When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
“Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, ‘Jim, I love you and I’m always so proud of you.’ I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people.
“When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating (恼人的) things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don’t amount to much.
“I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, ‘Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.’ That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. ”
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family members, that they should take the time to let each other know just how much they care. You may never have another chance. Do it today!
1.Who was Jim?
A.The child of the Tyners’. |
B.The writer’s relative. |
C.The president of a school board. |
D.An official of a school. |
2. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase “the educationally handicapped”?
A.The learning difficulty. |
B.The physical problems. |
C.The psychological problems. |
D.The communication difficulty. |
3.According to the writer, which of the following about Jim is TRUE?
A.He was always sad about his school marks. |
B.His parents always scolded him about his bad school marks. |
C.His study needed more attention from his parents and teachers. |
D.He was killed in a car accident. |
4.The purpose of Polly’s letter is to .
A.memorize her son |
B.teach parents to appreciate their children |
C.teach children how to be good boys |
D.give some advice on how to deal with children’s problems |
The first reality TV show in the world was called Expedition Robinson and it was shown in Sweden in 1997. Half the population of the country watched the final event and a new kind of TV program was born. Two years later in Holland , the first series of Big Brother was filmed. Again, it was a great success and the final program was watched by 15 million people. Now more than 20 countries around the world have Big Brother or Expedition Robinson on their TV screens. The ordinary people who take part in the programs are known by millions of people in their own countries and reality TV has become big, big business.
For the TV producers, reality TV is a dream which comes true because many of the
programs cost nothing to make. At some point, the television viewers are asked to telephone the program to vote or to apply to take part in the show. It is the cost of these telephone calls that pays for the shows. One of the most popular shows is Pop Idol. In the show a group of attractive young people are made into pop stars. TV viewers vote for their favorite person on the show. The winner makes a record and millions of copies of the record are sold. His or her pictures are published on the covers of magazines or on the front pages of newspapers, and then, they are quickly forgotten.
But not everyone is happy about reality TV. In Portugal, two TV channels got into trouble because they showed too much of the personal lives of the people in the shows. In France, reality TV is called “rubbish TV” and the TV studios of Big Brother were attacked three times in one week. In Greece, Big Brother was described as “ against human rights and civilization”.
1.Those who take part in the reality TV shows are usually _____.
A.successful people |
B.pop TV stars |
C.attractive people |
D.famous film stars |
2.Who would pay for the cost of the reality TV shows according to the passage?
A.TV producers who make reality TV shows |
B.TV actors who take part in reality TV shows. |
C.TV viewers who telephone reality TV shows |
D.TV companies which broadcast reality TV shows |
3.It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
A.everyone is happy about reality TV. |
B.reality TV will do well in many countries. |
C.all the people in Europe are in favor of reality TV |
D.reality TV will not be broadcast in any countries. |
Shirley Allen loved to sing and play the piano. She studied music in college and her 36 was to become a concert pianist or blues singer.
Everything 37 when she was 20 years old. She became sick with what doctors 38 was typhoid fever(伤寒)and she almost died. Doctors gave her medicine to help her get well, but the medicine 39 her to become 40 deaf. She could no longer hear the music which she had always 41.
Shirley would never give up playing the piano, 42 she did decide to change 43 . She transferred to Gallaudet University and studied English. In 1964 Shirley graduated from Gallaudet and looked for 44 . She wanted to be 45 and work full-time.
For three years, Shirley worked as a clerk in Washington, D.C. 46 , in 1967 she was asked to work at Gallaudet University as a dorm supervisor (宿舍监管员). Shirley supervised young women who 47 in the university during the school year. She also taught English. Somehow she found time to 48 graduate school at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In 1972, Shirley received her M.A. degree.
Always 49 a new challenge, in 1973 Shirley became a professor at National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID),which 50 deaf and hard-of-hearing students technical and professional training.
This 51 woman became the first black deaf female in the world to receive her Ph.D. She made 52 in 1992, 53 she received the highest degree in education from the University of Rochester in New York.
Dr. Shirley Jeanne Allen has traveled many roads and 54 many rainbows searching for her dream. With courage and 55, she never gave up.
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It was in the lab ______ was taken charge of by Pro. Harris ______ they did the experiment.
A.which; where |
B.that; which |
C.whom; that |
D.which; that |
The public ______ of the environmental problem will make the government take it seriously.
A.existence |
B.revolution |
C.awareness |
D.evidence |
--Can you tell me ______ I can do with the broken computer?
-- Sorry, you’d better ask an expert ______ to deal with it.
A.how ; what |
B.what ; how |
C.how ; how |
D.what ; what |