Mr. Sankaram, a physics teacher, was known for his antics(滑稽动作)in his classroom to make the dull lessons in physics lively and interesting. Mixing different chemical drugs in the lab to become new substances in chemistry makes students excited. While studying botany or zoology, students can visit a garden or zoo. But physics limits students to listening to the boring lectures which are hard to understand. For example, why an apple dropping from a tree travels downwards but not upwards. But Mr. Sankaram’s classroom antics to cause students to listen to topics such as how sound travels in air or why light travels faster than sound made him stand out from the rest of the teachers.
At that time, most students in our school attended the college to please their parents, and some parents were proud of their children for simply attending a college, no-matter whether they benefited or not. They didn’t study hard. But a few students were diligent and they wanted to study pre-medical courses to gain admission into the medical school. The schooling of pre-medical courses was very expensive. The college was next to the medical school. The wall separating them was about four feet high. Few tried to jump over the wall to get free pre-medical courses. Doing this was at risk of injuries and the climbing was forbidden.
The college where Mr. Sankaram taught was known for unruly and naughty students. The unruly students usually sat at the back of the classroom. When a student from the back of the classroom tried to disrupt the class, Mr. Sankaram would say, “Dare you go ahead to make noise? Can you jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school?” The student’s face went red and he became silent. In the physics class . I sat in the first row to escape from the troublemakers at the back. One day during the class. Mr. Sankaram unexpectedly asked me, “Can you jump over the four-foot wall?” I shook my head and answered, “No, sir, I couldn’t jump over a one-foot wall, let alone a four-foot wall.” Mr. Sankaram wasn’t satisfied with my reply but waved his hand for me to sit down. He looked at me in the eyes hard and said, “If you can. Believe in yourself!”
There were stories about Mr. Sankaram’s past history. As a student at same college years ago, he went into much depression for some time when he couldn’t get into the medical school. In fact he could have been admitted by the school by his ability of studying. Because his family couldn’t afford his pre-medical courses and he didn’t dare to climb the wall, he often walked back and forth along the four-foot wall talking to himself and sometimes cried over his failure. Whether this story was true or false it was passed on from year to year. So Mr. Sankaram had a nickname “four-foot.” It was true that he left his dream to his students and he began challenging the students’ ability to jump over the four-foot wall to get into the medical school.
As a student I failed at my attempt to get admission into the medical school. In fact not all students wanted to be a doctor. And years later I ended up as a chemistry teacher at the same college. I thank Mr. Sankaram for his encouragement to me, and I am determined to follow his example to make my class interesting. Mr. Sankaram passed away years ago. He will always be remembered for his wonderful teaching techniques such as dancing movements and his encouraging words.Which subject was boring in the author’s opinion?
A.Botany | B.Physics | C.Chemistry | D.zoology |
Most of the author’s schoolmates went to college to _____.
A.make their parents happy |
B.learn a skill of making a living |
C.study abroad after graduation |
D.find a good job after graduation |
Why wasn’t Mr. Sankaram satisfied with the author’s reply?
A.He didn’t think the author was diligent. |
B.He thought the author lacked confidence. |
C.The author didn’t know what he meant |
D.The author was shy while answering it. |
Mr. Sankaram’s failing to get into the medical school______.
A.resulted in getting his nickname “four-foot” |
B.caused him to be forever depressed and to cry every day |
C.made him work hard to let his students realize his dream |
D.made him complain the life was unfair and he was not lucky |
We can infer from this passage that the author_____.
A.wanted to become a doctor very much in fact |
B.regretted that he didn’t respect Mr. Sankaram |
C.was born in a rich family and once a good student |
D.is a good teacher in the college where he once studied |
根据短文内容,从下框的A---F选项中选出能概括每一段主题的最佳选项。 选项中有一项为多余选项。
Americans have learnt more about drinks than they were 20 years ago. Now, encouraged by recent studies suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and slow the aging process, tea is enjoyed by more and more people. Enough fashionable tea houses are appearing to make even longtime coffee drinkers consider changing drinks.
Tea is found in more places than ever. The Tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, yearly sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by people as a ‘functional food’” — bringing health beyond food itself, says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis contain health benefits. Other teas may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the danger of heart disease by as much as 44 percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants (抗氧化剂) in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a chemical 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheap they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them to drink real tea,” says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology (肿瘤学) at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Center.
Driving Offence Points System
What is Driving Offence Points System?
After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will make the driver lose points besides other punishment (惩罚). A driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded.When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden (禁止) to drive for a certain amount of time.
This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards (水平) of driving and reduce accidents.
Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence Points?
Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included.There are fourteen items in all.
Code |
Offence |
Points |
1 |
Causing death by dangerous driving |
10 |
2 |
Dangerous driving |
10 |
3 |
Careless driving |
5 |
4 |
Driving after drinking or taking drugs |
10 |
5 |
Driving over speed limit by more than15 km/hour |
3 |
6 |
Driving in a motor race on the road |
10 |
7 |
Failing to stop after an accident |
3 |
8 |
Failing to give information after an accident |
3 |
9 |
Failing to report an accident |
3 |
10 |
Failing to obey directions of police officers |
3 |
11 |
Crossing double white lines |
3 |
12 |
Failing to obey traffic signals |
3 |
13 |
Failing to give way to walkers at a crosswalk Failing to stop for people walking |
3 |
14 |
Failing to stop at school crossing |
3 |
What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?
If you have got 10 points or above, but still less than 15 points, you will receive a warning (警告) letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.
What will happen if you have got 15 points?
If you have got 15 points or more within two years, the first time you are found guilty (犯错的) and you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.The underlined word “Offence” (paragraph 1) refers to ______.
A.a driving habit |
B.an official of road safety |
C.bad behavior in the office |
D.an action against the traffic law |
The Driving Offence Points _________.
A.is a system that helps to improve the driving standards |
B.are points given because of dangerous driving |
C.shows traffic offences of different kinds |
D.is a guide dealing with (处理) traffic offences |
What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?
A.You will be punished for the points. |
B.You will be forbidden to drive. |
C.Your record will be sent to the Transport Department. |
D.You will get a warning letter from the Transport Department. |
What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught careless driving?
A.You will take the driving test again. |
B.You will be taken to the police station. |
C.You will not be able to drive for 6 months. |
D.You will not be able to drive for 3 months. |
Happy April Fool’s Day.In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes in history.They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
INSTANT COLOUR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white.The station’s technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display colour reception.All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color.Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people were taken in.Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
SAN ERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven-page supplement (增刊)in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean.A series of articles affectionately described the geography and culture of this unknown nation.The Guardian’s phones rang all day as readers asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot.Few noticed that everything about the island was made up.
NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again.His new campaign slogan was, “I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his election speech.Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger.Only during the second half of the show did the host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke, Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.The underlined phrase “taken in” in the 2nd paragraph means ________.
A.deceived | B.pleased | C.innocent | D.broadcast |
What can be inferred from the text about Color TV?
A.The Swedish People didn’t watch color TVs until 1970. |
B.The Swedish People began to watch color TVs in 1962. |
C.Kjell Stensson was a TV host. |
D.Not many people believed Kjell Stensson. |
Which of the following statements about San Serriffe is True?
A.San Seffiffe is located in the Indian Ocean. |
B.San Seffiffe became a republic in 1967. |
C.San Seffiffe is a beautiful place. |
D.San Seffiffe doesn’t exist. |
We get to know from the passage that _____.
A.Richard Nixon didn’t win the election in 1992. |
B.Richard Nixon didn’t do anything wrong |
C.Richard Nixon was not liked by the American people |
D.Richard Nixon asked Rich Little to speak for him |
A fad diet is a diet that suddenly becomes popular, usually because it promises people that they will lose a lot of weight overnight. Although dieters may really show weight loss from a fad diet, they will almost certainly get back the weight if their usual eating habits (习惯) remain unchanged. Moreover, fad diets continuously call for special products of questionable value or for “health foods” that may cost twice as much as supermarket(超市) foods. Worse yet, certain fad diets don't include nutrients(营养)good for health. People have been known to become very ill as a result of following medically unhealthy diets.
The worse fact of fad diets, though, is that they keep people who are over-weight or sick from receiving the medical care that they truly need.The word “fad” in the first sentence means ______.
A.new | B.wonderful |
C.popular quickly | D.loved by people |
From the text we know that ______.
A.people refuse to accept fad diets |
B.fad diets can help people to lose weight |
C.a man can lose weight after eating a fad diet |
D.fad diets are now welcomed by people |
In the writer's opinion, fad diets______.
A.are very helpful |
B.are not healthy diet |
C.won't cost much |
D.include lots of nutrients |
The last paragraph tells us ______.
A.that fad dieters are often overweight |
B.fad dieters need medical care if they are overweight or sick |
C.how fad dieters get sick |
D.overweight or sick fad dieter can’t get medical care in time |
Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic, wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss about any holiday, this still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating little habit, like sneezing or yawning I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important.What is the author’s attitude toward dreaming?
A.He thinks it puzzling |
B.He likes it |
C.He is interested in it |
D.He doesn’t accept it as part of his life |
For the author of the passage, dreaming is________. .
A.another kind of existence |
B.an irritating little habit |
C.a horrible but wonderful experience |
D.a true reflection of reality |
The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are_____.
A.interesting | B.unbelievable |
C.mysterious(难以理解的) | D.lazy |
Why does the author of the passage complain?
A.Because most people are overexcited about their dreams |
B.Because most people are not interested in talking about their dreams |
C.Because most people have had dreams most of the time |
D.Because most people consider their dreams of too much importance |