He says the problem with teachers is, “What will a kid learn from someone who chose to become a teacher?” He reminds the other dinner guests that it’s true what they say about teachers: Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of biting his and stop myself from reminding the other dinner guests that it’s also true what they say about lawyers－that they make money from the misfortune of others.
“I mean, you’re a teacher, Taylor,” he says to me.” Be honest. What do you make?”
I wish he hadn’t asked me to be honest, because now I have to teach him a lesson.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+feel like a great achievement and an A-feel like a failure.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best?
I make parents tremble in fear when I call them:
I hope I haven’t called at a bad time.
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, “Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don’t you?”
And it was the bravest act I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticise.
I make them think.
I make them apologise and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I teach them to solve math problems that they once thought impossible.
I make them understand that if you have brains then you follow your heart and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you teach them a lesson.
Let me make this simple for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a great difference! What about you?What is the tone of the passage?
| A．Upset and disappointed. | B．Cheerful and positive. |
| C．Angry and proud. | D．Humorous and light-hearted. |
What do we know about the man that the author is speaking to?
| A．He dislikes lawyers. | B．He is actually a lawyer. |
| C．He is respectful to teachers. | D．He is in the author’s home. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Requirements of a Good Teacher | B．An Argument Between Two Guests. |
| C．A Dinner Conversation | D．What Teachers Make |
The underlined phrase “bite my tongue” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to .
| A．stop myself saying what I really think | B．say something that is wrong |
| C．speak out honestly but carelessly | D．keep silent about myself |
When 24-year-old Hannah Brencher moved to New York after college, she was hit by depression and loneliness. One day she felt so lonely that she wanted to reach out to someone. So she put pen to paper and started writing letters—letters to complete strangers.
But these weren’t sad letters about how she was feeling. They were happy letters, all about the other person, not her. She would write messages for people to have a “bright day” and tell strangers how outstanding they were, even if they thought no one else had noticed. Brencher began dropping the notes all over New York, in cafes, in library books, in parks and on the subway. It made her feel better, knowing that she might be making somebody’s day through just a few short, sweet words. It gave her something to focus on. And so, the website The World Needs More Love Letters was born.
The World Needs More Love Letters is all about writing letters—not emails, but proper, handwritten letters. Not traditional love letters, written to a real beloved, but surprise letters for strangers. They don’t necessarily say “I love you”, but they are full of kindness—telling people they are remarkable and special and all-around amazing.
Brencher’s initiative (初衷) has now exploded. She has personally written hundreds of letters. Last year, she did a TED talk, in which she talks about a woman whose husband, a soldier, comes back home from Afghanistan and they struggle to reconnect: “So she leaves love letters all over the house as a way to say: ‘Come back to me. Find me when you can.’” And then comes another story of a man threatening to kill himself on his Facebook page, only to now be in the land of the living, with many love letters under his pillow.
The World Needs More Love Letters Project works on the idea that “A love letter a day keeps the doctor away”. It’s about sharing positive energy, restoring confidence and happiness. There are now more than 10,000 people from all over the world joining in to write letters to the lonely and depressed, to basically tell them that everything will be okay.When feeling lonely, Brencher wrote letters to _________________.
| A．share her sad feelings with strangers |
| B．tell strangers how outstanding she was |
| C．express her wish to have a bright day |
| D．brighten strangers’ day with kind words |
According to the passage, which of the following letters can be found on the website?
| A．The email to remarkable people. |
| B．The handwritten letters to friends. |
| C．The traditional love letters to beloved ones. |
| D．The encouraging letters to strangers. |
What can be inferred from Brencher’s TED talk?
| A．The man leaves love letters to his wife, asking her to look for him. |
| B．The woman gets on well with her husband after his return from Afghanistan. |
| C．The life of the man in the second story has been saved by the inspiring love letters. |
| D．The man in the second story has written many love letters and put them under his pillow. |
In the last paragraph, the underlined sentence means____________.
| A．love letters can help cheer you up in spirits |
| B．love letters can keep you physically healthy |
| C．love letters can make the doctors out of work |
| D．love letters can keep you away from loneliness only |
A lot of us enjoy doing it: you turn on the camera on your mobile phone and hold it at a high position, making your eyes look bigger and your cheekbones more marked out. You turn to your best side and click. There it is --- your selfie.
Over the past year, “selfie” has become a well-known term across the globe. This August the Oxford dictionary added the word to their online dictionary and defined it as: “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”
Today it’s not difficult to find social networking pages full of photos people have taken of themselves and their friends. And selfie culture has become especially related to young people. As many as 91 percent of teenagers have posted photos of themselves online, according to a recent survey by the US Pew Research Center.
So what are the reasons for the rise of selfie culture?
“The craze of the selfie celebrates regular people,” Pamela Rutledge, a professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, told Vogue magazine. “There are many more photographs available now of real people than models.”
Posting selfies also allows you to control your image online. “I like having the power to choose how I look, even if I’m making a funny face,” Samantha Barks, 19, a high school student in the US, told Vogue.
In addition, selfies “allow for a close friendship for long-distance friends, because you can see each other’s faces every day”, wrote Casey Miller at The Huffington Post.
But US psychologist Jill Weber is concerned that selfies might lead to social problems. “There’s a danger that your self-esteem （自尊心） may start to be tied to the comments and ‘likes’ you get when you post a selfie, and they aren’t based on who you are ---they’re based on what you look like,” Weber told Vogue. “When you get nothing or a negative response, your confidence can plummet.”
The first paragraph is intended to _________.
| A．introduce the topic of selfie |
| B．describe how to enjoy selfie |
| C．show the importance of selfie |
| D．explain why selfie is popular |
How many reasons for the rise of selfie culture are mentioned in the passage?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
What is Jill Weber’s opinion about selfies?
| A．Comments on selfie are based on who you are. |
| B．Others’ response to selfies might affect one’s self-esteem. |
| C． Selfies have more disadvantages than advantages. |
| D． Selfies shouldn’t be encouraged for they lead to social problems. |
The underlined word “plummet” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to __________.
| A．put up | B．calm down |
| C．pick up | D．go down |
Below is some advice on how to prevent cancer:
1. Eat Blueberries
Aside from being a healthy and delicious snack, blueberries contain pterostilbene, which has important colon（结肠） cancer-fighting prosperities. But wait, it gets better. Blueberries also offer a large dose of vitamins C (14 milligrams per cup). So at breakfast, try to take in a cup and a half of blueberries in your cereal or yogurt, or mixed with other berries.
2. Drink Pomegranate（石榴）Juice
The deep red juice of the pomegranate contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, which together create a powerful anticancer mixture. Most recently, researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison has discovered that 16 ounces of pomegranate juice per day also may inhibit the growth of lung cancer.
3. Relax
Feeling stressed or worried? Find ways to relax and you may reduce your chances of developing cancer. Purdue University researchers tracked 1,600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with high levels of worry died during the study period. Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the study were completed, while 34 percent of the extremely anxious men died of some type of cancer. Instead of stressing about the past or future, focus on the present and relax!
4. Take Selenium（硒）
Selenium is well known for its cancer-fighting properties. In a study of almost 1,000 men, researchers from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that when men with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a-4-year period, they remarkably cut their prostate（前列腺） cancer risk by 92 percent. However, it is possible to get too much of a good thing, so monitor your intake of selenium-containing supplements, Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains carefully.
5. Eat Sushi（寿司）
Seaweed may not be your idea of a great snack, but it is high in fiber, calcium and iron, and dry, roasted seaweed sheets used in sushi provide the additional benefits of vitamins A and C. Sushi rolls are also high in protein. So don’t skimp（节省）on the Sushi!
6. Breathe Clean Air
There’s no question that secondhand smoke kills. A recent American Journal of Public Health study showed that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of carcinogen（致癌物质） in their urine（尿） than nonsmokers working in smoke-free locations. What’s worse, their levels of the carcinogen rose 6 percent for every hour worked. Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants. The message is clear: Do whatever you can to avoid the cloud of smoke.
7. Break a Sweat
Even a small amount of exercise can offer major cancer-fighting benefits. In a study of 29,110 men published in The International Journal of Cancer, men who exercised just once a week had a percent lower risk of metastasis(转移性) prostate cancer than men who didn’t work out at all. The better the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise, the bigger the reduction in risk, according to the study.To prevent yourself from catching colon cancer, you should eat ________ as often as possible.
| A．sushi | B．blueberries |
| C．pomegranates | D．Vitamin D |
A person is very likely to catch some type of cancer if _________________.
| A．he is very fond of exercise every day. |
| B．he is addicted to drinking |
| C．he is always feeling extremely stressed or worried |
| D．he likes to have meals in restaurants |
_____________________________ will remarkably reduce the risk of men’s prostate cancer.
| A．Having a proper supplement of selenium |
| B．Drinking a cup of pomegranate juice every day |
| C．Breathing fresh air now and then |
| D．Taking exercise at least once a week |
If you want to keep cancer away, it is completely important to ______.
| A．have a daily supplement of vitamins B and C |
| B．try to ignore the secondhand smoking |
| C．take in as many selenium-containing supplements as possible |
| D．have exercise as often as possible |
Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch. They may think that eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness. Or, in summer, they may think it is the heat. However, the real reason lies inside their bodies. At that time, about eight hours after you wake up, your body temperature goes down. This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy. Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day. The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
In many parts of the world, people take naps（小睡）in the middle of the day. This is especially true in warmer climates, where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon. Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate. A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health. In countries where naps are traditional, people often suffer less from problems such as heart disease.
Many working people, have no time to take naps. Though doctors may advise taking naps, employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance, however, here are a few tips about making the most of your nap. Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up. A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward. This can also happen if you sleep for too long. If you do not have enough time, try a short nap—even ten minutes of sleep can be helpful.Why do people feel sleepy in the early afternoon according to the text?
| A．They eat too much for lunch. |
| B．They sleep too little at night. |
| C．Their body temperature becomes lower. |
| D．The weather becomes a lot warmer. |
The employers don’t allow taking naps, most probably because ____________________.
| A．Taking naps is no good for health. |
| B．Taking naps may lead to heart attack. |
| C．Taking naps takes up the working time and reduce production. |
| D．Taking naps may leads to low working efficiency.(效率) |
If you get up at 6:30 am, what is the best time for you to take a nap?
| A．About 2:30 pm | B．About 1:30 pm. |
| C．About 12:30 pm | D．About 3:30 pm |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Just for a Rest | B．Taking naps in summer |
| C．A Sleep Pattern | D．Taking Naps in Warmer Climate |
Attitude is an internal (内在的) state that influences the choices of personal action made by the individual(个体的). Some researchers consider that attitudes come from differences between beliefs and ideas; others believe that attitudes come from emotional states. Here, we focus on the effects of attitudes upon behavior, that is, upon the choices of action made by the individual.
The kinds of actions taken by human beings are obviously influenced greatly by attitudes. Whether one listens to classical music or rock, whether one obeys the speed limit while driving, whether one encourages one’s husband or wife to express his or her own ideas－all are influenced by attitudes. These internal states are acquired (获得) throughout life from situations one is faced with in the home, in the streets, and in the school.
Of course, the course of action chosen by an individual in any situation will largely depend on the particulars of that situation. An individual who has a strong attitude of obeying laws may drive too fast when he is in a hurry and no police cars in sight. A child who has a strong attitude of honesty may steal a penny when she thinks no one will notice. But the internal state which remains unchanged over a period of time, and which makes the individual behave regularly in a variety of situations, is what is meant by an attitude.
Attitudes are learned in a variety of ways. They can result from single incidents, as when an attitude toward snakes is acquired by an experience in childhood at the sudden movement of a snake. They can result from the individual’s experiences of success and pleasure, as when someone acquires a positive attitude toward doing crossword puzzles by being able to complete some of them. And frequently, they are learned by copying other people’s behavior, as when a child learns how to behave toward foreigners by observing the actions of his parents. Regardless of these differences, there is something in common in the learning and modification（修正）of attitudes.
| A．come from different situations in one’s life |
| B．largely depend on one’s behavior |
| C．remain unchanged in one’s daily life |
| D．could be chosen according to one’s will |
| A．people often make mistakes when they are not noticed |
| B．people with good attitudes may sometimes do bad deeds |
| C．particulars of a situation may influence an individual’s action |
| D．an individual may change his or her attitude fairly easily |
| A．Attitudes are only learned through one’s success. |
| B．Attitudes learned in danger will last longer. |
| C．Copying others behavior is not a good idea. |
| D．Attitudes can be learned from one’s parents. |