In my living room, there is a plaque (匾) that advises me to “Bloom (开花) where you are planted.” It reminds me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s, when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the classroom of each teacher in the program. Dorothy stands out in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.
Dorothy taught in a school In Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road winding around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting caught by the same train five times. Rather than feeling excited by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The poverty level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of hopelessness.
From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom (忧郁) disappeared. Upon arriving at Dorothy’s classroom, I was greeted with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were serving poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don’t know, poke greens are a weed-type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.
Dorothy never ran out of reports of exciting activities of her students. Her enthusiasm never cooled down. When it came time to sit for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was ready. She came to the assessment(评价) and passed in all areas. Afterward, she invited me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to celebrate her victory, as if she had received her Ph. D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be matched with things.
1.Upon arriving at the classroom, the author was cheered up by __________.
A.a warm welcome B.the sight of poke greens
C.Dorothy’s latest projects D.a big dinner made for her
2.What can we know about Dorothy from the last paragraph?
A.She was invited to a celebration at a restaurant.
B.She got a pen as a gift from the author.
C.She passed the required assessment.
D.She received her Ph. D. degree.
3.What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
A.Whatever you do, you must do it carefully.
B.Whoever you are, you deserve equal treatment.
C.However poor you are, you have the right to education,
D.Wherever you are, you can be successful and accomplish(获得) your achievement.
When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother’s Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing(令人相信的), “This is Mrs. Tan.”
And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don’t send me check already two week late.”
And then, in perfect English I said : “I’m getting rather concerned .You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn’t arrived.”
Then she talked more loudly. “What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss.” And so I turned to the stockbroker again, “I can’t tolerate(容忍) any more excuse. If I don’t receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week.”
The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.
When I was a teenager, my mother’s broken English embarrassed(使尴尬) me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape(影响) the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.
1.Why was the author’s mother poorly served?
A.She was unable to speak good English. B.She was often misunderstood.
C.She was not clearly heard. D.She was not very polite.
2.From Paragraph 2, we know that the author was ________.
A.good at pretending B.rude to the stockbroker
C.ready to help her mother D.unwilling to phone for her mother
3.After the author made the phone call, ________.
A.they forgave the stockbroker B.they failed to get the check
C.they went to New York immediately D.they spoke to their boss at once
4.What does the author think of her mother’s English now?
A.It confuses her. B.It embarrasses her.
C.It helps her understand the world. D.It helps her tolerate rude people.
We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn't even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop. She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.”
“Yes, I'm glad they've finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren't you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe(拖一下)of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to write in the big book.
After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum bowed politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me, “Dagmar is fine. No fever.”
“You saw her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It's a fine hospital. But such floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush.”
1.When she took a mop from the small room, what Mum really wanted to do was__________.
A.to clean the floor B.to please the nurse
C.to see a patient D.to surprise the story-teller
2.When the nurse talked to Mum she thought Mum was a__________.
A.nurse B.visitor C.patient D.cleaner
3.From the text we know that Dagmar is most likely __________.
A.the story-teller's sister B.Mum's friend
C.the story-teller's classmate D.Dad's boss
4.Which of the following words best describes Mum?
A.strange. B.warm-hearted. C.clever. D.hard-working.
Tokyo: Three snakes, whose poison could kill a person in ten minutes, are guarding a blue star sapphire (蓝宝石) worth nearly six hundred thousand dollars at a Japanese exhibition of jewels sent from an Indian museum.
“Normally it would be forbidden to let these poisonous snakes guard exhibition objects, but it's different this time because the jewels are being exhibited at a hotel,” a police official said.
Exhibition officials said that a person bitten(咬)by one of these snakes would need at least 80 ml of an anti-poison medicine to be saved. Medicine was being kept ready at a nearby hospital.
Star sapphires and other valuable jewels worth a total of one million dollars are on show behind glass. Hundreds of visitors came to see the special blue star sapphire and were surprised when they saw the sixty-centimetre long brown guards.
1.Using snakes at exhibitions of valuable objects is ___________ .
A.quite normal B.never allowed
C.often necessary D.usually forbidden
2.The jewels were being shown in_____________ .
A.an Indian hotel B.an Indian museum
C.a Japanese hotel D.a Japanese museum
3.Why were the snakes and jewels at the same exhibition?
A.They were both special things from India.
B.The snakes were there to keep the jewels safe.
C.The organizers wanted to do something unusual.
D.People liked to visit an exhibition guarded by snakes.
4.Many visitors came to the exhibition because __________.
A.the snakes were on show
B.so many jewels were being exhibited
C.exhibition officials said it was special
D.they were interested in seeing a famous jewel
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What was the weather like?
A.Windy B.Snowy C.Rainy
2.How much was a cake?
A.Ten cents B.Five cents C.Three cents
3.What did the man ask the boy to do?
A.Buy a cake
B.Buy two cakes
C.Tell the woman to come over
4.What can we learn from the text ?
A.The man didn’t eat any cake
B.The boy made fun of the man
C.The man missed his train
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What seems to be the man’s problem?
A.He can’t focus on his final exams
B.He doesn’t want to go to school
C.He is too stressed to sleep
2.Why does the man call the woman?
A.Because she once had the same problem
B.Because she is in contact with the student help services
C.Because she once helped a student with the same problem
3.When does the woman suggest the man call the health service?
A.Right after the conversation
B.Tomorrow
C.The day after tomorrow
4.What can we learn from the conversation?
A.The final exams will be next month
B.The man has been to the student help services
C.The health service centers open at 8:30 am every day
