When people ask me what Down Syndrome(唐氏综合症) is, I tell them it’s an extra chromosome(染色体). A doctor would tell you the extra chromosome causes an intellectual disability that makes it harder for me to learn things.
Even though I have Down Syndrome, my life is a lot like yours. I read books and watch TV. I listen to music with my friends. I’m on the swim team and in chorus at school. I think about the future, and I like the one who I’ll marry. And I get along with my sisters---except when they take CDs without asking! I’m a hard worker, a good person, and I care about my friends.
Some of my classes are with typical kids, and some are with kids with learning disabilities. I have an aid who goes with me to my harder classes, like math and biology. She helps me take notes and gives me tips on how I should study for tests. It really helps, but I also challenge myself to do well. For instance, my goal was to be in a typical English class by 12th grade. That’s exactly what happened this year!
It’s true that I don’t learn some things as fast as other people do. But that won’t stop me from trying. I just know that if I work really hard and by myself I can do almost anything.
I can’t change the fact that I have Down Syndrome, but one thing I would change is what people think of me. I’d tell them, “Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. The most important---just be my friend.”A person with Down Syndrome ____________according to the passage.
| A．can learn things almost as fast as normal people do |
| B．has one more chromosome than normal people |
| C．is hard to get along with |
| D．is easy to get along with |
The writer tries to picture himself as a __________teenager.
| A．normal | B．perfect | C．lovely | D．special |
The writer feels ________about his life.
| A．confused | B．hopeful | C．unhappy | D．curious |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To prove people with Down Syndrome are a lot like healthy ones |
| B．To show the writer’s honesty and optimism |
| C．To change people’s attitude towards people with Down Syndrome |
| D．To describe the life of a student with learning disabilities |
| Take Actions for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers. Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV/AIDS. Fights and Teacher Training. Qualification(条件):18 years, hard working and social engagement. Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@betterworld.com |
| International Summer Job Hi, I’m ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a job? I don't need to earn much, just enough in 2 months (July-August) to pay my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world. My email is: ram3462@hotmail.com |
| Part-time Work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The Community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding (回报) in the community and earn some extra money. Applicants(申请人) best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-culture communication, and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the U.S. Positions available in most states. If interested, please email staff@youth.org or call 888-123-9872. |
| Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don't need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The task involves reading texts and designing questions and answers. If you are willing to help me, then please email me: club3564@hotmail.com |
Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases. |
| C．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English. |
| D．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the U.S. |
| B．In an ESL organization in China. |
| C．In a preparation program in Denmark. |
| D．In an exchange student center in Africa. |
If Mrs. Black in the U.S. hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact ___.
| A．takeaction@betterworld.com | B．ram3462@hotmail.com |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com | D．staff@youth.org |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To interview people online. | B．To do some housework. |
| C．To offer advice on Child Aid. | D．To provide language exercises. |
My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s bureau（衣橱）and picked out a wonderful skirt. “Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago .She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.” Well, I guess this is the occasion.
He took the skirt from me and put it on the bed. His hands touched the soft material for a moment, then he shut the drawer and turned to me, “Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is a special occasion.”
I’m still thinking about his words, and they’ve changed my attitude to life. I’m spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to enjoy, not suffer. I’m trying to recognize these moments now and treasure them.
“Someday” and “one of these days” are being lost from my vocabulary. If it’s worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now . I’m not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn’t have tomorrow.
I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend her fences for past things. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.
If I knew that my hours were limited, those little things left undone would make me angry. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry and sorry because I didn’t tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I’m trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, and every breath truly, is…a gift from God.What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Every day is a gift |
| B．My poor sister |
| C．Value friendship every day |
| D．Every day is an important occasion |
Jan bought the wonderful skirt but didn’t wear it, because( )
| A．She wanted to wear it on special occasions |
| B．She kept it as a special gift for someone else |
| C．She saved it until she grew older |
| D．She wanted to keep it as a sweet memory |
Which of the following is not the writer’s attitude to life?
| A．Spending more time staying with family every day. |
| B．Attending social activities as often as possible |
| C．Enjoying life and valuing every day. |
| D．Trying to get along well with friends |
The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly printed newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant, which came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston .But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started the Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American colonies（殖民地）. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers.There are now about 1, 800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, newspapers in English have the largest circulation (发行量)in the world .But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun . It sells more than eleven million copies every year.The first regularly printed European newspaper started in ________.
| A．Rome in 59 BC | B．Germany in 1609 |
| C．Amsterdam in 1620 | D．England in 1621 |
The first daily newspaper in English started in _________.
| A．1620 | B．1621 | C．1590 | D．1702 |
What does the author want to inform us?
| A．History of newspapers |
| B．History of daily newspapers |
| C．The beginning of newspapers |
| D．On reading newspapers |
Inventor，physicist，surveyor，astronomer，biologist，artist... Robert Hooke was all these and more. Some say he was the greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century. Once he worked with renowned（有名声的） men of science like Christian Huygens，Antony van Leeuwenhoek，Robert Boyle，Isaac Newton and the great architect，Christopher Wren.
Hooke’s early education began at home，under the guidance of his father. He entered Westminster School at the age of thirteen，and from there he went to Oxford，where he came in contact with some of the best scientists in England. Hooke impressed them with his skill at designing experiments and devising（发明） instruments. In 1662，at the age of twenty－eight，he was named Curator of Experiments of the newly formed Royal Society of London. Hooke accepted the job，even though he knew that it had no money to pay him!
Watching living things through the microscope was one of his favorite occupations. He devised a compound microscope for this purpose. One day while observing a cork (软木) under a microscope，he saw honeycomb－like structures. They were cells—the smallest units of life.In fact，it was Hooke who coined the term “cell” as the boxlike cells of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery(修道院)．
Perhaps because of his varied interests，Hooke often left experiments unfinished. Others took up where he left off and then claimed sole(独占的)credit. This sometimes led to quarrels with colleagues. One work that he finished was his book MICROGRAPHIA，a volume that reveals the immense potential of the microscope. The book also includes，among other things，ideas on gravity and light which may have helped scientists like Newton while they were developing their own theories on these phenomena.
Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too. A crater(陨石坑) on the moon is named after him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science.From the first paragraph，we can know that Robert Hooke __________.
| A．was famous because he worked with many scientists |
| B．liked making friends with the famous people |
| C．received a lot from other scientists |
| D．made contributions to many different fields |
Robert Hooke probably went to school in __________.
| A．1647 | B．1634 | C．1662 | D．1640 |
Robert Hooke made himself known to some of the best scientists in England by __________.
| A．learning by himself with his father’s help |
| B．introducing himself to them |
| C．designing experiments and instruments |
| D．refusing any reward from Royal Society of London |
Robert Hooke couldn’t get along well with his colleagues because __________.
| A．he couldn’t finish his work on time sometimes |
| B．he had all kinds of interests in his daily life |
| C．he was too proud to look up to them |
| D．the other scientists took the fruits of his experiments |
I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows(誓约) mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends，and they to me. Without them，there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here’s what I want to tell you today：get a life. A real life，not a desire of the next promotion(提升)，the bigger paycheck and the larger house.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love，and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure(休闲) but work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives，our days，our hours，and our minutes. It is so easy to exist instead of living. I learned to live many years ago. Something really，really bad happened to me，something that changed my life. If I had my choice，it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what，today，seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey，not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and tried to give some of it back because I believed in it，completely and totally. And I tried to do that，in part，by telling others what I had learned.
By telling them this：read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness，because if you do，you will live with joy and passion(激情) as it ought to be lived.The best title of this passage probably is “________”．
| A．Love Your Friends | B．Live a Real Life |
| C．Don’t Waste Time | D．Be a Good Mother and Wife |
How did the author form her view of life?
| A．Through social experience. |
| B．By learning from her friends. |
| C．Through an unfortunate experience. |
| D．From her children and husband. |
By the underlined sentence “It is so easy to exist instead of living.” in the fifth paragraph，the author really means that people tend to________.
| A．make a living rather than live a real life |
| B．work rather than enjoy life |
| C．waste a lot in life |
| D．forget the most important lesson in life |
It can be inferred from the passage that________.
| A．the author is a success in personal life |
| B．the author doesn’t try her best to work well |
| C．the author spends all her time caring for her children |
| D．the author likes traveling very much |