Nick Santonastasso has one arm equipped with one finger. He has no legs. He also has no limitations(局限).
“ I know anything’s possible ,” the 12-year-old told TODAY ’s Ann Curry.
He can play baseball and football, play the keyboard and drums, and play video games with his brothers.
When Nick was born, he suffered a disease only found in 11 other people. The Santonastassos had three other children, and they decided to treat Nick the same as others, with love but without excuse
“ We’re supposed to be heroes to our children, but Nick is a hero to us,” his father Michael said. But heroes have heroes, too, and Nick’s is Tiki Barber, the former football superstar who retired last year and became a reporter for TODAY. Curry told Nick that for his birthday, the show wanted to give him a new skateboard. The person who presented it to him was Barber.
“ You’re an inspiration,” Barber said. “ There are a lot of kids who might be at a disadvantage.
You give them strength.”
Curry observed that most parents try to protect their kids from failure, but the Santonastassos didn’t do that with Nick.
“Absolutely not, “Nick’s mother Stacey said. “ If you do have a small failure, it just makes you stronger to succeed at the next stop.”
“ It builds self-confidence in yourself to try it again,” Nick added.
Recently, Nick entered a drawing in a statewide contest in New Jersey. His drawing was a tree with a spreading canopy (树冠) and deep toots. Above the tree were the words, “The roots of a family are…” Below the ground, the roots spelled out the final word for the message: “ Love.”
It won the contest. The judges didn’t know Nick’ physical condition. He won on merit (成绩), the same way he does everything else in life.
1.How did the Santonastassos treat Nick?
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A．They gave him much more care |
B．They treated him as a normal boy |
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C．They made excuse for his failure |
D．They protected him from failure. |
2.In the opinion of Barber, Nick__________.
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A．would learn a lot from his failure. |
B．would become a star in playing skateboard. |
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C．set a good example to other disabled kids |
D．proved a real hero to other heroes |
3.What message did Nick’s drawing express?
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A．Love is the “root” of a family. |
B．Each family has its own value among its members. |
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C．Trees without deep roots can’t grow tall and strong |
D．Roots are the most important of a tree. |
4.According to the passage, ______ other people have the same disease as Nick’s.
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A．two |
B．three |
C．eleven |
D．twelve |
5. What might be the most suitable title for the passage?
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A．Nothing Is Impossible |
B．Keep Trying Forever |
C．The roots |
D．Nick and his Skateboard |
Scientists have created a “ human-like robot” that can dance and do the housework.
“ Mahru” has been developed to imitate humans and can move its lips, eyebrows and pupils(瞳孔). The machine can also move its upper and lower body freely and automatically stop itself when walking.
In addition, it has been programmed to give out two kinds of pleasant smells to match its emotions.
The 1.5 tall robot was produced by researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and is the first South Korean- developed machine of its kind.
“‘Mahru’ will open the way for the commercial use of humanoid robots doing housework,” You Bum-Jae, leader of the development research team ,said. “‘Mahru’ can dance while walking on its legs and is able to work in place of a human.”
Through an advanced motion capture (捕获) system, “Mahru” can follow a variety of human movements and move its hands freely enough to deal with any obstacles that may get in its way when walking.
State-funded KIST showed the robot during a presentation at its head office in Seoul.
People here were treated to an entertaining demonstration which saw the robot show off the full range of its skills, most notably s series of dance moves.
The research team added that they had designed another “ Mahru”, this time with sensors(传感器) allowing it to distinguish(分辨) between faces and objects.
The showing of “ Mahru” came a week after researcher in Japan said they had created the “most human-like” robot in the world. A team at robotics department of Osaka University in Japan claimed that “ robogirl”, Repliee R-1, “ looks, moves and interacts (相互作用) like a human, and has silicone(硅胶) skin that feels almost human to the touch.”
1. “Mahru” made by KIST can do the following things EXCEPT____________
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A．dance with other human –like robots |
B．move its body freely |
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C．stop automatically when walking |
D．express certain feelings through smells |
2. According to what You Bum- Jae said in Paragraph 5, his research team wants to ________.
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A．help robots with doing housework |
B．show its scientific power |
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C．make Mahru offer more fun |
D．explore Mahru’s commercial use |
3. When Mahru” meets something in its way, it will be likely to________.
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A．go around it |
B．turn back quickly |
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C．deal with it using its hands |
D．ask humans for help |
4.According to the last paragraph, Repliee R-1 __________.
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A．is another Mahru |
B．was made by KIST |
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C．has skin feeling similar to humans’ |
D．looks like a boy |
5.The passage is probably a __________.
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A．news report |
B．research report |
C．healthy report |
D．entertainment report |
"S. H.E. is going to sing at the CCTV annual Spring Festival Evening Party, is that true?" cried out Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl in Shanghai and die-hard S. H.E. fan.
After checking it on the Internet, Peng quickly phoned friends to spread the news. For fans like her, S. H. E. ’s performance is perhaps the only part of the old fashioned evening to get excited about.
The Taiwanese band is made up of Selina, Hebe and Ella. Their name comes from the first letter of each of the singers' English names.
Last week S. H. E. announced they would perform in Las Vegas, US, over Christmas and then in Guangzhou on January 15.
At their Shanghai show on October 30, hundreds of parents waited outside the Hongkou Stadium. Inside, thousands of teenagers sang, cried and shouted as the band performed.
"I love their music, healthy image and everything related to them. Thank God that, although my parents don't understand why I love them so much, they still bought me a ticket for that show," said Peng about the Shanghai performance.
It is not just on the mainland that the three girls have made audiences much excited. In the past year the band has passed through Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Singapore and Malaysia.
When the three high school girls entered a singing contest in Taiwan in 2000, none of them ever dreamed of being a superstar. "We had never met before, and we didn't talk at all at the beginning," recalled Ella.
When asked about the secret of their success, she said, "Our average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep us close to our fans. We are happy to be the girls next door, your singing sisters."
"It's really a magical journey, from day-dreaming high school girls to singers performing on the same stage as our idols(偶像). Nothing but magical," she said.
1. Why was Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl, so excited?
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A．S.H.E. band will get the old fashioned evening exciting. |
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B．S. H.E. will perform in Las Vegas over Christmas. |
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C．Her parents bought her a ticket for S. H. E. Is Shanghai show. |
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D．S. H.E. will perform on the CCTV Spring Festival Evening Party. |
2.How did the Taiwanese band get the name?
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A．Their fans gave the name to them. |
B．Their idols had a deep influence on them. |
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C．A singing contest gave their idea of the band name. |
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D．The first letters of Selina, Hebe and Ella form the band name. |
3.What do you know about Peng Weiye?
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A．She stayed outside the Hongkou Stadium to listen to S. H. E. 's performance. |
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B．She will watch the performance in Guangzhou on January 15. |
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C．She pays close attention to everything about S. H. E. |
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D．She was grateful that her parents understood and supported her. |
4.Which is true about S. H. E. ?
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A．The secret to their success is their pretty faces and lovely clothes. |
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B．They were close friends when they entered a singing contest. |
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C．They caused a storm of excitement in Southeast Asia. |
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D．They have well prepared to perform with their idols. |
5. Which do you think is NOT the reason for S. H. E’s popularity among their fans?
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A．Their music and their healthy image. |
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B．Their success meets their fans’ day dream of becoming others’ idols. |
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C．They can make audience much excited |
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D．Their average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep them close to their fans. |
Until recently daydreaming was viewed as a waste of time. Or it ___1._______（consider） an unhealthy escape from real life and its duties. But now some people are taking a fresh look at daydreaming. Some think it may be a very ______2.____ （health） thing to do. Some researchers are finding that daydreaming may be important to mental health. Daydreaming, they tell us ,____ 3.___（be） a good means of relaxation. But its benefits go beyond this. A number of psychologists have conducted experiments and have reached some 4.（surprise） conclusions.
Dr. Joan T. Freyberg has concluded that daydreaming contributes to intellectual growth. It also improves 5. （concentrate）,attention span, and the ability _____6.____ (get) along with others. Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser believed that much of his success was due to the positive use of daydreaming. Florence Nightingale dreamed of becoming a nurse. The young Thomas Edison pictured 7. as an inventor. For these notable persons, it appears 8. their daydreams came true. Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick offered this advice: “Hold a picture of yourself… in your mind’s eye, ____9.______will drew you toward success. Picture yourself 10. (vivid) as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible.
One day, when I was in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle from my class walking home from school with all his books, I thought to myself, “__1___ would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be 2___.”As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him, 3 all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt, His glasses went 4 and landed in the grass.
I ran over to him. 5 I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, “Hey, thanks!”
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it 6 , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
Kyle was the top student of our class, one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. Therefore he had the 7 to prepare a graduation speech. On the graduation day, I could see that he was 8 .So, I patted him on the back and said, “Hey, big guy, you’ll be 9 !” He looked at me and smiled.
He cleared his throat, and began. “Graduation is a time to 10 those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers… but mostly your friends, I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best 11 you can give him.”
I just looked at my friend with 12 as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend and was carrying his books home. “Thankfully, nothing happened. My friend 13 me from doing the unspeakable.”
Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the 14 of your actions. With one small gesture you can 15 a person’s life. For better or for worse.
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阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求一篇150词左右的英语短文.
In the past 15 years, homework assignments(布置) have risen by 51% according to a 2006 study . That is an average（平均）of 12 extre hours of homework per week! Excessive homework often leaves no time for students to have fun or do something for themselves. Many parents spend at least three hours every night going through their chidren’s homework.
Sometimes parents ask for more work for their children! When teachers don’t give homework, some parents will go to the school and complain(抱怨). They want teachers to assign homework every day as a means sure teachers do their job and the children have work to do.
【写作内容】
你看了上面的文章，决定以 Homework or No Homework ? 为题就此现象在你校的学生英文刊物 Viewpoints 上发表文章谈自己的观点，具体内容如下：
1. 以约30个词概括上文所述现象；
2. 以约120个词谈你对 homework 的看法，并包括如下要点：
（1）你对家庭作业必要性的认识；
（2）你对过重的家庭作业负担的看法；
（3）概述你的观点。
