Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learned that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behaviour could only make the job harder and their behaviour more extreme. I found something that worked, though.
There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.
I was in the craft room working with some other children when my co-worker told me that this boy’s teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking, the boy ran in. I told my co-worker that I would take care of him.
I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed down and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation:
“So what happened today?”
It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believe that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher didn’t let him do what he knew well due to safety but asked him to do what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start, which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize. The boy made trouble for his teacher because he ______.
A.was accused of destroying property |
B.was told not to yell at other children |
C.was made to do things against his will |
D.was blamed for creating an air of tension |
Why didn’t the author do anything about the boy’s bad behavior at first?
A.She didn’t want to make it worse. |
B.She didn’t mind the huge mess at all. |
C.She was tired of shouting and threats. |
D.She hadn’t thought of a coping strategy. |
The author managed to get the boy to talk to her by ______.
A.playing games with him |
B.giving him a good suggestion |
C.describing his teacher’s feelings |
D.avoiding making critical remarks |
Why did the boy have tears in his eyes in the end?
A.He was sorry about his reputation. |
B.He was regretful about his behavior. |
C.He was fearful of the author’s warning. |
D.He was sad for the author’s misunderstanding. |
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke. But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S. roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports. In fact, only about 80 ocel
ots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S. today. The main reason? Roadkill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars. They are paths both over and under roads. “These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes. Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway. This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them. Animals seem to be catching on. Animals as different as salamanders(火蜥蜴)and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around. You might see an animal overpass! The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that __________.
A.wild animals have become more dangerous |
B.the driving condition has improved greatly |
C.an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents |
D.the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work |
From the story, we know an eco-passage is __________.
A.an underground path for cars |
B.a fence built for the safety of the area |
C.a bridge for animals to get over a river |
D.a path for animals to cross the road |
When the writer says that “animals seem to be catching on” (Para. 6), he means __________.
A.animals begin to realize the dangers on the road |
B.animals are crossing the road in groups |
C.animals are increasing in number |
D.animals begin to learn to use eco-passages |
The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because __________.
A.wild animals may attack cars | B.they may see wild animals on eco-passages |
C.they may see wild animals in the park![]() |
D.wild animals may jam the road |
The best title for the passage is __________.
A.Special bridges help animals cross the road |
B.Endangered animals increase because of roadkill |
C.Animals fail to cross the road |
D.Take steps to protect animals in danger |
I’m sure you know the song “Happy Birthday”. But do you know who wrote the song and for whom it was written?
The retired professor, Archibald A. Hill in Lucasville, USA could tell us the story. Ninety-seven years ago, two of Mr. Archibald Hill’s aunts, Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were asked to write some songs for a book called “Song Storied for the Sunday Morning”. Miss Patty Hill and Miss Mildred Hill were both kindergarten teachers then. They loved children very much and wrote many beautiful songs for the book. One of them was the famous “Good
Morning to You.” The song said, “Good morning to you, good morning to you, dear children, good morning to all.” This song was very popular at that time among kindergarten children. But not many grown-
ups knew it. A few years later little Archibald was born. As his aunt, Miss Patty Hill sang the song “Happy Birthday” to the melody(曲调)of “Good Morning to you” to her little nephew(侄子). She sang the song like this: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Archie! Happy birthday to you!
Miss Patty Hill and her sister had never expected that this song would become so popular, but it really did. People all over the world like the song because of its simplicity in tune(曲调简单)and friendliness in words.Archibald A. Hill was __________.
A. English B. Russian C. American D. Australian
Professor Archibald A. Hill was Miss Mildred Hill’s __________.
A. son B. student C. brother D. nephewThe song “Happy Birthday” has a history of __________ years.
A.97 | B.about 90 | C.more than 90 | D.less than 90 |
Why did Miss Hiss wrote songs?
A.Because they are musicians. |
B.Because they love children. |
C.Because they were asked to write for a book. |
D.Because their nephew asked them to do so. |
The sentence “it really did” means __________.
A.The song really became popular |
B.Their wish would really come true |
C.People all over the world like to listen to the song |
D.Yes, but the song didn’t become popular |
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项多余选项。___
After I had spent a week with my English family, I slowly began to understand their English a little better. _____ Students in my group are from different cities of Britain and their dialects (方言) are different too! Some of their accents are quite strong and they also have their own words and expressions.
____ Before I came to England I had thought that fish and chips were eaten every day. That’s quite wrong! I get rather annoyed now when I hear all the foolish words about typical English food.
I had expected to see “London fog”. Do you remember our texts about it? We had no idea that most of this “thick fog” disappeared many years ago when people stopped using coal in their homes. But the idea to speak about weather was very helpful. ___ On the other hand, habits are different. People tell me what is typical British here in London is not always typical in Wales or Scotland
____
But what is ordinary for all British is that they follow traditions(传统). Probably Britain has more living signs of its past than many other countries. And people have always been proud of having ancient (古老) buildings in capitals, big cities and the countryside.
I will tell you more about Britain in my other letters.
Love from Britain.
Peter
A.The weather in London is really changeable. |
B.I have difficulty in understanding my classmates. |
C.Thanks for your nice letter. |
D.The family I live with are friendly. |
E. It’s very different from what I learned at school.
F. Local habits and traditions are not the same as what we knew.
G. But it’s not the language that’s different and surprising.
As you move around your home, take a good look at the things you have. It is likely that your living room will have a television set and a video, and your kitchen a washing machine and a microwave oven. Your bedroom drawers will be filled with almost three times as many clothes as you need. You almost certainly own a car and possibly a home computer, holiday abroad at least once a year and eat out at least once a week.
Now, perhaps, more than ever before, people are wondering what life is all about, and what it is for. Seeking material success is beginning to trouble large numbers of people around the world. They feel that the long hours work culture to make more money is eating up their lives, leaving them very little time or energy for family or pastimes. Many are turning to other ways of living and downshifting(慢节奏的生活) is one of them. Six percent of workers in Britain took the decision to downshift last year.
One couple who downshifted is Daniel and Liz. They used to work in central London. He was a newspaper reporter and she used to work for an international bank. They would go to work by train every day from their large house in the suburbs, leaving their two children with a nanny. Most evenings Daniel wouldn’t get home until eight or nine o’clock and nearly twice a month he would have to fly to New York for meetings. They both earned a large amount of money but began to feel that life was passing them by.
Nowadays, they run a farm in the mountains of Wales. “I always wanted to have a farm then,” says Daniel, “and we took almost a year to make the decision to downshift. It’s taken some getting used to, but it’s been worth it. We have to think twice now about spending money on car repairs and we no longer have any holidays. However, I think it’s made us stronger as a family, and the children are a lot happier.
Liz, however, is not quite sure. “I used to enjoy my job, even though it was hard work and long hours. I’m not really a country girl, but I suppose I’m gradually getting used to looking after the animals. One thing I do like, though, is being able to see more of my children. My advice for other people wanting to do the same is not to think about it too much or you might not do it at all.”The passage tells us that .
A.people seldom work long hours to make money |
B.people hardly buy more things than necessary |
C.people are sure everything they own is in the right place |
D.people realize there is more to life than just making money |
When Daniel was a reporter he ___.
A.lived in central London | B.disliked his job |
C.missed his children | D.was well paid |
Daniel and Liz both agree that the move to the farm ____.
A.was easy to organize | B.has improved family life |
C.was extremely expensive | D.has been a total success |
Cyril was a small town. The houses there were all made of wood; almost everything in the houses such as cupboards, tables and chairs were made of wood, too. And all the houses faced south. The town was never peaceful. Fire broke out once a week on summer afternoons. Residents were puzzled who the real firebug(纵火犯) was.
One day a big fire broke out. It was said that a Negro had jumped out of the house on fire, so the police arrested(逮捕) all the Negroes in the street. However, fire never stopped to breaking out when the Negroes were in prison.
Mauson, a physics teacher didn’t believe that the Negroes were the firebugs, for he really knew about those Negroes, He made up his mind to find out who the real firebug was.
One day he was invited to drink in a pub and happened to notice that many bottles and plastic plates were baked by the hot sunrays. Suddenly he realized what the actual fact was. He jumped with joy, saying, “I’ve got the answer!”
Mauson dashed out of the pub to his friend’s house nearby, which also faced south. He made an experiment there to confirm his idea.
The next Saturday afternoon, Mauson asked some policemen and newsmen to come to the house. They were told that the real firebug would be shown there. At that time the sun was shining full into the house and it became hotter and hotter inside the room.
Someone wanted to draw the curtains together, while another was going to use a bottle to drink water, but neither got permission from Mauson, who wanted to let the firebug in.
“Now,” said Mauson, “this house will soon catch fire.” People looked at each other in surprise. Mauson asked them to look at the bottles and focus on the table cloth. After a while the cloth gave off a burning smell and began to catch fire!
The mystery of fire was discovered, but the police wouldn’t believe him and insisted that Negroes had been the firebugs. Instead they arrested Mauson and put him into prison. But Mauson said he would never turn against science. The town was never peaceful, for fire broke out .
A.in the afternoon | B.in summer | C.at any time | D.A and B |
Why did the police arrest all the Negroes?
A.One of them had jumped out of the home on fire. |
B.They were suspected to be the firebugs. |
C.The police hated the Negroes. |
D.The Negroes knew something about the fires. |
Drinking in a pub, Mauson realized what the actual fact was .
A.by experiment | B.by backing the bottles |
C.through the hot sunrays | D.by accident |
By making an experiment, they knew the real firebug was .
A.the Negroes | B.bottles | C.sunrays | D.plastic plates |
Mauson was put into prison, because .
A.he had told a lie |
B.he had fund out the real firebug |
C.he had turned against science |
D.he had made friends with the Negroes |