As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.
A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music, we had made a connection.
Several years later, I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times, mimicking(模仿) the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl, through her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever.
Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.
1.The author thinks music ________.
A. can make children calm down B. can connect heart to heart
C. is difficult for pre-school students D. is a good means to find a job
2.According to the second paragraph, Vanessa ________.
A. got used to singing songs B. was too shy to speak
C. was the youngest in the class D. enjoyed the author’s classes
3.When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh, yes!”, the author felt ________.
A. surprised B. happy C. frightened D. satisfied
4.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A. The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years.
B. Vanessa became as healthy as other children.
C. The song made a deep impression on Vanessa.
D. Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream. [
When you want to go shopping, decide how much money you can spend on new clothes. Think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes you really need. Then look for those clothes on sale.
There are labels(标签) inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes. The label for a shirt may tell you to wash it in warm water. A sweater label may tell you to wash in cold water. The label on a coat may say “dry clean only”, for washing may ruin this coat. If you do as the directions on the label, you can keep your clothes looking their best for a long time.
Many clothes today must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive. When buying new clothes, check to see if they will need to be dry cleaned. You will save money if you buy clothes that can be washed.
You can save money if you buy clothes that are well made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times. Clothes that cost more money are not necessarily better made. They do not always fit better. Sometimes less expensive clothes look and fit better than more expensive clothes.
1.If you want to save money, you had better buy clothes that ________.
A. don’t fit you B. don’t last long C. need to be dry cleaned D. can be washed
2.The labels inside the clothes tell you ________.
A. how to keep them looking their best B. how to save money
C. whether they fit you or not D. where to get them dry cleaned
3.The first thing for you to do before you buy clothes is ________.
A. to look for well-made clothes B. to see how much money you can spend on it
C. to know how to wash them D. to read the labels inside them
4.The best title for the passage should be ________.
A. Buy Less Expensive Clothes B. Taking Enough Money When Shopping
C. Being a Clever Clothes Shopper D. Choosing the Labels inside New Clothes
____1.____ Many things can become distractions (分散注意力). Your ability to focus your mind, emotions, and physical movements will directly influence your success. Staying focused on the task at hand can be easier said than done. Here are some powerful techniques that can help you improve your ability to focus.
For physical control, it helps to have a constant exercise schedule. ____2.____ Exercising helps you gain better command of your body, and even goes beyond the body, giving you more flexibility not just physically but also emotionally and mentally. When you feel more comfortable in your body, you increase your self-confidence, which helps you feel more relaxed.
For mental control, meditation (沉思；冥想) does the task. ____3.____ It’s easy to get distracted by things in your background, but in order to perform well you have to maintain a high degree of focus. When you relax your thoughts it trains your mind to deal effectively with outside distractions so you can stay centered on what matters most at that moment.
____4.____ It prevents you from overreaction and also from overacting. When your emotions settle down, you gain greater awareness of the environment you’re in, and feel calm and in control.
____5.____ The good thing is that self-control can be developed. Start exercising frequently, get yourself into meditation, and start to feel positive changes in your career and your life in general.
Several hundred strangers received “love letters” from a young man on the street. The letter was written and given out by Yang Yang, a student majoring in human resources at Chongqing University of Science and Technology，who hoped to show his disappointment with job hunting.
Yang’s story has caught media attention perhaps because it is similar to those of millions of recent graduates seeking jobs and struggling for survival in the country’s wealthiest cities. They have diplomas, rather than professional skills，and come to big cities in hopes of better lives, only to find low-paying jobs and poor living conditions.
They are China’s “ant tribe(蚁族)”, a term created by sociologist Lian Si from Peking University in his 2009 book, Ant Tribe. “They’re so similar to ants. They share small and narrow living areas. They’re intelligent and hard-working, yet nameless and underpaid.” The term also speaks to their helplessness in a world governed by the law of the jungle -- only the strongest survive.
A survey in Lian’s another book published this year, Ant Tribe II, found nearly 30 percent of “ants” are graduates of famous universities—almost three times last year’s percentage. Most had degrees in popular majors. In addition, 7.2 percent of "ants" have at least a master’s degree compared to 1.6 percent in 2009.
An “ant’s” average monthly salary is l, 904 yuan, with about 64 percent of them earning less than 2,000 yuan a month.
Another survey in the 2010 Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Talent found more than 1 million “ants” live in big cities.
“Most ants are from rural families or small towns, and their experiences in universities didn’t arm them well enough to fight with competitors in big cities’ employment markets.” Professor Zhang Ming at Renmin University of China said.
The “ant tribe’s” embarrassing living situations have become a serious social problem, and the government should develop smaller cities to attract more graduates from big cities, Zhang
believed.
However, “ants” expect more study and training opportunities in big cities, which keeps them positive despite their situations.
1.Yang’s story is introduced in order to_________.
A. analyze graduates’ difficulties in finding jobs
B. lead to the topic of the article—“ant tribe”
C. tell readers a story about those big cities
D. show a clever way of dealing with pressure
2. The “ants” fail to find high-paying jobs mainly because__________.
A. they have no diplomas from good universities
B. their majors do not meet the needs of society
C. those from rural areas are not treated equally
D. they do not have necessary professional skills
3. “Ant tribe” members are similar to ants in the following aspects EXCEPT that_________.
A. they live in narrow and small places in groups
B. they work hard but earn little for survival
C. they are in a world judged by the jungle law
D. they are pleased with being nameless and underpaid
4.Professor Zhang thought “ants” problems could be solved by__________.
A. creating more jobs for graduates in big cities
B. developing smaller cities to attract graduates
C. sending graduates to rural areas and small towns
D. training graduates to improve their ability
It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing past someone in a narrow aisle, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others sometimes can’t be avoided, and the bus driver is merely doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started travelling to the British Isles and came to appreciate some more polite ways of communicating with people.
People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and retail assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.
Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers stressed several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is shown in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.
1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?
A. He thinks it is artificial B. He gives no personal opinion
C. He appreciates it D. He thinks it goes too far.
2.What can we learn about customers and retail assistants in Germany?
A. A customer never says thank you to a retail assistant.
B. It’s always a retail assistant who says thank you.
C. They may say thank you only once.
D. they always say thank you to each other.
3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ___________.
A. are more likely to be involved in a fighting.
B. are more polite than English men.
C. treat women in a polite way.
D. are not so willing to spend money for women.
4.The author develops the text through the method of ____________.
A. making comparisons B. telling stories
C. giving comments D. giving reasons
In the rush to get to school, you drop a piece of toast on the floor. Do you throw it away or decide it’s still OK to eat? If you’re like most people, you eat it. Maybe you follow the “5-second rule”, which claims foods are safe to eat if you pick them up within 5 seconds after dropping them.
But you might want to think again. Scientists now say that 5 seconds is all it takes for foods to become polluted with enough bacteria（细菌）to make you sick.
Bacteria can cause many kinds of illnesses. Some kinds of bacteria can grow on food. If you eat foods on which these bacteria are growing, you can become sick.
One of these food-borne bacteria is Salmonella. It makes 1.4 million people sick every year. Salmonella is often found in raw eggs and chicken. Cooking kills these bacteria, which is why it is so important to cook eggs, chicken, and other foods thoroughly.
But how long does it take these bacteria to pollute food? A team of scientists in South Carolina did an experiment. First, they placed an amount of Salmonella on three surfaces; wood, tile (瓦片), and carpet. They placed a piece of bread and a piece of bologna（一种大红肠）on each surface for 5, 30, or 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both the bread and the bologna picked up enough bacteria to make you sick.
So, forget the 5-second rule. If your toast drops on the floor, throw it away and get another piece of clean toast. And this time, be careful not to drop it!
1.In which part of a newspaper can you most probably find this passage?
A. Culture B. Health C. Advertisement D. Technology
2. After dropping a piece of toast, a person who follows the “5-second rule” will .
A. throw away dirty toast immediately and go away
B. pick up the toast as quickly as possible and eat it
C. eat the toast within 5 seconds and feel pleased
D. get another piece of clean toast quickly and eat it
3.The scientists in South Carolina did the experiment to __________ .
A. see how quickly bacteria can pollute food
B. show that the 5-second rule is correct
C. see how harmful bacteria are to people’s health
D. show that bacteria grow at different speeds on different foods
