Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was ______.
A.caring | B.moving | C.encouraging | D.interesting |
According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors. | B.Nurses. | C.Friends. | D.Mom. |
What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel. |
B.His previous business success of various levels. |
C.His mom’s support. |
D.His wife’s suggestion. |
Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A.Modest, helpful, and hard-working. |
B.Loving, supportive and strong-willed. |
C.Careful, helpful and beautiful. |
D.Strict, sensitive and supportive. |
Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family. |
B.Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work. |
C.Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education. |
D.Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities. |
A public primary school in New York City has stopped giving its students homework.
P.S.116 Principal Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents last month explaining that after more than a year of analyzing studies,the school had concluded that students’after-school time would be better spent on activities like reading at their own pace and playing rather than working on homework.
Hsu’s letter says that many studies indicate that there is no connection between homework and academic success.Indeed,there are some studies that show that the link between homework and success is doubtful at the primary school level.
An important 1989 study on homework by Professor Cooper found that doing homework led students to perform better in school as they grew older.In later grades,students who did homework performed increasingly better than students who did not.In 2006,Cooper published a study that analyzed 15 years’worth of data on the effectiveness of homework.He found that homework had a more positive impact on students as they aged,and identified stronger relations between homework and achievement for students in grades seven through 12 than for students in kindergarten through sixth grade.
A 2012 study from the Indiana University School of Education on 10th-graders found little relation between time spent on homework and better course grades,although it did find a positive relation between homework time and standardized test performance.
Some parents of P.S.116 students are not happy with the decision to eliminate homework.
“I think they should have homework—some of it is about discipline.I want(my daughter)to have fun,but I also want her to be working towards a goal,”Daniel Tasman,the father of a second—grader at the schoo1.
“You have to do homework in order to gain;you have to do homework because they may not be able to comprehend everything in school,”Sharon Blake,a grandmother of a P.S.116 student.Principal Jane Hsu wrote the letter to the parents to_________.
A.analyze the test results of the students |
B.suggest students’reading at their own pace and playing |
C.tell them about the conclusion of the research |
D.give them the reason for the decision of the school |
The decision to stop giving students homework depends upon________.
A.studies on the link between homework and academic success |
B.students’wish to spend their time on activities or playing |
C.Professor Cooper’s research on the effectiveness of homework |
D.the ideas of both school authorities and parents |
Harris Cooper found in his research that________.
A.kindergarten students spent too much time doing activities |
B.doing homework made the kindergarten students cleverer |
C.only elderly students should be given homework to do |
D.students benefit more from doing homework as they grow older |
What does the underlined word“eliminate”in Paragraph 6 mean?
A.Refuse. | B.Cancel. | C.Increase. | D.Reduce. |
October sixteenth is World Food Day.This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(F.A.O.).The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger.It was created in 1945.
The F.A.O.says more than one hundred fifty countries are to hold special events to celebrate World Food Day.At F.A.O.headquarters in Rome,for example,runners will compete in a five-kilometer race through the city’s historical area.Events in other countries include discussions among experts,press conferences and musical programs.
The message of this year’s World Food Day is“investing in agriculture for food security”.The F.A.O.says,“During the early 1990s,the foreign aid for agriculture was nine thousand million dollars each year.But now, it has declined to less than five thousand million dollars a year.”Yet, the F.A.O.estimates that more than eight hundred and fifty million people around the world do not get enough food.
The UN agency notes that seventy percent of the world’s hungry lies in the farmers who grow small amount of food.Many also face problems of feeding themselves.The F.A.O.says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops.Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and re-invest in their farms.They could buy better seeds,equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow.
Muhammad Yunis.the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve the lives of poor people,as well as his Bangladesh microfinance organization,the Grameen Bank,has lent small amount of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans,especially women.Minister Yunis says that he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollars Nobel award to good causes.He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor.To celebrate the World Food Day, how many kinds of activities are mentioned in the passage?
A.Two. | B.Three. | C.Four. | D.Five. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The F.A.O.is established to invest in agriculture for food security.
B.The foreign aid for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50%in recent decades.
C.The Grameen Bank has provided large amount of loans for poor farmers.
D.Yunis will donate his entire Nobel award to help solve the hunger for the poor.With agricultural aid,farmers can_________________.
A.promote the production of crops |
B.produce low-cost food |
C.invest money in other fields |
D.help to improve crop seeds |
The writer wrote the passage mainly to____________.
A.give an introduction of the F.A.O.
B.inform us of the situations of the world food
C.appeal for more investment on agriculture
D.show how to deal with the world’s hunger
So far,this year’s global music market has definitely been dominated (支配)by women:Beyonce Knowles,Taylor Swirl,and Iggy Azalea are all making waves.And one hot name that adds more conviction to the list is US singer Ariana Grande.
Almost exactly a year ago,Grande released her first album,Yours Truly. And over the past 12 months,the 21-year-old former Nickelodeon(an American TV channel for kids and adolescents)star has transformed from a pop artist you might recognize to an outstanding superstar.She now possesses three top 10 singles in the current Billboard Hot 100 chart,an impressive opening performance at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards,and millions of followers on social networking sites.
Her second album,My Everything, which was released on Aug 25,is the latest sign of her coming dominance.It hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week,making her the only other female singer after Scotland’s Susan Boyle to have two continuous No.1 albums in a single year.
Grande’s strength lies in her powerful voice and wide voiced range.Unlike her companions Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato,Grande’s star power is rooted in the fact that she can really sing.More importantly,Grande knows how to control her voice,which is at once strong and sensitive,and use it to expand her musical territory.
My Everything is the best example.In this album,Grande literally tries her hand at everything:dance music,R&B jams,hip-hop tunes,power ballads and even’60s-inflected pop.
While you can clearly sense her ambition as a singer,you will be impressed by how effortlessly she handles these different styles of music,especially if you have listened to Yours Truly,a more refreshing.’90s R&B—influenced project.
Of course,one suggestion for Grande’s future music would be for her to display more personality instead of simply showing her voiced talent.But not to worry, based on what we’ve heard thus far, it's safe to say Grande is well on her way to growing into her own.Which of the following contributes to Grande’s great success?
A.The impressive opening performance.
B.Her followers on social networking sites.
C.The influence of’60s pop and’90s R&B.
D.Her powerful voice and wide voiced range.We can conclude from the last paragraph that Grande_________.
A.1ikes to show off her voice |
B.is a promising superstar |
C.1acks her own personality |
D.has difficulty going further |
What can we learn about Ariana Grande?
A.She prefers hip-hop tunes in particular. |
B.She used to be a pop star in a TV channel. |
C.She has two top 10 singles of Billboard’s Hot 100. |
D.She is the only singer to have two No.1 albums in a year. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.A Rising Music Genius |
B.The Music Market of Women |
C.Susan Boyle and Her Companions |
D.Different Styles of Grande’s Music |
An electric signal can trick a monkey’s brain into believing the animal’s finger has been touched.
Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something.
A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team’s findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without it may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That’s why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs.
In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys (恒河猴). The scientists implanted electrodes (电极)--- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal—into the animals’ brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn’t.
The monkeys couldn’t use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction—just as when they had really been touched.
The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers “ a nice clear pathway” for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee(被截肢者) or someone with a injury of spinal cord.
The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can “feel” with such a prosthesis (假肢). But such a supersensory device doesn’t exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys.
“ I think the foundation is laid for human trials,” Bensmaia said.What does the underlined word “it” refer to ?
A.The sense of touch. |
B.An artificial limb. |
C.The turning of a doorknob. |
D.The lifting of a cup |
Bensmania tested monkeys to prove that the feeling of touch_________.
A.is important to everyday tasks |
B.may not require making actual contact |
C.is a problem of life and death |
D.may be a challenge for designers of artificial limbs. |
Monkeys tell researchers their sense of touch by _______.
A.putting up one of their fingers |
B.making their brain cells active |
C.looking in a particular direction |
D.mimicking natural signals in the brain |
The last sentence of the text suggests humans _________.
A.will use touch-sensitive devices |
B.will test monkeys soon |
C.lay foundations for monkey trials |
D.will be tested on the electrodes |
The passage is mainly about ________.
A.restoring a sense of touch |
B.fooling a clever monkey |
C.making new artificial limbs |
D.sending a signal with a touch |
SUMMER OUTDOOR MOVIES
Pre-movie activities |
|
July 2: |
The Great SBCC Challenge ----SBCC |
July 9: |
Magician ---- Jeff Evans |
July 16: |
Pizza Toss ---- Pagliacci |
July 23: |
Name the Right Price ---- Whole Foods Market |
July 30: |
Banana Races ---- Edible Arrangements |
Aug 6: |
60 Second Challenge ---- Inome |
Aug 13: |
Zumba Fitness ---- SBCC |
Aug 20: |
Movie Trivia Night ---- Bellevue. com |
Family, Friends, and Neighbors, get cool !
Bring your picnics, blankets and low-back chairs!
The Parks & Community Services Department presents free outdoor movies with popcorn at Bellevue Downtown Park this summer. Grab a blanket, a low-back chair, family, friends, neighbors or co-workers, and head to the park. Sponsored by Inome, films will be shown under the stars on a huge, 40-foot inflatable(可充气的) screen with a state-of-the-art projection(放映) and sound system.
The movie series begins on Tuesday, July 2, 2014. Activities, which last about one hour, begin at 8 pm before each movie, so come early, stake your ground and have some fun. Movies are family-friendly and carry a PG (parental guidance) rating.
Support a great cause; each movie night is accompanied by a different charity. Please bring suggested donated items to support the organization of the night. Your donations will make a difference to the poor, disabled and disadvantaged.
● Location- Bellevue Downtown Park, 10201 NE Fourth St. Bellevue at Downtown Park’s parking lots.
● In case of inclement weather, such as heavy rains, or violent storms, movies will be held indoors at the South Bellevue Community Center, 14509 SE Newport Way.
● Movies and activities are subject to change without notice.The movie series lasts about __________.
A.eight weeks | B.five weeks |
C.seven weeks | D.ten weeks |
Movies begin at about __________.
A.6 pm | B.7 pm | C.8 pm | D.9 pm |
We can infer that the Summer Outdoor Movies is mainly intended to _________.
A.provide amusements and entertainments for the kids |
B.collect money for the poor, disabled and disadvantaged |
C.promote new products made by Whole Foods Market |
D.offer chances to young people to display their talents |
The underlined word “ inclement” means “______”.
A.fine | B.bad | C.cool | D.Hot |