She may have lacked a home, but now this teen has top honors．
A 17-year-old student who spent much of high school living around homeless shelters — and sometimes sleeping in her car — today graduated and spoke on behalf of her class at Charles Drew High School in Clayton County, Ga．, just outside of Atlanta．
Chelsea Fearce held a 4．466 GPA and scored 1900 on her SATs despite having to use her cellphone to study after the shelter lights were turned off at night．
“I know I have been made stronger．I was homeless．My family slept on cushions on the floor and we were lucky if we got more than one full meal a day．Getting a shower, food and clean clothes was an everyday struggle,” Fearce said in a speech she gave at her graduation ceremony．Fearce overcame her day-to-day struggles by focusing on a better day．“I just told myself to keep working, because the future will not be like this anymore,” she told WSBTV．
Fearce, one of five children, grow up in a family that sometimes had an apartment to live in, but at other times had to live in homeless shelters or even out of their car, if they had one．“You’re worried about your home life and then worried at school．Worry about being a little hungry sometimes and go hungry sometimes．You just have to deal with it．You eat what you can, when you can．”
To our surprise, Fearce overcame the difficulties and even tested high enough to be admitted into college half way through her high school career．She starts college next year at Spelman College as a junior where she is planning to study biology, pre-med (医学预科)．“Don’t give up．Do what you have to do right now so that you can have the future that you want,” Fearce said．How did Fearce go on with her study without access to lights?
| A．By the car light． |
| B．By her cellphone． |
| C．By lights out of shelters． |
| D．By moonlight． |
When Fearce starts college at Spelman College, she will _____．．
| A．have graduated earlier from high school than normal |
| B．be a 17-year-old student from a poor family |
| C．have a home without sleeping in her car or shelters |
| D．have raised enough money to go to college |
What lesson can we learn from Fearce’s experience?
| A．Knowledge can change your fate． |
| B．Don’t give up, and tomorrow will be better． |
| C．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well． |
| D．He that will not work shall not eat． |
Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.
One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl(珍珠) necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace, and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of housework that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?" Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her.
Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her grandma gave her a brand-new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls. How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere to kindergarten, bed and when she went out with her mother to run errands（差事）.
The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower. Her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green!
Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story.
One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"
"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."
A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."
"Well, then, give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid（编辫子）it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father.
"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."
Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling." Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand.
With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet (天鹅绒) box. Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.Which statement is NOT correct?
| A．Jenny loves her father very much. |
| B．Jenny’s pearl necklace can turn green when it is wet. |
| C．Jenny has other toys she loves very much besides the necklace. |
| D．Jenny didn’t want to give up her necklace though she did so. |
The reason why little Jenny wanted to give her father doll and toy horse is that __________.
| A．they were lovely |
| B．she liked them very much |
| C．they were worth much more |
| D．she loved her necklace too much |
What does the writer mainly want to tell us through the loving story?
| A．Whatever you want, you need to earn it yourself. |
| B．Life is both disappointing and hopeful at the same time. |
| C．Your parents are always the people who would like to spoil you. |
| D．Only if you show your real deep love to others, will you get the same in return. |
Do you ever wonder why the English have one word for some animals and a different one for their meat?
Why do they use pig and pork, cow and beef, and sheep and mutton?
To find out, we have to go back to 1066, when the Norman French invaded England and put a French king on the English throne (王位), which not only changed the government but also changed the language. French became the language of the upper classes of society. And it remained that way for 300 years. Only these high society people could afford to eat meat. As a result, French words like porc（pork）and beouf （beef） came into the English language. However, poor English farmers raised the animals. So the English language retained the words pig and cow from the Native Anglo-Saxon．
The Norman French added about 10,000 French words to the English language. Seventy-five percent of them are still in use today.
According to language experts, English speakers who have never studied French may already know 15,000 French words! Between one-third and two-thirds of all English words have French origins. Some words such as “possible” and “avenue” are the same in French and English; only the pronunciations change. Other words such as “ballet” keep their French pronunciations in both languages.
In French grammar, nouns have either a male or female gender (性别), so adjectives take different forms for each. English has only one adjective that does this, and it came from French. The word “blond” describes someone with light-colored hair. “Blond” is used for men, and “blonde” describes women. And they are also nouns.
Some French words that entered the English language have completely different meanings. The French phrase “a la mode” means “in style”. In English, the phrase means “with the ice cream”. Someone must have decided something eaten with ice cream was in style!
Now, as you learn English, you’re on your way to learning French!French was once popular among the upper classes of the UK because __________.
| A．too many French moved to Britain |
| B．French brought animals with them |
| C．the king and his officials spoke French |
| D．the king allowed French to be spoken |
Why does an English speaker find French easy to learn?
| A．Because English and French share similar pronunciations． |
| B．Because English grammar and French grammar are similar． |
| C．Because a large number of English words have French origins． |
| D．Because English has great influences on the French language． |
What conclusion can we draw from the text?
| A．Language is closely related to history and culture. |
| B．French and English words have little in common. |
| C．Language is controlled by the upper classes of society. |
| D．French combines English and the Native Anglo-Saxon. |
Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there is no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s strong desire to know about things. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven–year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in science. Finally I said,” Now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “have you ever seen a grasshopper (蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that. After asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying, “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “think”. It doesn’t make sense; children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a small target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is______.
| A．to share the children’s curiosity |
| B．to let them see the world around |
| C．to explain difficult phrases about science |
| D．to supply the children with lab equipment |
In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “list” could best be replaced by______.
| A．any problems | B．questions from the textbooks |
| C．any questions | D．any number of questions |
According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults______.
| A．ask them to answer quickly |
| B．wait for one or two seconds after a question |
| C．wait at least for three seconds after a question |
| D．tell them to answer the next day |
The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity EXCEPT that adults should______.
| A．encourage their children to ask questions of their own |
| B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves |
| C．be patient enough when their children answer questions |
| D．tell their children stories instead of reciting (背诵) facts |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing．
Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．
A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise---he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be．When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “____”．
| A．I give him the cold shoulder |
| B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| C．I think he is a cold fish |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________．
| A．she is a cold-blooded killer | B．she gets cold feet |
| C．she is a cold fish | D．she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy．
| A．cold-blooded | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold feet | D．cold-hearted |
The topic of this passage is about _________．
| A．the relationship between cold and our body |
| B．some expressions about friendship |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．how cold weather comes into being |
Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don’t come into play because they do. Some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition to that, in order to get really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it’ll require even more time, time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do, it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you’re not willing to put in the time and work, don’t expect to receive any rewards. Consistent hard work won’t ensure you the level of success you may want, but it will ensure that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.
| A．the meaning of success | B．the reasons for success |
| C．the standards of success | D．the importance of success |
In Paragraph 2, the underlined word “that” refers to ______.
| A．setting a practical goal | B．being good at something |
| C．putting in more time | D．succeeding in life |
Successful people suggest doing what one loves because ______.
| A．it takes a lot of time to succeed |
| B．work makes one feel pain |
| C．one gives up his work easily |
| D．one tends to enjoy his work |
What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
| A．Successful people like to show their great skills. |
| B．People sometimes succeed without luck or talent. |
| C．People need to achieve success at the cost of life. |
| D．It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success. |