One day, when I was working as a psychologist in England,an adolescent boy showed up in my office. It was David. He kept walking up and down restlessly, his face pale, and his hands shaking slightly. His head teacher had referred him to me. "This boy has lost his family," he wrote. "He is understandably very sad and refuses to talk to others, and I'm very worried about him. Can you help?”
I looked at David and showed him to a chair. How could I help him? There are problems psychology doesn’t have the answer to, and which no words can describe. Sometimes the best thing one can do is to listen openly and sympathetically.
The first two times we met, David didn't say a word. He sat there, only looking up to look at the children's drawings on the wall behind me. I suggested we play a game of chess. He nodded. After that he played chess with me every Wednesday afternoon——in complete silence and without looking at me. It's not easy to cheat in chess, but I admit I made sure David won once or twice.
Usually, he arrived earlier than agreed, took the chess board and pieces from the shelf and began setting them up before I even got a chance to sit down. It seemed as if he enjoyed my company. But why did he never look at me?
"Perhaps he simply needs someone to share his pain with," I thought. "Perhaps he senses that I respect his suffering.”Some months later, when we were playing chess, he looked up at me suddenly.
"Is your turn," he said.
After that day, David started talking. He got friends in school and joined a bicycle club. He wrote to me a few times about his biking with some friends, and about his plan to get into university. Now he had really started to live his own life.
Maybe I gave David something. But I also learned that one——without any words——can reach out to another person. All it takes is a hug, a shoulder to cry on, a friendly touch, and an ear that listens.When he first met the author, David .
| A.felt a little excited |
| B.looked a little nervous |
| C.walked energetically |
| D.showed up with his teacher |
As a psychologist, the author .
| A.was able to describe David's problem |
| B.was skeptical about psychology |
| C.was ready to listen to David |
| D.was sure of handling David's problem |
David enjoyed being with the author because he________.
| A.wanted to ask the author for advice |
| B.bear the author many times in the chess game |
| C.liked the children’s drawings in the office |
| D.need to share sorrow with the author |
What can be inferred about David?
| A.He recovered after months of treatment. |
| B.He liked biking before he lost his family. |
| C.He went into university soon after starting to talk. |
| D.He got friends in school before he met the author. |
What made David change?
| A.His teacher’s help. |
| B.The author’s friendship. |
| C.The author’s silent communication with him. |
| D.His exchange of letters with the author. |
Two things I really believe in—saving money and saving the planet,and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time.
Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing.In the near future,rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelveyearold girls carrying cell phones.
Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater.Bermuda,for example,every building on the small island collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use.However,America_is_just_slightly_behind_the_curve.
There are many ways you can begin harvesting rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive.Use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off of your roof.You'd be surprised how fast a fiftygallon barrel will fill with free,usable water.New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater,and the cost of installation is usually offset by reduced usage very quickly.Roof drains can be piped into underground tanks,where a pump can draw it up as needed.
The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable...but wait—there's more!If that rainwater were not collected,but allowed to run over your lawn,into the street and eventually to a stormwater treatment facility,it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey—fertilizers and pesticides from the grass,motor oil,antifreeze and such from the roads,and who knows what else.
Depending on where you live,the stormwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants.Either way,the treatment of stormwater is costly.If you reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from your home or office,you reduce the need for treatment.
Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think.In the year 2000,the United States used approximately 326 billion gallons of fresh water per day.What does the underlined sentence “America is just slightly behind the curve” mean?
| A.Americans don't show interest in harvesting rainwater. |
| B.There is no need for Americans to harvest rainwater. |
| C.Harvesting rainwater in America is not that common. |
| D.Americans can't collect rainwater from the roof correctly. |
According to the passage,harvesting rainwater can ________.
| A.benefit you economically and ecologically |
| B.benefit your health and the surroundings around |
| C.promote the development of economy and peace |
| D.make us live a better life in the near future |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly concerned with?
| A.How to take advantage of the rainwater. |
| B.How to fix the equipment under the ground. |
| C.How to reduce the cost of new equipment. |
| D.How to harvest rainwater effectively. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A.it is not easy to make rainwater drinkable |
| B.the author calls on people to harvest rainwater |
| C.the stormwater cannot be made drinkable |
| D.people can treat the stormwater very easily |
Funloving Paul Johnson has scooped the title of the Scarborough Evening News Teacher of the Year 2008.Mr.Johnson,of Hinderwell School,was presented with the award after four of his pupils nominated him for the prestigious title.
Evening News editor Ed Asquith presented Mr.Johnson with his certificate and a cheque for £100 yesterday.His class is also set to enjoy a free trip to the Sea Life Centre which includes being picked up by a complimentary Shoreline Suncruisers opentop bus.
The 30yearold,who lives in Hunmanby,said,“I am just so shocked.I have been nominated for this award for a few years and I never thought I would win it.It is fantastic.It is completely out_of_the_blue.”
Mr.Johnson has worked as a Year 5 teacher at the school for seven years.He also works as an advanced skills teacher which involves visiting other schools in the country once a week to offer crosscurricular teaching.
He was chosen as the winner because of his dynamic but educationally engaging approach to teaching,and based on the real way he has demonstrated that every child matters.Each term he picks a theme for his class and the curriculum is based around it.This term,they are studying medieval times—and his classroom has a castle in one corner.He also treated his class to a threeday trip to London earlier this year.
His nominators were Lucy and Emily Desborough,Rachel Laverick and Rebecca Miller.Classmate Callum Macdonald,10,said,“He is the best teacher in the world and he deserves this.He is brilliant with us and he is just so funny.He tells lots of jokes which always make us laugh.”Beth Lawty,9,added,“Our classroom is the best ever.We have really enjoyed being in his class and I will miss him next year.”Paul Johnson's class will ________because of his winning the award.
| A.receive a cheque for £100 |
| B.be offered a free trip to the Sea Life Centre |
| C.have a threeday trip to London |
| D.take an opentop bus to London for free |
Why is there a castle in one corner of Paul Johnson's classroom?
| A.It is used to train the students' imagination. |
| B.It is a prize from the Scarborough Evening News. |
| C.The students can play in it after calss. |
| D.It is probably a symbol of medieval times. |
What do we know about Paul Johnson's approach to teaching from the passage?
| A.He has no fixed theme for teaching. |
| B.He teaches in a funny and flexible way. |
| C.He changes his teaching theme frequently. |
| D.He bases his curriculum on jokes. |
The underlined part“out of the blue”probably means “________”.
| A.of surprise | B.frustrating |
| C.of great fame | D.within easy reach |
What is the most popular food in western countries? If you are not sure, statistics might give you the answer.
Every year,some 20 million people walk into restaurants and buy 2 billion sandwiches. Americans alone eat more than 1 billion sandwiches annually. If you lined up all the sandwiches Westerners eat in a year, they would go around the world 13 times!
When John Montagu made the very first sandwich in England in 1762, he couldn't have imagined that it would still be very popular almost 250 years later. There is a campaign starting this month in the US to find the healthiest and best tasting sandwich in the country.
Sandwiches are commonly carried to school or work in lunch boxes or brown paper bags to be eaten for lunch. They are also taken on picnics and hiking trips. Their longlasting popularity lies in their convenience and fast preparation time.
You can put everything you want inside a sandwich. They are easy to clean up after, nutritious and come in hundreds of different kinds.
Wellknown American chef Dave Lieberman adds another reason.“I think people like to touch their food, kids especially. It's just a natural instinct. You don't have to use a knife and fork to eat a sandwich,” he said.
Sandwiches can be hot or cold with almost any kind of filling. One of the most popular kinds is the BLT—bacon,lettuce and tomato. Although it is a simple food, it can still be creative. Sandwiches can be served openfaced, with sushi inside or grilled with delicious fillings.The author intends to________.
| A.tell us the history of sandwichmaking |
| B.introduce a popular food in the West |
| C.show how sandwiches are made |
| D.explain why westerners like sandwiches |
What is the main reason for the popularity of sandwiches?
| A.They are healthy and delicious. |
| B.They have a history of about 250 years. |
| C.They are fast and convenient. |
| D.They can be served either hot and cold. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A.Sandwiches are usually eaten with a knife and fork. |
| B.Children don't like sandwiches so much as the adults. |
| C.Americans started a campaign against sandwiches. |
| D.People are trying to make sandwiches more nutritious. |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A.There are many kinds of sandwiches. |
| B.The sandwich is a simple food. |
| C.The BLT is the most popular. |
| D.Sandwiches are mostly openfaced. |
“The U.S.Food and Drug Administration(FDA)is considering to put stricter limits over tanning salons(晒黑廊)and wants to ban anyone younger than 18 years of age from using a tanning bed,”an advisory panel(专家团)announced last week.
The panel is calling for tighter controls on the industry such as requiring teenagers to get the approval from their parents before using tanning beds or limiting the use of artificial tanning to a certain age.“Given the absence of any demonstrated benefits,I think it is an obligation for us to ban artificial tanning for those under 18,”said panelist Dr.Michael Olding.
Along with a possible ban for teenagers,the panel also recommended that visible warning labels should be placed either on the tanning machines or in the salons in order to caution tanners of the possible dangers.In addition,the committee decided that stricter regulations and classifications were critical to make the machines safer.At this time the machines are categorized as FDA Class 1 devices,the ones that are least likely to cause harm.In case the FDA decided to change their classification from Class 1 to Class 2,as advised by the panel,the FDA could limit the levels of radiation the machines emit.Class 2 devices include Xray machines and powered wheelchairs.
Getting a tan,whether from a tanning bed or the sun,increases the risk of developing skin cancer.Last year,the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)declared tanning beds as “carcinogenic(致癌的)to humans”.It was discovered that young individuals in their teens and 20s who use tanning beds on a regular basis have a 75 per cent higher risk of suffering from melanoma(黑素瘤),the deadliest form of skin cancer.According to the American Cancer Society,melanoma accounted for nearly 69,000 cases of skin cancer in 2009 and will account for most (about 8,650)of the 11,590 mortality cases due to skin cancer each year.According to the passage,what measures will U.S.FDA most probably take?
| A.Banning tanning salons. |
| B.Posing heavier tax over tanning salons. |
| C.Having tighter controls over tanning salons. |
| D.Limiting the number of tanning salons in every state. |
Which of the following suggestions for making tanning salons safer is NOT mentioned?
| A.Visible caution. |
| B.Setting age limit. |
| C.Professional personnel. |
| D.Parental approval for teenagers. |
What does the writer want to express in the last paragraph?
| A.Tanning in one's youth may mean death. |
| B.Tanning in the sun is safer than on the tanning bed. |
| C.People should get tanned without getting melanoma. |
| D.Getting tanned is only a good idea for those above thirty years old. |
What will most probably happen,if the advisory panel's suggestions are adopted and put into practice?
| A.Fewer people will suffer from skin cancer. |
| B.Tanning salons will have more customers. |
| C.Getting a tan in a tanning salon will cost less. |
| D.Parents will be more anxious about their tanning children. |
The hottest“green”toy in Germany isn't made of organic or recycled materials.This one has a solar panel and only runs if kids remember to insert bright red “energy stones”that power the space station.Germany,a pioneer in many renewable energy initiatives,is also at the forefront of creating environmentfriendly toys aimed at making kids think about where energy comes from and how much of it they can use,raising awareness through play.A number of hightech green toys are on display at this year's Nuremberg toy fair,which runs through Sunday.
Among them,there are hydroelectricpowered(水电动力的)toy cars,and doll houses with wind turbines and rainwater catchers.The bright green “Future Planet”space station features an inner atrium(中庭)with a fan that is powered by a functioning solar cell.Its aim is to get kids to use their imagination about how energy will be created in the future.
Makers and retailers believe such toys will play an increasingly important role in their future—and that of our kids.“Energy is the question of the future and we are definitely thinking about this as we move ahead,”said Judith Schweinitz,a spokeswoman for Playmobil,maker of the solar panelfitted space station.“It is increasingly being brought into our play concept.”Green toys—which range from those made of sustainable materials to ones like the space station that just raise environmental awareness—make up only a sliver of the $ 84 billion international toy market,but their share is growing,studies indicate.Environmental research firm Earthsense,based in Syracuse,New York,predicts that green toys will account for about $ 1 billion,or 5 percent of U.S.toy sales in the next five years.Parents are smart and they want information about what's in the product.That's what's really driving the market.The hottest “green”toy in Germany is ________.
| A.made of rubbish |
| B.made of organic or recycled materials |
| C.equipped with a solar panel |
| D.driven by an advanced motor |
The purpose of making the green toys is to ________.
| A.raise kids' awareness about energy and environment |
| B.improve kids' imagination |
| C.give kids the knowledge of technology |
| D.improve the safety of toys |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the green toys ________.
| A.can help save little energy |
| B.are not accepted by parents |
| C.will sell well in the future |
| D.have not been produced |
Which of the following BEST describes the opinion of Earthsense about green
toys?
| A.Doubtful. |
| B.Optimistic. |
| C.Disappointed. |
| D.Proud. |