What do working mothers worry about the most? It's the kids of course. Whatever the setting, the question I get asked the most is "Will the kids be alright?" It has made me realize that we tend to look at the glass half-empty rather than half-filled when it comes to mixing work and family. We forget about all the benefits that we bring to our children when we work - and I'm not talking about the obvious financial benefits, although these of course shouldn't be taken for granted.
About a year ago I remember getting a call from the school just as I was pulling up to the house after having driven 20 minutes to the school and 20 minutes back. "Mrs. Brown Quinn, your son asked us to call. He forgot his sports clothes. Can you come back to the school and drop them off?" I was exasperated(恼火)! I had already spent 40 minutes in aggressive weekday morning traffic. I replied, "Sorry, I'm working at the moment. I'm afraid my son needs to learn to be organized."
Being a good parent requires delivering tough love sometimes. Kids need to learn to be independent. It can be a cruel and competitive world out there. Seeking interests, including business, outside of your kids, can give you that extra idea that you need not care for your kids with attention. This benefit of working isn't always immediately evident.
It wasn't until our daughter went away to college that she realized why we had raised her in the way that we did. "Mom, I can't believe how so many of my friends struggle to manage things on their own. They are constantly calling their parents for help." You'll love that moment! After all those years of complaining about why you don't do this or why you don't give them that, your kids realize that tough love has made them better people.
The purpose of the author is to ______.
A.describe her own experience in raising children |
B.advise us to mix work and family |
C.throw light on a special benefit of working |
D.argue for working mothers |
How can kids become better people according to the author?
A.By showing them your deep love. |
B.By giving them all your attention. |
C.By giving them tough love. |
D.By giving them freedom to do things on their own. |
The daughter's attitude towards the author is ______ when she grows up.
A.understanding | B.caring |
C.disappointed | D.surprised |
The author refused to drop off her son's sports clothes because ______.
A.she wanted her son to be organized |
B.she was caught in heavy traffic |
C.she thought her son was lying |
D.she was busy working |
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside,the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats,a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later,milking is complete. The gate is opened,the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day. The cows get to decide when they want to be milked. Cows are milked an average of about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers. She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still,she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot costs 175,000 dollars. The second costs 150,000 dollars.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot. He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.
According to Doug,what is the wage of an employee per year?
A.$150,000~$175,000. | B.$150,000~$30,000. |
C.$30,000~$35,000. | D.over $75,000. |
Besides milking cows,the robotic system also can ________.
A.judge the quality of fresh milk |
B.keep fresh milk for two weeks |
C.adjust the temperature of milking stations |
D.improve the appetite of cows |
Why is the robotic system not popular now?
A.Because it usually causes the waste of milk. |
B.Because it is difficult to learn how to use it. |
C.Because young people have no interest in it. |
D.Because people can't afford to buy it. |
From the first paragraph,we can infer ________.
A.cows can be raised by robots in the future |
B.robots direct cows into milking stations |
C.the robotic system is designed to reduce labor |
D.cows are kept clean by robots on some farms |
I always experienced guilt when I passed by without giving a coin or two to a beggar.
My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side café. Outside the café was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the crowds drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman.
A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman’s cup. He did this rather ostentatiously(炫耀地), just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman’s cup.
The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer (同伴)pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, “I hope that helps a bit.”
I don’t know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman’s cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an act of caring.
The backpacker placed some money in the woman’s cup rather ostentatiously because______.
A.he wanted to stop the tourists by doing this |
B.he wanted people to know that he was rich and kind |
C.he wanted to help the woman by himself |
D.he wanted the tourist group to follow him |
The author went to a quiet canal-side cafe to_______ .
A.avoid meeting the beggar |
B.get away from the crowds |
C.take a rest |
D.watch the woman beggar |
We can infer from the passage that ________ .
A.tourists can be cheated by beggars |
B.people usually have pity on an old beggar |
C.tourists are willing to help beggars |
D.people can do kind acts due to peer pressure |
Before the backpacker dropped some money in the woman’s cup, the tourists ______ .
A.all showed pity for the woman |
B.didn’t notice the woman |
C.walked by without giving any money |
D.gave a little money to the woman |
Newborns begin to develop language skills long before they begin speaking. And, compared to adults, they develop these skills more quickly. People have a hard time learning new languages as they grow older, but babies have the ability to learn any language easily.
For a long time, scientists have tried to explain how such young children can learn the complicated grammatical rules and sounds of a language. Now, researchers are getting a better idea of what’s happening in the brains of the tiniest language learners. This new information might help kids with learning problems as well as adults who want to learn new languages. It might even help scientists who are trying to design computers that can communicate like people do.
Most babies go “ma ma” by 6 months of age, and most children speak in full sentences by age 3. For many years, scientists have wondered how the brains of young children figure out how to communicate using language. With help from new technologies, scientists are now finding that babies begin life with the ability to learn any language. They get into contact with other people, listen to what they say and watch their movements very closely. That is why they quickly master the languages they hear most often.
Studies show that, up to about 6 months of age, babies can recognize all the sounds that make up all the languages in the world. Starting at around 6 months old a baby’s brain focuses on the most common sounds it hears. Then, children begin responding only to the sounds of the language they hear the most.
In a similar way older babies start recognizing the patterns that make up the rules of their native language. For example, English children who are about 18 months old start to figure out that words ending in “-ing” or “-ed” are usually verbs, and that verbs are action words.
The new research in the second paragraph can be helpful in _____.
A.finding successful language learners |
B.teaching kids with learning problems |
C.designing human-shaped computers |
D.improving babies’ language ability |
The researchers found out that babies learn a language mainly by _____.
A.repeating the words of other people |
B.remembering the full sentences they hear |
C.hearing and closely watching others speak |
D.figuring out the meaning of different sounds |
The purpose of the text is to _____.
A.discuss | B.educate |
C.inform | D.Entertain |
(Q =" Question;" A = Answer)
Situation I
Q: If someone sits right next to me in an empty movie theater, is it rude to move?
A: Maybe, but nobody will fault you for it. Chances are that the close sitter doesn’t realize he disturbs you, so he may miss your annoyance. You undoubtedly aren’t the first person he’s met who needs enough room. Forgive his bad judgment, move quietly and enjoy the show.
Situation II
Q: If I use the bathroom at a store, do I need to buy something?
A: Consider frequency and urgency. Is this a one-time thing or an emergency? If so, you don’t have to buy anything, but it would be kind if you did. However, if you regularly use the bathroom at this place, then you are a customer, and you should act like one.
Situation III
Q: If someone is talking loudly on the bus, is there a nice way to ask him to keep it down?
A: No. Try other means: 1) Stare at him until he gets aware of it and quiets down. 2) Lift your finger in a silence motion(动作) and smile. 3) Put on earphones and ignore him.
Situation IV
Q: If I remember my friend’s birthday a day late, should I apologize or just wish her a happy birthday like nothing happened?
A: This is the reason why the word belated was invented. “Happy belated birthday!” is short for: “Well, I know I forgot, but then I remembered. Forgive me and happy birthday.”
Situation V
Q: Can I lie about seeing a text because I was loo busy or lazy to respond to it?
A: Don’t lie. Receiving a text does not mean you need to respond(回复) to it. Why waste a perfectly good lie when the truth will serve? “Yes,” you can say if ever asked, “I saw it.” No explanation is needed as to why you don’t respond.
How will you quiet someone down in a public place?
A.By talking to him directly. |
B.By pointing angrily at him. |
C.By looking purposefully at him. |
D.By making fun of him continuously. |
The underlined word “belated” in Situation IV probably means ________.
A.delayed | B.returned | C.predicted | D.regretted |
You will get annoyed in a theater when ________.
A.a person is too rude to you |
B.a person sits too close to you |
C.a person is too active |
D.a person talks too loudly |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.Different ways to change others’ manners. |
B.Good manners to talk to people. |
C.Proper manners to offer help to others. |
D.Modern ways to mind your manners. |
My roommate Lily was well organized, while I was not. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Lily got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Lily came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming. “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Lily answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled (爬) under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Lily had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Lily and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.
What made Lily so angry one evening?
A.She heard the author shouting loud. |
B.She saw the author’s shoes beneath her bed. |
C.She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
D.She couldn’t find her books. |
How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
A.By analyzing causes. |
B.By following time order. |
C.By showing differences. |
D.By describing a process. |
The author tidied up the room most probably because _______.
A.she wanted to show her care |
B.she hated herself for being so messy |
C.she was asked by Lily to do so |
D.she was scared by Lily’s anger |
What might be the best title for the story?
A.Hard Work Pays Off | B.Learning to Be Roommates |
C.My Friend Lily | D.How to Be Organized |
Online shopping has become more and more popular these years. Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US.
For years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2013 holiday season 58 percent of those shopping online were women.
“It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming,” said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study. Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men. This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending.
Users were more likely to shop online to save time. Internet users between the ages 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the surprising increase in the online gift-buying population this time around.
However, three-quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2013. They worried about credit card security(安全), or just compared online prices with off-line prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals.
“But even if shoppers don’t buy online, websites are becoming promotion(促销) tools for stores, ” said Dan Hess, vice president of Com Score Network Inc. Hess said that actually most stores’ websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers. And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time.
“It’s all about making the shopping experience more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable.” Hess said.
Which of the following statements is true?
A.There were fewer women online shoppers than men in 2013. |
B.More women shopped online than men in 2013. |
C.Most of the Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 are women. |
D.People in the US were more likely to buy gifts online. |
What does the underlined part “dashed off” probably mean ?
A.关闭 | B.推迟 | C.匆忙 | D.起飞 |
According to Dan Hess, shopping online ______.
A.is unsafe | B.is convenient |
C.is a waste of money | D.is cheaper |
It was lucky to have a teacher at home. Mom was a teacher most of her life. When she wasn’t in the classroom, she was educating her children or grandchildren: correcting our grammar; starting us on collections of butterflies, flowers or rocks; or inspiring a discussion on her most recent “Book of the Month Club” topic. Mom made learning fun.
It was sad for my three brothers and me to see her ailing in her later years. At eighty-five, she suffered a stroke(中风) and she went steadily downhill after that.
Two days before she died, my brothers and I met at her nursing home and took her for a short ride in a wheelchair. While we waited for the staff to lift her back into bed, Mom fell asleep. Not wanting to wake her, we moved to the far end of the room and spoke softly.
After several minutes our conversation was interrupted by a muffled sound coming from across the room. We stopped talking and looked at Mom. Her eyes were closed, but she was clearly trying to communicate with us. We went to her side.
“Whirr,” she said weakly.
“Where?” I asked. “Mom, is there something you want?” “Whirr,” she repeated a bit stronger. My brothers and I looked at each other and shook our heads sadly.
Mom opened her eyes, sighed, and with all the energy she could muster said, “Not was, say were!”
It suddenly occurred to us that Mom was correcting brother Jim’s last sentence. “If it was up to me…”
Jim leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom,” he whispered. We smiled at each other and once again shook our heads…this time in awe of a remarkable teacher.
When Mom said, “Whirr”, what did she really want to do?
A.She wanted to tell her sons her will. |
B.She wanted to have something to eat before she died. |
C.She wanted to correct the mistakes Jim made while talking. |
D.She wanted to teach her sons more because she was dying. |
Which of the following statements is NOT right?
A.Mom was a good teacher and never wanted to stop her teaching. |
B.Mom was always making her teaching fun. |
C.Mom didn’t forget her teaching until she died. |
D.Mom was no longer a teacher when she was at home. |
Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A.Once a teacher, always… | B.Mom’s will |
C.A teacher’s life | D.A teacher’s story |
Think about the different ways that people use the wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources, as well as one of the oldest. Evidence shows that windmills began to be used in the ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.
For many centuries, people used windmills to grind(磨碎)wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in remote areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radios. However, by the 1940s when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were rarely used.
During the 1970s, people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means higher costs. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.
From the text we know that windmills _______.
A.were invented by European armies |
B.have a history of more than 2,800 years |
C.have rarely been used since electricity was discovered |
D.used to supply power to radio in remote area |
The underlined word in Paragraph 2 probably means________.
A.making something cleaner |
B.making something flow freely |
C.making something flow in a particular direction |
D.making something into small parts |
One of the reasons wind was discovered in the 1970s is that_______.
A.it is one of the oldest power sources |
B.wind power is cleaner |
C.it was cheaper to create energy from wind |
D.coal and gas failed to meet the needs |
What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A.The global trend towards producing power from wind. |
B.The design of wind power plants. |
C.The worldwide movement to save energy. |
D.The advantages of wind power. |
If Confucius(孔子) were alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake, there would be a lot of candles. He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out.
While many people in China remember Confucius on his special day, few people in the United States will give him a passing thought. It’s nothing personal. Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes.
But that doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius. In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China.
In the past two decades, the Chinese studies programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities. More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries. These schools teach both Chinese language and culture. The main courses of Chinese culture usually include Chinese art, history and philosophy(哲学). Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the ancient Chinese wisdom to make up the drawbacks of Western philosophy. Students in the United States, at the same time, are racing to learn Chinese. So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States. Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers.
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well.
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West.
As for the old thinker, he will not be forgotten by people in the West, even if his birthday is.
The opening paragraph is mainly intended to _______.
A.attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
B.provide some key facts about Confucius |
C.show great respect for the ancient thinker |
D.prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students _______.
A.take an active part in Chinese competitions |
B.try to get high scores in Chinese exams |
C.fight for a chance to learn Chinese |
D.have a great passion in studying Chinese |
What is the best title for this passage?
A.Forgotten Wisdom in America. |
B.Huge Fans of the Chinese Language. |
C.Old Thinker with a Big Future. |
D.Chinese Culture for Westerners. |
The passage is likely to appear in ______.
A.a biography | B.a history paper |
C.a newspaper | D.a philosophy textbook |
Weekends are normally a time for shopping and last Saturday was no exception. My son Henry and I were shopping in a neighborhood market. Henry was busy weighing each new bag of vegetables I selected. I gave him a bag of potatoes and he walked over to the scale and waited in line. Suddenly, a man rushed over from behind, and stepped before him, hitting him out of the way. Henry looked shocked and scared. Seeing this I left my shopping cart and walked over to Henry, saying loudly, “Are you OK, honey? I saw what that man did to you. That was very, very wrong.”
When the man finished weighing his bag, his sudden turning around made all his onions fall to the ground. The three of us stood there, frozen for a moment. And then I bent down on my hands and knees and started collecting onions. After I handed the onions to the man, he accepted them and put them into his bag. After Henry and I picked up all the onions, the man walked away without saying anything. We didn’t discuss the event until we got back in the car.
On the way back home, Henry said through tears, “Mommy, I’ve a frustrating day. That man cut right in front of me. And we had to help him pick up his onions! Why did we do that? That didn’t make any sense!”
I took a deep breath and said, “Henry, that man seemed to have a very bad mood today. We should forgive him. I was also angry with the man for treating you rudely. I really wanted to kick him. But doing that doesn’t make any sense. If we hadn’t helped him, we might have felt good for a moment, but then I bet we would have felt really sorry for a long time. You and I have a lot of love to share. Maybe that man doesn’t have much. People who behave badly still need love.”
A cheerful smile appeared on Henry’s face. It was a smile of promise kept. It was the best smile I had ever seen. It was a good moment. It may have been my best mommy moment ever.
What did the man do?
A.He cut in the line. |
B.He hit Henry on the head. |
C.He hurried away without paying. |
D.He ran into Henry suddenly. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.The author was not angry at all with what the man had done. |
B.The man was very sorry for what he had done to Henry. |
C.At last, Henry learned a very valuable life lesson from the event. |
D.Henry didn’t help the author pick up the onions for the man. |
Which of the following word can best describe the author?
A.Narrow-minded. | B.Broad-minded. |
C.Strong-willed. | D.Bad-tempered. |
Some American high schools are for students with special interests, like science or the arts. New York City even has a program for those interested in the food service industry, called Food and Finance High School.
New York also has what are called international high schools, or internationals, for immigrant students. They must be new learners of English who have been in the United States less than four years. The first school opened in nineteen eighty-five. The city will begin the new term next month with ten.
New York works with a nonprofit organization, the Internationals Network for Public Schools. Support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has helped the network expand. The network says the graduation rate was seventy percent last year in the four New York schools open long enough to have graduating classes. That, compared with twenty-three percent for English language learners in all of the city schools.
Over all, New York officials recently reported that the city’s four-year graduation rate, reached fifty-two percent last year. At the same time, they reported that the city’s dropout rate fell below fifteen percent. The Internationals Network says its schools have an average dropout rate of just five percent.
Claire Sylvan is the executive director of the group. She says students drop out mainly because their families need them to work or because parents arrange marriages for girls.
The Internationals Network mainly helps find teachers and trains them in the teaching method of the internationals. Claire Sylvan says the teaching approach is to have students use their different strengths to help each other. They work in small groups, but she says they are not grouped by ability. She says the students discuss issues, then produce a product like a paper, a play, a poster or a report. They learn English as they work.
The international high school in New York is __________
A.for immigrant students with special interests |
B.for new immigrant students who have been living in New York less than four years |
C.for new learners of foreign language from around the world |
D.for new young learners of English language living in the US less than four years |
The international high schools in New York _______
A.have been opened for less than 20 years and set a good example |
B.can bring great profit for the Internationals Network for Public Schools |
C.will expand from having one school to having ten |
D.have given great support to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Which of the following shows the graduation rate of the schools of the International Networks last year in the four New York schools?
One of the reasons why some students drop out of school is that _____.
A.their parents can’t afford to pay for the education |
B.they have to help their parents with the work |
C.girls are forced to make money for their families |
D.they have trouble in passing all kinds of exams |
Claire Sylvan would agree with all the following statements EXCEPT _____.
A.with the help of the network, the students can find right teachers. |
B.students use their different strengths to help each other |
C.students can be divided into different classes according to their ability |
D.students can discuss with each other and finish their work by themselves |
Sports is not only physically challenging, but it can also mentally challenging. Criticism from coaches(trainers), parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create too much anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological, and research has showed that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback(反馈)to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a flaw in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also be cautious(careful) that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worried more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngsters’ performances. Positive reinforcement should be provided in spite of the outcome. Research shows that positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
According to the passage sports is positive for young people in that_____.
A.it can help them learn more about society |
B.it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves |
C.it enables them to find flaws in themselves |
D.it can provide them with valuable experiences |
Many coaches and parents are in the habit of criticizing young athletes _________.
A.without realizing criticism may destroy their self-confidence |
B.in order to make them remember life’s lessons |
C.believing that criticism is beneficial for their early development |
D.so as to put more pressure on them |
According to the passage parents and coaches should_______.
A.help children to win every game |
B.pay more attention to letting children enjoy sports |
C.enable children to understand the positive aspect of sports |
D.train children to deal with stress |
The author’s purpose in writing the passage is_______.
A.to persuade young children not to worry about criticism |
B.to emphasize the importance of positive reinforcement to children |
C.to discuss the skill of combing criticism with encouragement |
D.to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout |
C
Maggie was very glad that James was not a frequent visitor to the house. In the children’s opinion, they had something that they couldn’t explain or understand about him and that excited their imagination. He stirred(激起) Maggie’s anger, however, so that she often said to her husband. “It’s mercy that brother of yours doesn’t come oftener.”
In fact James came once a year, unexpectedly, around eight o’clock in the evening, and he stayed for six hours of close discussion with his brother. His arrival was a signal to the children that their bedtime would be delayed. Not that he ever spoke to them or played with them. He took no notice of them, as if he was unable to see children, at least until the time came for him to go. Indeed, after his first greeting and a careless kiss, James took no notice of Maggie either, except to add, “You’ll be getting on with the supper, Maggie”. Such was his regard for her.
Maggie paid him back in her own way. She kept the children up, the four of them, to keep her company, she said, but of course they sang and made a noise and broke the endless sound of James’ voice. Very late, they dropped off to sleep in their chairs. Then, when James was about to go, Maggie woke them up and so more or less forced him to part with four shillings before he left. That gave her some satisfaction, for James, though rich, was unwilling to give or share what he had. He always went home by the last train, just after two o’clock.
Maggie’s children secretly stared at their uncle. They could not forget that he had in their mother’s words, “lost two wives and taken a third”. They wondered about those two unfortunate, lost ladies. They asked each other what their fate(命运) had been, and if neither could ever be found again. James never brought his third wife with him nor ever mentioned her. The children decided that he must be so frightened of losing her that he never allowed her outside the door.
Maggie never prepared anything special for James because ________.
A.he was a man difficult to please |
B.she never knew when he was coming |
C.she was too busy looking after her children |
D.he never stayed long enough for a meal |
What do we know about Jame’s behavior?
A.He was a kind man, with love for the family. |
B.He was unselfish, especially towards his brother. |
C.He was anxious to please the family, especially the children. |
D.He was rude to his sister-in-law. |
Maggie felt pleased when ________.
A.she paid James the money that she owed him |
B.James gave some money to the children |
C.she had to wake James up to catch his train |
D.James thanked her for the nice supper |
The children did not realize that two of James’ wives ________.
A.were dead |
B.suffered from loss of memory |
C.had run away from him |
D.might reappear one day |
As many as 4 out of every 1,000 infants born today have permanent hearing loss.When parents learn that their child has hearing loss, they are faced with many difficult decisions.These decisions can include choosing therapies and schools, as well as finding financial help for hearing aids or cochlear implants (人工耳蜗).
Help Me Hear Foundation is a public charity that gives the gift of hearing to deaf children from families existing on very low incomes around the world.The foundation offers life-changing services for impoverished families, and provides real help for children with hearing impairment who may otherwise be left behind in schools or society due to their lack of hearing.
Help Me Hear Foundation believes that a child’s first years of development are critical.Being able to hear is vital to human, and Help Me Hear Foundation seeks to provide a positive lasting impression on society through its programs.Help Me Hear Foundation has many goals, including relieving the burden on communities with hearing-impaired infants and children, and strengthening the social structure of families and neighborhoods.
Recipients of Help Me Hear Foundation’s benefits receive state-of-the-art hearing devices that otherwise would cost thousands of dollars per child over the course of their lifetime.The Foundation raises money through donations for hearing aids and cochlear implants, which saves recipients and their families on average over $50,000 on related expenses.
The Foundation tries to be a transparent charity, and wants to be a catalyst for allowing deaf and hearing-impaired children to develop in a typical fashion alongside their peers.
Needy families can obtain information on specific services, and find out about deafness education by visiting the Help Me Hear Foundation’s website.The website offers helpful information on how hearing aids work, and how hearing aids ease many of the learning and language challenges that hearing-impaired children deal with on a daily basis.
Help Me Hear Foundation was probably set up to _____.
A.build schools for deaf children |
B.research deaf children’s behavior |
C.protect deaf children from being ignored |
D.offer real help to poor deaf children |
We learn from the text that _____.
A.the local government is in charge of the foundation |
B.the work of the foundation depends on donations |
C.even blind children can turn to the foundation |
D.poor deaf African children cannot get help from the foundation |
Visit the foundation’s website, and you will learn about _____.
A.the function of hearing aids |
B.the specific services the foundation needs |
C.the challenges that children face every day |
D.the prices of a variety of hearing aids |
For whom is the text most probably written?
A.Poor parents who have deaf children. |
B.Doctors who want to improve skills. |
C.Students who cannot see the blackboard clearly. |
D.Teachers who have deaf children in their class. |
The author writes the text mainly to _____.
A.tell how to avoid permanent hearing loss |
B.explain how hard a life deaf children live |
C.introduce Help Me Hear Foundation |
D.advise people to give money to Help Me Hear Foundation |
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