The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: “Hold on, Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go.” Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation, he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, “Maybe I should call your mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison.”
Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. “Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?” she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. But no, she was most calm, quiet and pleasant and was making Mr. Carr feel guilty…. Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. “Of course”, he said, “I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youths long time to get sense into their heads.” And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.
Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, “You are a bad luck. It is one thing after another, always has been. Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed.” In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. There was no shame in him, just pride in his mother's strength. He felt he must tell her how great she was. As he got to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. He was shocked by what he saw. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one. It was not the same cool, bright face he saw earlier in the drug store. As she lifted the tea cup, her hand shook. And some of the tea splashed on the table. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. He watched his mother without making a sound. The picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth coming to an end. He saw all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hand and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him for the first time he had ever really seen his mother.Which of the following is probably said by Mrs. Higgins while talking to Mr. Carr?
| A．“Please, for God's sake, you know, he is just a kid.” |
| B．“I can't believe it! You are treating my son like that!” |
| C．“Punishment makes sense because it teaches about the law.” |
| D．“You know, it takes time for a youth to truly grow up.” |
What does the underlined phrase "his mother's strength"(Para. 3) refer to?
| A．Mrs. Higgins's attitude towards parental sufferings. |
| B．Mrs. Higgins's calmness and communicating skills. |
| C．Mrs. Higgins's love and care for her son Alfred. |
| D．Mrs. Higgins's greatness as a woman. |
After the incident, young Alfred would probably ________.
| A．change his attitudes towards life |
| B．feel ashamed of her mother |
| C．learn to live an independent life |
| D．hate Mr. Carr for hurting her mother |
The volcano is one of the most surprising frightening things of nature. Maybe you have seen pictures of these " fireworks " of nature. Sometimes when a volcano erupts, a very large wall of melted rock moves down the side of a mountain. It looks like a " river of fire". Sometimes volcanoes explode, throwing the melted rock and ashes high into the air. But where does this melted rock come from?
The earth is made up of many layers (层). The top layer that we see is called the crust. Under the crust are many layers of hard rock. But far, far beneath the crust the rock is so hot that it is soft. In some places it even melts. The melted rock is called magma. Sometimes the magma breaks out to the surface through cracks (裂缝) in the crust. These cracks are volcanoes.
Most people think of mountains when they think of volcanoes. But not every mountain is a volcano. A volcano is simply the opening in the earth from which the magma escapes. The hot magma, or lava as it is called, cools and builds up on the surface of the earth. Over thousands of years, this pile of cooled lava can grow to be very, very big. For example, the highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro, is a volcano. It rises more than 16,000 feet above the ground around it.
8. The underlined word "erupts" means ______.
A. moves down B. breaks away C. builds up D. suddenly throws out lava
9. Which words in the passage have the same meaning as "melted rock"?
A. volcano and crustB. crust and hard rock
C. magma and lavaD. volcano and magma
10. Which is the correct order of the layers of the earth (beginning with the top layer)?
A. crust — hard rock — magma — soft rock
B. crust — hard rock — soft rock — magma
C. agma — soft rock — hard rock — crust
D. volcano — cracks — magma — crust
11. The best title of the passage should be______.
A. The Volcano B. Kilimanjaro Volcano C. The Mountains D. The Melted Rock
Company: KinderCare
Location: US-TX-College Station
Base Pay: 600$ ,.
Employee Type: Full-Time Employee
Industry: Education-Teaching-Management
Job Type: Education
Required Education: 2 Years Degree
Required Experience: At Least 1 Year
Jobs So Desirable, We Hate To Call It Work... Looking for a great opportunity and the chance to make a difference? KinderCare Learning Centers is the leading for-profit provider of early childhood educational services and care in the country with nearly 120,000 children enrolled. KinderCare’s training is the key to providing high quality education and care for children 6 weeks to 12 years old. We are looking for devoted, responsible, and creative people for full-time and part-time positions at our centers located in College Station and Bryan, TX. REQUIREMENTS
Successful applicants will possess a High School diploma or GED, and at least 1 year of childcare experience. You must also have 12 credits (学分) in Early Childhood Education or be now enrolled in ECE classes and possess 6 credits in ECE.
We offer a wonderful work environment! If you have previous education and/or experience in childcare and a love for children, we want to hear from you! Salary goes with experience and position.
KinderCare offers a comprehensive benefits package, a competitive salary, and childcare discount. KinderCare is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To apply, please contact us at:
Kinder Care Learning Centers
1711 Village Drive
College Station, TX 77840
Fax: (979) 696-6616
Email: [ Click here for email ] www. kindercare. corn
5. From the ad above, it seems that the company wants ______.
A. nurses B. managers C. trainees D. teachers
6. According to the job requirements, people need to have _ __ to get the job.
A. experience and educational services
B. required education and experience
C. High School education and experience
D. 12 credits in Early Childhood Education
7. This ad probably appears in ______.
A. a radio programB. a newspaper
C. the introduction to the company D. the website of the company
"Time is a problem for children," states a news report for a new Swiss watch. Children in some countries" learn time slowly" because" they don’t wear watches" and " parents don’t really know how to teach them time. " The children grow up with this handicap and become adults (成人) —and then can’t get to work on time. Is there an answer to this problem? Of course — it’s the Flik Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company.
The Flik Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10. The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely " takes their imagination" by presenting the " hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the " minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flik. Flik points to related" blue" minutes on the dial, while Flak points to " red" hour numbers. The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time.
The watch comes equipped with a standard battery (电池) and a nylon band (尼龙表带). Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flik Flak, calls it " childproof if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing machine. " The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a suggested price of $25. Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it’s quite another for them to be on time.
1. From the news report we know that ______.
A. parents are patient when teaching children time
B. parents have little idea of how to teach children time
C. children are likely to learn time quickly
D. children enjoy wearing the Flik Flak watch
2. The author doesn’t seem to believe ______.
A. children will be on time if they have learnt how to tell time
B. a Flik Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time
C. the Flik Flak can take children’s imagination
D. children usually have trouble telling time if they don’t wear watches
3. The underlined word handicap in Para. 1 means
A. displeasure B. discouragement C. disappointment D. disadvantage
4. The United State sales manager calls the new watch " childproof" because ______.
A. it is designed to teach children to be on time
B. it proves to be effective in teaching children time
C. it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children
D. it is the children’s favorite watch
What does it mean to say that we live in a world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate’s need to study for an exam may take priority (优先) over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic/interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence how others believe and behave. We may not always prevail — other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merit of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome interruption into their lives. Just the opposite, we believe that persuasion is unavoidable — to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be ethical (合乎道义的) or unethical, selfless or selfish, inspiring or degrading. Persuaders may enlighten our mind or prey on our vulnerability. Ethical persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, the most basic part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is necessary to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the bedrock of the American political system, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution (美国宪法).
10. According to the passage, persuasion means ________.
A. changing others’ points of view
B. exercising power over other people
C. getting other people to consider your point of view
D. getting people to agree with you and do what you want
11. The underlined word in the second paragraph “prevail” means________.
A. win B. fail C. speak D. listen
12. The passage states that some people object to persuasion because they think it is ________.
A. a danger to societyB. difficult to do well
C. unwelcome behavior D. never successful
13. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A. how people persuade
B. why people persuade
C. that persuasion is both good and bad
D. that persuasion is important and it is all around us
A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset as well as others’. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.
5. What is an unpunctual person like?
A. He always does a thing when it should be done. B. He is always very busy.
C. He always does a thing at the wrong time. D. He always keeps the appointments.
6. Why is unpunctuality very harmful?
A. Because it makes a man lose many chances of doing important affairs.
B. Because it makes a man lose friends.
C. Because it makes a man work quickly.
D. Because it makes a man be more respected by others.
7. According to the passage, which is right?
A. The punctual person has no much work to do.
B. The unpunctual person is very rich. (from www.nmet168.com)
C. The unpunctual person is often respected by his friends.
D. The unpunctual person loses what can’t be regained again.
8. According to the passage, what are good manners when you are invited to a party?
A. Arriving at the appointed time. B. Arriving before all other guests.
C. Arriving after all other guests. D. Keeping all other guests waiting.
9. Why is a person always unpunctual?
A. He is too busy.B. He has too much work to do.
C. He does care much about time. D. He doesn’t manage his time properly.