The other day at lunch I was part of a whole group of colleagues and we were talking behind our boss’s back. She’s the new principal (校长)of our middle school.
We talked about how kind she is to us. She writes notes to wish us happy holidays, or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside of school with our health or with our families.
All too often, When we talk NICE behind someone’s back, they never know about it！I sent her a quick email to report the conversation. She replied saying how much she appreciated hearing about it!
I like to do the same for my students. Of course I give them my own compliments(恭维),but I love to let them know when others adults have noticed their good behavior and attitudes. Then it’s absolutely necessary to let THEM know it too! It matters when what they notice is good.
I’ve known from the other side how much this can mean. I often lack confidence in my own abilities as a teacher, so it gave me quite a lift when a friend who works with families in the community mentioned that he has heard several times from parents how glad they are to have their kids in my class. It just feels more important somehow to have the words said by people who don’t know I’ll ever hear them.
Sure, it’s pleasant when we can say nice things about other people. Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure to tell them about the nice things being said behind their backs!Why did these colleagues talk behind their boss’s back?
| A．They were afraid of her. |
| B．She treated them badly. |
| C．She was kind to them. |
| D．It was their daily practice. |
Why did the author report their conversation to her principals?
| A．They were good friends. |
| B．The principals hated them. |
| C．She guessed her principals might be glad to hear it. |
| D．She wanted to be praised. |
What encouraged the author to be a good teacher?
| A．Others’ nice talk behind her back. |
| B．Her good knowledge in teaching. |
| C．Her rich experience in teaching. |
| D．Her principal’s help. |
Luo Jingyu, 19, has four years of experience of running business. He is also a freshman in the arts department of Hubei University.
Luo Jingyu is from an ordinary family. He said, “My parents told me if I wanted something I should make an effort to get it, so I earned pocket money by doing housework when I was little.” The dream of running his own business grew in his heart. He said, “I want to be a successful person, like Alibaba’s Ma Yun.”
When Luo was a junior student, he had the idea of selling lanterns(灯笼)when he saw many people flying Chinese lanterns in a square. Luo bought some lanterns from a store, but the sales were not as good as he had expected. Then he found another way to do business. He bought lanterns on the Internet at a very low price. Finally he easily made 5,000 yuan in two days.
With a happy beginning, Luo planned to open a dress shop. “My parents didn’t support me opening a dress shop, so I had to borrow 120,000 yuan for it.” Although he did market research before starting, the business wasn’t very good because his taste in fashion wasn’t accepted by customers. The shop eventually closed down after half a year.
After experiencing a big loss, he decided to do something he was familiar with --- selling painting tools. As a fine arts student, he knew the market. He convinced his friends to invest one million yuan in his shop. With a good business mind and a lot of effort, the sales of the shop reached six million yuan in a year.
Even though Luo is rich, he uses a cheap cell phone and does not wear luxury(奢华的) clothes. He has a simple lifestyle. “It isn’t easy to make money, so money should be used on something worthwhile,” he said.We can learn from the second paragraph that Luo’s parents _______.
| A．asked him for money to pay the rent |
| B．gave him some money to do business |
| C．advise him to pay more attention to his studies |
| D．suggested that he work hard to get something |
What is the right time order for the following events?
a. Luo bought some lanterns from the store.
b. Luo bought some Lanterns on the Internet.
c. Luo began selling painting tools.
d. Luo opened a dress store.
| A．abcd | B．abdc | C．bacd | D．cbad |
Why wasn’t the dress shop successful?
| A．He had to prepare for his exam. |
| B．The dresses he bought weren’t of high quality. |
| C．Customers didn’t accept his taste in fashion. |
| D．He didn’t have enough money to buy beautiful dresses. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Luo learnt to make lanterns from his father. |
| B．Luo’s friends advised him to sell painting tools. |
| C．The loss at the dress shop taught Luo a lesson. |
| D．Luo borrowed money from the bank to open shops. |
Which of the following words can describe Luo best?
| A．Talented but lazy. |
| B．Rich but mean. |
| C．Optimistic and generous. |
| D．Hard-working and plain-living. |
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to yell at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing, "This is Mrs. Tan."
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, "Why he don’t send me cheek, already two week late."
And then, in perfect English I said, "I’m getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived."
Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss." And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can’t tolerate any more excuse. If I don’t receive the cheek immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week."
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
| A．She was unable to speak good English. |
| B．She was often misunderstood. |
| C．She was not clearly heard. |
| D．She was not very polite. |
From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was .
| A．good at pretending |
| B．rude to the stockbroker |
| C．ready to help her mother |
| D．unwilling to phone for her mother |
After the author made the phone call, .
| A．they forgave the stockbroker |
| B．they failed to get the check |
| C．they went to New York immediately |
| D．they spoke to their boss at once |
What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
| A．It confuses her. |
| B．It embarrasses her. |
| C．It helps her understand the world. |
| D．It helps her tolerate rude people. |
We can infer from the passage that Chinese English .
| A．is clear and natural to non-native speakers |
| B．is vivid and direct to non-native speakers |
| C．has a very bad reputation in America |
| D．may bring inconvenience in America |
The National Library of Iceland is a reference library, which means books and other items in our collections cannot be browsed or borrowed, and must be ordered for consulation(查阅) in our reading rooms. The map below shows the location of the National Library. If you want to know more about our library, you can click on the link www. Nli.ie.
Opening Hours
| Location |
Hours |
| Main & Manuscripts Reading Room, Kildare Street |
Mon---Wed: 9:30am---7:45pm Thurs & Fri: 9:30am---4:45pm Saturday: 9:30am---12:45pm |
Kildare Street Exhibitions |
Mon---Wed: 9:30 am---7:45 pm Thurs & Fri: 9:30am---4:45 pm Saturday: 9:30 am-4:45 pm Sunday: 1---4:45 pm |
| National Photographic Archive, Temple Bar, Reading Room(appointment only) |
Tues &Weds: 10 am---1 pm Thurs: 10 am---1 pm and 2:30---4 pm |
| NPA Exhibitions |
Mon---Sat: 10 am---5 pm Sunday: 12-5 pm |
Readers’ Tickets
Anyone over 16 years of age who wishes to use NLI collections may apply for a readers’ ticket. A reader’s ticket is valid(有效的) for three years and give readers access to all our collections. You must bring your ticket with you when using the reading rooms. A reader’s ticket is not required to access newspapers or other items on microfilm(微缩胶片)。
What you should bring
All applicants must produce a form of photographic identification, such as a passport, driver’s license, student card and so on.
Applying for a reader’s ticket and using the Reading Rooms
You can apply for your ticket in our Main Reading Room. It only takes a few minutes to process an application and issue a ticket. You will need to complete an online registration form. We will then check your identification, take your photograph and provide you with a reader’s ticket.
Renewing your reader’s ticket
Please bring your most recent reader’s ticket with you when renewing your ticket. If the expiry date(有效期) is greater than 12 months, you will also need to produce a form of photographic identification.The National Library of Iceland is located on ____________.
| A．Nassau Street | B．Kildare Street |
| C．Dawson Street | D．Dame Street |
At which time can you visit the Main & Manuscripts Reading Room of the National Library?
| A．At 6:45 pm on Thursday. | B．At 10 am on Sunday. |
| C．At 9 am on Saturday. | D．At 5 pm on Monday. |
You must ________ when applying for a reader’s ticket.
①take a photo of yourself②have valid identity documents
③be older than 16 years old④fill in a paper registration form
| A．②③ | B．①③④ |
| C．③④ | D．①②④ |
Which of the following about the National Library is NOT true, according to the passage?
| A．It is not a lending library. |
| B．Reader’s tickets are valid for use in its reading rooms |
| C．There is no need to renew reader’s tickets after they expire. |
| D．Certain categories of material can only be viewed by appointment. |
The passage is probably taken from a(n) _____________.
| A．website | B．magazine |
| C．newspaper | D．advertisement |
Dear David,
I’m glad you would like to share your feelings with me. It’s hardly surprising that your feelings of not being “grown up” have come on strongly at this point in your life, just before you’re about to become a father. You are asking: will I make a good father? How will I deal with? Should I have brought another little person into the world? Can I provide for it? Help! I think nearly every sensitive about-to-be-parent must have these occasional feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy（不适）before the birth and it would be most unusual if you didn’t share them.
It’s difficult, honestly, to feel grown-up unless you have something less grown-up to relate to. The boss with a hen-pecking wife may feel like a seven-year-old when he’s at home. But as he walks through the office door, and knows he’s going to be surrounded by staff looking to him for advice, he grows into a fully mature（成熟的）man. And I think it’s a mistake to imagine that we all feel, as we age, a kind of progression of states, from the baby to the adult. Most people feel, on Tuesday, about three years old, and on a Wednesday, around 80. I remember feeling very grown-up at eight, a time when I was weighed down with responsibility. These days, much older, I can, in the company of people I feel at ease with, feel like a young girl.
There’s a common remark that “all men are little boys”, but it’s not true. It’s more true that men often behave like little boys. But nearly all people, at some moments in their lives, are able of great maturity.
Once your baby arrives, you’ll soon feel less childlike, or rather, less often. When your child tries to put its fingers into the electric plug, the adult in you will rise up to prevent it. You’ll see you have very little in common with a needy child, particularly if it’s looking to you for comfort and support.
Comfort yourself, David, with two truths. One is that your friends laugh when they talk about this subject because they, like you, feel frightened. And remember that people who haven’t grown up don’t go around talking about the fact that they don’t feel grown-up.
Hope my advice will be helpful and good luck to you and your little one.
Sincerely Yours,
Miss AdviceAccording to the passage, Miss Advice thinks David’s self-doubt _______.
| A．valuable | B．natural |
| C．unusual | D．bearable |
From Paragraph 2, we can learn that people’s sense of maturity _______.
| A．will increase with age |
| B．is obviously seen at home |
| C．changes with different situations |
| D．becomes stronger with familiar people |
Miss Advice holds the view that _______.
| A．all men always behave like little boys |
| B．men with a baby feel more grown-up |
| C．people tend to need comfort and support |
| D．people enjoy talking about their immaturity |
First Day at School
It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered, what questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: "I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven't lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It's about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago." I also wondered if it was the rule for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.
No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say "hello", but no one spoke to me.
My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn't stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens, so he asked several boys if they knew Dickens' birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: "Timbuktu” and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: "Portsmouth” and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn't make me very popular, of course. “He thinks he's clever," I heard Brian say.
After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian's team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.
"He's big enough and useless enough;" Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.
As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down quickly and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were grazed and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.
"Do you want to join my gang (team)?" he said.
At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger. The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT "__________".
| A．How old are you? |
| B．Where are you from? |
| C．Do you want to join my gang? |
| D．When did you come back to London? |
We can learn from the passage that ___________________.
| A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students |
| B．the writer was not greeted as he expected |
| C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness |
| D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper |
The underlined part "I didn't stand out" in paragraph 3 means that the writer was not ______.
| A．noticeable | B．nervous |
| C．important | D．outstanding |
The writer was offered a handkerchief because _________________.
| A．he was in Brian’s team |
| B．he was no longer a new comer |
| C．he was beginning to be accepted |
| D．he pushed a player on the other team |