When a dirty and untidy orange cat showed up in the prison yard，I was one of the first to go out there and pet it．I hadn’t touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years．I spent at least 20 minutes，knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around，relaxed．What he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly．It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care．
Over the next few days，there were other prisoners responding to the cat．Every yard period，a group of prisoners gathered there．They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat．These were guys you wouldn’t usually find talking to each other．Several times I saw an officer in the group，not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners．Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it．
The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape．People said that the cat came to the right place．He's getting treated like a king．This was true．but as 1 watched 1 was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us．There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America．We need more programs．We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds．Some may even talk about making prisons more kind．But I think what we really need is a chance to practise our own kindness．Not receive it，but give it．After more than two decades here，I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged．It's often seen as a weakness．
Instead，the culture encourages keeping your head down，minding your own business，and never letting yourself be weak．
The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here．By simply saying，”I need some help here”，he did something important for us．He needed us．And we needed to be needed．I believe we all do．
1.From the passage，we can learn that the author was ．
A．an animal protector B．the cat owner C．a prison officer D．a prisoner
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A．The cat was dirty because it was kept in prison．
B．The officer in the prison enjoyed petting the cat．
C．The prisoners prepared food for both the cat and birds．
D．The author realized the importance of practising kindness．
3.We can infer from the third paragraph that ．
A．showing love to others can make prisoners strong
B．the American prison culture will be improved
C．the author is not content with the prison culture
D．caring for others is encouraged in American prisons
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A．Caring Makes Us Human． B．Prison Culture is Important．
C．Animals Need Care． D．Everyone Needs to be Cared for．
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contest, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation（启示）came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously（自发地）told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first trade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her fist music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting（借用）my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.
1.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
A．Many children find lots of fun in mindless activities.
B．Rebecca is much too occupied to enjoy her leisure time.
C．Rebecca collects online materials for her writing.
D．Rebecca is different from any other child of her age.
2.What was the author's writing experience?
A．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.
B．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.
C．She was constantly under pressure of writing more.
D．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.
3.Why did Rebecca want to enter this year's writing contest?
A．She possessed real talent for writing. B．She wanted to win.
C．She wanted to share her stories with readers. D．She had won a prize already.
Teaching materials for learning Chinese are provided here. There are sites where you may find interesting instructions suitable for you. Here are some sites to begin your surfing.
You may start with these pages from this website — just to get a little taste of it without working too hard.
● A Is For Love
Flash cards for learning a few Chinese words
● Listening to the sound of Chinese
Play a few words of Chinese on your computer.
● A few Chinese words
Each word is enlarged for easy study.
If you are studying Chinese, these tools can help.
● Zhongwen site
More than a dictionary!
● Clavis Sinica
Excellent program by Professor David Porter. It displays a whole document in Chinese [GB] or [BIG5], and gives individual word’s definition, pronunciation as well as much more information when you click on that word. If you are studying Chinese, this is a very useful tool.
● Chinese Character Visual Dictionary
If you like to know more, go to the following sites on the Internet.
● The Chinese Outpost
Pronunciation, Character and Grammer By Mark Andrew Baker. The best. A must-visit site.
● Learn Cantonese / Mandarin Online
● Internet Based Chinese Teaching and Learning
● Rainland Kids discover Chinese — Site is in Germany
If you want to have a better understanding of China, go to this one.
● Wanfang Data
As an affiliate (分支) of Chinese Ministry of Science && Technology, Wanfang Data has been the leading information provider in China since 1950s. With a wide range of database resources and value-added services, Wanfang Data has become a gateway to understanding Chinese culture, medicine, business, science, etc.
1.The underlined lines are probably some ______.
A．books B．websites C．tips for learning Chinese D．dictionaries for learning Chinese
2.This passage is most probably from ______.
A．a TV programme B．a teacher’s lecture C．a newspaper D．the Internet
3.If you want to know each Chinese character’s definition, pronunciation and much more information, you’d better surf ______.
A．Zhongwen site B．A Is For Love C．Clavis Sinica D．A few Chinese words
4.If you want to know China about its culture, medicine, business, science, you’d better surf ______.
A．Learn Mandarin online B．Wanfang Data
C．Rainland kids discover Chinese D．The Chinese Outpost
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
“I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.”
“I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”
But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”
I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative, they’re rubbing off on you. If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame (责怪) others, and you play the role of victim (受害者), chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.
This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard (标准) for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.
1.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．A friend in need is a friend indeed
B．How to make friendship last for ever
C．You are who your friends are
D．Friends are the most important in one’s success
2.The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.
A．they’ll push you ahead B．they’ll influence you
C．they’ll cover your shortcomings D．they’ll help you achieve your goal
3.The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.
A．the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor
B．people have poor taste in music
C．people have different attitudes towards the same thing
D．young people have greater chances of succeeding
4.By taking the exercise mentioned in Paragraph 7, you can ______.
A．improve a lot in making more friends
B．come to the right way of making friends
C．develop a better relationship with your friends
D．arrange the time with your friends properly
When a rather dirty, poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg _36____a few coins, do you hurry on, not ___37___ what to do, or do you feel sad and hurriedly ___38___ some money? What should our attitude__39__ beggars be? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories． It ___40___ be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from． It seems ___41___ not to give some money to beggars．
__42____, most of the world’s great religions order us to be open-hearted and ___43__what we have with those less lucky than ourselves． But has the world changed? Maybe what was morally right in the old days, ___44___ one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help, is no longer the best idea． Quite a few people will not give to beggars． Let us look at their ___45__．
First, some believe that many city beggars dress up ___46___ to look pitiable and actually make a good ___47___ from begging． Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil（恶行）． __48___, there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer, wine or drugs． Thirdly, there is the opinion__49____there is no real excuse for begging． One might be poor, but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of ___50___ and self-dependence．
Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be handled by the government __51____ordinary people． Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and __52____ help．
It is hard to come to any final conclusion: there are various __53___and we must __54___ them differently． A few coins can save a life in some situations, and even if the money is wasted, that does not take away the moral goodness of the__55____．
1. A．to B．with C．at D．for
2. A．knowing B．expecting C．demanding D．settling
3. A．put away B．hand over C．take in D．get out
4. A．at B．in C．over D．towards
5. A．must B．can C．need D．might
6. A．warm-hearted B．generous C．cruel D．considerate
7. A．Strangely B．Honestly C．Certainly D．Surprisingly
8. A．give B．donate C．share D．contribute
9. A．why B．when C．what D．how
10. A．arguments B．quarrels C．sayings D．talks
11. A．on show B．on purpose C．for fun D．by accident
12. A．money B．comfort C．living D．decision
13. A．Secondly B．Surely C．Possibly D．Then
14. A．what B．whether C．that D．which
15. A．goodness B．pride C．security D．responsibility
16. A．rather than B．or rather C．other than D．but also
17. A．produce B．receive C．earn D．offer
18. A．cases B．events C．conditions D．states
19. A．go with B．communicate with C．deal with D．meet with
20. A．giver B．receiver C．villager D．government
Willpower is a kind of quality, ______ is ______ it takes to do anything well.
A．what; which B．what; what C．which; which D．which; what
