The thing that sets children apart from adults is not their ignorance,nor their lack of skills.Rather,it's their enormous capability for joy.A friend told me a story.One day,when she went to get his 6-year-old son from soccer practice,her kid greeted her with a sad face.The teacher had criticized him for not focusing on his soccer drills.The little boy walked out of the schoo1 with his head and shoulders hanging down.He seemed wrapped in sadness.But before reaching the car door,he suddenly stopped,crouching(蹲伏)down to look at something on the sidewalk.“Mom,come here! This is the strangest bug I’ve ever seen.It has ,1ike, a million legs.It’s amazing!”The little face was overflowing with indescribable excitement.
Nowadays,however,when we walk into a classroom,especially in a high school,we’ll be choked by towering books and papers,and hiding behind them are a group of motionless creatures,pens in hand,minds dry,just as the hollow men portrayed by T.S.Eliot.Their pursuit of joy has given way to their hunger for grades.Laughter and happiness are a distant memory for them.
Although joy is an unaffordable luxury in today’s increasingly fierce competition,administrators and teachers need a mindset shift from crushing students with assignments to getting them to take pleasure in productive activities which develop their important qualities,like perseverance and obligation.The assumption that pleasure is the enemy of competence and responsibility makes no sense educationally.
Adults tend to talk about learning as if it were medicine:unpleasant,but necessary and good for you.Why not think of learning as if it were food—something so valuable to humans that they want to experience it as a pleasure?
1.How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
A. By describing a procedure. B. By analyzing the process.
C. By giving an example. D. By collecting data.
2.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?
A. Summarize the previous paragraph. B. Provide some advice for the readers.
C. Introduce the main topic for discussion. D. Clarify some puzzling questions.
3.What does the text suggest administrators and teachers do?
A. Stop giving students homework.
B. Involve students in meaningful activities.
C. Supply students with luxuries.
D. Arouse students’fond memories.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A. Joy is the spokesperson for learning. B. Pleasure is the enemy of progress.
C. Education is the paradise for parents. D. Exams are a never-ending war.
British Writer John Donne once said:“No man is an island;every book is a world.”As an enthusiastic reader,I can’t agree with the latter part of the sentence more.Every summer.I endeavor to find some peaceful places where I can attack some classics without being disturbed.Thomas Hardy wants to live far from the madding crowd.I am no friend to chaos,either.
I read George Orwell’s 1984 in a New England beachside cottage with no locks on the doors,no telephones or televisions in the rooms.1984 is a good book that needs deep reflection.Attempting Sound and Fury lying on the bed of a poorly-occupied motel,however, was less fruitful:I made it through one and a quarter volumes,but then my eyelids were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open.
But this summer I find myself at a loss.I’m not quite interested in J.D.Salinger,say,or Frankenstein.There’s always War and Peace.which I’ve covered some distance several times,only to get bogged down in the“War”part,set it aside for a while,and realize that I have to start over from the beginning again,having forgotten everyone’s name and social rank.How appealing to simply fall back on a favorite—once more into The Call of the Wild or Alice in the Wonderland,which feels almost like cheating,too exciting and too much fun to belong to serious literature.
And then there’s John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.This title do not amaze but confuse. We’re never short of sour grapes,but we’ve never heard of angry grapes.Anyway grapes are my favorite fruit of summer.These stone fruits can always make me feel cheerful and peaceful all at once.
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A. The author has a cottage in New England.
B. 1984 is a book that needs deep reflection.
C. Both of the reading attempts were not fruitful.
D. Sound and Fury was set in a poorly-occupied hotel.
2.Why does the author say reading his favorite books feels like cheating?
A. He finishes them quickly. B. He should read something serious.
C. He barely understands them. D. He gets amazed by their titles.
3.What can we say about the author?
A. Thomas Hardy is his friend. B. He likes serious literature.
C. He is quite forgetful. D. He is a literary-minded man.
4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To share his reading experience.
B. To encourage readers to read books.
C. To introduce good books to readers.
D. To condemn the chaotic world we live in.
My husband and I wanted desperately the instant transformation from typical consumers to eco-conscious people.We switched our light bulbs to CFL(compact fluorescent light)bulbs to conserve energy.We went about the house turning off lights and unplugging appliances that weren’t in use.But the rate of global warming exceeded our snail’s pace conversion to greenhood.So I pressed onward.
I decided to put veganism(素食主义)at the top of our agenda.Vegans refuse any animal flesh or commercial goods made from any animal byproducts such as milk or fats.All the family applauded this option except for my husband.Some kind of animal needed to sacrifice its dear life for his meal or it wash’t dinner.I cooked up a storm,struggling to prepare nutritious meals dominated by not-so-obvious vegan dishes like bean burritos and high-fiber vegetable stir-fry.It took a few days before he realized that he hadn’t been eating any meat.
“I feel like eating beef.”he announced.So that night,I took full advantage of a zucchini (一种南瓜),cut it into chunky(粗大的)pieces and cooked them.Then I covered them with spices.My beef-starved husband had some and a curious look crossed his face.
“Where’s the beef?”
“Living peacefully somewhere on an open plain where it belongs.”
“I knew it”he murmured.“You’ve surely made great contributions to the boom in cattle.”His taste buds were developed completely around the flavor of every kind of animal:cattle,pigs,deer,lamb,chickens and ducks.Converting him was like feeding grass to a lion.
I’m all for preserving our planet,but what good would it do to save the earth for tomorrow’s generation if today’s died of starvation? The next day,we went out for burgers.I was very careful to place the paper bag into our recycling bin.
1.Which of the following best explains“exceeded”underlined in Paragraph 1?
A. Defeated. B. Absorbed.
C. Bound. D. Distributed.
2.What do we know about the author’s husband from Paragraph 2?
A. He supported the meat-free diet. B. He was a preserver of animals.
C. He was regarded as a meat Lover. D. He played a dominant role in cooking.
3.What do we know about the author?
A. She had a good sense of humor. B. She successfully transformed her husband.
C. She advocated raising more cattle. D. She had a perfect recipe for cooking meals.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Hunger or Anger? B. Discrimination or Appreciation?
C. Vegetables or Marbles? D. Greens or Lions?
You’ve probably visited the Tian’anmen Gatetower—the landmark building of Beijing,but you may not have heard of Kuai Xiang.Along with him,the following remarkable architects all took the center stage at their times.
Kuai Xiang(1399—1481)
Tian’anmen Gatetower is universally considered the brainchild of Kuai Xiang.By following in the footsteps of ancient homebuilders,he successfully presented the Emperor Judy with a grand wooden structure which has stood the test of time for almost 600 years.Visitors are also hooked on its delicate paintings.
Ieob Ming Pei (1917-present)
His motto is:Traditions should be sealed in glass boxes at museums.He is always struggling with innovation.Although under grilling from French conservative critics,he still planted a glass pyramid into the courtyard of the Louvre.His other works include John F.Kennedy Library,Beijing Fragrant Hill Hotel and Suzhou Museum.
Zaha Hadid(1950-2016)
In 2004,she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize,the Nobel Prize for architecture.She used tricks to maximize available space.Her fluid-style works pioneer the concept of micro-living. The curves(曲线)of Guangzhou Opera House perfectly match the rise and fall of its surrounding buildings,forming a unique view.
Meng Fanchao (1959-present)
Many people dismissed the building of a mega bridge as a pipe dream,but Meng Fanchao turned this into reality by building Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.This longest cross-sea bridge,when viewed afar,looks like a dynamic dragon braving the rolling waves of Lingding Sea.
1.What can we infer about Kuai Xiang?
A. He never follows traditions. B. He lacks financial support.
C. He is a successful architect. D. He likes delicate hooks.
2.What’s Ieoh Ming Pei’s attitude towards creation?
A. Positive. B. Uncaring.
C. Subjective. D. Disapproving.
3.What do Zaha Hadid and Meng Fanchao have in common?
A. They emphasize the use of space. B. They set a remarkable record.
C. They like following others’opinions. D. their works meet with a boycott.
假设你是李津,你的美国朋友彼得希望成为中国第十届残运会志愿者,他向你写信询问残运会的相关情况,并求助怎样学好汉语。请用英语给他写一封回信。
要点:
1、收到来信,获悉求助;
2、残运会的相关情况(时间:2019年8月25日;地点:天津;意义);
3、学好汉语的两条建议。
注意:1、词数不少于100;
2、可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
参考词汇:第十届残疾人运动会 the 10th National Games for Persons with Disabilities
Dear Peter,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Jin
The position of secretary or personal assistant used to be the preserve of women, but now men are making their way in. The change is due partly to the highest rate of graduate unemployment and the growing awareness that salaries for PAs can reach £75,000 a year.
Joshua Watson, 25, has been an executive (行政的) assistant to a female senior director at Barclays for 18 months, having previously worked as a PA. He does not see himself as working in a woman’s role. “I don’t feel that I’m treated any differently just because I’m male,” he said. “I don’t think that is an issue for people from my generation. It’s a good job for me because I am fond of organizing. I have good exposure to see the top people in the company and I want to climb the ladder.”
Recruitment(招聘) consultants are seeing an ever-increasing number of men interested in PA or secretarial posts. “Out of the 1,000 candidates we’ve registered in the past 12 months, around 200 are male,” said David Morel, managing director of Tiger Recruitment. “It is increasing the whole time. Since 2011, the numbers have been doubling each year, and most of them are ambitious graduates.”
Susanna Tait, managing director of Tay Associates, agrees. She said she had seen a “huge” increase in numbers of male applicants. “It’s an obvious career choice for ambitious individuals keen to operate at the centre of the business field.”
Quest Professional, which offers training courses for companies and organizations, said this was the first year that men had attended its executive PA program and that “more and more” men were doing related course.
Top PAs in the City now earn between £35,000 and £75,000, plus benefits—in some cases even more. Morel thinks this is the primary reason why more men are coming into the market.
Barclays encourages male applicants for PA and similar roles. “We will offer everyone—regardless of their gender—the same opportunities to be successful,” said a spokesperson.
1.What’s Joshua Watson’s position at Barclays? (No more than 4 words)
2.What does the underlined phrase “climb the ladder” in Para 2 mean? (No more than 2 words)
3.What does Quest Professional do? (No more than 10 words)
4.As for male PAs, what did Barclays’ spokesperson say? (No more than 12 words)
5.What do you think of men’s new choice and why? (No more than 20 words)