In dreaming up the programme Tennis and Literacy for Youth, as a mother, I had hoped to share two of my passions, tennis and reading, with children. Throughout the year, I had advertised for participants at local elementary schools and volunteers at local high schools. With the help of kind people, I applied for money. I was even able to secure a camp site for the programme.
But on the first day of camp, in spite of my careful planning, things did not go the way I had hoped. Hector and Adrian exchanged blows with their racquets (球拍). Hector struggled to his feet moments later, covering a bloody nose with one hand. Georgie and Eduardo threw balls at each other. Then during the reading time, I raced from joyless child to demanding child, unable to convince even one to open a book. They would rather be watching Nickelodeon at home, Mylea told me, than “learning stupid tennis and reading boring books”.
That evening, exhausted as I was, I called my volunteers together for a meeting, and redesigned the entire curriculum. We created a good fellow system, where each volunteer paired with a camper to help him or her during reading time. To emphasize praise and progress, we established weekly prize ceremonies, presenting awards for most improved reading, tennis and behavior.
In the following days, with the chaos and the schedule changes and the meetings, these children, once in bad mood during reading time, untouched books in their laps, began to find joy in reading a story and playing tennis.
One day, Mylea shut the book and asked me, “Can I take this to read it to my mom tonight?” Looking up at her eager face, I couldn’t help myself. I jumped to my feet and wrapped her in a hug, lifting her right off the ground. “It’s all yours!” I overjoyed.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．The author was a teacher of a high school. |
| B．Volunteers from local schools donated a lot of money. |
| C．Local schools invited the author to plan a reading camp. |
| D．The author made good preparations for the programme. |
| A．Successful. | B．Messy. | C．Smooth. | D．Boring. |
| A．By replacing the books with tennis. |
| B．By helping and inspiring the campers. |
| C．By calling on the children to work hard. |
| D．By emphasizing the importance of reading. |
| A．A proposal of being volunteers. |
| B．An improvement of the teaching facilities. |
| C．A survey on how to help kids overcome difficulties. |
| D．An experience of introducing reading and tennis to kids. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】When children do something wrong, parents expect an apology. Children often try to read their parents’ mind or butter up (奉承) their parents by saying, “I’m sorry”. Even though they did not do anything wrong, they will act in that way because they are scared to make their parents angry. Children always look timid (胆小的) because they have been anxious or nervous about being punished by parents.
When parents force them to apologize, they will lose the opportunity to think by themselves why they should apologize or what was wrong. So, how can we make them understand properly what was wrong?
If parents never give children a chance and say something like, “That’s not good” or “Say you’re sorry”, children cannot learn to reflect their behavior. So, the first thing that parents should do is listening to their children, asking questions such as what happened, why they did it. Once children have their parents’ attention and feel at ease, they can easily accept their parents’ words.
Children do not have enough skill to tell good or bad things, therefore, it is necessary for parents to teach them what was wrong. When parents explain what was wrong to children, short and simple words should be used as much as possible. Moreover, it would be more effective to tell children what kind of behavior makes parents feel a certain way. For example, it would be good to express mom’s feelings with something like “When you hit me, mommy will get hurt.” “When you call me stupid, I feel sad.”
In this way, children can understand that they hurt mom or they make her sad, therefore, they will become able to apologize naturally. That would be more understandable for children why their behavior was wrong than being scolded by parents something like “Hitting is not good!” “You cannot say stupid to someone else.”
Many people believe that children are too young to understand what parents say, however, children actually can understand a parents, feeling if parents use simple words and speak calmly. Parents should avoid speaking one-sidedly and always try to listen to children. Talking to each other would be the best way.
1. Why do children apologize when they don’t want to?| A．They want to show their politeness. | B．They want to please their parents. |
| C．They show regrets for their mistakes. | D．They want to act like their parents. |
| A．Timeliness. | B．Seriousness. | C．Patience. | D．Kindness. |
| A．Speak briefly and clearly. | B．Teach them the harm seriously. |
| C．Do the same thing to children. | D．Show what other children do. |
| A．Trying to let children listen to them. | B．Communicating with them equally. |
| C．Giving them a lesson about behaviors. | D．Letting them alone because of small age. |
【推荐2】For those who seek a graduate degree overseas, it is recommended to understand some basic requirements before applying for.
Develop critical thinking.
Critical thinking is the ability to form your unique opinions on something after analyzing rather than totally accepting another person's point of view. It requires knowledge and vision.
Carry out academic research.
Perform social mission.
Many of the top universities in the US are private.
Those who show leadership in teams seem to have more potential to be successful in the future. Acting as a team leader in group work, organizing a student association or calling on others to solve practical problems can be good ways to train for becoming a leader.
| A．Consider these tips to qualify yourself. |
| B．Improve leadership ability. |
| C．Think and do at the same time. |
| D．Try to think independently and wisely. |
| E．Your performance will decide your future. |
| F．A majority of their funds come from social donations. |
| G．Doing academic research is an important skill to study overseas. |
【推荐3】Earlier this month, the University of Glasgow in Scotland launched a course entitled: The Simpsons Introduce Philosophy（哲学）. The course’s aim is to ease students into the typically heavy topic by relating it to the popular cartoon family.
“The Simpsons is one of the modern world’s greatest cultural products, partly because it is so full of philosophy,” John Donaldson, creator of the course, told the BBC. “Aristotle, Kant, Marx, Camus and many other great thinkers’ ideas are represented in what is arguably the purest of philosophical forms — the comic cartoon.”
While this may seem like an unusual way to attract pupils to a traditionally dull topic, this class isn’t the first of its kind. In 2009, Liverpool Hope University in the UK began offering a master’s degree on the music of world-famous 60’s group The Beatles, which still runs today. The following year, the UK’s Durham University gave students the chance to enroll on a Harry Potter-themed module, covering contents such as “Gryffindor and Slytherin: prejudice and intolerance in the classroom,” and “muggles and magic”.
To some, these courses may seem like a waste of a valuable education, but Donaldson believes that packaging certain topics into something more easy to relate to will enhance the learning experience, without distracting（分离）from the main subject. “Firstly, scholars want to be taken seriously by other scholars and ideas like this can be seen as not serious,” he tells iNews. “There are definitely ways to include popular culture into academic subjects that still remains their nature and doesn’t take away from the quality of the ideas,”
Already booked full, Donaldson’s Simpsons class isn’t meant to be taken as seriously, however. The lecturer says that his one-day course, which will pose philosophical questions around morality, free will, and religion by relating them to scenarios（情节）from The Simpsons, aims to introduce students to his area of expertise greatly while having a bit of fun.
1. From Paragraph 2, we can learn that.| A．The Simpsons contains many philosophical ideas |
| B．John Donaldson produces those philosophical ideas |
| C．many great thinkers will be invited to The Simpsons |
| D．the main reason for The Simpsons’ success is its philosophy |
| A．by comparison | B．by time |
| C．by example | D．by process |
| A．It’s very dull with many serious topics. |
| B．It’s very common as a traditional course. |
| C．It’s very time-saving as a one-day course. |
| D．It’s very efficient in teaching philosophic ideas. |
| A．a creative philosophy course | B．a popular comic cartoon |
| C．a reform of traditional subjects | D．an enterprising lecturer |
【推荐1】My best friend travelled to stay with my family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate some dried fruit. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen.
Our long weekend together was simple. I was recovering from surgery and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands (差事), but there was never a quiet moment. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions (相聚) need conversation.
Our personalities are matched and a shared history is extremely valuable. We were competitors at high school before bonding. Then we discovered the many interests that we had in common. Our friendship developed itself quickly. What I like most about our friendship is that we don’t have to “do”, but we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version (版本) of ourselves.
There is something special about friends who know everything about you. They are rare. They have seen your bright lights of achievements and the depths of desperation. I’m lucky to have found this friend, and to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.
1. Why did the author mention what her friend have done in the kitchen?| A．To show her friend was rude. | B．To introduce her best friend. |
| C．To show the close bond between them. | D．To prove the author was generous. |
| A．Going on shopping. | B．Talking about their lives. |
| C．Running in malls. | D．Quarreling about errands. |
| A．Having the same interest. |
| B．Competing to be the best. |
| C．Being comfortable just being themselves. |
| D．Supporting each other. |
| A．One good friend in life is enough. |
| B．A friend is easier lost than found. |
| C．A friend to all is a friend to none. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
【推荐2】When family members shared stories of their beloved father and uncle Hody Childress during his funeral (葬礼), they were in for a surprise. They learned that Hody, despite his financial circumstances, had been donating money to Geraldine Drugs for anyone who needed help paying for their medicines. He started making donations monthly about seven or eight years ago.
“He told me he never wanted anyone to know where the money came from when it was given,” Brooke, the drugstore owner, said. “He also didn’t want to know how it was used. He told me to use my judgment.”
Over time the secret fund (基金) grew to thousands of dollars and thus helped even more people in need. Hody’s kind heart definitely blessed a lot of people in his community. Brooke talked about a time when that secret fund was needed more than ever.
“There once was a young, single mom. She and her daughter both needed a kind of medicine that they couldn’t afford. So we used the fund. When I handed her the medicine, she started crying. That’s not even the best part. Several months later, she returned to pay it forward. She wanted money added back to the account. She didn’t have to do that, but she had a desire to help others in difficult situations. I believe that Hody sparked that in her heart, and that she will carry that forward her entire life. ”
After the funeral, news of Hody’s giving spread and has inspired his family, friends, and others to start contributing to his fund to allow it to continue as a community resource.
Brooke said that he could not think of a better way to honor Hody. “There are so many people in Geraldine who have lived longer because of Hody. He will always be remembered and loved.”
1. What surprised Hody’s family members?| A．His medicines. | B．His death | C．His wealth. | D．His donation. |
| A．Pay for the medicine. | B．Contribute money. |
| C．Learn about the donor. | D．Express her appreciation. |
| A．Patient and kind. | B．Selfless and amusing. |
| C．Rich and generous. | D．Loving and influential. |
【推荐3】Steven Jobs，who passed away on October 5 ,2011，was an American computer enterpriser and inventor. He was co-founder，chairman，and CEO of Apple Corporation. Jobs also previously served as CEO of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company in 2006，following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney.
In the late 1970s，Jobs-along with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak，Mike Markkula and others-designed，developed，and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers，the Apple II series. In the early 1980s，Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC's mouse-driven graphical user interface(界面),which led to the creation of the Macintosh. After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985，Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT，a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple's 1996 buyout(收购)of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded，and he served as its CEO from 1997 until August 2011. In 1986，he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd，which was turned out as Pixar Animation Studios. He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50. 1 percent until its acquisition by the Walt Disney Company in 2006.Consequently Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors. On August 24 ,2011 ,Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO. Jobs died in California at age 56，seven years after being diagnosed with cancer. At the time of his resignation，and again after his death，he was widely described as a pioneer and genius-perhaps one of the foremost-in the field of business，innovation，and product design， and a man who had“deeply" changed the face of the modern world，revolutionized at least six different industries，and an“exemplar for all CEOs”.His death was widely mourned and considered a loss to the world by reviewers across the globe.
1. Why did Steve Jobs leave Apple Corporation in 1985?| A．He found it was hard to work with his partners. |
| B．He was defeated in the attempt of controlling Apple Corporation. |
| C．He wanted to found another company. |
| D．Apple Corporation will soon be defeated by another company. |
| A．People all over the world think highly of Steve Jobs. |
| B．Steve Jobs was CEO of Pixar Animation Studios in 2007. |
| C．Steve Jobs retired at the age of 50 because of cancer. |
| D．Steve Jobs is the Einstein of our times. |
| A．Companion. | B．Model. |
| C．Friend. | D．Inventor. |
| A．Stories of Steve Jobs | B．Background of Steve Jobs |
| C．Life of Steve Jobs | D．Death of Steve Jobs |
