One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.
Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.
Everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to (录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.
Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through. When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.
A.gave him some money |
B.wrote an email to him |
C.went to visit him |
D.went for a journey with him |
What good news did the author’s friend receive?
A.He received the author’s email. |
B.He was told that life would go on. |
C.He would go to Cambridge University. |
D.His life would go back to normal again |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.The author wrote four emails to her friend. |
B.The mother of the author’s friend died from cancer. |
C.The author’s friend is a teacher in Cambridge University. |
D.The author felt relaxed after sending the email. |
From the text, we can learn that the author is ______.
A.sincere and warm-hearted |
B.proud and confident |
C.serious and friendly |
D.funny and responsible |
The author aims to tell us that ______.
A.life is not fair to everybody |
B.time waits for no man |
C.everyone has good and bad times in life |
D.where there is a will, there is a way |
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My mother has always instilled in me the importance of education. Education is essential. It will help me get accepted to college if I perform well academically and advance my opportunities for success in the future. Most jobs now require at least a high school diploma, and for many jobs, a college degree is preferred. It is important that all students have excellent educators in their life to help them achieve and have the opportunity to go to college, get a job, support themselves and their family, and impact the community.
As we celebrate and honor all teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, I’ve reflected on the impact my teachers have had, and will continue to have, in my life. From Mr. Bowker, who challenged me in math, to Mr. Bernsteen, my health teacher who taught me the value of hard work, my teachers have helped shape the student I am today. But one of the teachers who left a lasting impression on me was my summer school teacher, Mr. Davis, who impacted me beyond the classroom. He found time to connect with me on a personal level and talk to me after class. I felt like Mr. Davis cared about my academic success and was committed to setting an example of what’s possible.
Mr. Davis could relate to what it was like to be a rising ninth-grade black male in today’s society. He taught me how to speak up confidently and share my ideas with others. He told me that I was brilliant and that when I spoke, the world should listen. And when I would put my hand down because I was unsure of my answer, Mr. Davis would immediately say, “No guts, no glory.” He never made me feel inadequate; he encouraged me to always pursue knowledge because he, too, was learning every day. Mr. Davis helped me navigate the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities.
I think having more black male teachers like Mr. Davis in the classroom could increase student success. They would share the background and experiences of many of their students and help build long-lasting teacher/student relationships. But, unfortunately, the likelihood that students of color in Nevada will have a teacher that looks like them is one of the lowest in the country.
As the student population becomes more ethnically diverse, teachers in Nevada still are predominantly white. According to a 2012 Education Week report, in the Clark County School District, nearly 70 percent of students identified as students of color, but 76 percent of teachers were white. The numbers for black male teachers are more discouraging. Just 2 percent of teachers nationwide are black men.
But you can help change the numbers. Whether you decide to study education in college or graduate school, or apply to programs in Las Vegas such as Teach For America, I hope more black males will consider teaching as a career.
My peers and I need more examples of excellence and success in classrooms—examples who look like us. You can be the model to impact our life and push us to achieve. You can ensure that, when we look to the front of the room, we can see a little bit of ourselves reflected back.Mr. Davis left the author with a very deep impression mainly because he ________.
A.was extremely knowledgeable and hard-working |
B.was a role model to teach hearts and change minds |
C.spent much time helping the author with his homework |
D.kept in close touch with the author even after graduation |
The underlined word “guts” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ________.
A.bravery | B.connection |
C.opportunity | D.qualification |
By writing the passage, the author intends to ________.
A.show students’ love for their teachers |
B.appeal to more black males to be teachers |
C.express sympathy for students of color |
D.advertise for black male teachers |
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Heading to Seattle? What’s New in Washington’s Seaside City?
Advice to visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market may border on cliché—but for a good reason.
“Whether you’re visiting Washington’s seaside city for vacation or just stopping by en route to and from the coming Sasquatch music festival, Pike Place is an easy catch-all destination for shopping, eating and just plain walking around,” said Kirk Johnson, The New York Times’s Seattle bureau chief for the past three years.
The Seattle Great Wheel is one of many stops to consider in Washington’s seaside city.
“Almost any day of the week, especially on the weekend, it’s a crazy fun scene of people shopping,” Mr. Johnson said. “There’s also pretty good food.” He recommends wandering into whatever place—especially a hole in the wall—catches your eye.
There is one specific restaurant Mr. Johnson likes: the Pink Door, which has no signage and can be found only by its rosy entrance. “It’s creative, interesting Italian,” he said. “In the summer they get a lot of great fresh vegetables and probably have the best tomato bruschetta I’ve had.”
He also recommends the nearby Pioneer Square, the oldest neighborhood in Seattle. Its historic architecture has charm, and the area isn’t bad for a lunch break, he said. The clear favorite here is Salumi—which, as the name suggests, is known for its cured meats. Mr. Johnson did warn, however, that it’s necessary to plan for the fact that the restaurant has a long line as soon as it opens.
Pioneer Square is also a portal to Seattle’s maritime world that remains alive and well. Ferry rides are a short walk away. Mr. Johnson said the ferry ride to Bainbridge Island provides “a great view of the city,” and it’s not a long ride back to the mainland.
At some point, you may see sculptures emerging on the horizon—that would be the Olympic Sculpture Park, which is operated by the Seattle Art Museum, Mr. Johnson said, and that’s worth a visit itself.
People who want to experience Seattle’s nearby charms can easily do so with a bicycle, Mr. Johnson said, if they want to get away from depending on a car. He takes a ride to Chateau Ste. Michelle, a famous winery outside the city. Starting in June, he said, Chateau Ste. Michelle hosts a summer concert series on its lawn.If you are a music lover, you are advised to go to ________.
A.the Seattle Art Museum |
B.the Seattle Great Wheel |
C.the Olympic Sculpture Park |
D.Chateau Ste. Michelle |
According to Kirk Johnson, we know that ________.
A.people often have a good time shopping happily in Bainbridge Island |
B.it is a great challenge to find the busy and popular restaurant Salumi |
C.Pioneer Square is famous for its fascinating historic architecture |
D.cycling is far from a good way to experience Seattle’s nearby charms |
What are you encouraged to do if you are going to visit Seattle?
A.Try the tomato bruschetta in the Pink Door. |
B.Go there in groups during the winter holidays. |
C.Depend on cars for the sake of convenience. |
D.Enjoy the sculptures in Pike Place Market. |
阅读理解
While working in Southeast Asia in the mid 1990’s, I became a branch manager in a factory. At the beginning, I used human relations principles, such as putting myself into the others place to help gain trust. After a few months, I was told that the factory team members liked and trusted me.
Then the owner, seeing how everyone thought well of me, believed that I could become an instrument of change to carry out his several unpopular programs. The factory members resisted and eventually saw me as a puppet controlled by the owner. The more I insisted that they ‘follow orders’ the more they found ways to weaken the new changes.
Finally, I was replaced by a manager who knew enough to please both masters. Even though the owner did not like the fact that his new changes were not immediately applied, the new manager gained his power by the support received from his team together with an intention to find a way. What I learned was that your team must always see you as supportive of their needs, even to the extent that the owner may not be pleased that you are unable to follow their wishes. At the end of the day, if your people do not follow you then you are no longer in charge and will be replaced.
At first I blamed my boss for putting me in such a position. Then in honest reflection, I began to realize that he had probably hoped that I would have found some middle ground. What I could have done was to first obtain their advice about why they did not wish to follow the new policy changes, and then I should have used my influence with both the owner and team members to find a better way.
Though, in fact it is a painful lesson for me, it has served me well along my career path!What can we learn from the passage?
A.Obeying is the best quality. |
B.Giving is always a pleasure. |
C.Appreciating others will benefit a lot. |
D.Dealing with relationship is important. |
The underlined word “puppet” has the similar meaning to .
A.instrument | B.assistant |
C.wretch | D.winner |
Which is the right order according to the passage?
a. He was removed from his position.
b. He got on poorly with the coworkers.
c. He carried out the orders of the owner.
d. He became a branch manager.
f. He was believed in not only by coworkers but leaders.
A.a, b, d, c, f | B.f, d, c, b, a |
C.d, f, c, b, a | D.d, c, f, b, a |
From the third paragraph we can infer that .
A.the new manager carried out the programs at once |
B.the new manager got on badly with workers |
C.workers need to be recognized and supported |
D.you should make full use of your power |
阅读理解
The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蚁堆).
Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning equipment didn’t have to be imported.
The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井) open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通风口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.
During summer’s cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.
This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature changes—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its hot summers and cold winters,” Pearce said.
The engineering firm of Ove Arup & Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.Why was Eastgate cheaper to be built than a conventional building?
A.It was designed in a smaller size. |
B.No air conditioners were fixed in. |
C.Its heating system was less advanced. |
D.It used rather different building materials. |
What does “it” refer to in Paragraph 3?
A.Hollow space. |
B.Baseboard vent. |
C.Fresh air from outside. |
D.Heat in the building. |
Why would a building like Eastgate Not work efficiently in New York?
A.New York has less clear skies as Harare. |
B.Its dampness affects the circulation of air. |
C.New York covers a larger area than Harare. |
D.Its temperature changes seasonally rather than daily. |
The data in the last paragraph suggests Eastgate’s temperature control system_____.
A.works better in hot seasons |
B.can recycle up to 30% of the air |
C.functions well for most of the year |
D.allows a wide range of temperatures |
阅读理解
There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority it must be given over in general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities of spelling?
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher's interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to "play safe". He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That's why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: "This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible." It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil's technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child's deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the child's ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation to seek improvement.Teachers differ in their opinions about ________.
A.the difficulties in teaching spelling |
B.the necessity of teaching spelling |
C.the complexities of the basic writing skills |
D.the role of spelling in general language development |
The expression "play safe" probably means “_______”.
A.to write carefully |
B.to avoid using words one is not sure of |
C.to do as teachers say |
D.to use dictionaries frequently |
Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that ______.
A.teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes |
B.students will have more confidence in writing |
C.students will be able to express their ideas more freely |
D.students will learn to be independent of teachers |
The major point discussed in the passage is ________.
A.the relationship between spelling and content of a composition |
B.the importance of developing writhing skills |
C.the correct way of marking compositions |
D.the complexities of spelling |