A mother, who wished to encourage her son’s progress in playing the piano, bought tickets for a performance by the great Polish pianist Ignace Paderewski.When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the impressive Steinway waiting on the stage.Not long after they arrived, the mother came across a friend in the hall and they began to talk with each other.Meanwhile the boy slipped away and could be found nowhere.
At eight o’clock, the lights in the concert hall began to fail, and then the spotlights(聚光灯) came on.Only then did they notice the boy who was up on the piano bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.Seeing this, his mother was shocked and embarrassed.But before she could bring her son back, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard.
He whispered gently to the boy, “Don’t quit.Keep playing.” Learning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass(低音的) part.Soon his right arm reached around the other side and performed a delightful accompaniment(伴奏).Together, the old master and the young boy performed so wonderfully and harmoniously on the stage and they held the attention of the crowd with their beautiful music.
In all our lives, we receive helping hands from time to time—some we notice; some we don’t.Equally we ourselves have countless opportunities to offer helping hands—sometimes we want our assistance to be noticed, sometimes we don’t.Little of what we all achieve is without learning from others and without support from others.We are supposed to hand out what we have received.We can learn from the text that the mother___________.
A.was pleased to see her son playing the piano on the stage |
B.admired the master so much that she went to watch his performance |
C.encouraged her son to play the piano on the stage |
D.was talking with a friend when her son slipped onto the stage |
Seeing the boy playing the piano, the great master___________.
A.felt very shocked and angry |
B.encouraged him to continue |
C.asked his mother to take him away |
D.shouted at the boy |
The author wrote this text in order to__________.
A.show how patient the great master was |
B.tell the readers a very interesting story |
C.report an incident in a concert hall |
D.urge us to reach out to those in need |
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC)一A Santa Monica High School teacher who was put on
leave after using physical force to control a student who was selling marijuana(大麻)in his classroom has received surprising support on Facebook. The incident was captured on video and has caused a sudden reaction from parents, teachers, students and even graduates. They are showing their support for Black. A Facebook page supporting "Coach Black" has over 4,700 likes. And many want him back in the classroom.
Student witnesses say Mark Black, who is also the wrestling coach, tried to confiscate(没收)a bag of marijuana and was then injured by the student with a pencil. The cellphone video shows Black locking the student's legs and pinning the student to the ground. "He just wanted him to stop and he was trying to be a teacher and help, and I don't think it was his fault." said student Kylan Townsend.
School Board member Oscar De La Tone says Mr. Black is one of his teachers at Santa Monica High School. "I know him very well. I know him to be a fair person, a good person, someone who cares deeply about his students," said De La Torre. He says that the video does not tell the whole story and that the incident brings to light the issue of drug use, something the district needs to address.
But in an email to parents, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent Sandra Lyon says the teacher's behavior is "absolutely alarming." She put Black on leave during an independent investigation.
Lyon has come under fire from parents for initially saying the kind of physical action used by the teacher was unacceptable. On Saturday, Lyon released the following statement to Eyewitness News: "I want to stress that teachers are at times confronted with difficult, even threatening situations, and they must make judgment calls to protect safety. I want to emphasize that putting the teacher who was involved in this incident on leave until completion of an independent investigation is a matter of standard policy and practice; it in no way prejudices the outcome of the investigation."
Students hope the situation will have a quick and just resolution. An online petition(请原书) pas also peen createu by one of Black's former students. The petition has already gained thousands of signatures.Black did not respond to a request for comment.What does the cellphone video on Facebook disclose?
A.Mark Black injured a student with a pencil. |
B.Mark Black wrestled with a student in his class. |
C.Mark Black confiscated a bag and locked a student. |
D.Mark Black controlled a student with physical force. |
In the fifth paragraph, the underlined word "it" refers to__.
A.making judgment calls to protect safety |
B.putting the teacher involved on leave |
C.completion of an independent investigation |
D.a matter of standard policy and practice |
From the passage, we can infer that__
A.the people involved in the matter support Mark Black |
B.Mark Black will be eventually fired by the School Board |
C.Sandra Lyon won some support from parents initially |
D.no decision has been made from the investigation yet |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A.Teacher Put on Leave Receives Support |
B.Thousands Come and Sign the Petition |
C.School Teacher Wrestled with Student |
D.Cellphone Video on the Facebook Page |
一Did you go to Taylor Swift's concert last night?
一I would rather I__.But I was preparing a report for my boss.
A.did | B.had |
C.would | D.might |
People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow’s reality—the driverless car.” The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the US government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
“Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are making Hondas safer,” said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes.” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers, but don’t replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer.
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident,” Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. “It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first.”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
B. Driverless cars are pointing us a faraway future.
C. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
D. Google’s self-driving cars have covered a long distance.We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.
A.helped design self-driving cars |
B.supports self-driving cars on roads |
C.considers self-driving cars science fiction |
D.improved the self-driving car systems |
According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
A.They are not allowed to run on the road. |
B.Their technical problems remain to be solved. |
C.They are now too expensive for consumers. |
D.They are more dangerous for people on the street. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.The Benefits of the Self-driving Cars |
B.The Biggest Challenge of the Self-driving Cars |
C.Safer or More Dangerous Self-driving Cars |
D.Self-driving Cars—Science Fiction Future Is Near |
A Southampton University team found that people who were vegetarians by 30 had recorded five IQ points higher on average at the age of 10. Researchers said it could explain why people with a higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower heart disease and obesity rates. The study of 8,179 people was reported in the British Medical Journal.
Twenty years after the IQ tests were carried out in 1970, 366 of the participants said they were vegetarians — although more than 100 reported eating either fish or chicken.
Men who were vegetarians had an IQ score of 106, compared with 101 for non-vegetarians; while female vegetarians averaged 104, compared with 99 for non-vegetarians. There was no difference in the IQ scores, between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarians but reported eating fish or chicken.
Researchers said the findings were partly related to better education and higher class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors.
Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians. However, these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.
Lead researcher Catharine Gale said, “The findings that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarians as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why a higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life.
But Dr Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association said,“It is like the chicken and egg. Do people become vegetarians because they have a very high IQ or is it just that they are clever enough to be more aware of health issues?”What’ s the result of the research mentioned in the text?
A.Children with a higher IQ are less likely to have heart disease later in life. |
B.Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians later in life. |
C.Intelligent children tend to belong to higher social class later in life. |
D.Children with a healthier heart tend to have a higher IQ later in life. |
It was found in the research that________.
A.most of the participants became vegetarians 20 years after the IQ tests were carried out |
B.female vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians |
C.vegetarians who ate fish or chicken were of similar intelligence with strict vegetarians |
D.vegetarians were more likely to have higher annual income than non-vegetarians |
Catharine Gale talked about “being vegetarians” in a(n)________way.
A.doubtful | B.favorable |
C.negative | D.objective |
What’ s the best title for the text?
A.Get more IQ points! |
B.Be a vegetarian, please! |
C.A high IQ is linked to being a vegetarian |
D.Vegetarian diet cuts heart risk |
HOTEL INFORMATION
Baymont Inn Ft.Lauderdale
3800 W.Commercial, Ft. Lauderdale.FL 33309
Lowest Prices 110% Guaranteed (保证)
Room Information
Rooms are equipped with Double, Queen , or King bed (s) , smoking or non-smoking based on location and availability. Provided in each spacious guest room is a hair dryer, coffee maker, iron, ironing board, 25’TV and guest voice mail.
Check-in Time:7:00 P. M.
Hotel Amenities:Air Conditioned, Free Parking, 24 Hour Front Desk, Pool, Television with Cable, Coffee Maker in Room, Hairdryers Available.
Beach Plaza Hotel
625 N.Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, Ft.Lauderdale, FL 33304
Room Information
The oceanfront accommodations at Beach Plaza Hotel are some of the most affordable on Fort Lauderdale Beach.Each room features direct-dial telephone, cable television and daily maid service.The very affordable efficiency studios even include full kitchens! All rooms surround the private poolside garden courtyard.
Check-in Time:7:05 P. M.
Hotel Amenities:Air Conditioned, Coffee Maker in Room, 24 Hour Front Desk, Parking, Hairdryers Available, Pool, Television with Cable.
Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel
3711 N.Ocean Blvd, Ft.Lauderdale, FL 33308
Room Information
Guest rooms feature TVs, in-room movies, Internet access, in-room safes, alarm clock radios, hairdryers, refrigerators, microwaves, and balconies.
Check-in Time:7:00 A.M.
Hotel Amenities:Parking,Heated Pool, Television with Cable, and Coffee Maker in Room.Which hotel gives a promise?
A.Beach Plaza Hotel. | B.Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale. |
C.Baymont Inn Hotel. | D.Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
In which hotel parking is the cheapest?
A.Beach Plaza Hotel. | B.Baymont Inn Ft . Lauderdale. |
C.Baymont Inn Hotel. | D.Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
If you ______ , you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel.
A.enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
B.want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
C.are fond of swimming in heated water |
D.are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true to the ads?
A.In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available. |
B.All of the three hotels provide television with cable. |
C.You can keep your money in the room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
D.While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet. |