Question

    Once I had a student called Jamal. He would squirm (扭来扭去)in his chair during independent work, and he would never stay still for more than three or four minutes. Students like Jamal can confuse brand new teachers because they’re not quite sure how to support young people like him. I took a direct approach. I negotiated with Jamal. If he could give me focused work, then he could do it from anywhere in the classroom: from our classroom rug, from behind my desk, or from inside his classroom locker, which turned out to be his favorite place.

Jamal’s least favorite subject was writing, and he never wanted to read what he had written out loud in class, but we were still making progress. One day, I decided to host a mock (模拟的)2008 presidential election in my classroom. My third graders had to research and write a speech for their chosen candidate: Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain. The favorite candidates were obvious, but one student chose John McCain. It was Jamal. Jamal finally decided to read something that he had written out loud in class, and sure enough, Jamal stunned all of us with his brilliance. Just like Jamal’s dad, John McCain was a veteran, and just like Jamal’s dad protected him, Jamal believed that John McCain would protect the entire country. He wasn’t my candidate of choice, but it didn’t matter, because the entire class erupted into applause for our brave friend Jamal who finally showed up as his most confident self for the first time that year.

A lack of confidence pulls us down from the bottom and weighs us down from the top, crushing us between a flurry of can’ts and won’ts. Without confidence, we get stuck, and when we get stuck, we can’t even get started. Instead of getting mired in what can get in our way, confidence invites us to perform with certainty.

1.Which of the following best describes Jamal?

A.Naughty and stubborn B.Determined but shy

C.Smart but unfocused D.Confident and generous

2.Why did Jamal choose John McCain in the mock 2008 presidential election?

A.Because John was the least popular among the three choices.

B.Because John had written something about him before.

C.Because John shared some similarities with Jamal’s father.

D.Because John was a soldier who could protect the country.

3.What does the underlined word “stun” mean?

A.Amaze. B.Cheer. C.Awake. D.Entertain.

4.What is the main purpose of the text?

A.To introduce the change of the authors student.

B.To show how to deal with problem students.

C.To stress the importance of encouragement.

D.To encourage us to be confident.

Answer

1.C

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章作者通过介绍自己一个学生转变的经历，来鼓励读者们要有自信。

1.

细节理解题。根据文章第一段Once I had a student called Jamal. He would squirm (扭来扭去)in his chair during independent work, and he would never stay still for more than three or four minutes（以前我有个学生叫Jamal。当他独立工作的时候，他会在椅子上扭动，而且他从来不会静止不动超过三、四分钟）和第二段Jamal stunned all of us with his brilliance（Jamal以他的才华震惊了我们所有人）可知，Jamal聪明但无法专注。故选C项。

2.

细节理解题。根据文章第二段Just like Jamal’s dad, John McCain was a veteran, and just like Jamal’s dad protected him, Jamal believed that John McCain would protect the entire country（就像Jamal 的父亲一样，John McCain也是老兵，就像Jamal的父亲保护他一样，Jamal相信John McCain会保护整个国家）可知，Jamal选择John McCain是因为他和Jamal 的父亲有很多共同之处。 故选C项。

3.

词义猜测题。根据第二段because the entire class erupted into applause for our brave friend Jamal who finally showed up as his most confident self for the first time that year（因为全班都为我们勇敢的朋友Jamal鼓掌，他终于在那一年第一次以最自信的姿态出现了）可知，大家都被Jamal的聪明才智所惊艳到了。由此可知“stun”意思是使吃惊，A.Amaze使吃惊；B.Cheer欢呼；C.Awake觉醒；D.Entertain娱乐。 故选A项。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段A lack of confidence pulls us down from the bottom and weighs us down from the top, crushing us between a flurry of cant’s and won’ts. Without confidence, we get stuck, and when we get stuck, we can’t even get started. Instead of getting mired in what can get in our way, confidence invites us to perform with certainty（缺乏信心会把我们从底部拉下来，从顶部压下去，在一连串的“不能”和“不会”之间把我们压垮。没有信心，我们会陷入困境，当我们陷入困境时，我们甚至无法开始。信心并没有让我们陷入阻碍我们前进的泥潭，而是邀请我们坚定地行动）可知，作者之所以描述学生Jamal的变化就是为了鼓励大家 要有自信，没有自信将寸步难行。这篇文章的主要目的是鼓励我们自信。故选D项。