Imagine a boy from a small village in East Africa. He, from a very early age, has been looking after cattle. At twelve years old he knows more about cattle than most of you. However, he has never been to school. Has this boy ever had any education?
Education is discovering about ourselves and about the people and things around us. All the people who care about us—our parents, brothers, sisters, friends—are our teachers. In fact, we learn something from every-one we meet. We start learning on the day we are born, not on the first day we go to school. Every day we have new experiences, like finding a bird's nest, discovering a new street in our neighborhood, making friends with someone we didn't like before. New experiences are even more fun when we share them with other people.
Encouragement from the people around us enables us to explore things as much as possible. As we grow up, we begin to find out what we are capable of doing. You may be good at cooking, or singing or playing football. You find this out by doing these things. Just thinking about cooking doesn't tell you if you are good at it.
We learn so much just living from day to day. So why is school important? Of course you can learn some things better at home than at school, like how to do the shopping, and how to help old or disabled people who can't do everything for themselves. At school, teachers help us to read and write. With their guid-ance, we begin to see things in different ways. The writer takes the African boy as an example to show that __________.
| A．African children are very poor |
| B．some children are unlucky |
| C．education takes many ways |
| D．schools are of great importance |
In the eyes of the writer __________.
| A．we have to learn from the people around us |
| B．school is not important at all |
| C．only the people caring for us can teach us |
| D．education takes place everywhere |
One can find out what one is good at by __________.
| A．the encouragement of people around |
| B．the teachers of he or she meets |
| C．thinking of it when growing up |
| D．trying and practicing it |
According to the passage, we know that __________.
| A．school is not so important as our living places |
| B．school enables us to understand the world in other ways |
| C．school teaches us something useless at home |
| D．school cannot prepare us for our daily lives |
Thepassage tells us that __________.
| A．everyone gets education from the day he or she is born |
| B．different education trains different classes of people |
| C．school is absolutely necessary if one wants to understand the world |
| D．everyonewill find out what he or she is good at |
Taking photographs at a birthday or a wedding has become as natural as blowing out candles or cutting the cake. But our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be damaging our ability to remember them, according to new research. A study has shown that taking pictures rather than concentrating fully on the events in front of us prevents memories taking hold.
Dr. Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described it as the "photo-taking impairment effect". She said: "People so often pull out their cameras almost mindlessly to capture a moment, to the point where they are missing what is happening right in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them—counting on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to attend to it fully themselves—it can have a negative impact on how well they remember their experiences."
Dr Henkel and her team carried out an experiment in a museum, to learn if taking pictures of the exhibits was hindering the ability of visitors to remember what they had seen.
A group of university students were led on a tour at the Bellarmine Museum of Art at Fairfield University and were asked to either photograph or try and remember objects on display. The next day their memory was tested. The results showed that people were less accurate in recognizing the objects they had photographed than those they had only looked at. It was found that their memory for the details of the objects they had photographed was poorer.
Henkel's lab is currently investigating whether the content of a photo, such as whether you are in it, affects later memory. She is also researching whether actively choosing what to photograph might influence what we remember.
Previous research suggests that reviewing photos we have taken does help us remember the objects, but only if we take the time.
"Research has suggested that the sheer volume and lack of organization of digital photos for personal memories discourages many people from accessing and recalling them. In order to remember, we have to access and interact with the photos, rather than just collect them," said Dr Henkel.What does the word “them”, in the first paragraph, refer to?
| A．Gifts at a birthday. |
| B．People who go to parties. |
| C．Photos taken at a wedding. |
| D．Details of the happiest moments. |
What is the “photo-taking impairment effect”?
| A．Some unhappy events may impair the effects of photos. |
| B．Taking photographs of objects ruins one’s memory of them. |
| C．The effects of photos are strongly affected by bad cameras. |
| D．Memories last forever when people take the photos they like most. |
What can we learn about Dr. Linda Henkel’s study?
| A．A group of high school students were involved. |
| B．The memory of participants was tested the following week. |
| C．People who just looked at the objects remembered fewer details. |
| D．People who photographed objects were worse at recognizing them. |
With which of the following may Dr. Linda Henkel agree?
| A．Reviewing photos improves memories of objects. |
| B．Focusing on people at events is the best way to remember. |
| C．Relying on technology to remember affects the memory. |
| D．Counting on cameras to record events is always reliable. |
The passage is probably taken from________.
| A．a health magazine | B．a cultural overview |
| C．an economics report | D．an entertainment website |
Are you a high school student who loves to be outdoors and is eager to experience new challenges, learn new skills and meet new people? Learn all about the world of building and maintaining hiking trails, and experience it in a safe, teamwork-oriented environment in various locations across the state. WTA offers first-time participants country trips and returning students have the option to go on trips in the back country(边远地区).
Front Country Trips
Our front country trips provide opportunities for people to experience projects near the ocean, in the scenic Cascade Mountains and in northeast Washington. All our trips provide you with experienced crew leaders, a great project, some camping tents, sleeping bags and all your meals for the week.
Advanced Back Country Trips
On these trips you will be backpacking to the work site and will have a chance to advance your trail and leadership skills under the supervision of a WTA crew leader. Approval from a previous crew leader is necessary.
Trip Details
In 2014, trip fees for WTA members will be $195 for the first trip and $145 for each additional trip. Non-members will pay an additional $40 for their first trip and can be qualified to be members in the second trip. There will be a $30 cancellation fee for cancellations more than 30 days prior to the trip, and no refund for cancellations less than 30 days prior to the trip. Due to the popularity of our trips, please submit your payment and application within two weeks of signing up for a trip. If a trip is full and you would like to be added to the waiting list, please call us at 206/625-1367 or email trail＿teams@wta.org.
Scholarships
We believe no student should have to stay at home this summer because he or she can’t afford to go outside. Thanks to donations from members and supporters, WTA is proud to announce that we are able to offer a limited number of scholarships. Application deadline: March 1, 2014.
2014 Youth Volunteer Vacation
You must be 14 to 18 years old to go on one of our Youth Volunteer Vacations. We always recommend that volunteers go on a one-day trip before attending a Youth Vacation to understand what the work will be like for a week.If you are going on one of the trips for the first time, you can’t go on trips ________.
| A．near the ocean |
| B．in the back country |
| C．in the Cascade Mountains |
| D．in northeast Washington |
How much will you have to pay for your second trip if you’re not a WTA member?
| A．$145 | B．$185 | C．$195 | D．$235 |
After choosing a trip, you ________.
| A．will naturally become a WTA member |
| B．can cancel your trip and get all your money back |
| C．will be added to the waiting list |
| D．must submit your payment and application within two weeks |
You must be lucky enough to obtain a scholarship if you ________.
| A．apply before March 1, 2014 |
| B．donate a little money to WTA |
| C．support WTA by advertising |
| D．volunteer in your high school |
From the text we can learn that 2014 Youth Volunteer Vacations ______.
| A．will be the last activity of the year |
| B．are more popular than people say |
| C．are open only to 14-to18-year-olds |
| D．offer a one-day trip for training |
Once a girl named Lily got married, but soon she found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all. Finally, Lily could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and decided to do something about it.
Lily turned to Mr. Huang, who sold herbs (草药), for help. She asked if he could give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for a while and said: “Lily, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and do what I tell you.” Lily agreed.
He told Lily, “You can’t use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day, prepare some delicious food and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very friendly towards her.” Lily thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her plot to murder her mother-in-law.
Thus every other day, Lily served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months had passed, the whole household changed. Lily and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter.
One day, Lily came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his help again. She said: “Mr. Huang, please help me to stop the poison from killing my mother-in-law! I do not want her to die.”
Mr. Huang smiled, saying, “Lily, there is nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude towards her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her. ”What can we learn about Lily?
| A．She was treated badly by her husband’s family. |
| B．She didn’t treat her mother-in-law sincerely at first. |
| C．Her mother-in-law didn’t agree to her marriage. |
| D．She didn’t respect the tradition of her husband’s family. |
Lily first went to see Mr. Huang to _________.
| A．ask for some herbs to kill her mother-in-law |
| B．ask him to cure her mother-in-law’s illness |
| C．buy some herbs to improve her mother-in-law’s health |
| D．ask him for some advice on dealing with her mother-in-law |
After visiting Mr. Huang, Lily__________.
| A．became more and more suspicious |
| B．changed all of her living habits to please her mother-in-law |
| C．prepared specially cooked food for her mother-in-law every day |
| D．changed her attitude towards her mother-in-law gradually |
What does the underlined word, “poison”, in the last paragraph, refer to?
| A．Buying poisonous herbs. |
| B．A negative attitude towards life. |
| C．Thinking ill of others. |
| D．Losing one’s temper randomly |
What does the author try to tell us?
| A．Be aware of other people’s good qualities in relationships. |
| B．Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts will become your words. |
| C．True happiness is to enjoy the present, without depending anxiously on the future. |
| D．Don’t waste your time explaining, because people will only hear what they want to hear. |
If Confucius(孔子)were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He'd need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China will remember Confucius on this special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It's nothing personal. Most Americans don't even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But this doesn't mean that Americans don't care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学).Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantages of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker's ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.The opening paragraph is mainly intended to ______.
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．attract the readers' interest in the subject |
| C．show great respect for the ancient thinker |
| D．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students______.
| A．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
| D．fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
Watson entered Mr. Smith's office. The boss was a hard man. He fired people who didn't do well without giving them a second chance.
"Watson," said Mr. Smith, "this past year your department hasn't earned money. We're going to drop that department. It's finished. I’m sorry, —but you'll have to go." "But, sir — if I just had a little more time. For the moment I need the job to keep my son at Riverside School."
"What's that!" said the boss. "Riverside! I didn't know you had a boy there. That's an expensive school for a man with your salary."
"I know, sir. But he likes it there so much! He's a star athlete and the best boxer in the school. The boys call him Champ (冠军)there."
The boss sat perfectly still for a long time — a faraway (恍惚的) look in his eyes. Then, suddenly, he said, "We've got to close your department, Watson. But you'll take over a new job in another department. It means longer hours—maybe more pay. Now get out. You're here for life."
Watson got out, with surprise on his face. Then the boss took a letter from the top drawer of his desk. It was Herbie's last letter from Riverside School —written a few days before he died. He had read it over and over again with sick pain. The letter read:
I can’t say the boys here are any nicer to me than the others were. I guess it's the same everywhere when you're a cripple (跛脚的人). But don't worry about me, Dad. They've got a good chemistry department here. And there’s one boy here who is really great. He's a track star and boxing champ and just tops in chemistry. The boys call him Champ. He made them stop throwing my books around. And he knocked a boy down who hit me. He is the best friend I ever had. Dad, when I grow up, I want to do something for Champ. Something big — that he won’t even know about.
Your son,
HerbieMr. Smith wanted to fire Watson because _____.
| A．Watson would take over a new job in another department |
| B．Watson had his son study in Riverside School |
| C．Watson's son knocked a boy down who hit Herbie |
| D．Watson's department didn't earn money that year |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．Mr. Smith didn't know that Champ was Watson's son at first |
| B．Mr. Smith was told not to fire Watson by Herbie |
| C．Mr. Smith decided to give Watson another chance in no time |
| D．Mr. Smith wanted to realize Champ's dream |
According to the text, which words can best describe Mr. Smith?
| A．Sympathetic and grateful. | B．Selfish and greedy. |
| C．Hardworking and strict. | D．Easy-going and optimistic. |
The author wrote the text in order to _____.
| A．make our children enjoy life |
| B．share a moving story with us |
| C．provide us with tips on work |
| D．help us to deal with our boss |