InternationalLanguageCenterFre-优题课

Certainly, a well-rounded education is the foundation from which all of us spring forth. I am grateful to the many incredible teachers who have inspired me to do greater things, and have fired my enthusiasm for everlasting learning!
I have also been honored to have the most amazing teachers in all of my children’ s lives. These are extraordinary people who not only teach our children, but love them, inspire them, and provide an environment where a child learns how to learn.
But, sometimes I wonder if the outline of our educational plan is lacking something. I watched the movie Easy A with my older daughter. The main character’ s parents were loving, supportive, and built great confidence in their daughter and developed her ability to handle her own problems.
There was a scene where the mother was speaking to the younger child and he announced that he received an “ A” on his spelling test. She replied, “ That’s great, honey, but everything has spell check these days. ”It was funny — but TRUE!I don’t mean that we shouldn’t teach our children how to spell, but maybe some of our time should be spent educating them about the dangers of posting things on Facebook.
Maybe we might want to spend time showing them how real life works— the credit card isn’t free money— you will have to pay it back at sometime. Oh, and get this—they charge you for borrowing that money. Perhaps, we should spend some time on interpersonal relationships. I worry that our kids do not know how to relate to one another.
Choosing a career is a daunting task. My daughter is in her second year in college and has changed her major twice. It’s not that she didn’t know what she wanted to do. What she “ wanted to do”and the degree she chose did not match.
I have learned many college students do not know what they want to do because they haven’t seen what it looks like in the real world. Being a journalist in the real world looks very different from writing stories. Maybe if we spent some time exposing them to real life experience— maybe two or three courses in areas of interest in high school that give them a “ feel ” for what that particular field would look like, they might be better prepared. I do not know the solution, but it seems that it should at least be a topic of discussion.
Why does the author mention the movie Easy A?

A．To prove the importance of book learning.

B．To lead to the topic he is going to talk about.

C．To show the parents’ ignorance of spelling.

D．To share with the readers his feeling about the movie.

The author believes that __________.

A．students need to focus on the skills in learning

B．parents and school should be consistent in education

C．his daughter is smart enough to make her own choice

D．courses in areas of interest in high schools will benefit students

The underlined word “ daunting” in Paragraph 6 probably means________.

A．specific	B．rewarding
C．discouraging	D．regular

What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A．Schools should prepare students for the real life.

B．What students learn in school should be practiced in life.

C．Life experience is of greater importance than school education.

D．Students should spend more time discussing practical problems

I was born and raised in Minnesota, the USA,but as an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa. I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris. For the last 15 years, I’ve studied how people in different parts of the world build trust,communicate, and make decisions especially in the workplace.
While traveling in Tokyo recently with Japanese colleague，I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers. At the end, I asked whether there were any questions or comments.No hands went up,so I went to sit down.My colleague whispered to me,“I think there actually were some comments, Erin.Do you mind if I try?” I agreed, but I guessed it a waste of breath. He asked the group again, “Any comments or questions?”
Still, no one raised a hand, but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience. Gesturing to one of them, he said, “Do you have something to add?” To my amazement,she responded “Yes, thank you.” and asked me a very interesting question. My colleague repeated this several times,looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments.
After the session, I asked my colleague, “how do you know that those people had questions?” He hesitated, not sure how to explain it, and then said, “It has to do with how bright their eyes are.”
He continued, “In Japan, we don’t make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West. So when you asked if there were any comments, most people were not looking directly at you. But a few people in the group were looking right at you, and their eyes were bright. That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them.”
I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota. Since then, I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter, and keep finding the bright eyes in the room.
What can we conclude from the first paragraph?

A．Life in Minnesota has made the author worn out.

B．The author enjoys traveling around the world.

C．Different cultures are kind of familiar to the author.

D．The author may start his own business in the future.

Hearing the colleague whispering, the author ________.

A．went back to his seat and got seated.

B．knew his colleague had some questions.

C．owed a big debt of gratitude to his colleague.

D．thought his colleague would get nowhere.

Where does the author’s colleague probably come from?

A．Japan.

B．America.

C．Africa.

D．France

Which is the proper title for the passage?

A．Focusing on Behavior in Cultures.

B．Looking at Another Culture in the Eye.

C．Sharing Different Cultures in Tokyo

D．Admiring the Beauty in the Eye.

Things to See & Do in Dublin
Dublin City Hall
Inside City Hall is an interesting exhibition about Dublin’s history, with historical items from the old city and multimedia presentations. The building, which dates from 1779, once badly damaged, was recently renovated.Guided tours are available.Open Monday to Saturday 10:00a.m.~5:15p.m., Sunday and holidays 2:00 p.m.~5:00 p.m. Admission is €6.50. Phone 672- 2204.
Dublin Castle
This is a joy for anyone interested in archaeology or history. Dublin Castle was built in the 13th century on top of the foundations of a Viking structure. The castle served as a military fortress, prison, court of law and the core (核心) of British administration in Ireland until 1922. It’s now used for state functions and government conferences. Guided tours are available. Open Monday to Friday 10:00a.m.~4:50p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and holidays 2:00p.m.~4:50p.m. Closed during state functions. Admission is €4.50. Phone 677- 7129 or 677- 7270.
Trinity College
The sole college of the University of Dublin, Trinity was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592. The reason most visitors venture to Trinity is to take a look at the Book of Kells, which is on display at the Old Library. The ticket price includes admission to the Long Room, a striking space that contains 200,000 of the college’s oldest books. Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am~5pm, Sunday noon~4:30 p.m. (from 9:30 a.m. June to September). College Green. Phone 608 -1177.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
Housed in the beautifully restored (修复) Royal Hospital Kilmainham (which was modelled (复制) on Les Invalides in Paris), the museum exhibits contemporary art and has an impressive permanent collection that includes pieces representing the cutting edge of Irish and international art. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 a.m.~5:30p.m., Sunday and holidays noon~5:30 p.m. The museum has no admission charge Military Road, Kilmainham Phone 612- 9900.
James Joyce Centre
James Joyce is one of Dublin’s most famous 20th century writers. Author of such works as Dubliners, Ulysses and his autobiographical novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce’s name is forever linked to the city of Dublin. The James Joyce Centre is dedicated to promoting the life and works of James Joyce to novices and scholars alike. Open Tues.~Sat.10:00a.m.~5:00p.m., Sun.1: p.m.~5:00p.m., admission costs €5.00 for adults. North Great George’s Street. Phone 878- 8547.
What can we know from the passage?

A．Dublin Castle was used for government conferences.

B．The novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is about James Joyce’s life.

C．Dublin Castle served as a court of law in the 1930s.

D．The sole college of the University of Dublin was established by Queen Elizabeth II.

Which word can replace the underlined word “renovated” in the first paragraph?

A．repaired	B．reviewed
C．recreated	D．destroyed

Which place do you pay the most money to visit?

A．Dublin City Hall.	B．Dublin Castle.
C．Irish Museum of Modern Art.	D．James Joyce Centre.

A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment. By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation(诱惑) early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated(沮丧)and inflexible(固守己见的). Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn't show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists' concerns. But brain theory can't explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul. Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people's success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as "character".
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one's ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients(要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
Which of the following is true of EQ and IQ according to the text?

A．The higher a person's EQ is, the higher his or her IQ is.

B．The higher a person's IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is.

C．Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either.

D．Scientists have already discovered the way in which EQ and IQ work together.

The underlined word "upbeat" in Paragraph 2 probably means _____.

A．kind

B．optimistic

C．excited

D．floating

Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?

A．To introduce the topic of the text.

B．To prove the scientist's wisdom.

C．To amuse both the children and readers.

D．To show us how to do an IQ test.

What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows?

A．Information about famous people with high EQ.

B．Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ.

C．Some reasons why EQ is a relatively new field.

D．Strong demand for basic emotional education.

It was the end of my first senior year. I was riding with my friends, and a bottle of beer was passed around the car. Everyone was taking swigs(一大口). When the bottle got to me, I thought:“What should I do?”I took a swig. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I had to drive home later that night.
I went back to my car, got in and drove off. At a stop sign I saw a policeman sitting in the parking lot across the street. His headlights were turned on, and I knew he was going to follow me. Then he flashed his lights at me. All I could think was:“Oh no, that swig!”
I pulled over and waited for him to come to my door. It felt like forever.“Can I see your license and registration, please, Miss?”I gave them to him. He took them and went back to his car for a while. When he returned, he asked if I had been drinking.
“No,”I said. He asked me to step out of my car.
“Walk heel to toe down the white line, please.” I passed the test. Next he had me stand on my left foot, lift my right foot and hold it for 30 seconds. I’m not the most coordinated (动作协调的) person and I can’t even walk and chew gum at the same time, so, needless to say, I didn’t pass. Then he asked me to take a breathalyzer test.
That was where I messed up. I told him I didn’t want to and didn’t understand why I had to. The officer asked me three more times, and I continued to refuse. He told me to turn around and place my hands behind my back. He arrested me right then and there.
The policeman drove me to a police station 20 minutes from my home. He called my parents and told them where I was.
I went to court two months after that, charged with refusing to obey an officer. I got a $700 (4,340 yuan) fine and 40 hours of community service. I’ll be on probation (缓刑) for a year, and I’ll have to take the driving test again. I lost my license for a whole year.
This was a huge learning experience for me. It opened my eyes to how easy it is to make a stupid decision. I want everyone reading this to know that it’s not right to drink and drive. It definitely isn’t worth losing your license over.
What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A．The author didn’t remember she had to drive home later when riding with her friends.

B．The author felt just one mouthful would not affect her driving.

C．The author wished she had refused to drink that night.

D．The author lost her driving license on the way.

What did the policeman ask the author to do at the stop sign?
a. Show her driving license.
b. Walk in a straight line.
c. Stand on her head.
d. Stand on one foot for 30 seconds.
e. Take her temperature.

A．a, b, d	B．a, c, d
C．b, c, e	D．b, d, e

Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?

A．The author was in jail for 40 hours and had to do community service.

B．The author thought her punishment shouldn’t be so serious.

C．The author believed she would have avoided punishment if she had obeyed the policeman.

D．The author was really sorry that she had made a serious mistake.

The article wants to ______.

A．show that severe punishment works.

B．explain how policemen test drivers.

C．warn people against driving after drinking.

D．blame the author’s thoughtless friends.