I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch(养马场). He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying: “I want to tell you a story. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, ‘See me after class.’
“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F?’ The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, ‘If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’
“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.’ ”
Monty then turned to the group present and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two years ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week. When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough courage not to give up yours.’ ”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what,” Monty at last concluded.
1.The teacher asked the boy to rewrite the paper because __________.
A. the boy was too poor to achieve his dream
B. the teacher doubted his chance of success
C. the boy was not good enough to achieve his goal
D. the teacher looked down on the boy absolutely
2.Which of the following could best express the teacher’s feelings when she said the words before leaving the ranch two years ago?
A. Regretful and proud. B. Regretful and guilty.
C. Honest and sorry. D. Embarrassed and proud.
3.From the passage we can conclude that __________.
A. the boy was an unrealistic person
B. the boy’s father was irresponsible for his education
C. the boy had great courage and determination
D. the teacher often found fault with his students
4.What would be the best title of the passage?
A. Set a practical goal
B. Try to be realistic
C. Prove yourself through success
D. Keep your dream
When Jane put out the idea of homeschooling to her parents, the first reaction they gave was, “You are cutting the child off the world.’’ “Did the child really get cut off or did the child socialize better?”
The moment we hear of homeschooling, we think the child will have no opportunities to interact with peers. However, in my friend’s opinion, we forget that when attending a regular school, the child is not into socializing all the while. The child is restricted to so many other activities. Studies take a major role in a child’s life. The child hardly has the time to interact at school.
The child might be meeting and studying along with many peers; however, how many kids interact with all the kids in a class? But in homeschooling system, as my friend mentioned, the kid has all the time and can plan his day accordingly. During the day the child studies just like other school-going kids but with no burden of homework and project work, the child has so much free time in the evening as to effectively interact and play with peers. The quality time the child spends in education is really impressive.
Homeschooled kids have the opportunity to socialize more often as they have a lot of time in their hands. They can also make socializing a regular habit. Just as my friend said, her child goes to a neighboring park almost every day and has a set of friends who go there daily. Other children get back home to finish off homework and project work whereas her child who is already through with studies gets the opportunity to spend time with family members.
When I heard this, I really felt how lucky the child was. Definitely the child had a better opportunity to socialize when compared with my kid. However, I might not consider homeschooling for my kid, as I am so used to the conventional schooling system and feel regular schooling the safest bet.
1.The author’s purpose in writing the passage is to_____________.
A. express his views on homeschooling
B. explain what homeschooling is
C. share his ways of teaching his children
D. promote homeschooling
2.What is the biggest advantage of homeschooled children?
A. They will become braver. B. They can be more popular.
C. They can socialize better. D. They will know how to arrange time.
3.What do we know about homeschooled children?
A. They don’t interact with their peers often.
B. They have more spare time to play.
C. They are restricted to certain activities
D. They can’t gain enough knowledge.
4.How does the passage mainly develop?
A. By following the order of importance.
B. By following the order of time.
C. By making comparisons.
D. By presenting data.
“I wouldn’t buy that woman a Mother’s Day card, even if my life depended upon it,” said the woman standing by the card shelf at Wal-Mart. I looked up and saw a(n) of total complaint and dislike.
Having been at a Florida orphanage at age four, I never knew what it felt like to have a mother or a father. Never once had I received a hug or a kiss from my parents. That part of my life is a total .
She looked up, saw me looking at her and angrily, “Just what are you looking at, you fool?”
“Sorry Ma’am. I never had a mother, and I was by your words.” I reached over and picked up a nice-looking , opened it and began to read, “Thank you for being my mother.”
“Do you think your mother would like that card? Mine would, I think,” I said.
“Do you know what it is like to be at for years, and never be told that you are loved?” she asked.
“My mother didn’t me, let alone shout. She just took me to the orphanage where I stayed until I grew up,” I replied.
“Don’t you her?” she asked.
“Oh, I can’t. She’s my mother. Being a mother is a position to be , even if she is not a very nice person,” I told her. The woman stood there her head.
I looked down at the floor and said, “I know your mother might have done a lot of things that you. It appears as if you hate her. But I can tell you this from my that disliking her, or even hating her, feels nowhere near as as never having known a mother at all—good or bad. At least, you feel . For me, it’s all just a large blank of loneliness inside my heart, and that’s I’ll feel until I die.”
The woman stood there for a moment. , she reached out, took the card from my hand, smelled it, and placed it in her cart.
After she left, I a nice card for my mother. I took it home, it, and placed it with the other Mother and Father’s Days cards bought all these years, each marked “Address Unknown”.
1.A. idea B. appearance C. expression D.impression
2.A. deserted B. lost C. reserved D. rescued
3.A. dark B. pain C. misfortune D. blank
4.A. requested B. considered C. screamed D. refused
5.A. relieved B. annoyed C. disappointed D. shocked
6.A. cart B. card C. book D. magazine
7.A. simply B. largely C. originally D. basically
8.A. shouted B. glared C. laughed D. pointed
9.A. set aside B. leave behind C. care about D. know about
10.A. miss B. love C. accuse D. hate
11.A. depended B. obeyed C. respected D. observed
12.A. shaking B. dropping C. raising D. nodding
13.A. hurt B. blamed C. disturbed D. punished
14.A. conscience B. efforts C. experiences D. nature
15.A. fragile B. lonely C. hateful D. anxious
16.A. anything B. everything C. nothing D. something
17.A. whether B. how C. where D. why
18.A. Cheerfully B. Eagerly C. Hesitantly D. Seriously
19.A. picked out B. packed up C. brought out D. took up
20.A. mended B. exposed C. addressed D. signed
It is typical of Jim to feel shy; he will feel ______ in the presence of strangers.
A. out of order B. out of place
C. out of control D. out of breath
It would appear that the activists had _______ broken the police line in order to draw international attention to their case.
A. roughly B. deliberately
C. apparently D. regularly
The spokesman was very ______ about expressing his opinions in public in case he might make mistakes.
A. cautious B. capable
C. consistent D. controversial
