Two friends have an argument that breaks up their friendship forever, even though neither one can remember how the whole thing got started. Such sad events happen over and over in high schools across the country. In fact, according to an official report on youth violence, “In our country today, the greatest threat to the lives of children and adolescents is not disease or starvation or abandonment, but the terrible reality of violence”. Given that this is the case, why aren’t students taught to manage conflict the way they are taught to solve math problems, drive cars, or stay physically fit?
First of all, students need to realize that conflict is unavoidable. A report on violence among middle school and high school students indicates that most violent incidents between students begin with a relatively minor insult. For example, a fight could start over the fact that one student eats a peanut butter sandwich each lunchtime. Laughter over the sandwich can lead to insults, which in turn can lead to violence. The problem isn’t in the sandwich, but in the way students deal with the conflict.
Once students recognize that conflict is unavoidable, they can practice the golden rule of conflict resolution: stay calm. Once the student feels calmer, he or slid should choose words that will calm the other person down as well. Rude words, name-calling, and accusation only add fuel to the emotional fire. On the other hand, soft words spoken at a normal sound level can put out the fire before it explodes out of control.
After both sides have calmed down, they can use another key strategy for conflict resolution: listening. Listening allows the two sides to understand each other. One person should describe his or her side, and the other person should listen without interrupting. Afterward, the listener can ask non-threatening questions to clarify the speaker’s position. Then the two people should change roles.
Finally, students need to consider what they are hearing. This doesn’t mean trying to figure out what’s wrong with the other person. It means understanding what the real issue is and what both sides are trying to accomplish. For example, a shouting match over a peanut butter sandwich might happen because one person thinks the other person is unwilling to try new things. Students need to ask themselves questions such as these: How did this start? What do I really want? What am I afraid of? As the issue becomes clearer, the conflict often simply becomes smaller. Even if it doesn’t, careful thought helps both sides figure out a mutual solution.
There will always be conflict in schools, but that doesn’t mean there needs to be violence. After students in Atlanta started a conflict resolution program, according to Educators for Social Responsibility, “64% of the teachers reported less physical violence in the classroom; 75% of the teachers reported an increase in student cooperation; and 92% of the students felt better about themselves”. Learning to resolve conflicts can help students deal with friends, teachers, parents, bosses, and coworkers. In that way, conflict resolution is a basic life skill that should be taught in schools across the country.
1.This article is mainly about .
A．the lives of school children B．the cause of arguments in schools
C．how to analyze youth violence D．how to deal with school conflicts
2.From Paragraph 2 we can learn that .
A．violence is more likely to occur at lunchtime
B．a small conflict can lead to violence
C．students tend to lose their temper easily
D．the eating habit of a student is often the cause of a fight
3.Why do students need to ask themselves the questions stated in Paragraph 5?
A．To make clear what the real issue is.
B．To get ready to try new things.
C．To find out who is to blame.
D．To figure out how to stop the shouting match.
4.After the conflict resolution program was started in Atlanta, it was found that .
A．more teachers felt better about themselves in schools
B．there was less student cooperation in the classroom
C．there was a decrease in classroom violence
D．the teacher-student relationship greatly improved
5.The writer’s purpose for writing this article is to .
A．complain about problems in school education
B．teach students different strategies for school life
C．inform teachers of the latest studies on school violence
D．advocate teaching conflict management in schools
An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society, and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
1.Professor John Beath’s lectures are .
A．given in a traditional way
B．open to both students and their parents
C．connected with the present situation
D．warmly received by economics
2.Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their .
A．greater stability B．higher pay
C．fewer applications D．better reputation
3.In the opinion of most parents .
A．economics should be the focus of school teaching
B．more students should be admitted to universities
C．children should solve financial problems themselves
D．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened
4.According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters .
A．have access to better equipment B．wiser in money management
C．confident about their future careers D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds
5.What’s the main idea of the text?
A．Universities have received more applications.
B．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.
C．Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students.
D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.
When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate （照亮） me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say: “Let’s start with a train whistle today.” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted. We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: “Yes, I must tell...” We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend.
1.In the eighth grade, what the author did before developing proper social behavior was to .
A．share poems and stories with her friend
B．go to her friend’s house regularly
C．become serious about her study
D．learn from her classmates at school
2.In Paragraph 3, “We gave London to each other” probably means .
A．our unpleasant feeling about London disappeared
B．we were unwilling to tear ourselves away from London
C．our exploration of London was a memorable gift to both of us
D．we parted with each other in London
3.According to Paragraph 4, the author and her friend .
A．call each other regularly B．enjoy writing to each other
C．have similar personalities D．dream of meeting each other
4.In the darkest moments, the author would prefer to .
A．seek professional help B．break the silence
C．stay with her best friend D．be left alone
5.What is the best title for the passage?
A．Noble Companions B．Remarkable Imagination
C．Lifelong Friendship D．Unforgettable Experiences
A practical English Grammar is intended for intermediate（中级的） and post-intermediate students. We hope that more advanced learners and teachers will also find it useful.
The book is a comprehensive survey of structures and forms, written in clear modern English and illustrated with numerous examples. Areas of particular difficulty have been given special attention. Differences between conversational usage and strict grammatical forms are shown but the emphasis is on controversial forms.
In the fourth edition the main changes are as follows.
1. Explanation and examples have been brought up to date.
2. There is now more information on countable and uncountable nouns, attributive and predicative adjectives, adverbs of place, sentence adverbs, cleft sentences, prepositions, conjunctives, modal verbs, perfect tenses, infinitive constructions, the passive, purpose clauses and nouns.
3. Some material has been rearranged to make comparisons easier. For example, parts of chapters on can, may, must etc. are now grouped by functions; verbs of liking and preference have a chapter to themselves; suggestions and invitations have joined the chapter on commands, requests and advice.
4. The contents list now summaries every edition heading, and there is a new index containing many more entries references.
In this edition the sign “~” is frequently used to show a change of speaker in examples of dialogue. Note also that although the sign “="”" sometimes connects two words or expressions with the same meaning, it is often used more freely, e.g. to indicate a transformation from active to passive or direct to indirect speech.
We wish to thank all at Oxford University Press who have assisted in the preparation of the fourth edition. We would also like to thank Professor Egawa of Nihon University, Japan, Professor Rene Dirven of Duisburg University, West Germany and other colleagues for their friendly and helpful suggestions.
London, November 1985 A.J.T., A.VM
1.The grammar book mentioned in this passage is not suitable for .
A．a middle school teacher B．a primary school student
C．a senior high student D．a college student
2.According to the passage, we know that his grammar book .
A．compares modern English with old English
B．gives a large number of examples to reduce difficulty
C．attaches more importance to conversational forms
D．pays little attention to strict grammatical forms
3.Which of the following statements about the changes is TRUE?
A．This book keeps up with the latest usages of the America English language.
B．This edition offers more information about pronouns.
C．It’s not easy for us to find the information we need in this book.
D．One particular chapter discusses verbs like “care, like, love, hate, prefer, wish”.
4.When you see this line in the book, “Did you get a ticket? ~Yes, I managed to get one”, we can understand that .
A．the two parts before and after the sign “~” mean the same
B．the two parts before and after “~” are said by two different people
C．the second speaker repeats what the first speaker says
D．the topic is changed in the part after the sign “~”
5.In the last paragraph, the authors thank several people because .
A．they have helped the authors with this edition
B．they have agreed to buy a lot of books from the authors
C．the authors want to make use of the fames of those people
D．those people will make advertisements for this book
It was my first year teaching in a special needs class, and I wasn’t sure what to expect at our yearly. Special Olympics sports meeting. My 1 had some challenges, from learning disabilities to cerebral palsy（大脑性麻痹）.
Mark was one with the latter. Restricted to a 2 , he had to fight his spasms （抽筋） just to control his movements. 3 , he always had a positive attitude and greeted everyone with a huge smile.
His classmates 4 him and always took the time to make sure he was included in group activities, especially Mike, Andy and Lucas, three boys who were good at 5 . Obviously, Mark wanted to be like them, unrestricted by the limitation of his 6 and watching them moving on the playing field seemed to fill him with 7 .
When the day came, Mike, Andy and Lucas 8 well in their sports events, and gave the normally calm audience something to cheer about. Mark sat in his wheelchair on the sidelines, 9 them on.
The final event of the day was the 400 meter race. 10 was invited to either walk or run, according to their ability, around the 11 length of the track.
When Mike, Andy and Lucas reached the finish line, they 12 and turned to look behind them. At the 13 of the crowd, determined not to be left behind, was Mark. All his classmates had 14 him. He was alone on the track with over half the distance left to 15 .
Mike, Andy and Lucas looked at each other, and a silent 16 passed between them. Slowly, they jogged 17 towards their friend, cheering him on 18 he had done for them moments before.
The progress was 19 , but in the end the three star runners and Mark crossed the finish line together to the enthusiastic cries of their teachers and classmates. Seeing the look on Mark’s face as he crossed the finish line, hands upraised and laughing, I came to understand what 20 the Special Olympics, and the determined athletes who compete, so extraordinary.
Years later, I’m still cheering them on.
1. A．partners B．friends C．students D．classmates
2. A．bed B．machine C．wheelchair D．desk
3. A．So B．However C．Otherwise D．Therefore
4. A．protected B．satisfied C．respected D．loved
5. A．sports B．practice C．studies D．expression
6. A．interests B．body C．habits D．mind
7. A．wonder B．trust C．stress D．reset
8. A．trained B．played C．operated D．prepared
9. A．bringing B．holding C．cheering D．moving
10. A．Someone B．Nobody C．Anybody D．Everyone
11. A．entire B．different C．average D．equal
12. A．fell B．paused C．rushed D．rested
13. A．center B．front C．end D．top
14. A．left B．ignored C．passed D．helped
15. A．continue B．jog C．walk D．cover
16. A．demand B．thought C．action D．relief
17. A．back B．along C．again D．on
18. A．while B．although C．since D．as
19. A．boring B．great C．slow D．relaxing
20. A．leaves B．finds C．keeps D．makes
If the island a tourist attraction, last week’s earthquake would have caused far more deaths.
A．is to remain B．has remained C．remained D．would remain
