Rosie Dutton, a teacher from Relax Kids in Tamworth, UK, used two apples to show her students the often unseen but harmful effects of school bullying (欺凌).
She posted the lesson on Facebook, where it's been shared more than 160,000 times. Rosie Dutton explained that during one of her classes she presented the children with two red apples. What the kids didn't know was that before the lesson, she had repeatedly dropped one of the apples on the floor. And yet, on the outside at least, both apples looked perfect.
“I picked up the apple I'd dropped on the floor and started to tell the children how I disliked this apple, “ Dutton wrote. “I told them that because I didn't like it, I didn't want them to like it either, so they should call it names too. “ Some of the children looked at her as if she were “crazy” , but the students passed the apple around the circle, calling it names.
Continuing the exercise, the teacher then passed the second apple around the circle. This apple, however, was showered with words like “Your skin is beautiful” and “What a beautiful colour you have” .
Dutton then showed the students both apples once again, stressing that “there was no change, and both apples still looked the same. “
Finally, Dutton cut both apples open. The apple that the class treated kindly looked fresh inside. But the other apple-the one they'd treated poorly-was bruised(碰伤的)beneath its skin.
“I think there was a light bulb moment for the children immediately, “ Dutton said. “When people are bullied, especially children, they feel horrible inside and sometimes don't show or tell others how they are feeling. If we hadn't cut that apple open, we would never have known how much pain we had caused it. “
Dutton explained how important it is to teach children to stand up for one another, and to stop any form of bullying.
“Let's create a generation of kind caring children, “ the teacher wrote. “The tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words. “
1.What had the teacher done to the first apple before the lesson?
A.She had introduced it to the kids. B.She had coloured it bright.
C.She had made it look perfect. D.She had damaged it purposely.
2.What does the underlined part “call it names” (Para. 3) mean?
A.Shout at it. B.Make fun of it. C.Cheer for it. D.Say rude things.
3.What did the teacher tell the kids to do with the second apple?
A.Drop it. B.Praise it. C.Ignore it. D.Respect it.
4.What's the purpose of the teacher's using two apples in class?
A.To draw the kids’ attention.
B.To explain her personal preferences.
C.To help the kids understand the results of bullying.
D.To make a comparison between them.
Shane Gero, a scientist at Aarhus University in Denmark, spent 6 years studying sperm whales (抹香鲸), which communicate through very loud clicks. He found that sperm whales in the Caribbean Sea had different clicks from those in the Pacific Ocean. He even “translated” the clicks from a group of Caribbean sperm whales, believing them to say, “I’m from the Caribbean, are you?”, reported National Geographic. As well as being used for communication, the clicks also allow whales to develop a relationship with one another, according to Gero.
Apart from sperm whales, other animals like wolves and apes also have different regional accents. Researchers analyzed the howls of different species of wolves. They found that red wolves, Arctic wolves and other wolves have howls that vary in pitch (音调). In other words, they have their own dialects.
According to Darcy Kelley from Columbia University, most animals learn their accents naturally. For example, macaques (猕猴) start speaking their dialect as soon as they are born. Scientists placed some macaques in a new environment where their playmates all spoke a different dialect. But the macaques still spoke their own dialect. Their environment had no influence on their communication, according to the Washington Post.
“In most species, communication appears to have a genetic basis,” Kelley explained in the Washington Post. “However, among a small number of species, animals can learn from others and develop their own accents.”
Fruit flies are a good example. According to Science Daily, they send messages through their wing movements. Scientists found that fruit flies can only communicate efficiently with others of the same species. However, they can learn new dialects by spending time around other species.
“A proper accent is vital to mating and warning the coming of enemies, which is the basis of protecting themselves,” Kelley told the Washington Post. A species can’t risk changing their own dialect and learning a new one.
1.What does the author want to show by talking about the sperm whales at the beginning?
A.Animals have different dialects.
B.Sperm whales live in different oceans.
C.Animals can speak different local languages.
D.Whales communicate through clicking noises.
2.Why do researchers believe that wolves have their own dialects?
A.Wolves are wild animals using language.
B.Wolves live in different areas of the world.
C.There are different kinds of wolves in the world.
D.Wolves of different kinds howl at different pitches.
3.According to Kelley, what can dialects help animals to do?
A.Have a better chance of survival.
B.Fight with other species for food.
C.Communicate with other species better.
D.Pass on information to the next generation.
For five days, Edmonton’s Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves. Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that’s the traditional togetherness(友爱) that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through songs.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. “People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation,” Riedel said. “It’s really easy to relax, and it’s great seeing family and friends have fun together.” These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone’s musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地) for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug. 4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug. 8.
1.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to _______.
A.gather people with different musical tastes
B.remind people of the real sense of folk music
C.exhibit the good voices of great talents in folk music
D.collect old stories of folk music
2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5 years.
B.It’s hard for people to appreciate Blues.
C.It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations.
D.People have to pay $2 for a plate of food.
3.We can learn from the passage that _______.
A.people can get tickets easily for the festival
B.the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is well organized
C.driving one’s own car to the festival is highly recommended
D.bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is the purpose of the talk?
A.To explain the rules of a race.
B.To tell about a weekend event.
C.To introduce some runners.
2.When should runners arrive at the Town Hall?
A.At 8:30. B.At 9:15. C.At 9:45.
3.What are the prizes for the winners?
A.Money. B.Coats. C.Running shoes.
4.How much should a family pay to run in the race?
A.$5.6. B.$5. C.$4.5.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Where is Bob now?
A.In a TV station. B.At a friend’s house. C.In his office.
2.Where did Bob grow up?
A.In France. B.In Switzerland. C.In the UK.
3.What satisfies Bob most about Weybridge?
A.The natural scenery. B.The friendly people. C.The living facilities.
4.How does Bob like his neighbor’s dog?
A.Annoying. B.Frightening. C.Acceptable.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.How does the woman feel about the news?
A.Disappointed. B.Surprised. C.Nervous.
2.Why did the man quit his job?
A.He lost his interest in the job.
B.His boss often got angry with him.
C.He had little chance to get promotion.
3.What does the woman suggest the man do?
A.Go traveling with his parents first.
B.Find a satisfying job immediately.
C.Try to improve himself.
