EACH of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a necessary part of the learning process. But all too often we convey to our children either by words or by actions that failure is something to be ashamed of, that nothing but top performance meets our approval.
Donnie was my youngest third-grader. His fear of failure kept him from classroom games that other children played excitedly. He seldom answered questions – he might be wrong. He seldom finished his work because he repeatedly checked with me to be sure he hadn’t made a mistake.
I tried my best to build his self-confidence. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned to our classroom. She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, adored her. But even enthusiastic, loving Mary was baffled by this little boy who feared he might make a mistake.
Then one morning we were working math problems. Donnie had copied the problems with painstaking neatness and filled in answers for the first row. Pleased with his progress, I left the children with Mary. But when I returned, Donnie was in tears. He’d missed the third problem.
Mary looked at me in despair. Suddenly her face brightened. From the desk we shared, she got a canister (小筒) filled with pencils.
“Look, Donnie,” she said, “I’ve got something to show you.” She removed the pencils and placed them on his desk. “See these pencils, Donnie?” she continued. “They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are worn? That’s because we make mistakes too. Lots of them. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That’s what you must learn to do, too.”
She kissed him and continued: “I’ll leave one of these pencils on your desk so you’ll remember that everybody makes mistakes, even teachers.” Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and just a glimmer (少许) of a smile.
The pencil became Donnie’s prized possession. That, together with Mary Anne’s frequent encouragement and praise for even Donnie’s small successes, gradually persuaded him that it’s all right to make mistakes – as long as you erase them and try again. The word “baffled” in Paragraph 3 most probably means __________.
| A．eased | B．confused | C．defeated | D．impressed |
Which of the following words best describe Mary Anne as she is shown in the article?
| A．Patient and inspiring. | B．Creative and modest. |
| C．Determined and strict. | D．Considerate and proud. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?
| A．Each of us should try our best to be a perfectionist. |
| B．Donnie rarely finished his work because he seldom answered questions and thus had difficulties. |
| C．The story was written mainly to sing high praise for Mary Anne. |
| D．The author seems to believe that failure is an opportunity to learn and make progress. |
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, in memory of the 100th birthday of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 suggestions that were handed in, Gustave Eiffel’s was chosen.
However, at first, it was not well accepted by all and a group of people — including many well-known writers and painters at that time — were fiercely against its design.
Being about 300 meters in height, and 7,000 tons in weight, it was the world’s tallest building until 1930. It was a great project for France. 300 workers took two years to build it. It isn’t an ordinary building, since it is almost made of steel. For example, its body moves around at most 12 cm in heavy wind. Moreover, its height changes up to 15 cm according to the temperature.
It was almost destroyed in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna(天线), which is used for communication at that time. Beginning in 1910 it became part of the International Time Service. French radio and French television have also made good use of its height.
The Eiffel Tower has also seen a few strange things. In 1923, a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level of it. And in 1954, a mountain climber climbed on top of it and tried to measure its exact height.
Anyway, although its birth was difficult, it is now well accepted all over the world. It has been considered as one of the symbols of Paris.
44. The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. the history of the Eiffel Tower
B. some information about its design
C. what the Eiffel Tower was used for
D. how it became one of the symbols of Paris
45. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?
A. Many people couldn’t accept the Eiffel Tower at the beginning.
B. It was the world’s tallest building for hundreds of years.
C.A journalist rode down from the Eiffel Tower in 1954.
D.The Eiffel Tower was saved because of its height.
46. The French Revolution took place in _______.
A. 1889 B. 1923 C. 1789 D. 1930
Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they give him wood and other useful things, they give him cool places, and they help to stop drought and flood.
Unluckily, in many parts of the world, man has not found that the third of these points is the most important. Man wants to make money from trees, so he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And also, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even worse: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil-make the rain in-and also bind the soil, thus stopping it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When all the top-soil is gone, nothing is left but useless desert.
40.The most important points of trees to man is ________.
A. they help him to make money
B. they give him cool
C. they give him wood and other things
D. they help him to stop drought and floods
41.In many places forests slowly disappear because ________ .
A. many trees have been cut down by man
B. new trees are not well looked after
C. man has not paid enough attention to planting trees
D. all the above
42.Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because ________ .
A. roots of trees break up the soil
B. there are too many rainfalls
C. strong winds bring a lot of sand
D. there are no longer trees to keep the rain and protect the top-soil.
43.Which title best fits the passage?
A. Trees and Man
B. The Function of Tree Wood
C. How do People do with Trees?
D. The Usage of Tree Roots
D
41—45 DD
Mr.and Mrs. Gordon were sitting on the sand， reading their magazines． Mr. Gordon was too stingy（吝啬）to rent a chair． Their twelve－year－old daughter，Sandra， was playing at the water's edge． Suddenly a huge wave
lifted Sandra up and carried her out to sea． Fortunatelｙ，
a lifeguard was on duty and he saw the wave carry Sandra away．
He ran along the beach and dived into the sea． He swam quickly to where
the girl，with her head only just above the water， was shouting for help． She was very frightened． When the lifeguard reached her, she struggled（挣扎） with him， as drowning people often do． However， he was a skilful lifeguard and quickly took hold of her and swam with her back to the beach． By the time he reached it， Mr. and Mrs. Gordon had realized what had happened． They had run down to the water's edge． Neither of them could swim． They just stood in the shallow water， and worried about their daughter． Had the lifeguard reached her in time？ Fortunately， he had． “That was quick work，young man，”Mr. Gordon said． He turned to his wife， “Give the lifeguard a dollar．” “A dollar！” Sandra cried． “Dad，how can you give him a dollar！ He saved my life． I was half dead．” “Quite right， girl” Mr. Gordon said， pleased by his daughter's awareness（知道） of the value of money． He turned to his wife again and said， “She's right． She was only half dead． Give him fifty cents． ”
36． What happened to Sandra？
A． She ran into the sea．
B． Her life was saved by a lifeguard．
C． She was drowned．
D． She died．
37． What did Mr. and Mrs. Gordon do when Sandra was carried out to sea by the wave？
A． They shouted to the lifeguard．
B． They dived into the water．
C． Perhaps they were reading magazines．
D． They offered the lifeguard money to save Sandra．
38． Why was Sandra angry with her father？
A． He did not give the lifeguard any money．
B． He did not swim out to save her．
C． He did not show the lifeguard hearty thankfulness．
D． He gave the lifeguard too much money．
39． Why was Mr. Gordon pleased with her daughter？
A． She was safe again．
B． She was polite to the lifeguard．
C． He thought she did not want him to give the life-guard too much money．
D． She gave the lifeguard fifty cents．
The young boy saw me, or rather, he saw the car and quickly ran up to me, eager to sell his bunches (串) of bananas and bags of peanuts. Though he appeared to be about twelve, he seemed to have already known the bitterness of life. "Banana 300 naira. Peanuts 200 naira"
He said in a low voice. I bargained him down to 200 total for the fruit and nuts. When he agreed, I handed him a 500 naira bill He didn't have change, so I told him not to worry.
He .said thanks and smiled a row of perfect teeth.
When, two weeks later, I saw the boy again, I was more aware of my position in a society where it's not that uncommon to see a little boy who should be in school standing on the corner selling fruit in the burning sun. My parents had raised me to be aware of the advantage we had been afforded and the responsibility it brought to us.
I pulled over and rolled down my window. He had a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts ready. I waved them away. “What's up”. I asked him. “I...I don't have money to buy books for school.” I reached into my pocket and handed him two fresh 500 naira bills.
"Will this help?” I asked. He looked around nervously before taking the money. One thousand naira was a lot of money to someone whose family probably made about 5,000 naira or less each year. "Thank you, sir," he said. 'Thank you very much.”
When driving home, I wondered if my little friend actually used the money for school-books. What if he's a cheat (骗子)? And then I wondered why I did it. Did I do it to make myself feel better? Was I using him? Later, I realized that I didn't know his name or the least bit about him, nor did I think to ask.
Over the next six months, I was busy working in a news agency in northern Nigeria. Sometime after I returned, I went out for a drive When I was about to pull over, the boy suddenly appeared by my window with a big smile ready on his face
" Long time."
"Are you in school now?” I asked.
He nodded.
"That's good," I said. A silence fell as we looked at each other, and then I realized what he wanted. "Here," I held out a 500 naira bill. "Take this.” He shook his head and stepped back as if hurt. "What's wrong?” I asked. "It's a gift"
He shook his head again and brought his hand from behind his back. His face shine with sweat (汗水)。 He dropped a bunch of bananas and a bag of peanuts in the front seat before he said, "I've been waiting to give these to you."
72. What was the author's first impression of the boy?
A. He seemed to be poor and greedy.
B. He seemed to have suffered a lot
C. He seemed younger than his age.
D. He seemed good at bargaining
73. The second time the author met the boy, the boy________.
A. told him his purpose of selling fruit and nuts
B. wanted to express his thanks
C. asked him for money for his schoolbooks
D. tried to take advantage of him
74. Why did the author give his money to the boy?
A. Because he had enough money to do that.
B. Because he had learnt to help others since childhood.
C. Because he held a higher position in the society.
D. Because he had been asked by the news agency to do so.
75. Which of the following best describes the boy?
A. Brave and polite.
B. Kind and smart
C. Honest and thankful.
D. Shy and nervous.
72B 73 A 74B 75C
In a recently published book, I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams, lotus flowers and clustering. As I used these exercises in my classes, I noticed that students were interested. They said more and wrote more. They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups. They were no longer passively waiting for the bell , but actively taking part in the lesson. I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency.
Creativity has become a popular word in recent years. Scholars in arts, psychology, business, education and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it. Robert J. Stemberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology. He defines creativity as “the ability to produce work that is both new (original) and appropriate(applicable to the situation ) ”. this definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way and to use it correctly and properly. Most scholars say there are two types of creativity: big “C” creativity and small “c” creativity. Big “C” creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs. Small “c” creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation our emphasis is on the letter. While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison, our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in a new way.
68. The underlined words “waiting for the bell ” in the first paragraph probably means______.
A. longing for a phone call
B. hoping to have a bell
C. expecting the end of the class
D. waiting to speak in the class
69. It can be inferred from the passage that the author thinks the exercises in the book were ____. A. popular B. useful C. scientific D. creative
70. When you use a familiar word in a new way, you are ________.
A creative in the sense of big “C” creativity.
B. creative in the sense of small “c” creativity..
C. not creative in the sense of big “C” creativity..
D. not creative in the sense of small “c” creativity.
71. The main purpose of the passage is to _________.
A. show how useful the book is.
B, explain what creativity
C. discuss how one can be creative
D. tell what reaching aims at
68C 69 D 70 B 71 B