As I walked into the primary school, I looked down at my new Mary Jane shoes - I wanted to be anywhere in the world but Fountain Inn Elementary School.
I stood at Mrs. Blackstone’s door. The door suddenly opened to the sing-song voice of Mrs. Blackstone, my new fifth grade teacher. “We’ve been waiting for you!” she said in an unusually high voice.
Over the next few days, Mrs. Blackstone found me a new best friend and helped me join a choir (合唱团). During history lessons, as I didn’t want to speak in front of the class, she would have me stand up to address my classmates. She made me smile and feel much relaxed in the new environment.
One spring afternoon, Mrs. Blackstone asked me to stay after class. “I’d like to speak with you, Amanda.” My mind raced. Had I made a bad grade? Had I hurt someone’s feelings?
“Are you enjoying your new school?” She said.
“I want to tell you something, between you and me, not to be shared with anyone else.” “Okay.” My throat all of a sudden felt very dry.
With her eyebrows (眉毛) raised, she said, “I see something special in you. The way you communicate with others, the kindness you show - I think you have great potential (潜力) to be someone very important.”
I listened carefully to every word. “I’ve been a teacher for over 25 years. I can see it. But you must believe in yourself. That’s very important. Remember that and you’ll go far.”
Her voice was music to my ears that day. I walked out, but looking straight ahead with my head high. My teacher saw something special in me!
1. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?| A．She went to school unwillingly. |
| B．She liked her teacher’s singing. |
| C．She didn’t like her new shoes. |
| D．She liked the new school very much. |
| A．Work with. | B．Look at. | C．Speak to. | D．Learn from. |
| A．Bored. | B．Excited. | C．Surprised. | D．Anxious. |
| A．To help her improve her grades. |
| B．To encourage her to be confident. |
| C．To make a good impression on her. |
| D．To offer her information about the choir. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Teaching is a difficult job. The ultimate reward is knowing that you have the opportunity to have an impact on a young person’s life. However, not every student is created equal. The truth is that there are students who own certain characteristics that make them good pupils.
They ask questions
Most teachers want students to ask questions when they do not understand. It is truly the only way a teacher knows whether you really understand something.
They are involved
Being involved in extra-curricular activities can help a student gain confidence, which can improve academic success. Most good students get involved in some activity whether it is athletics, or student council.
They seize opportunities.
Teachers will tell you that classes full of students who follow the rules have more chances of maximizing their learning potential. Students who are well behaved are likely to learn more than their counterparts who are trouble makers. Teachers will try to move mountains for students who are polite, respectful and follow the rules.
| A．They are perfect leaders. |
| B．They are solid citizens. |
| C．It is true that every student must attend school for some period of time. |
| D．If no questions are asked, then the teacher has to think that you have understood the concept. |
| E．Chances are that if you have that question, there are other students who have that same question. |
| F．These activities provide so many leaning opportunities that a traditional classroom simply can’t. |
| G．Whole classes have their own unique personalities and often those classes with good leaders are good students. |
【推荐2】Huangshi will have new rules about behaviour standards for middle school students very soon. Middle schools are going to use a new way to decide who the top students(优等生) are. The best students won’t only have high marks. The new rules will be used first in No.2 Middle School of Huangshi in September 2012. The following are some of the new rules.
Tell the truth Have you ever cheated in an exam, for example, copying answers from a book or looking at other students’ answers? Don’t do it again! That’s not something honest students should do.
Do more at school Good students don’t only think of themselves, but they also care for other people and the surroundings（周围的事物）. Look at the people around you, do they need help? Give a hand to whoever is in need. You are in a big family! Pay attention to the environment. Whenever possible, do something to protect the earth we live on.
Be open to new ideas Have you ever thought people may live on the moon or travel in space? Having new ideas means possible inventions and discoveries.
Protect yourself Has a thief ever broken into your classroom and taken your money from your schoolbag? Don’t let it happen again. And if you have to go back home late, you should let your parents know.
Use the Internet carefully The Internet can be very useful for study. But some things on the Internet aren’t good for kids, so try to look at the good web pages, which you can use for fun or homework.
1. What should top students do in an exam?| A．Never cheat. | B．Copy from books. |
| C．Look at others’ answers. | D．Ask others for answers. |
| A．Selling others’ information for money. | B．Playing games all night. |
| C．Getting help with homework. | D．Finding answers in an exam. |
| A．tell the truth | B．help people in need |
| C．have new ideas | D．surf the Internet as they like |
| A．To give advice on how to run a school. | B．To tell students how to be top ones. |
| C．To advise students how to be good persons. | D．To give information about how to be a good teacher. |
【推荐3】A cafeteria manager is changing her students’ lives for the better at an elementary school in Virginia Beach, Va.,writing uplifting messages on bananas being offered in the school cafeteria.
Stacey Truman has held the position at Kingston Elementary School for nine years, but recently decided to start making the “talking bananas,” as the kids call them, to encourage the students. “I do it for my kids at home, so why not bring it here and do it for them because they are like my kids.’’ Truman said. The bananas have several motivational messages like “Never give up” “You are wise!” and “Keep trying” among others.
“Most of the messages I came up with myself because I would just think about what you would tell a kid or what you would want to hear yourself.” Truman said. Truman’s sweet gesture did not just have a powerful influence on the children, however. School principal Sharon Shewbridge saw the bananas and posted a picture of the fruit on Twitter, where it started receiving wide attention.
“Truman feels a bit shy about all the attention,” Shewbridge said. “She just wanted to be anonymous. But I think this is so simple and amazing—and it really does good to kids.”
“It's simple but these words can help them be more courageous and realize that they are good enough,”
Shewbridge added. “I hope that other schools see it's an easy way to get a kind message to kids.”
1. Where are the messages on bananas mainly from?
| A．They are copied from a website. | B．They are created by Truman. |
| C．They are collected from students. | D．They are offered by Truman’s kids. |
| A．Make money. | B．Attract attention. |
| C．Become well-known. | D．Hide her name. |
| A．Confused. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Students Have Delicious Meals with Bananas Everyday |
| B．A Cafeteria Manager Shows How to Write on Bananas |
| C．A Cafeteria Manager Uses Bananas to Encourage Kids |
| D．Schools Accept New Methods to Improve Teaching Levels |
【推荐1】When the telephone rings late at night，most women guess it must be one of only four or five people calling. A sister? Maybe. An emergency? Possibly. A mother? Probably not at that time of night. Much more probably it is a close female friend calling to tell you that she is heartbroken because she has split up with her boyfriend again or perhaps simply that a good movie has just started on TV.
At a time when families are spread far and wide and marriages often end in divorce, friendships are becoming more and more important. Erika, a 32-year-old lawyer, is strengthened by her ten year friendship with her married friend Jane. “I was very sick one night, so I called Jane at about 3：00 a．m. to talk about it,” she says. “She was very supportive and even came over to take me to the doctor's.”
As American TV shows like Friends have become more popular, many of us are beginning to see the value of such friendships.TV shows like this tell us that our romantic relationships may not last, but we need to keep in touch with our close friends if we want to survive.
With Erika's family 200 miles away, it is Jane who keeps a spare set of keys to Erika's apartment and waters her plants whenever she is away. “Having Jane around gives me a certain amount of freedom. It is not the kind of thing that you could ask anyone to do, but she knows I would do the same for her.” Jane, who may move to a different city soon, is worried about leaving such a support system of friends. “My friends have more to do with my life than my parents and, therefore, I don't have to spend a lot of time explaining things to them. Friends are more up to date with what is happening.”
1. A late night phone call for most women is probably from________.| A．a friend | B．a relative |
| C．a doctor | D．a stranger |
| A．shown up. | B．picked up. |
| C．taken up. | D．broken up. |
| A．is Jane's male friend |
| B．treasures Jane's friendship |
| C．has been married for 10 years |
| D．lives far away from Jane |
| A．Friendship Counts |
| B．Friendship Demands Freedom |
| C．Friendship Needs Understanding |
| D．Friendship Strengthens Romance |
【推荐2】Have you ever been faced with a situation where you were afraid of making a decision, making a change or taking a risk? Did you end up doing them? In fact, to feel like being in comfort and away from danger has always been the case since the very beginning when the first humans only knew how to treat survival as more important than other things. Even today, many still choose to avoid taking risks when it comes to their choices in life.
Remember that some of the best things happen when you’re afraid and out in an uncomfortable situation. These experiences of fear can both challenge you and help you grow. Promise that giving it a try with your best effort, and keep expectations low to reduce additional pressure. Living outside of one’s comfort zone is certainly uncomfortable. Therefore, the best habit you can develop within yourself is the practice of becoming familiar with discomfort.
You may be at a crossroad in life and feeling undecided about something. It could be a job that you’re not happy with, a relationship you’re not happy in, or even just knowing that you’re too comfortable with where you’re at that you don’t feel challenged. When you have some doubts about these in life, you’d better ask yourself, “What is it that I want? What is it that I’m looking for?”
Simply, there are two kinds of people: the realists and the dreamers. Being a realist isn’t any better than being a dreamer. Both come with their challenges. But what I do know is that no matter where you are in life, fear should always be seen as a way of pushing you towards becoming a better you.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．It’s natural for people to like feeling safe. |
| B．It’s hard for people to make a decision. |
| C．It’s possible for people to live longer. |
| D．It’s necessary for people to face the fact. |
| A．To tell people to keep trying until they succeed. |
| B．To encourage people to step out of comfort zone. |
| C．To warn people to accept different possible results. |
| D．To advise people to feel relaxed and form good habits. |
| A．Choose to be positive. | B．Ask others for help. |
| C．Find the effective ways. | D．Understand our goals |
| A．We should think highly of fear | B．We are supposed to be the best |
| C．We can live life to the fullest. | D．We need learn some social skills. |
【推荐3】From Marie Tussaud’s Chamber of Horrors to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion (鬼屋) to horror-themed escape rooms, haunted house attractions have terrified and delighted audiences around the world for more than 200 years.
These attractions turn out to be good places to study fear. They help scientists understand the body’s response to fright and how we perceive some situations as enjoyably thrilling and others as truly terrible. One surprising finding: having friends close at hand in a haunted house might make you more jumpy, not less so.
Psychologist and study co-author Sarah Tashjian, who is now at the University of Melbourne, and her team conducted their research with 156 adults, who each wore a wireless wrist sensor during their visit. The sensor measured skin responses linked to the body’s reactions to stress and other situations. When the sensor picked up, for example, greater skin conductance — that is, the degree to which the skin can transmit an electric current — that was a sign that the body was more aroused and ready for fight or flight. In addition to this measure, people reported their expected fear (on a scale of 1 to 10) before entering the haunted house and their experienced fear (on the same scale) after completing the haunt.
The scientists found that people who reported greater fear also showed heightened skin responses. Being with friends, Tashjian and her colleagues further found, increased physiological arousal during the experience, which was linked to stronger feelings of fright. In fact, the fear response was actually weaker when people went through the house in the presence of strangers.
Other investigators have used haunted houses to understand how fear and enjoyment can coexist. In a 2020 study led by Marc Malmdorf Andersen, a member of the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University in Denmark, scientists joined forces with Dystopia Haunted House. The Danish attraction includes such terrifying experiences as being chased by “Mr. Piggy”, a large, chain-saw-wielding man wearing a bloody butcher’s apron and pig mask. People between the ages of 12 and 57 were video recorded at peak moments during the attraction, wore heart-rate monitors throughout and reported on their experience. People’s fright was tied to large-scale heart-rate fluctuations; their enjoyment was linked to small-scale ones. The results suggest that fear and enjoyment can happen together when physiological arousal is balanced “just right”.
1. Studying haunted house attractions helps scientists to learn about ________.| A．the psychological effects of fear on individuals |
| B．the history of horror-themed entertainment |
| C．the body’s response to material rewards |
| D．the impact of technology on people’s enjoyment |
| A．By surveying participants. | B．By analyzing historical records. |
| C．By employing wireless wrist sensors. | D．By using virtual reality simulations. |
| A．Being with friends elevated level of physiological arousal. |
| B．The fear reaction was stronger in the company of strangers. |
| C．Psychological effect was unrelated to intensified feelings of fright. |
| D．Those reporting lightened fear showed increased skin responses. |
| A．fear and enjoyment can not happen at the same time |
| B．large-scale heart-rate fluctuations were linked to enjoyment |
| C．the age of the participants was not related to the study’s findings |
| D．fear and enjoyment can coexist under certain conditions |
【推荐1】The 60-foot-tall rocket took off in West Texas, sending a group of six people into space and giving them a few minutes of weightlessness before they landed by parachute (降落伞).
Most of the passengers paid a secret sum of money for their seats. But Katya Echazarreta, an engineer and science communicator, was selected by a nonprofit organization to join this travel from a pool of thousands of applicants (申请⼈). The organization’s goal is to send great leaders into space and allow them to experience the overview effect, which was reported by astronauts who say that viewing the Earth from space gives them a great change in their view.
“Looking down, you see everyone is down there, all of our past, all of our difficulties, everything — everything is there,” Echazarreta said. “When I came back down, it just completely strengthened my wish to continue enabling people of different backgrounds to go into space and do whatever they want to do.”
Echazarreta is the first Mexican-born woman to travel into space. She moved to the United States with her family at the age of seven. She recalled (回忆说) that she felt uncertain in a new place where she didn’t speak the language and that a teacher warned her she might have to repeat a grade. “It just really fueled me and after that, I just studied harder,” Echazarreta said. Later she was the main breadwinner in her family. She had sometimes up to four jobs at the same time, just to try to successfully graduate from college.
She worked in NASA before and didn’t see other female engineers like her, which inspired her to popularize science among the public. These days, Echazarreta is studying for her master’s degree in engineering at Johns Hopkins University. She also has a following of more than 330,000 fans on TikTok, and hosts a science-focused YouTube series.
1. Why was Echazarreta chosen to travel into space?| A．She made great efforts to set up a nonprofit organization. |
| B．She supported the project with a big sum of money. |
| C．She was considered to be an excellent woman. |
| D．She was an expert in space science. |
| A．To make women scientists known to the public. |
| B．To share the beauty of space on social media. |
| C．To encourage the public to learn science. |
| D．To help more people travel into space. |
| A．Beat. | B．Drove. | C．Confused. | D．Attracted. |
| A．Inspiring and hardworking. | B．Humorous and outgoing. |
| C．Talented and creative. | D．Calm and confident. |
【推荐2】By the time Robert Porter Allen was born in 1905, the whooping crane(鸣鹤)was already in trouble. The beautiful bird was once commonly found across North America. By 1941, the whooping crane population had dwindled to the double digits. The tallest species in North America were critically endangered.
In the 1940s, the remaining cranes migrate(迁徙) every year from the Gulf Coast of Texas to somewhere in the north of Canada to breed(繁殖). The conservation community didn’t know where the birds went. The wetlands where they used to spend winters were growing rarer and rarer as they tiny, non-migrating group of whooping cranes was alive in Louisiana in 1941, but the group had disappeared by the time Allen started his research.
In 1942, Allen undertook the whooping crane project Over the next three years, he did almost constant field work that took him from Texas up the cranes' migration route to Nebraska, and on into Saskatchewan in search of the nesting ground of the birds.
Studying the bird in its breeding habitat and seeing how many birds were born would allow conservationists to understand how to help the birds on their journey. But finding the whooping crane 's nesting site meant difficult and fruitless air searches over northern Canada.
In 1952, Allen wrote a report on the whooping crane. The report was a warning call to the conservation community: only 33 migratory "whoopers" remained, and their nesting site still hadn’t been found. Two years later, the whooping cranes breeding grounds in Canada's Wood Buffalo National Park were finally found, and Allen headed north to study them firsthand, an "incredibly difficult journey, "in Sprunt’s words, Allen’s work laid the groundwork for conservationists to save the birds.
Their efforts paid off as the numbers reached 57 by 1970 and 214 by 2005.Today, the whooping crane is still listed as endangered, but there are roughly 600 birds alive.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．It is a story about Allen’s searching for a lost bird. |
| B．It is a story about the cranes ,Long migration flight |
| C．It is a story about the crane surviving the winters. |
| D．It is a story about conserving the whooping crane |
| A．Increased | B．Reduced | C．Stayed | D．Limited |
| A．Habitat loss | B．Illegal hunting. | C．Natural disaster. | D．Deadly diseases. |
| A．The non-migrating group of whooping cranes disappeared |
| B．Robert Potter Allen undertook the whooping crane project. |
| C．The whooping cranes breeding grounds were discovered |
| D．Robert Porter Allen wrote a report on the whooping crane. |
【推荐3】This paragraph is not ordinary. Look at it. At first, it won’t look too odd. Just a normal paragraph, you may think. But look at it again and you might find it a bit unusual. Just a tiny bit. What’s wrong with it, you may ask. Nothing wrong at all, in fact. Look again. Is anything not right? Can you spot it? Is anything missing?
What you’ve just read is a lipogram-a text written without using a particular letter of the alphabet. It’s the hardest kind of lipogram, as it doesn’t contain the letter E-the most common letter in English language. Now imagine the task faced by the French writer Georges Perec, when a friend challenged him to write a whole novel without using E-a letter that is even more common in French than in English.
Perec was frighteningly clever. He wrote crossword puzzles for Paris magazines. He had already written a 5, 000 word palindrome-a text that reads the same forwards and back- wards, like the well-known “A man, a plan, a canal-Panama”. But his friends thought that this task would be beyond him.
He took up the challenge. He was unable to use more than 70 percent of the words in the French language. Surely enough to kill any writer’s ability to create. But on the contrary, he discovered that this impossible rule unlocked his imagination. He later claimed that he wrote his novel faster than any of his other books. The result was La Disparition, a surreal detective story about the mysterious disappearance of a character named A Vowl. (Get it?)The only Es were the four in his name on the cover.
1. What can we know about a lipogram?| A．It is a text written without using a particular letter E. |
| B．A text without using E in the French language is the hardest kind. |
| C．It is a text that reads the same forwards and backwards. |
| D．A text without using E in the French language is a new form of alphabet. |
| A．Nurses run. |
| B．Was it a rat I saw? |
| C．No lemons, no melons. |
| D．Did Anna say as Anna did? |
| A．Confident but unfortunate. |
| B．Ambitious and responsible. |
| C．Intelligent and creative. |
| D．Imaginative but stubborn. |
| A．Perec could use only fewer than half the words in the French language. |
| B．Perec’s friends knew he could write a novel without using E. |
| C．Perec found the experience made him less creative. |
| D．The impossible rule held back his speed of writing his novel. |
