Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."
1.Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
A. He needs to go to the doctor every day.
B. He studies the leading cause of diabetes
C. He has a positive attitude to this disease.
D. He encourages diabetics by writing articles.
2.Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
A. diabetics to communicate B. volunteers to find jobs
C. children to amuse themselves D. rock stars to share resources.
3.According to the text, Kody ______.
A. feel lonely because of his illness
B. benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C. helps create the online kid’s forums
D. writes children’s stories online
4.What can we learn about Fight It?
A. It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties.
B. It organizes parties for volunteer once a year.
C. It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics.
D. It owns a well-known medical website.
5.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
A. works full-time in a diabetes charity
B. employs 22 people for his website
C. helps diabetics in his own way
D. ties to find a cure for diabetes
If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability（可利用性）of computer games. Maybe the books boom（繁荣）has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget（预算） report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half- hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read less – often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on（热衷） reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator（指示物）of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.
1.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
A. Many children’s books have been adapted from films.
B. Many high-quality children’s books have been published.
C. The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.
D. The sales of presents for children have increased.
2.Statistics suggested that ___.
A. the number of top students increased with the use of computers.
B. a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading.
C. a minority of primary school children read properly.
D. a large percentage of children read regularly.
3.What do we know about Reading Recovery?
A. An education of it will be made sometime this year.
B. Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.
C. It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.
D. Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.
4.Reading for fun is important because book-loving children ____.
A. takes greater advantage of the project.
B. shows the potential to enjoy a long life.
C. is likely to succeed in their education.
D. would make excellent future researchers.
5.The aim of this text would probably be ____.
A.to overcome primary school pupils’ reading difficulty.
B.to encourage the publication of more children’s books.
C.to remind children of the importance of reading for fun.
D.to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading.
It was the summer of 1965. Deluca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family friend. Buck asked Deluca about his plan for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” Deluca recalls saying. “Buck said, ‘you should open a sandwich shop.’ ”
That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $ 1,000. Deluca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck kicked in another $1,000.
But business didn’t go smoothly as they expected. Deluca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn’t know how badly, because we didn’t have any financial controls.” All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.
Deluca was managing the store and to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They’d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. “We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, ‘We are so successful, we are opening a second store.’” And they did — in the spring of 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.
But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday, Deluca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their supplies. “It probably took me two and a half hours and it wasn’t necessary but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” Deluca says.
And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down. You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.
Deluca ended up founding Subways Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain.
1.Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to ________.
A. support his family B. pay for his college education
C. help his partner expand business D. do some research
2.Which of the following is true of Buck?
A. He put money into the sandwich business.
B. He was a professor of business administration.
C. He was studying at the University of Bridgeport.
D. He rented a storefront for Deluca.
3.What can we learn about their first shop?
A. It stood at an unfavorable place.
B. It lowered the prices to poor management.
C. It made no profits due to poor management.
D. It lacked control over the quality of sandwich.
4.They decided to open a second store because they _________.
A. had enough money to do it
B. had succeeded in their business
C. wished to meet the increasing demand of customers
D. wanted to make believe（假装）that they were successful
5.What contributes most to their success according to the author?
A. Learning by trial and error. B. Making friends with supplies.
C. Finding a good partner. D. Opening chain stores.
I work as a volunteer（志愿者）for an organization that helps the poor in Haiti. Recently I took my son Barrett there for a week, hoping to 36 him.
Before setting out, I told Barrett this trip would be tiring and 37. For the first two days, he said almost nothing. I worried the trip was too 38 for a 17-year-old. Then, on Day three, as we were 39 over high rocky mountains, he turned to me and grinned（咧嘴笑）, “Pretty hard. ”
After that there was no turning back. A five-year-old girl, wearing a dress several sizes 40 large and broken shoes, followed Barrett around, mesmerized （着迷）. He couldn’t stop 41 . Later he said 42. “I wish I could speak French.” I was 43 －this from a boy who hated and 44 French classes throughout school.
Usually silent, he 45 Gaby, our host, and kept asking questions about the country and its people. He blossomed（活泼起来）.
46 , the moment that really took 47 breath away occurred in a village deep in the mountains. I was 48 a woman villager for an article. 135 centimeters tall, she was small in figure but strong in 49 . Through determination, she had learned to read and write, and 50 to become part of the leadership of the 51 .
Learning her story, Barrett was as 52 as I by this tiny woman’s achievements. His eyes were wet and there was a 53 of love and respect on his face. He had finally understood the importance of my work.
When leaving for home, Barrett even offered to stay 54 as a volunteer. My insides suddenly felt struck. This 55 achieved all I’d expected. Soon he will celebrate his 18th birthday. He’ll be a man.
1.A. comfort B. please C. attract D. educate
2.A. rough B. dangerous C. troublesome D. violent
3.A. little B. much C. fast D. slow
4.A. moving B. running C. climbing D. looking
5.A. too B. very C. even D. so
6.A. joking B. crying C. shouting D. smiling
7.A. patiently B. regretfully C. lightly D. cheerfully
8.A. ashamed B. disappointed C. determined D. surprised
9.A. took up B. went in for C. fought against D. called off
10.A. befriended B. disregarded C. avoided D. recognized
11.A. Thus B. Even C. Meanwhile D. However
12.A. my B. his C. our D. her
13.A. asking B. interviewing C. arranging D. describing
14.A. brain B. wish C. will D. health
15.A. appeared B. struggled C. hesitated D. failed
16.A. village B. city C. organization D. state
17.A. pleased B. bored C. puzzled D. touched
18.A. combination B. composition C. connection D. satisfaction
19.A. in B. behind C. out D. away
20.A. interview B. flight C. article D. trip
When the news came ___ the war broke out , he decided to serve in the army.
A.since B. which C. that D. because
The prize will go to the witer ___story shows the most imagination.
A. that B. which C.whose D.what
