Dear Madam,
Welcome back to school. My child is so happy to be in your class this year. We know you care so much about your students. I want to tell you a little bit about my child. Although he really loves to learn, he is somewhat anxious about being back in school again.
My child is thought to be gifted and that has brought some unexpected challenges to him and our family. To many people, being gifted means he will do very well in school, but that hasn’t always been true for him. He is just a kid thinking differently, and he sometimes struggles in school. Last year, school wasn’t easy for him for a few reasons.
He may be ahead a few grade levels in some subjects, but not in all subjects. He just doesn’t do better in all areas all the time. And although he may seem older than his years, he doesn’t always behave like you would think he should. I’m sure you know how gifted children can be emotionally immature –that is exactly my kid.
Also, he can be really intense in class when you are teaching one of his favorite topics. He may raise his hand often and constantly talk about what he thinks about it. I’ll apologize in advance because he will also likely challenge you on information or facts which he feels are not quite right especially when it’s a topic he is hooked on. He is not being impolite and he isn’t just being a know-it-all, or a show-off, he is really just very excited to be learning about a subject he feels strong about. He just gets carried away!
Last year, he was teased about looking like a know-it-all in school by some of his classmates, which hurts him A LOT. Being laughed at is part of his fear of going back to school. He fears being called a show-off at school and he feels like he doesn’t fit in. His teacher said he often kept to himself and chose to work alone. I know as a teacher, you are incredibly busy, but could you keep an eye out for anyone teasing him or if he seems to be keeping to himself too much?
Lastly, his therapist（理疗师） mentioned that because of the being laughed at and maybe because he was bored last
year in school, he is showing signs of becoming an underachiever. Please let me know if his grades start slipping.
Thank you for taking the time to read and understand about my child. Don’t hesitate to call or email me if there are any problems with him at school. Believe me, we know very well how sensitive, emotional and intense he can be.
I hope you have a wonderful school year!
Sincerely,
Mom of a Gifted Child
1.From the passage, we learn that the author’s son________.
A.fails to get along well with classmates B.has fallen behind the other students
C.has lost interest in learning D.is rude to the teachers
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.He has been taken away from school. B.He is too excited to control himself.
C.He is so absorbed in observing. D.He has been overpraised.
3.Why does the author write the letter?
A.To ask the teacher to reduce children’s burden. B.To call on the school to stop school teasing.
C.To suggest that his child has special needs. D.To explain how gifted her child is.
Peanuts to This
Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had worked hard on, hoping to hide myself. ―What could be causing everyone to act this way?
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this man, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts(花生）, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a piece of advice: flip (掷) a coin. Heads（正面）—the commander, and tails（反面）—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.
Weeks later, standing before the unfriendly class, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, ―My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution. The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not fair, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Therefore, I devoted myself fully into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance came as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!
1.What did the author’s classmates think about his report?
A.scary. B.foolish.
C.boring. D.puzzling.
2.Why was the author confused about the task?
A.He was unfamiliar with American history. B.He followed the advice and flipped a coin.
C.He forgot his teacher’s instruction. D.He was new at the school.
3.In the end, the author turned things around .
A.by redoing his task B.through his own efforts
C.with the help of his grandfather D.under the guidance of his headmaster
CHRONOLOGICA
DID YOU KNOW…
The Unbelievable Years that Defined History
In 105 AD paper was invented in China?
When Columbus discovered the New World?
The British Museum opened in 1759?
CHRONOLOGICA is a fascinating journey through time, from the foundation (建立) of Rome to the creation of the Internet. Along the way are tales of kings and queens, hot air balloons… and monkeys in space.
Travel through 100 of the most unbelievable years in world history and learn why being a Rome Emperor wasn’t always as good as it sounds, how the Hundred Years’ War didn’t actually last for 100 years and why Spencer Perceval holds a rather unfortunate record.
CHRONOLOGICA is an informative and exciting tour into history, beautifully illustrated (加插 图) and full of unbelievable facts. While CHRONOLOGICA tells the stories of famous people in history such as Thomas Edison and Alexander the Great, this book also gives an account of the lives of lesser-known individuals including the explorer Mungo Park and sculpture Gutzon Borglum.
This complete but brief historical collection is certain to entertain readers young and old, and guaranteed to present even the biggest history lover with something new!
1.What is CHRONOLOGICA according to the text?
A.A novel. B.A travel guide. C.A history book. D.A science fiction.
2.What can’t you find in CHRONOLOGICA?
A.Columbus discovered the New World. B.Paper was invented in China in 105 BC
C.The British Museum opened in 1759. D.Stories of Roman Emperors.
3.What makes CHRONOLOGICA interesting?
A.Stories B.Pictures C.Tales D.All of the above
―Sixteen, I said. I have forgotten the math question my second-grade teacher, Joyce Cooper, asked that day, but I will never forget my answer. As soon as the number left my mouth, the whole class started laughing. I felt like the _________________ person in the world.
Mrs. Cooper___________them with a firm look. Then she said, ―We’re all here to learn.
Once Mrs. Cooper asked us to write a report about what we hoped to do in the future. I wrote: ―I want to be a teacher like Mrs. Cooper.
She wrote on my report, ―You would ___________an outstanding teacher because you are determined and you try hard. I was to carry those___________in my heart for the 27 years.
After I graduated from high school, I got married and had children.
We needed money just to get by. College and teaching were impossible.
Then one day I thought of my dream. I talked it over with my family and_______to attend college classes in the mornings before work. And when I got home from work, I would study. Finally, after seven years, my dream had been realized and I became a teacher.
Not long after I started teaching, something happened that brought the past rushing back to me. I had written a sentence with grammatical errors on the blackboard. Then I asked students to come and_________________ the mistakes.
One girl got halfway through, became _________ and stopped. As the other children laughed, tears rolled down her cheeks. I gave her a hug and told her to have a drink of water. Then, remembering Mrs. Cooper, I fixed the_____________ of the class with a firm look. ―We are all here to learn, I said.
1.A.cleverest B.happiest C. stupidest D.shiest
2.A.looked B.stared C.saw D.fixed
3.A.make B.change C.return D.develop
4.A.teachers B.reports C.words D.classmates
5.A.supposed B.decided C.promised D.agreed
6.A.prove B.correct C.check D.read
7.A.mad B.excited C.confident D.confused
8.A.rest B.most C.whole D.half
— Did you notice . in her office?
— Yes. She was going over our writing.
A.what was Miss Lin doing B.what Miss Lin was doing
C.what does Miss Lin do D.what Miss Lin does
I ______ Mr. Li many times already. I’m sure he isn’t at home.
A. call B. am calling C. have called D. will call
