Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer(同龄人) group.

    The lack of right male(男性的) role models in many of their lives — at home and particularly in the school environment(环境) — means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against.

    They don’t see men succeeding in society so it doesn’t occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture(文化) is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child’s peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child.

    It’s pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems — somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children.

1.Why did Tom give up studying?

   A. He disliked his teachers.

   B. His parents no longer supported him.

   C. It’s cool for boys of his age not to care about studies.

   D. There were too many subjects in his secondary school.

2.What seems to have a bad effect on students like Tom?

   A. Peer groups.          B. A special unit.

   C. The student judges.       D. The home environment.

3.What should schools do to help the problem schoolboys?

   A. Wait for their change patiently.

   B. Train leaders of their peer groups.

   C. Stop the development of street culture.

   D. Give them lessons in a separate area.

4.A teacher’s work is most effective with a schoolboy when he ______.

   A. is with the boy alone

   B. teaches the boy a lesson

   C. sends the boy home as punishment

   D. works together with another teacher

Heroes of Our Time

A good heart

    Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa among great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship(奖学金) to study medicine — but Coach(教练) John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his fortune with others. He built a new hospital in his old hometown in the Congo. Af friend has said of this good-hearted man: “Mutombo believes that God has given him this chance to do great things.”

Success and kindness

    After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children’s videos(录像) in her own house. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. And she is using her success to help others — producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new program: “I believe it’s the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe.”

Bravery and courage

    A few weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails(铁轨), and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he’s not a hero. He says: “We have got to show each other some love.”

1.What was Mutombo praised for?

   A. Being a star in the NBA.      B. Being a student of medicine.

   C. His work in the church.           D. His willingness to help the needy.

2.Mutombo believes that building the new hospital is ______.

   A. helpful to his personal development

   B. something he should do for his homeland

   C. a chance for his friends to share his money

   D. a way of showing his respect to the NBA

3.What did the Baby Einstein Company do at its beginning?

   A. Produce safety equipment for children.

   B. Make videos to help protect children.

   C. Sell children’s music and artwork.

   D. Look for missing and exploited children.

4.Why was Wesley Autrey praised as a hero?

   A. He helped a man get across the rails.

   B. He stopped a man from destroying the rails.

   C. He protected two little girls from getting hurt.

   D. He saved a person without considering his own safety.

I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A new Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one.     A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

   A. describe the place carefully          B. show him a map of the place

   C. tell him the names of the streets     D. refer to recognizable buildings and places

2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?

   A. New York.     B. Los Angeles.     C. Kansas.      D. Iowa.

3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.

   A. in order to save time         B. Los Angeles.

   C. so as to be polite                D. for fun

4.What can we infer from the text?

   A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

   B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

   C. People have similar understandings of politeness.

   D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

    阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

    I was a single parent of four small children, working at a low-paid job. Money was always tight, but we had a   1over our heads, food on the table, clothes on our backs, and if not a lot, always   2. Not knowing we were poor, my kids(孩子们) just thought I was   3. I’ve always been glad about that.

    It was Christmas time, and although there wasn’t   4for a lot of gifts, we planned to celebrate with a family party. But the big   5for the kids was the fun of Christmas   6.

They planned weeks ahead of time, asking   7what they wanted for Christmas. Fortunately, I had saved $120 for   8to share by all five of us.

The big   9arrived. I gave each kid a twenty-dollar bill and   10them to look for gifts of about four dollars each. Then everyone scattered(散开). We had two hours to shop; then we would   11back at the “Santa’s Workshop”.

Driving home, everyone was in high Christmas spirits,   12my younger daughter, Ginger, who was unusually   13. She had only one small, flat bag with a few candies　— fifty-cent candies! I was so angry, but I didn’t say anything   14we got home. I called her into my bedroom and closed the door,  15to be angry again. This is what she told me.

    “I was looking   16thinking of what to buy, and I   17to read the little cards on the ‘Giving Trees.’ One was for a little girl, four years old, and all she   18for Christmas was a doll(玩具娃娃). So I took the card off the tree and   19the doll for her. We have so much and she doesn’t have anything.”

    I never felt so   20as I did that day.

1.A. roof               B. hat              C. sky          D. star

2.A. little             B. less             C. enough       D. more

3.A. busy               B. serious          C. strict           D. kind

4.A. effort             B. room             C. time         D. money

5.A. improvement           B. problem               C. surprise     D. excitement

6.A. shopping           B. travelling           C. parties          D. greetings

7.A. the other          B. each other          C. one by one        D. every other one

8.A. toys                  B. clothes              C. presents     D. bills

9.A. day                B. chance              C. cheque            D. tree

10.A. forced               B. reminded        C. invited        D. begged

11.A. draw              B. stay             C. move         D. meet

12.A. including         B. besides          C. except           D. regarding

13.A. quiet             B. excited          C. happy            D. ashamed

14.A. since             B. after                C. while            D. until

15.A. waiting              B. ready             C. hoping           D. afraid

16.A. out                  B. over              C. forward      D. around

17.A. forgot                B. stopped          C. failed           D. hated

18.A. wanted               B. did                  C. got               D. played

19.A. made              B. searched         C. bought           D. fetched

20.A. angry             B. rich             C. patient          D. bitter

 Bill wasn’t happy about the delay of the report by Jason, and ______.

A. I was neither         B. neither was I    C. I was either     D. either was I

C. mustn’t shout                        C. mustn’t have shouted

 —My name is Jonathan. Shall I spell it for you?

  —______.

A. If you don’t mind        B. Not at all       C. Take it easy     D. Nice to meet you

 I like Mr. Miner’s speech; it was clear and ______ the point.

A. at               B. on                   C. to               D. of

 I used to love that film ______ I was a child, but I don’t feel it that way any more.

A. once            B. when                 C. since                D. although

 Please remain ______; the winner of the prize will be announced soon.

A. seating         B. seated               C. to seat          D. to be seated

 It looks like the weather is changing for ______. Shall we stick to our plan?

A. the worse       B. worse                C. the worst            D. worst