As a teacher, I always think it right to teach my students to write about their true feelings and real experiences. But once I was puzzled about this.
After explaining a text one day, I asked my students to write a passage about their families. All the students wrote quite well but the best of them all was the one written by a small girl. I was deeply touched by it. The girl’s father had died years before and her mother had to work hard to support the family. Many times she had seen her mother working deep into the night but never seen tears on her face. Like her mother this girl also works hard at her lessons and she is really good at any of them. I even didn’t know anything about her unlucky family. She always appears happy every day so she is really liked by us all, both the students and teachers.
In order to make her an example to the class, I read this passage to the class. When I finished reading it I found my throat choked and my students’ eyes full of tears. Some of them even wept in a low voice. After the class nearly all my other students wanted to hand in their pocket money for the daily use to help this girl. To tell you the truth, I was really proud of my students.
But to my disappointment, this student of mine left the class even without telling me the next day. I don’t know the reason why, can you tell me? The author asked his students to write about their families because he wanted them to ___.
| A．speak out open-heartedly |
| B．tell him some stories about themselves |
| C．make up some stories about themselves |
| D．say something good to him |
What do you think about the girl? She is ___.
| A．honest and kind | B．hardworking and determined |
| C．brave and helpful | D．kind and loyal |
The underlined word “choked” may mean ___ in Chinese.
| A．疼痛 | B．激动 | C．哽咽 | D．惊奇 |
What do you think is the main reason for the girl to leave the next day?
| A．She got angry at what the teacher had done. |
| B．She didn’t want the others to know her unluckiness. |
| C．She didn’t know the teacher’s kindness to her. |
| D．She may have found a better school. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The teacher asked her students to read the little girl’s article by themselves. |
| B．The little girl’s father died of a traffic accident. |
| C．The little girl’s classmates were willing to help her. |
| D．The little girl’s mother blamed her for her writing. |
The majority of astronauts（宇航员）from America have been men. At the start of the space programme there was strong resistance from some people against having women in space. However, some women were very keen to become astronauts and in the end they were successful. In 1978, NASA began the first training programme for women astronauts.
Judy Resnick and Christa McAuliffe were both astronauts and they were both women, but in many other ways they were very different. Both of them were on Flight STS-5L-L. Judy Resnick was born in 1949 and studied engineering at university and went on to obtain a PhD in 1977. She was a member of the first group of women selected for astronaut training in 1978, and in 1984, she became the second woman in space. During that flight, she helped to launch three new satellites and she carried out a programme of research. She was, in many ways, a professional astronaut whose whole life was devoted to space travel.
Christa McAuliffe was born in 1948 and she was an astronaut almost by accident. In 1984, NASA decided to find a teacher who could accompany astronauts into space. They hoped that she would be able to communicate with students from space and encourage every one of them to be interested in space travel. Christa was a secondary teacher in history and social studies. She was a gifted teacher and she was selected from over 11,000 applicants to go on flight STS-51-L. She was also a very good communicator and she immediately established a very good relationship with the news media(radio, television and newspapers）. It was partly because of this that there was a great deal of interest and excitement about the flight. Thousands of students in schools and universities all around the country were looking forward to communicating with Christa in space. Millions of people were watching her flight with great interest. It is partly because of the excitement over McAuliffe's place in the flight that the disaster in 1986 had such an effect on people.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ___________.
| A．Judy was against the idea of having women in space at first |
| B．Judy was the first woman selected for astronaut training |
| C．Judy helped to launch three new satellites at the age of 35 |
| D．Judy carried out a programme during her second space travel |
Christa McAuliffe was chosen for training because _______.
| A．she was popular with the news media |
| B．she expected to give history lessons in space |
| C．she was an excellent teacher and communicator |
| D．she made the students in space very excited |
The reason why there was great interest in Flight STS-51-L is that ________.
| A．both Christa and Judy got PhD degrees in the same year |
| B．a young secondary school teacher was on the flight |
| C．students were going to learn more about space travel |
| D．it was the first time for women to travel in space |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Two Astronauts | B．Flight STS-51-L |
| C．Travelling in Space | D．The Training Programme |
Compassion(同情，怜悯) is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款机）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Change it to me, ” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________ .
| A．hoped to have the food first and pay later |
| B．promised to obey the store rules |
| C．forgot to take any money with him |
| D．could not afford anything more expensive |
Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
| A．kind and lucky | B．friendly and helpful |
| C．poor and lonely | D．hurt and disappointed |
The writer acted according to the store rules because_________ .
| A．he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
| B．he considered the old man dishonest |
| C．he expected someone else to pay for the old man |
| D．he wanted to keep his present job |
What does the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Wealth is more important than anything else |
| B．Experience is better gained through practice |
| C．Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
| D．Helping others is easier said than done |
Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum
Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don’t need to book. They end around 21:00.
November 7th
The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of nanal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early “civil enginerrs”.
December 5th
Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London’s ice trade grew.
February 6th
An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Smoudwater Canal is moving towards reopenling. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.
March 6th
Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.
Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book
More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson
London Canal Museum
12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi
Tel:020 77130836When is the talk on James Brindley?
| A．February 6th. | B．March 6th. |
| C．November 7th. | D．December 5th. |
What is the topic of the talk in February?
| A．The Canal Pioneers. |
| B．Ice for the Metropolis |
| C．Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands |
| D．An Update on the Cotsword Canals |
Who will give the talk on the islands in the Thames.
| A．Miranda Vickers | B．Malcolm Tucke |
| C．Chris Lewis | D．Liz Payne |
Does this situation seem familiar to you? Your English is progressing well, the grammar is now familiar, the reading comprehension is no problem, you are communicating quite fluently, but: Listening is STILL a problem! First of all, remember that you are not alone. Listening comprehension is probably the most difficult job for almost all learners of English as a foreign language. The most important thing is to listen as often as possible. The first step is to find listening resources. The Internet is really a useful tool for English students. You can download The RealPlayer from RealMedia.com. The RealPlayer allows you to use the Internet like a radio station.
Once you have begun to listen on a regular basis, you might still be frustrated (懊恼) by limited understanding. What should you do?
Here is some of the advice I give my students:
●Accept the fact that you are not going to understand everything.
●Stay relaxed when you do not understand — even if you continue not to understand for a long time.
●Do not translate what you hear into your native language.
●Listen for the general idea of the conversation. Don’t concentrate on detail until you have understood the main ideas.
I remember the problems I had in understanding spoken German when I first went to Germany. In the beginning, when I didn’t understand a word, I insisted on translating it in my mind. This method usually resulted in confusion. Then, after the first six months, I discovered two very important facts. Firstly, translating creates a wall between the listener and the speaker. Secondly, most people repeat themselves constantly. By remaining calm, I noticed that — even if I didn’t pay much attention, I could usually understand what the speaker had said.The best way to improve our listening is to _____.
| A．practise as much as possible |
| B．find as many listening resources as possible |
| C．use the Internet like a radio station |
| D．speak naturally and read as much as possible |
Which of the following is a good habit when listening?
| A．Try to understand everything. |
| B．Try to get the main ideas. |
| C．Pay much attention to details. |
| D．Translate each word in your mind. |
Why did the writer mention his / her experience in Germany?
| A．To prove the importance of translating. |
| B．To show the problems of speaking a foreign language. |
| C．To tell us the importance of staying calm. |
| D．To point out an ineffective method of listening. |
The underlined part “a wall” in the last paragraph refers to “_____”.
| A．a communication barrier (障碍) |
| B．culture shock |
| C．language understanding |
| D．a little misunderstanding |
Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones. They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. Some are shy "in real life" but are confident to communicate with others online; others find support from people of their own age on relationship problems, or problems at home.
Sometimes the online world, just like the real world, can introduce problems, such as cheating or arguments. Going online is great fun, but there are also a few people who use the Internet to do bad things. Children must know that there are both the good things and the dangers on the Internet.
To keep children safe ,your management must cover the family computer. Just as you decide which TV programs are suitable, you need to do the same for the websites and chatrooms your children visit. Remind your children that online friends are still strangers and there are dangers too.
Computer studies are part of schoolwork now, so it's likely that your children may know more than you do. We get left behind when it comes to the interactive areas of websites, like chatrooms and message boards, which are especially strange. The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. Chatters love to use abbreviations (缩写) such as: atb--all the best, bbfn--bye bye for now, cul8er—see you later, gr8--great, Idk--I don't know, imbl--it must be love, kit--keep in touch, paw--parents are watching, lol-- laugh out loud, xlnt--excellent!
It seems like another language, and it is!The passage is meant for
| A．children | B．teachers |
| C．parents | D．Net bar owners |
In order to keep children safe online, you'd better
| A．not allow them to use the Internet |
| B．surf the Internet together with them |
| C．teach them to use correct Net words |
| D．choose suitable websites and chatrooms for them |
If you stand beside him when your son is chatting about something secret online, he may use
A. bbfn B. 1ol C cul8er D. pawWhich of the following will the author probably agree with?
| A．The chat language is strange to adults. |
| B．The Internet is not good for children. |
| C．Children can chat so much online. |
| D．The Internet is a good place for children. |