her neighbors. |
| D．Bill’s mother was the only one who likes the young man. |
The grandson makes a lot of noise as ________.
| A．he never thinks other people might not be happy with so much noise around |
| B．the walls of the building are thin |
| C．he likes to listen to the radio at night |
| D．friends of his visit |
It seems that ________to solve the problem.
| A．anyone is able | B．only the grandfather is going |
| C．Bill’s mother is able | D．nobody is likely |
Long ago in a small town, there was a place known as the House of 1,000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit.
When he arrived, he bounced (跳) happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1,000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1,000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, “This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often.”
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1,000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1,000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, “This is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again.”
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see on the faces of the people you meet?Why was the first dog surprised when he entered the house?
| A．Because he didn’t expect to see so many happy dogs. |
| B．Because he didn’t know there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| C．Because he was always in a mixed mood. |
| D．Because he saw so many dogs smiling at him. |
Why did the first dog like the house?
| A．Because there were 1,000 mirrors in the house. |
| B．Because he thought he could keep himself warm in the house. |
| C．Because he liked everything presented to him. |
| D．Because he felt he was welcome here. |
The underlined word “growl” probably means ______.
| A．make an unfriendly noise | B．smile |
| C．say hello | D．stare |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for the passage?
| A．A Small happy Little Dog |
| B．The House of 1,000 Mirrors |
| C．The Wonderful Place and the Horrible Place. |
| D．Two Little Dogs |
If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.
While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard an another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.ThefirstsentenceinPara.1impliesthat______.
| A．onemaybeangeredbymediareportsandwantstoavoidthem |
| B．themediacoinedtheterm“RoadRage”onlyafewmonthsago |
| C．RoadRagehasreceivedmuchmediacoverageinthelastfewmonths |
| D．peoplenotinterestedinthemediaknowlittleaboutrecenthappenings |
Theunderlined word“spell”inPara.3means ________.
| A．relieve | B．cause | C．spread | D．prevent |
Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving?
| A．Talking while driving. |
| B．Driving at high speed. |
| C．Sounding the horn when passing. |
| D．Shouting at another driver. |
Thelastparagraphisintendedto_________.
| A．tellpeoplehowtodealwithRoadRage |
| B．informpeoplehowaggressivedriverscouldbe |
| C．showpeoplehowtocontrolthemselveswhenangry |
| D．warnpeopleagainsteyecontactwithanotherdriver |
The Gullah people in the southern US have honored their culture for more than 100 years. Living mainly on the Sea Islands and coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia and Floride, the Gullah people, an African-American group, have a rich culture including their own language. It is a Creole language created by slaves who came to the US from the West Africa in the 1800s. It combines West African languages with English.
For many years efforts have been made to save the Gullah language. One project began in 1979. Its goal was to translate the New Testament part of the Bible into Gullah. Experts say that it was a difficult process because Gullah is not a written language. It is a spoken language only.
A team of Gullah speakers began working on the translation to make the Bible easier to understand for those who spoke Gullah as their main language. The Gullah version is called De Nyew Testament. It is written in English on one side of the page, and next to it, there is a Gullah translation. De Nyew Testament was published by the American Bible Society. The project also received help from the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Wycliffe Bible Translators, the United Bible Societies and the Penn Centre
Experts believe that the translated Bible is a major step towards saving the Gullah language and traditions. “This is more than a Bible translation,” says Robert Hodgson, at the American Bible Society. “De Nyew Testament raises the Gullah language and culture to a new level.” Ardell Greene is a member of the translation team. She calls the book “a treasure”. She says that the Gullah version of the Bible will be read in churches and will help young people keep the Gullah language alive.According to the passage, De Nyew Testament can be best seen as _______.
| A．a good version of the Bible |
| B．something difficult to understand |
| C．a spoken form of the Gullah language |
| D．the effort to save the Gullah language |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Gullah communities can be found in the southern US. |
| B．Gullah is influenced by both English and West African languages. |
| C．De Nyew Testament is a complete Bible translation. |
| D．Ardell Greene thinks highly of De Nyew Testament. |
What does this passage mainly focus on?
| A．Efforts to save the Gullah language. |
| B．Different versions of the Bible. |
| C．The history of the Gullah people. |
| D．The culture of the Gullah people. |
Encouraging pupils to keep noise to a minimum should be a valuable component of all children’s education, according to new research.
Dr. Helen Lees, from Stirling University’s school of education, says that “enforced（强制的）silence” is seen as a punishment and often acts to suppress children’s natural ability. But she says that teaching children about the benefits of “enforced silence”,--- deliberate stillness that gives them the opportunity to focus and reflect in a stress-free environment--- can have a significant effect on pupils’ concentration and behavior.
It is the latest in a string of researches to establish a link between the classroom environment and pupils’ academic ability.
A study almost a decade ago in London found that children’s exam results were cut by as much as a third if they were taught in noisy classrooms. Teaching unions have also called for a limit of 26℃ to be put on classroom temperatures because teachers and pupils struggle to work in hot conditions, and some educationalists claim that too much clutter（杂乱的东西）on classroom walls can prevent children from concentrating.
Dr. Lees said, “When we take some research on school settings and put it all together, what we see is that education without silence does not make much sense. In areas of better learning outcomes, better self- confidence and well-being measures, enforced silence in a person’s life and an individual’s education is shown throughout the relevant research to be a benefit.”
Dozens of schools across Britain have already introduced periods of “reflective silence” into the timetable.
Kevin Hogston, head of Sheringdale Primary, south London, has just introduced a minute’s silence at the start of twice-weekly meetings in which children are taught breathing techniques and encouraged to reflect. The school plans to introduce it into classrooms every day.According to Dr. Helen Lees, “enforced silence” ＿＿
| A．is an effective way of punishment |
| B．does not make much sense in class |
| C．can improve pupils’ confidence |
| D．makes pupils more creative |
The underlined word, “suppress”, in the second paragraph probably means “_________”.
| A．prevent | B．improve | C．apply | D．reveal |
What can be inferred from the research on school settings?
| A．Students are more active if taught in noisy classrooms. |
| B．Silence makes a great difference to pupils. |
| C．Clutter on the walls can help students concentrate. |
| D．Most schools are not satisfactory in terms of classroom temperatures. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Arranging classroom settings benefits studies |
| B．Achieving silence is beneficial for people |
| C．Using enforced silence is effective punishment |
| D．Keeping quiet in class improves academic performance |