As I sat beside the window of our classroom that afternoon, my heart sank further with each passing car. This was a day I’d looked forward to for weeks: Miss Pace’s fourth-grade, end-of-the-year party. I had happily volunteered my mother when Miss Pace looked for cookie volunteers. Mom’s chocolate chips were well-known, and I knew they’d be a hit with my classmates. But two o’clock passed, and there was no sign of her. Most of the other mothers had already come and gone, dropping off their sweet offerings. The three o’clock bell soon took me away from my thoughts and I took my book bag from my desk. I decided I would slam the front door, and refuse to return her hug.
But when I arrived, she wasn’t at home. I was lying face-down on my bed upstairs when I heard her come through the front door. “Robbie,” she called out a bit urgently. “Where are you?” I could then hear her rushing anxiously from room to room, wondering where I could be. I remained silent. Coming through the door, she said: “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. “I just forgot. I got busy and forgot.” Then my mother did something completely unexpected. She began to laugh! How could she laugh at a time like this? I rolled over and faced her, ready to let her see my rage (愤怒). But my mother wasn’t laughing at all. She was crying. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I let you down. I let my little boy down.”
I was moved by her tears. I tried to remember her kind words from times past when I’d skinned knees or cut myself, times when she knew just the right thing to say. “It’s okay, Mom. We didn’t even need those cookies. There was plenty of stuff to eat. Don’t cry. It’s all right. Really.” We didn’t say another word. We just held each other. When we came to the point where I would usually pull away, I decided that, this time, I could hold on, perhaps, just a little bit longer. The author was pretty down because ________.
| A.he couldn’t go to the party he had been looking forward to |
| B.his mother didn’t turn up at the party as she had promised |
| C.his mother had refused to make chocolate chips for the party |
| D.the cookies his mom made was not popular at the party |
When the author returned home, ________.
| A.he was so angry that he slammed the front door. |
| B.he was silent and refused to return his mother’s hug. |
| C.he rushed from room to room looking for his mother. |
| D.he was so disappointed that he couldn’t express his anger to his mother. |
We can tell from the story that _______.
| A.the mother didn’t get to the party because of the traffic jam |
| B.the mother was sorry for her absence and laughed at herself |
| C.the author was a caring and thoughtful boy |
| D.the author was overcome with anger |
The article conveys the message that _______.
| A.it is silly to be angry with your family |
| B.everybody should keep his or her promises |
| C.true love is based on understanding |
| D.understanding how to comfort people in low spirits is a true skill |
ASK LASKAS
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS. SHE'S GOT ANSWERS
Q: My problem is computer gaming. I do it day and night, averaging four hours of sleep. I can't control of this, and I don't know where to go for help. Do you? —Player
A: Dear Player,
You have an addiction. For some people playing video games releases dopamine, a powerful brain chemical that makes you feel good. You'd toss your cigarettes if you were ready to quit, right? To kick the habit, get help from a health professional. And don't look for help on line; that would be like an alcoholic going to the bar for advice.
Q: My brother's wife just had triplets(三胞胎). This is such a joy! Yet every time I share the news with co-workers, they ask me if she was on fertility pills. I think this is rude—or has society just become so talk-show numbed (麻木的)that you can ask anyone anything? —No Show Host
A: Dear Host,
Yes. Our society has become increasingly disrespectful of privacy. But don't blame it all on the talk-shows. Continue to celebrate and greet impolite questions with stony silence. Their fertility history is nobody's business but their own.
Q: I work at an amusement park, and my manager steals supplies. She has a catering business on the side, and we've seen her load up her van at the back gates. The big bosses think she is the best thing since buttered bread, and we're all afraid that if we say anything, we'll lose our jobs. What can we do? —Righteous
A: Dear Righteous,
Be sure you're right. You must have evidence about what and why things are going out the back gates. Once you know for certain, it's time to go to the bosses and report what you have seen.
Q: My stepson's wife sometimes leaves their eight-year-old home alone for "a short run to the store." That may be an hour or so. I believe by law we should report it. What do you think?
—The In-laws
A: Dear Laws,
I don't know what the child-protection laws in your state are, but I do know that children need care and attention. This child may be able and unafraid, but kids aren't always careful. It also sounds like there is stress in your family relationship. One thing you can do to help this situation is offer to baby-sit when Mom needs to step out.Which of the following statements is true?
| A.Dopamine is a powerful brain chemical good to our health. |
| B.Looking for help on line is like getting help from a health professional. |
| C.Player is a video game addict who smokes and sleeps few hours. |
| D.Player is advised to stay clear of the screen. |
According to the Q&A, .
| A.Host's colleagues are insensitive |
| B.The talk-show is to blame |
| C.Somebody's business is everybody's |
| D.Host's sister-in-law was on fertility pills |
What we can infer from the Q&A is.
| A.The Mom is not to blame because she needs a short run to the store |
| B.Children need care and attention, though not for all of them |
| C.Laws, the old lady, wants to report what she sees to the child's father |
| D.Laskas doesn't seem to approve of Laws' trying to report what she sees |
Which Q&A mentioned transport?
| A.The first | B.The second. | C.The third. | D.None. |
Rachel Carson, born in rural Pennsylvania in 1907, had a great impact on the environment. Carson earned a master’s degree in zoology in 1932. It was as a writer and not as a research scientist, however, that she made her mark, sharing her view that human beings are just one element in a larger natural order.
In the articles on natural history Carson wrote for various publications, she expressed dry facts in poetic and persuasive language. She wrote five books. Two of them, The Sea Around Us and The Edge of the Sea, have been called “biographies of the ocean.”
Carson also made the world aware of how scientific discoveries can harm as well as help living things. In her best-selling book Silent Spring, Carson challenged the profligate use of chemical pesticides by large agricultural and government organizations. She was the first to detail how the pesticide DDT had entered the food chain and damaged populations of bald eagles, falcons, and brown pelicans by causing the shells of their eggs to become so thin that they could not withstand the weight of the parent bird.
Carson died of cancer in 1964. Today, the Rachel Carson Council collects and disseminates (散播) information on pesticide-related issues. In 1970, the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge, a large area of salt marsh and freshwater habitat in Maine, was dedicated to her memory.Which of the following words is closest to the meaning of the underlined word in paragraph 3 ?
| A.excessive | B.inadequate | C.authoritative | D.efficient |
Which of the following inferences is correct ?
| A.Carson wrote books that the average person could understand. |
| B.Dangerous properties of new chemical products may be immediately apparent. |
| C.If not for Carson, no one would have learned about the dangers of DDT. |
| D.In 1970, large quantities of salt and freshwater were dedicated to Carson’s memory by the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge |
Which of the statements below expresses the main idea of the passage ?
| A.Writers have played an important role in the battle against pollution. |
| B.The scientist Rachel Carson taught people about environmental issues through her writing. |
| C.Carson’s book Silent Spring changed the way some pesticides were used. |
| D.Many of Carson’s books were about pesticide-related issues. |
Tree House
The Tree House program is for students with an English or bilingual preschool background. Foreign teachers further develop students’ natural English speaking skills from 1st through 6th grades in a total immersion environment. The program is theme-based with different units or themes per semester. Each unit includes a theme-related storybook, song, dialogue, writing and phonic exercises, grammar component, poem, and integrated activities.
Step Ahead
Step Ahead is a standalone course that takes children in 3rd grade with no prior English knowledge and by 6th grade, transforms them into confident, near-fluent English communicators. Our program has a strategic balance of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Regular lessons are broken into phonics, reading, grammar patterns, conversation, songs, and homework preview
Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club
Our Jump Into English, Kids World, and Kids Club courses are a great way to develop good English habits at younger ages. Jump Into English is for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds and is a cost-effective alternative to English preschool. Kids Club and Kids World are for students in 1st and 2nd grades and are full of singing, dancing, games, and fun activities to help young children learn English more easily.
Theme-based and Honors Courses
We have theme-based courses to help learners prepare for specific areas of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and to develop the performance skills they will need in some of our exciting activities. When learners graduate from our Tree House and Step Ahead programs, they can continue to excel in English through our Honors programs.A child who hasn’t learned English before can choose _____ to develop confidence and fluency in English communication.
| A.Tree House |
| B.Theme-based and Honors Courses |
| C.Step Ahead |
| D.Jump Into English, Kids World, Kids Club |
One of the advantages of Jump Into English is _____.
| A.saving money compared to English preschool |
| B.helping learners to get prepared for English tests |
| C.helping young children to learn English easily |
| D.that it covers different language skills |
The purpose of the passage is _____.
| A.to introduce an English language school for children |
| B.to persuade more children to learn English in a fun way |
| C.to emphasize the importance of after-class activities |
| D.to introduce English classes of varying degrees for kids |
In the United States and several other countries, 2.5 million children play baseball in an organization called Little League. They play on teams in their hometowns. Their parents and other adults in the community coach or instruct them and serve as umpires to make sure that everyone follows the rules. Local businesses give money for the ball fields and the uniforms. Local teams compete against each other and the winners get to play teams that are more distant. Eventually, the top teams go to the Little League World Series.
One hundred years after Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839, Little League got started in Pennsylvania. Three men started the game for neighborhood boys with a smaller playing field and fewer innings than adult baseball. Little League became popular after World War II when the game spread across the United States. By 1955 it was played throughout North America and within five years it had spread to Europe. Children’s baseball really caught on in Japan and Taiwan of China and teams from those areas won the World Series seven out of eight years. After this, the organization tried banning foreign teams from the World Series, but the ban came to an end after one year.
At first, Little League was only for boys aged nine to twelve. However, in 1974, the parents of girl baseball players brought a law suit. The courts ruled that Little League had to include both boys and girls. Later Little League added on softball and other games for teenagers up to age eighteen. Occasionally a Little Leaguer becomes a professional player. For example, Gary Carter went from Little League to play nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, ten of them as an All-Star player. But, by and large, youngsters play baseball for fun and because their parents are proud of them.The mothers and fathers of Little League players ______.
| A.help run the games | B.travel in coaches |
| C.give the teams money | D.play in the World Series |
In what year was Little League established?
| A.1839 | B.1939 | C.1955 | D.1960 |
Why do most players take part in Little League?
| A.To play in the Major League. |
| B.To have fun and please their parents. |
| C.They expect a profit from All-Star games |
| D.They want to learn how to serve as umpires. |
What is true about players today?
| A.Little League is only for neighbourhood boys. |
| B.Girl players have to buy their suits. |
| C.Girls and boys can participate to age eighteen. |
| D.Children can only play until age twelve. |
Dan Bebber is a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter in Britain. He says research has shown that wild plants and animals are moving toward Earth's North and South poles as the planet warms.
Mr Bebber wanted to know if the same thing was happening with organisms that attack agricultural crops. He examined reports of first sightings of new insects and diseases around the world. The records came from CABI - the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International. He says the group began collecting information from developing and industrialized countries years ago.
Dan Bebber and his research team studied 612 different organisms - from viruses and bacteria to insects like beetles and butterflies. They found that since 1960, crop pests and diseases have been moving toward the poles at an average rate of about 3 kilometers each year. Mr Bebber says this puts the most productive farmland in the world in danger.
"As new species of pests and diseases evolve and potentially the environment for them becomes more amenable at higher latitudes, the pressure on the breadbaskets of the world is going to increase."
Farmers face other threats. Invasive species passed through trade are also causing problems. Gene Kritsky is an Entomologist at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio. He specialises in the study of insects. He says climate change may improve conditions for some invasive species.
“It means that species in other parts of the world that might do well in warmer temperatures can now do well in the breadbasket of America.”
Another Entomologist Christian Krupke of Purdue University says the effects of these changes will depend very much on the crop, the insect and the disease. But he says the research is a warning sign that people should care about climate change and do something about it.The purpose of Dan Bebber’s research was to find ______.
| A.if farmland could be moved to colder places thanks to global warming |
| B.if diseases and insects harmful to crops were going towards colder areas |
| C.if organisms were moving to the north and south poles |
| D.if the number of crop pests was increasing |
According to Dan Bebber, if crop pests keep moving towards the poles, ______.
| A.it will be hard for farmers to kill them |
| B.the most productive farmland will produce more crops |
| C.the earth will not produce enough food to support the world |
| D.the conditions for some crops may be improved |
Which of the following is not a threat that farmers have to face?
| A.Climate change helps crop pests to adapt to new environment. |
| B.Foreign species are brought in by trade. |
| C.Invasive species doing well in warmer places might do well in America. |
| D.The impacts of the climate and species changes on crops are not easy to determine. |
The underlined word “amenable” in the fourth paragraph most probably means ______.
| A.agreeable | B.terrible | C.unfriendly | D.changeable |