In autumn of 1935, when I was a young man, I was traveling in the north of Indian. One evening, before hunting in the forest all day, I was returning to the place which I had put up my tent. It was getting dark, but I was walking along a road. Suddenly I saw two eye glaring at me from among the trees. How could I do? Should I jump into the river to save my life? Then I look to the right. In the river there had a big crocodile waiting to welcome me with its mouth was wide opening.
1. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge （隆起） structure on a person's fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original pattern. 2. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer's ink. They can be recorded easily. 3. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. 4. . When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. 5. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
A. Special techniques are used to "develop" them.
B. A fingerprint is an impression of the friction ridges of all part of the finger.
C. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed.
D. With special methods, identification can be achieved successfully within a short time.
E. A latent（潜在的） print is the chance that reproduction of the friction（摩擦） ridges deposited（存放） on the surface of an item.
F. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
G. Every human being has a unique arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable.
In only two decades Asian Americans have become the fastest growing U. S. minority. As their children began moving up through the nation schools, it became clear that a new class of academic achievers was emerging. Their achievements are reflected in the nation’s best universities, where mathematics, science and engineering departments have taken on a decidedly Asian character. This special liking for mathematics and science is partly explained by the fact that Asian-American students who began their education abroad arrived in the U. S. with a solid grounding in mathematics but little or no knowledge of English. They are also influenced by the promise of a good job after college. Asians feel there will be less unfair treatment in areas like mathematics and science because they will be judged more objectively. And the return on the investment in education is more immediate in something like engineering than with an arts degree.
Most Asian-American students owe their success to the influence of parents who are determined that their children take full advantage of what the American educational system has to offer. An effective measure of parental attention is homework. Asian parents spend more time with their children than American parents do, and it helps. Many researchers also believe there is something in Asian culture that breeds success, such as ideals that stress family values and emphasize education.
Both explanations for academic success worry Asian Americans because of fears that they feed a typical racial image. Many can remember when Chinese, Japanese and Filipino immigrants were the victims of social isolation. Indeed, it was not until 1952 that laws were laid down giving all Asian immigrants the right to citizenship.
1.While making tremendous achievements at college, Asian-American students .
A. feel they are mistreated because of limited knowledge of English
B. are afraid that their academic successes bear a strong Asian character
C. still worry about unfair treatment in society
D. generally feel it a shame to have to depend on their parents
2.What are the major factors that determine the success of Asian Americans?
A. A solid foundation in basic mathematics and Asian culture.
B. Hard work and intelligence.
C. Parents’ help and a limited knowledge of English.
D. Asian culture and the American educational system.
3.Few Asian American students major in human sciences mainly because .
A. their English is not good enough
B. they are afraid they might meet with unfair judgment in these areas
C. there is a wide difference between Asian and Western cultures
D. they know little about American culture and society
4.Why do “both explanations” (Para. 3) worry Asian Americans?
A. They are afraid they will again be isolated from American society in general.
B. People will think that Asian students only rely on their parents for success.
C. Asian Americans will be a threat to other minorities.
D. American academic achievements have taken on too strong an Asian character.
When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance, the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is viewed as entertainment, but certainly not an education priority(优先). This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students.
Music tells us who we are, because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it reflects their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity as a society.
Music provides a kind of perception (感知) that cannot be acquired any other way. Science can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts explore the emotive (情感的) meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and respond to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.
The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings “talk” to each other. They are the language of civilization through which we express our fears, our curiosities, our hungers, our discoveries, our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be shared with others. When we do not give children access to an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses.
Science and technology do not tell us what it means to be human. The arts do. Music is an important way we express human suffering, celebration, the meaning and value of peace and love.
So music education is far more necessary than people seem to realize.
1.According to Paragraph 1, students ____ .
A. regard music as a way of entertainment
B. disagree with their parents on education
C. view music as an overlooked subject
D. prefer the arts to science
2.In Paragraph 2, the author uses jazz an example to_________ .
A. compare it with rock music
B. show music identifies a society
C. introduce American musical traditions
D. prove music influences people’s lifestyles
3.According to the passage, the arts and science__________.
A. approach the world from different angles
B. explore different phenomena of the world
C. express people’s feeling in different ways
D. explain what it means to be human
4.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Music education deserves more attention.
B. Music should be of top education priority.
C. Music is an effective communication tool.
D. Music education makes students more imaginative.
A motivational strategy that parents can employ with their kids, is to frame tasks and responsibilities in the context of what the end benefit is for them. I call this strategy WIIFM
(“What’s in it for me?”).
When a teen can combine an understanding of WIIFM with a sense of passion about achieving a goal, barriers will start to fall away. At our teen summer camps, we arrange an event near the end of the 10-day session that helps campers identify an important life goal and mentally break through their biggest barrier to achieving the goal.
We pass around 12-by-12-inch pine boards. We tell campers that this activity is not about breaking a piece of wood. It’s about how you can get what you want in your life. It’s about breaking barriers to grab on to your goals.
They have the power to break through any barrier. It has nothing to do with body size or physical condition. The skinniest, smallest teens will break through the board almost as easily as the big ones.
We talk to the campers about the reasons they might have had for not reaching their goals in the past. Maybe they got lazy and decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe they failed and let their fear of failure hold them back. But this exercise is about putting the past where it belongs. Today is about making new choices.
By this point in the program, we ask them to think of the goal they’ve set for themselves and write their goals on the boards. Then they write the possible obstacles which may hold them back on the opposite sides. An inch of pine now stands between them and their dreams.
The facilitators and their teammates gather around. The support is strong. One by one, they break through the barriers and grab their goals! All around us teens are laughing, crying, hugging, and holding up the broken pieces of their boards. The confidence shown on their faces is beautiful.
While arranging such an activity in one’s home is almost unrealistic for parents, the value of helping a teen break through a personal barrier simply by being there as moral support can not be overestimated. More help for parents in the form of videos and articles is available at our website, in our blogs and in a monthly e-newsletter.
1.The 12-by-12-inch pine boards are used as _________________.
A. materials to test one’s muscles
B. signs of goals in one’s life
C. assessments to show one’s progress
D. symbols of barriers in one’s life
2.We can learn from the passage that through the event the campers _________.
A. become hard-working B. get moral support
C. gain confidence D. set right goals
3.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The Power of WIIFM B. What’s in It for Me
C. The Importance of Goals D. Motivational Strategies
4.The passage is intended for _____________.
A. teens B. parents C. campers D. Tutors
My house is made out of wood, glass and stone. It is also made out of software.
If you come to visit, you’ll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN （个人身份号码）to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it’s dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that ten years from now, most new homes will have the systems that I’ve put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I’ve put in today.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How will I live without them?”
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. How to develop a new system. B. The function of the PIN.
C. A home for the future. D. Easy life in the future.
2.What’s the purpose when the writer wrote the fourth paragraph?
A. To let readers know why his ideas are new.
B. To let readers know how special his house is.
C. To explain the importance of the PIN and the console.
D. To explain more easily what the functions of the PIN and the console are.
3.What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?
A. An IT expert. B. A famous doctor.
C. An idealist D. An experienced teacher.
