One day, our teacher talked about the stereotypes (固定看法) of different people. I learned the stereotypes of Mexicans: they are poor and lazy. I was ashamed of who I was because I am a Mexican and thought that it would be hard for me to be successful.
One day in the eleventh grade, we had a discussion in history class. The kid next to me said, "You look like one of those Mexicans who sell food in the street." I told him that he was also a Mexican. He said, "I don't look as Mexican as you. I have light skin." That was the first time that I'd heard someone say, "I don't look as Mexican as you." Could it be that the people who succeed in this country are those who look like an American?
Towards the end of the eleventh grade, I was asked to write a restaurant review. When I went to a restaurant, I saw the waiter talking to the chefs (厨师) and thought they were judging me. I felt nervous but I couldn't leave because I had to write the review. Minutes later, the waiter stopped talking and took my order. He was happy to serve me. I started asking him questions about his restaurant and I guessed that he liked that because he gave me a free dish. After I left the restaurant, I thought, "That's wasn't bad at all." Not all people think of me as a failure.
Now, I am running for the school president in my senior year. I am not sure if I can win, but I tell myself that if I want to be successful, I have to stop despising (鄙视) myself. I want to prove that Latinos can be successful. I do belong to the United States. An American is a person who overcomes struggles to become successful and that is what I'm doing.In Paragraph 2, what the kid said to the author made him doubt whether ______.
| A．he should laugh at the kid |
| B．the kid was a real Mexican |
| C．he should sell food in the street |
| D．the color of one's skin really mattered |
The author's experience of finishing his restaurant review helped him realize that .
| A．he could succeed easily if he tried his best |
| B．the waiters in America were all very friendly |
| C．not everyone in American looked down on Mexicans |
| D．he was actually popular with people around him |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Where one was born matters a lot. |
| B．Being a Mexican is hard in America. |
| C．Other people's opinions are very important. |
| D．It is what he does that makes him an American. |
A
Once upon a time, a man was walking on a mountain when he found an incredible cave with all kinds of treasure inside it. So he gave up his job, his home, and his friends, and spent all his time guarding the cave.
He was so dedicated to it that he hardly ate or drank, and before long he fell ill. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he decided to share the treasure.
He crawled into the cave to get a handful of jewels, but discovered, to his horror, that it was empty except for a small diamond. The man took it and gave it to the first person to come by, a woman.
Then an old man came by. “What bad luck!” the man said. “Just a moment ago I gave a woman the last of the treasure I was guarding.”
“Are you sure there is nothing left?” the old man asked.
The man took him into the cave, where they found a box with jewels and some bags of gold. The man was shocked, and the old man explained to him, “At last! At last! At last someone has broken the curse of this cave. This is the Cave of Treasure, and you’re the first to have passed its great test. Many have devoted their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there was nothing here …”
“And why does this happen?” the man asked.
“This magic cave has only as many riches as your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave fills with the treasure they bring with them, but later, when they have devoted themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts become empty, as does the cave. The only way to fill it is by filling your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving the woman that last jewel.”
From that day on, the man understood that it was better to share than to keep. Thanks to the cave and the old man, he became noble and generous.Why did the man give up his job, home and friends?
| A．Because he possessed a variety of treasure. |
| B．Because he had to guard the treasure cave. |
| C．Because he wanted to find the treasure cave. |
| D．Because he devoted himself to a great test. |
What did the man find when he showed his cave to the old man?
| A．All kinds of treasure. |
| B．A handful of jewels. |
| C．A small emerald. |
| D．A box with jewels and gold. |
What do we learn about the people who dedicated their lives to the cave before?
| A．They all filled the cave with the treasure they had. |
| B．They thought it was better to share than to enjoy the treasure alone. |
| C．They all found the cave empty at last. |
| D．The old man freed them from its spell. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Giving makes people healthier and happier than owing. |
| B．Some people never learn what is really valuable. |
| C．Treasure only belongs to those who possess it. |
| D．Different people have different views. |
E
Speaking two languages can actually help offset(抵消) some effects of aging on the brain, a new study has found,
Researchers tested how long it took participants to switch from one cognitive(认知的) task to another, something that-s known to take longer for older adults, said lead researcher, Brian Gold, a neuroscientist at the University of Kentucky.
Gold’s team compared task-switching speeds for younger and older adults, knowing they would find slower speeds in the older population because of previous studies. However, they found that older adults who spoke two languages were able to switch mental activities faster than those didn’t . The study only looked at life long bilinguals(会说两种语言的人) defined in study as people speaking a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old.
Gold and his team asked 30 people, either bilingual or monolingual(只僮一种语言 人) , to have a series of tests. They found that bilingual people were not only able to switch tasks faster they had different brain activity than their monolingual peers.
Kristina called bilingualism "a beautiful natural experiment”, because people grow up speaking two languages,and studies have shown that they get certain cognitive benefits from switching between languages and determining which to respond with based on what's going on around them.
Gold said he grew up in Montreal, where he spoke French at school and English at home, prompting relatives to question whether his French language immersion would somehow hinder his ability to learn English.
"Until very recently, learning a second language in childhood was thought of as dangerous," he said. "Actually, it's beneficial. "What-s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Researchers found that speaking two languages is important. |
| B．Researchers found that bilingual people respond slowly. |
| C．Researchers found that bilingual people can slow down the speed or aging on the brain and respond fast. |
| D．Researchers found that bilingual people are great. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Older bilinguals can-t respond faster in mind. |
| B．Older adults speaking a second language daily since they were at least 10 years old can respond faster than those who don't |
| C．Young bilinguals can respond faster in mind than those monolinguals. |
| D．Bilingual children respond slower in mind than those monolinguals. |
Kristina called bilingualism "a beautif'ul natural experiment" because
| A．people grow up, benefiting from speaking two languages |
| B．people speaking two languages are natural |
| C．people speaking two languages are beautiful |
| D．people speaking two languages like the experiment |
We can learn from the last paragraph that learning a second language in childhood is________
| A．dangerous to children |
| B．not beneficial to children |
| C．dangerous but beneficial to children |
| D．not dangerous but beneficial to children |
D
Whenever you buy something, it is possible that someone has already worn, eaten, or tested
it to make sure it is safe and do what is supposed to do. But what if you wanted a special suit to keep a shark from hurting you? Who wants to test a product like it?
"I do! " says Jeremiah Sullwan, a scientist in California "You have to believe in what you sell, right?"
Sullivan. owns SharkArmor Tech, a company that makes a $ 49400 sharksuit that even a great white shark can’ t bite through. Before Sullivan could sell his sharksuits, he needed to make sure his design would work. Sullivan put on the sharksuit and jumped into a shark feeding ground. "I need to know exactly what a human body could expect to go through," he says. Sharks moved all around him and then attacked his arm. Sullivan felt the bite but no teeth. He was uncomfortable at times, but not painful. The suit works! "
"I’ve now been bitten thousands of times but. never badly," says Sullivan, who now works with shows like Wild Kingdom, and programs for the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.
So,are you all set to buy a sharksuit? Before you do, you should know that the suit weighs 20 pounds and makes swimming almost impossible--not so practical for a day on the beach. And in fact, Sullivan wants only professionals, such as filmmakers, scientists and drivers, to have sharksuits. Why? Because even if someone is wearing a sharksuit, they could get seriously hurt if they treat diving with a 4,OOO-pound shark as a game.
During sharksuit testing, sharks have thrown Sullivan to a bottom o/ reefs(礁) and tried to take him off into the deepest part of the ocean. "However," Sullivan says," you don't need to be afraid of sharks. It’s actually pretty hard to get a shark to bite you, "The first paragraph is written to .
| A．start a discussion |
| B．introduce the topic of the text |
| C．show the main points of the text |
| D．test readers' knowledge |
Why did Sullivan get close to sharks?
| A．To see if his sharksuit works. |
| B．To study what sharks feed on. |
| C．To catch a special kind of white shark. |
| D．To learn how to swim with sharks safely, |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 5 mean?
| A．Most people won't wear the sharksuit to the beach |
| B．People like to go to the beach with the sharksuit. |
| C．The sharksuit makes a perfect day on the beach |
| D．The sharksuit can’t be worn for a whole day. |
We can learn from the text that the sharksuit _
| A．works well for swimmers |
| B．is light but uncomfortable |
| C．keeps sharks away from humans |
| D．is designed for special purpose |
C
Join the Family Read-Aloud Celebration, held by the Gonda Family Library and the Family School Alliance at UCLA Lab School, from February 21 to March 14,2014. We ask you to spend time reading aloud to your children at least 20 minutes each day.We hope to help families develop a habit of reading aloud every day throughout and beyond primary school. We'll finish the celebration with a party on March 14 for the whole school.
Ways to join:
● Visit Book Corner for reading aloud suggestions.
Come to the start of the activity on Friday, Feb, 21.
● Add books to our list of favorite read aloud
● Send us a photo of your family reading together (jkan,tor@ucta. edu). We will share it at the party.
● Record your family's reading journey! .
● Join us for th︿ party on March 14,5一7 p. rn.
Go on a reading journey!
Books can introduce your family to interesting people, exciting places, adventures and information. Let your journeys take you through these categories:
●Fiction● Picture books● Poetry
●Science● History● Sports
●Arts● other Non-Fiction● Benefits of Reading Aloud
Reading aloud helps a cloud to read with pleasure, create background knowledge, and build vocabulary. It also provides children with a reading model. Reading aloud doesn't just benefit young children. Parents should continue reading aloud as their children grow because listening comprehension is more important than reading skills in middle school.
Jim Trelease, in his Read-Aloud Handbook, has noted that almost as big a mistake as not reading to children at all is stopping too soon Until about the eighth grade, children listen and comprehend on a higher level than their reading skills allow them to read independently, This means children can hear and understand stories that are more difficult and more interesting than anything they can read on their ownWhat’s the purpose of the Family Read-Aloud Celebration?
| A．To celebrate the joys of reading. |
| B．To help improve family relationship, |
| C．To change families bad reading habits. |
| D．To get families into the habit of reading aloud. |
If you want to join the activity, you're supposed to __
| A．mail a book to the school |
| B．make an appearance at the starting day |
| C．read out loud from 5～7 p. m every day |
| D．share your reading experience at the party |
We can infer from Jim Tyelease that.
| A．young children show greater skills at listening than reading |
| B．children should be allowed to make mistakes in reading |
| C．interesting stories are easier for children to understand |
| D．the eighth-graders can-t read on their own |
In which part of a website can We find the text?
| A．Culture | B．Lifestyle. |
| C．Education. | D．Science. |
B
We answer some questions this week in our series on getting into an American college or university.
The first question is about our recent discussion of English language test. Vo Ngoc from Vietnam would like to know about the TOEIC, which is designed to measure skills of English as spoken in the workplace.
The Educational Testing Service administers the TOEIC. It says the test measures the language skills of people working in an international environment. American colleges and universities accept scores from the TOFEL and often the IELTS. If you miss our report on these tests, you can find it at our website www. unsv. com..
Tahir Mahood from Pakistan asks how to improve his English before taking these kinds of tests. Well, you can start by looking for ways to use English as much as you can Watch American movies and TV shows and read books in English Look for English speakers to talk to.
The Internet has many free materials for Engiish learners. Visitors to www. unsv. com. for example, can read, listen and watch programmes on many different subjects. The U.S. Department of Education recent launched a free website designed to help immigrants learn English.
The site is called USA Learns at www. usalearns, org, like www. chinadaily. cn, intended for English learners in China
Next,a question from Turkey:Hasan Eker asks about getting a postdoctoral position in the U. S. This is work generally done by a person who recently earned a PhD. The National Post-doctoral Association in Washington has information about international postdocs on its website www. Nationalpostal.org.
And, finally, we have questions from Iran, Afghanistan and Indonesia about how to pay an education through jobs. There’re rules that restrict the kinds of jobs that foreign students
can have while studying in the U. S.What-s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To attract more people to the website. |
| B．To introduce the TOEIC to readers. |
| C．To ask questions on entering American universities. |
| D．To help deal with some puzzles on entering American colleges. |
According to the passage, TOEIC is .
| A．a must for those who go to American universities |
| B．designed for whoever apply for a job with companies |
| C．to test a student’s language skills in the workplace |
| D．a test for students to graduate from universities |
A person wb.o wants to learn. English can go to the following EXCEPT.
| A．www. unsv. Com |
| B．www. national postdoc. org |
| C．www. usalearns. Org |
| D．www chinadaily. cn, |
What can we know from the passage?
A. Foreign students are not allowed to do whatever jobs they like in the U. S.
B. Every graduate from colleges can get a postdoctoral position if they want to.
C. The IELTS is also necessary for job application like the TOEIC.
D. Students from Iran aren’t allowed to have jobs in the U. S.