I remember my math teacher Mr. Young very well. He stood out because the kids made fun of him. He was missing one of his fingers, and always pointed at students with his middle finger.
I was not very good at English and math. No matter how hard I tried, I just could not figure out why I
did not understand what all the other kids found so easy to learn.
One day, I was told that if I got one more E on my report card, I would be taken to the "big person for kids". I tried really hard for weeks. I just couldn't understand how to make different parts of members into whole things.
The day before report cards were to come out, I knew that Mr. Young would give me an E, just like he always did.
I went to Mr. Young and told him that the orphanage (孤儿院) was going to send me to the big person if I got another E on my report card. He told me there was nothing he could do; it would be unfair to the other kids if he gave me a better grade than I had actually earned.
I smiled at him and said, "Mr. Young, do you know how the kids make fun of you because you're missing your finger?"
He looked at me, moved his mouth to one side and said nothing.
"They shouldn't do that to you because you can't help having a finger, Mr. Young. Just like I can't help not being able to learn numbers and stuff like that." I said.
The next day, when I got my report card, I tucked it into one of my books. While on the school bus, I opened it: Geography, B + ; Mechanical Drawing, C - ; English, D - ; History, C - ; Gym, B + ; Art, C ; Math, D -.
That math grade was the most favorite one I ever received. Because I knew that someone in the world finally understood what it was like for me to be missing a finger inside my head. From the second paragraph we can infer that the boy is _____ in some subjects.
| A．mind- blowing |
| B．slow-witted |
| C．fun-loving |
| D．badly-behaved |
Where may the boy live according to the passage?
| A．In an orphanage. |
| B．In a big prison. |
| C．In the school dormitory. |
| D．In his home. |
What grade should the boy have got in the math test this time?
A. D-.
B. C.
C. B+.
D. E. The underlined word" tucked" in the passage most probably means "_____".
| A．stuck |
| B．listed |
| C．hid |
| D．copied |
The reason why the boy remembers Mr Young is that___.
| A．he missed one of his fingers |
| B．he treated his students very well |
| C．he understood the boy |
| D．he taught his students in a special way |
Businesses are witnessing a difficult time，which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green.However，shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.
Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago，while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.
This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves.And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly.Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies，with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.
Harry Morrison，chief executive(主管)of the Carbon Trust，sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now.But from environmental considerations，the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time.In addition，cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a mediumterm benefit for the brand.”
Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint，as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions(排放)．Those that have taken early action will have a head start.More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible.This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.
The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing.“When companies are granted(授予) the standard，they can use a logo(标识) in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions，” Mr.Morrison said. (2010·福建，C)What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers. |
| B．Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions. |
| C．Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home. |
| D．Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness. |
The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．
| A．affect | B．change | C．disturb | D．reject |
According to Harry Morrison，businesses ________.
| A．will benefit from cutting carbon emissions |
| B．should buy carbon allowances for shoppers |
| C．are required to make up for their carbon emissions |
| D．have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere |
We can learn from the passage that businesses will________.
| A．have a strong desire to reduce costs |
| B．use the same logo in their marketing |
| C．gain advantages by taking early action |
| D．attract more shoppers by storing goods |
Rocky Lyons was five years old when his mother，Kelly，was driving along the country road with him.He was asleep on the front seat of their truck，with his feet resting on her lap.As his mom drove carefully down the winding country road，she turned onto a narrow bridge.The truck hit a rock and slid off the road.She attempted to bring it back up onto the road by pressing hard on the gas pedal(踏板) and turning the steering wheel(方向盘) to the left.But Rocky’s foot got caught between her leg and the steering wheel and she lost control of the truck.
The truck fell into a 20foot ravine(峡谷)．When it hit bottom，Rocky woke up.“What happened，Mama？” he asked.“Our wheels are pointing toward the sky.”
Kelly was seriously wounded and blinded by blood.“I’ll get you out，Mama，”announced Rocky，who had surprisingly escaped injury.He climbed out from under Kelly，slid through the open window and tried to yank his mother out.But she didn’t move.
“Just let me sleep，” begged Kelly，who was out of consciousness.Rocky insisted，“Mom，you can’t go to sleep.”
Rocky managed to push Kelly out of the truck and told her he’d climb up to the road and stop a car to get help.Fearing that no one would be able to see her little boy in the dark，Kelly refused to let him go alone.Instead they slowly moved up to the road.The pain was so great that Kelly wanted to give up，but Rocky wouldn’t let her.
Rocky kept repeating the inspirational phrase，“I know you can，I know you can.”When they finally reached the road，Rocky broke into tears seeing his mother’s torn face clearly for the first time.Waving his arms and shouting, “Please stop！” the boy stopped a truck.His mother was sent to hospital.
It took 8 hours to rebuild Kelly’s face.She looks quite different today—“I used to have a straight long nose，thin lips and high cheekbones；now I’ve got a flat cheeks and much bigger lips”—but she has few scars and has recovered from her injuries.
Rocky’s heroics were big news.Everyone was surprised at this little boy’s power.“It’s not like I wanted it to happen，” the boy explained.“I just did what anyone would have done.” “If it weren’t for Rocky，I’d have died，” said his mother.According to the text，Rocky and Kelly ________.
| A．were lost on a country road |
| B．were involved in a truck accident |
| C．had limited time to find their way |
| D．knew little of what happened to them |
When he woke up，Rocky ________.
| A．found the truck was turned over |
| B．found his mother had fallen asleep |
| C．was stuck against the door of the truck |
| D．was frightened by his mother’s blood |
The underlined word “yank” in Paragraph 3 most probably means “________”．
| A．pull | B．drive |
| C．follow | D．carry |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．A Boy and His Mother |
| B．How to Behave Well? |
| C．Nothing Is Lost |
| D．I Think You Can |
Plants may not have eyes and ears，but they can recognize their siblings (兄弟姐妹)，and researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered how.The ID system lies in the roots and the chemical signals they secrete (分泌)．
Canadian researchers published that sea rocket，a common seashore plant，can recognize its siblings.Susan Dudley observed that when siblings are grown next to each other in the soil，they “play nice” and don’t send out more roots to compete.However，the moment one of the plants is thrown in with strangers，it begins competing with them by rapidly growing more roots to take up the water and mineral nutrients in the soil.
After reading Dudley’s study，Bais decided to find the method behind the sibling recognition.Working in his laboratory，Bais and his doctoral student Meredith Biedrzycki set up a study with wild populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.In a series of experiments，young seedlings were exposed to liquid media containing the root secretions from siblings，from strangers，or only their own secretions.The length of the longest lateral (侧面的) root was measured.The exposure of plants to the root secretions of strangers induced (引诱) greater lateral root formation than exposure of plants to sibling secretions.Strangers planted next to each other are often shorter，because so much of their energy is directed at root growth.Because siblings aren’t competing against each other，their roots are often much shallower (浅的)．
Biedrzycki did the painstaking laboratory research，observing more than 3,000 plants involved in the study every day for seven continuous days and documenting the root patterns.“Arabidopsis roots are nearly translucent (半透明的) when they are young and were also twisted when I removed them from plates，”Biedrzycki notes.“This manuscript (手稿) is very important for my research since the focus of my thesis project is understanding the biochemical ways behind root secretions.”
The research also may have implications for the home gardener.“Often we’ll put plants in the ground next to each other and when they don’t do well，we blame the local garden center where we bought them or we attribute their failure to a germ，”Bais says.“But maybe there’s more to it than that.”Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．A Great Biology Researcher |
| B．Plants Recognize Their Siblings |
| C．Plants’ Roots and Secretions |
| D．A Research on Plants |
What encouraged Bais to study the sibling recognition?
| A．Sea rocket. |
| B．Plants’ sensing system. |
| C．Biedrzycki’s thesis project. |
| D．Dudley’s study. |
What does the underlined word “painstaking” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Important. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Careful. | D．Hardworking. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．The local garden center should be blamed when plants can’t grow well. |
| B．The local garden center often sells low quality seeds to customers. |
| C．Plants in the home garden can’t grow well because of the germ and seeds. |
| D．Competing against strangers，plants in the home garden can’t grow well. |
Alomada Racraotion and Fork Deportment (ARFD)
(510)7477529
TEEN TRIP TO
THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY
FOR Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades
LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAYClass #8389
Friday，December 9 (NonPublic School Holiday)
8∶00 a．m.to 7∶00 p．m.
Cost per person：$50 ($60 after January 22)—Includes：Lunch，Admission and Transportation
With a 4,000 sq.ft.day use lodge，the Leland High Snow Play has a huge supply of tubes to choose from，along with awesome tows(拖车) that will tow you up to the top of the hill！Our varied terrains(地形) have something for everyone，while the lodge provides a snack bar，video games，pool tables，five indoor restrooms，a warm fire，and a sun deck with plenty of tables and chairs over looking the play area outside.
Additional liability(责任) form required for the trip.
Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold，but dress in layers in case it warms up.Wear dry boots，socks，and sunscreen.If possible，bring a mobile phone in case of emergency，as well as money for snacks and a light dinner；or bring your own food and drinks.Meet at The Underground (Veteran’s Building2203 Central Avenue)—don’t be late!
Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip.The ARFD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money.
Refunds are issued only if the ARFD cancels this trip due to weather conditions.
Click here to download the registration form and “Leland High Snow Play Liability Form”．
•Register in person，or mail the completed form to Leland High Snow Play，Inc.Send the liability form and payment to the ARFD Office,2226 Santa Clara Avenue，Alameda.
•Fax the registration and liability form accepted with VISA，(510)7477566.
•Online registrations available at www.arpdeplay.com. Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip.According to the text，the cost doesn’t include ________.
| A．lunch | B．drinks |
| C．admission | D．transportation |
The purpose of the text is to ________.
| A．introduce a famous tour agency |
| B．explain the details of a school activity |
| C．urge teenagers to climb a snowy mountain |
| D．advertise a trip to the Leland High Snow Play |
Teenagers who want to take part in the activity need to ________.
| A．wear some warm clothes |
| B．climb the hill themselves |
| C．pay for tows individually |
| D．wear hats to protect themselves from the sun |
From the text it can be inferred that ________.
| A．the activity is very dangerous |
| B．the weather there is changeable |
| C．the trip will involve outdoor activities only |
| D．12yearold children are not allowed to take the trip |
Nowadays，much of the profit of a business—sometimes the whole of its success—depends upon the use of the odds and ends.The odds and ends are various small things，which are left over when the main things are produced.But they possess a real value of their own.
If a business，big or small，looked down upon these odds and ends，it would mean a big difference in the amount of the benefit of the business.Take a meat factory for instance，there are countless odds and ends—bones and hair，which can be made into glue and rope to increase its profit greatly.
Then，if we are college students，what about our odds and ends—the odd moments？Take time for example.Every one of us has the exact same amount of it.Everyone’s success or failure depends on the use of their time.But everyone uses the time more or less in the same way.However，why many great men in science or art have made huge successes for themselves in the world？Because they have made best use of their odd moments.Thomas A．Edison，never allowed his odd moments to slip by.He thought，planned，and tried his inventions.He always worked twenty hours out of each twentyfour.His inventions made him famous all over the world，and provided valuable wealth for the human beings.
So，remember this axiom：busy people always find time for everything.However，people with great spare time find time for nothing.Is it very strange？Not at all！The question is how to gather up fragments of time and make full use of them.As many big businesses have found，the real profit is in using the odds and ends.We also must do in this way to make best use of our odd moments and manage to be successful in something we do.What are odds and ends?
| A．They are nothing useful. |
| B．They are very small，but valuable things. |
| C．They are the main things factories produce. |
| D．They are odd moments students refuse to gather up. |
Why should the odds and ends be made full use of?
| A．Because they often determine success or failure. |
| B．Because they can only be found by successful people. |
| C．Because they are various small things people don’t want. |
| D．Because they are useless things left over. |
The underlined word axiom in the last paragraph means________.
| A．a statement given by famous people |
| B．a statement accepted as true |
| C．a statement that can be argued |
| D．a statement accepted in scientific field |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The profit of all companies depends on the odds and ends. |
| B．In some way，big meat companies can ignore some small things，such as bones. |
| C．College students only make full use of their spare time before exams. |
| D．Many successful men are good at using the odds and ends. |