On March 8,a big spelling mistake was made at the Selma Unified School District's Spelling Bee (拼字比赛)，in Selma, California. The mistake was made not by one of the competitors, but by the judges. Even though 12-year-old Sierra Shoemaker spelled her final word correctly, she was disqualified (淘汰)because the judges thought she had it wrong. "I didn't want to say anything because if the word master tells you you've got a wrong word, you don't really argue with him, "Sierra told local California news station KMPH.
The word Sierra was told to spell was "braille", referring to the written Language for people unable to see. Sierra spelled it out correctly, but the judges' master sheet had the word written down as "b-r-a-i-l-e", with one '1' missing. The audience immediately recognized the judges' mistake. So did Sierra. “I looked around at the audience, half of them were looking at each other, complaining quietly, "said Sierra, speaking to KMPH. She went home with a second place prize, but was frustrated, realizing that perhaps she could have won first place prize.
Determined to move on to the next level* Sierra appealed her disqualification. At first, the county rejected her appeal. Fortunately, the school community got behind her. Her school supported the appeal and won. Sierra will now advance to the Fresno County Spelling Bee. If she wins Fresno, she will then go on to represent her county in the California State Spelling Championships.
Beyond each state’s spelling bee is the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Winners from state championships move on to compete against each other, as well as against students from countries outside the United States. With her spirit of determination, we believe we will see Sierra on the stage of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. At the Selma Unified School District's Spelling Bee, Sierra ________ .
| A．was disqualified |
| B．made a big mistake |
| C．argued with the judges |
| D．had her final word wrong |
Why did some of the audience look at each other according to Paragraph 2?
| A．They felt sorry for Sierra's mistake. |
| B．They wanted to know how to spell the word. |
| C．They wanted to make friends with each other. |
| D．They thought that the judges had made a mistake. |
Sierra will advance to the Fresno County Spelling Bee because ________ .
| A．the county accepted the appeal finally |
| B．she asked the news station KMPH for help |
| C．she was given the first place prize after her appeal |
| D．the audience forced the judges into changing their decision |
Which of the following shows the author's attitude towards Sierra?
| A．She is tolerant. |
| B．She is hard-working. |
| C．She is open-minded. |
| D．She is strong-minded. |
I suppose that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it’s given from the heart. When people are talking, there’s no need to do anything but receive them. Listen to what they’re saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don’t value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of simple saying “I’m so sorry,” when someone is in pain.
One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story people often interrupted to tell her that they once had something just like that happening to them. Her pain became a story about them. Eventually, she stopped talking to most people. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the handkerchiefs, until I realized that passing a person a handkerchief may be just another way to shut him down, to take them out of their experience of sadness. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young. I thought people listened only because they were too shy to speak or did not know the answer. But now I know that a loving silence often has far more power to heal than the kindest words.What does the author value most in the communication with each other?
| A．Deep understanding | B．Saying “I’m Sorry”. |
| C．Attention from heart. | D．Doing nothing. |
The woman patient stopped telling her story to most people because ______.
| A．She didn’t get enough respect from others |
| B．she was discouraged by being often interrupted |
| C．people often told her their own opinions |
| D．people couldn’t understand her sad situation |
If you hand a handkerchief to someone crying, you may ______.
| A．hurt his feelings | B．make him embarrassed |
| C．encourage him to continue to cry | D．stop him from letting out his sorrow |
It can be inferred from the passage that while communicating, ______.
| A．listening is a perfect way to respond to others |
| B．people keep silent because they don’t know the answer |
| C．keeping silent means being too shy to speak |
| D．it is easy to form the habit of listening silently |
Low-Cost Gifts for Mother's Day
Gift No. I
Offer to be your mother's health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor's visits
whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say "no need," another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor's visit. The best part ? This one is free.
Gift No. 2
Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. "Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother's life," Dr. Marie Savard said.
Gift No. 3
Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. "Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep," Savard said. "We know that good sleep is very important to our health."
Gift No. 4
Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother's Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构) Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things -many of which are "green" - and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.What are you advised to do for your mother at doctor's visits?
| A．Take notes. |
| B．Be with her. |
| C．Buy medicine. |
| D．Give her gifts. |
Where can you find a gift idea to improve your mother’s sleep?
| A．In Gift No. 1. | B．In Gift No. 2. |
| C．In Gift No. 3. | D．In Gift No. 4. |
Buying gifts from Presents for Purpose allows mothers to
| A．enjoy good sleep | B．be well-organized |
| C．bet extra support | D．give others help |
Given that many people's moods (情绪)are regulated by the chemical action of chocolate, it was probably only a matter of time before somebody made the chocolate shop similar to a drug store of Chinese medicine. Looking like a setting from the film Charlie&the Chocolate Factory, Singapore's Chocolate Research Facility (CRF) has over 100 varieties of chocolates.its founder is Chris Lee who grew up at his parents' corner store with one hand almost always in the jar of sweets.
If the CRF seems to be a smart idea, that's because Lee is not merely a seasoned salesperson but also head of a marketing department that has business relations with big names such as Levi's and Sony. That idea surely results in the imagination at work when it comes to making different flavored(味道)chocolates.
The CRF's produce is "green". made within the country and divided into 10 lines, with the Alcohol Series being the most popular. The Exotic Series一with Sichuan pepper, red bean (豆).cheese and other flavors一also does well and is fun to taste. And for chocolate snobs，who think that they have a better knowledge of chocolate than others, the Connoisseur Series uses cocoa beans from Togo, Cuba, Venezuela , and Ghana, among others.What is good about chocolate?
| A．It serves as a suitable gift. |
| B．It works as an effective medicine. |
| C．It helps improve the state of mind. |
| D．It strengthens business relations. |
Why is Chris Lee able to develop his idea of the CRF?
| A．He knows the importance of research. |
| B．He learns form shops of similar types. |
| C．He has the support of many big names |
| D．He has a lot of marketing experience. |
Which line of the CRF produce sells best?
| A．The Connoisseur Series. |
| B．The Exotic Series. |
| C．The Alcohol Series. |
| D．The Sichuan Series. |
The words "chocolate snobs" in Paragraph 3 probably refer to people who
| A．are particular about chocolate |
| B．know little about cocoa beans |
| C．look down upon others |
| D．like to try new flavors |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an intemational festival of music,dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival.Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform,and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon,groups of studentsfirstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge,Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”,once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre,music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing,some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.Point was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．they owned a public house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．人rusts from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Doctor are known to be terrible pilots. They don't listen because they already know it all. I was lucky: I became a pilot in 1970, almost ten years before I graduated from medical school. I didn't realize then, but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon. I loved flying. As I flew bigger, faster planes, and in worse weather. I learned about crew resource management (机组资源管理), or CRM, a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew members should listen and speak up for a good result, regardless of positions.
I first read about CRM in 1980. Not long after that, an attending doctor and I were flying in bad weather. The controller had us turn too late to get our landing ready. The attending doctor was flying; I was safety pilot He was so busy because of the bad turn, he had forgotten to put the landing gear (起落架) down. He was a better pilot - and my boss - so it felt unusual to speak up. But I had to: Our lives were in danger. I put aside my uneasiness and said, "We need to put the landing gear down now!" That was my first real lesson in the power of CRM, and I've used it in the operating room ever since.
CRM requires that the pilot/surgeon encourage others to speak up. It further requires that when opinions are from the opposite, the doctor doesn't overreact, which might prevent fellow doctors from voicing opinions again. So when I'm in the operating room, I ask for ideas and help from others. Sometimes they're not willing to speak up. But I hope that if I continue to encourage them , someday someone will keep me from "landing gear up".
| 1． |
What dose the author say about doctors in general?
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| 2． |
The author deepened his understanding of the power of CRM when.
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| 3． |
In the last paragraph"landing gear up" probably means.
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| 4． |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
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