I was grocery shopping recently in my hometown, N.Y., when I heard a young voice rise. “Mom, come here, you’ve gotten see this! There’s this lady here my size!”
The mother was mortified and rushed to a boy she called Mikey, who looked to be about seven; then she turned to me to apologize. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
I smiled and told her, “It’s okay.” Then I looked at her wide-eyed son and said, “Hi, Mikey, I’m Darryl Kramer. How are you?”
He studied me from head to toe, and asked, “Are you a little mommy?” “Yes, I have a son,” I answered.
“Why are you so little?” he asked.
“It’s the way I was made,” I said.
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness. I stand three feet, nine inches tall. I am an achondroplasia dwarf (软骨发育不全的侏儒). Like most achondroplasia dwarfs, I have two average-height parents, as well as an average-height brother. When I was born, my mother was told in the hospital that I was a dwarf. Not knowing a lot about dwarfism, my mom’s main concern was my health. Our family doctor put her mind at ease when he told her he felt I would not have any major medical concerns. He was right.
When I was growing up, my parents encouraged me to do all the things the kids around me did. So when my neighbors got two-wheel bikes, I got a two-wheel bike. When they roller-skated, I roller-skated. I didn’t see anything different in my parents’ eyes about me. Why should I look at myself differently? Therefore, I just tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life. I was determined to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage. And when I accepted myself as I was, life wasn’t that difficult after all. Most people around me were friendly and protective.
I’m 47 now, and it’s the children’s questions that make my life special. “Why are you so short? How old are you? Are you a mommy?” When I talk with children, they leave content that their questions have been answered. My hope is that in taking time with them, I will encourage them to accept their peers, whatever size and shape they come in, to know that every human deserves due respect.
1. The underlined word mortified is closest in meaning to________.| A．angry | B．ashamed | C．interested | D．grateful |
| A．That she almost died at birth. |
| B．That her parents loved her more than her ordinary-sized brother. |
| C．That her parents treated her as an ordinary person. |
| D．That all the people around her were protective and kind. |
| A．Because she wants to tell them about the rare disease. |
| B．Because she notices that children are usually kinder than adults. |
| C．Because she also has a child and wants to be a loving mum. |
| D．Because she expects them to respect every human. |
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【推荐1】Everyone tries their best in life, and sometimes a few kind words of encouragement can help people realize that their efforts are not in vain (徒劳). I remember a time when I was in fifth grade, and I was a very shy girl.
There was a drawing competition at my school that day. As everyone started to use their creative ideas to draw, I was only trying to think of something creative that could express my thoughts and emotions. Lost in my own world, I was brought back to reality when my art teacher called my name from behind. She came to me and encouraged me, saying, “Don’t overthink it, just put whatever comes to your mind on the canvas (画布). Do your best, and you will do well.”
Taking her words of wisdom to heart, I started my painting. Time flew by, and soon the bell rang, signaling the end of the time limit. We all turned in our canvases for inspection (检查). The next day, the winners of the competition were announced in front of the whole school. To my surprise, I heard my name being called second prize. It was a bolt from the blue for me, as I had never dared to dream of winning any prize.
Later on, I expressed my gratitude to my art teacher for her words of encouragement and for believing in me. That day, I became aware of my talent and started painting more whenever I had free time. Sometimes, I think that if it weren’t for her words of encouragement, I may have never discovered the talent I have.
Overall, this experience taught me the importance of encouraging others and how a few kind words can make a significant impact on someone’s life.
1. What was the author doing when called by the art teacher?| A．Organizing a drawing competition. | B．Trying to get some creative ideas. |
| C．Painting her work on her canvas. | D．Trying to get help from others. |
| A．Easy. | B．Interesting. | C．Challenging. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Addiction. | B．Puzzlement. | C．Disappointment. | D．Surprise. |
| A．The power of encouragement can be huge. |
| B．The importance of art competitions is easy to see. |
| C．Overcoming shyness through painting is worth trying. |
| D．Discovering your great natural ability is the key to success. |
【推荐2】My Ph. D. adviser called me into his office. After 15 minutes of listing my positive things, he looked me in the eye, saying, “You are fired from the lab.”
I had moved to Israel from my native India the year before, excited to experience a new culture and study for a Ph. D. At first things went well in my new lab. Three months later, I made several mistakes in the lab that slowed my research, but I wasn’t aware that my adviser noticed them, and he never spoke to me about any concerns. I’m still not sure why he fired me, but I guess that because of those mistakes, he wasn’t confident that I could complete my research as scheduled.
The first few days after I was fired was especially difficult. I spent hours staring at my computer screen, unable to get anything done. One day all I could do was sit on a beach and cry. I tried to change his mind with promising results, but he stuck to his decision. I could not break the news to my family in India, as the fear of disappointing them would overwhelm (使不知所措) me. I soon got into a state of sadness and anxiety, lonely and hopeless.
Around that time, I watched Dasvidaniya, a Bollywood movie that’s about a man who has three months to live. One line from the movie stuck out to me — When life gives you lemons, make lemonade (柠檬汁). What kind of lemonade could I make out of my present situation? My desire to complete a Ph. D. was never in doubt. On reflection, I told myself that I needed to give it another try. With renewed confidence, I emailed other advisers and applied to other programs. Within two months, I landed an offer from a Ph. D. program in Italy. I accepted it and relocated to Europe, happy that my goal of completing a Ph. D. was alive once again.
I’m thankful that I didn’t give up my dream and that I found another professor willing to take me on.
1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The personality of the adviser. |
| B．The author’s problems in study. |
| C．The author’s bad experience of being fired. |
| D．The author’s difficulty in adapting to a new culture. |
| A．Persuading the adviser to let him stay. |
| B．Being responsible for different programs. |
| C．Holding the belief that he could get a Ph. D. |
| D．Getting accepted by another Ph. D. program. |
| A．Direction is more important than effort. |
| B．Turn to movies for comfort when in trouble. |
| C．A Ph. D. is important for the future. |
| D．Difficulties in life can be turned into something positive. |
【推荐3】I woke up with drool (口水) on my pillow this morning. I wouldn’t have minded except it wasn’t mine. The alarm clock rang, and I reached over to turn it off. As I laid my face back down on the pillow, I felt the wet drool on my pillow case. I opened my eyes and saw a smiling, furry face gazing down at me. I tried to get up, but she was too fast. My face was suddenly covered in kisses with one going straight up my nose and another right in my ear. I laughed, reached out and picked up the eight-pound love machine and held her away from my wet face. It was just another morning in a life with dogs.
Why do we welcome them into our homes and our hearts? We know that we are most likely going to outlive them and have our hearts broken when they age quickly and pass away after ten to fifteen years. We know that there will be vet (兽医) bills, flea baths and enough fur to make a vacuum(真空的) cleaner cry. We know that our ears will ring from the barking, that we will be picking up poop (大便) every single day and that we will never get to finish a full sandwich again.
Yet, when we are feeling down or blue, there will always be a soft head on our lap needing to be pet. When we get home after a long day’s work, there will be a happy face at the door waiting for us. Our lives will be full of balls to throw and love and loyalty that will warm our hearts and uplift our souls.
For thousands of years, dogs have been our best friends. They remain one of the greatest gifts life has ever given us. Even if they can’t love us for the rest of our lives, they will always love us for all of theirs.
1. How does the author probably feel about his dog every morning?| A．Awful. | B．Impatient. |
| C．Delighted. | D．Thrilled. |
| A．Irony(反语). | B．Contrast. |
| C．Repetition. | D．Personification(拟人). |
| A．Exploring why we love dogs. |
| B．Showing how dogs can be a burden. |
| C．Giving examples of dogs’ bad behavior. |
| D．Describing how dogs can be charming. |
| A．To give the good and bad points of raising dogs. |
| B．To share how much joy his dog has brought him. |
| C．To say that having a dog is worth all the trouble. |
| D．To tell the importance of a dog’s company. |
【推荐1】“Well, I made it,” says Greg Daniels with a smile.
Recently there have been news reports and television shows reporting on the quality of school lunches. According to federal guidelines, French fries count as a serving of vegetables. Many parents and others are upset that a salty, deep-fired food is replacing healthier options like carrot sticks. As a result, the potato — what French fries are made of — has been getting a bad rap.
“The problem is not the potato,” insists Greg. “Potatoes are very healthy. But any food, even carrots or lettuce (生菜), will be less healthy if it’s cooked in grease(油脂).”
Two months ago, Greg decided to eat nothing but potatoes for 60 days. As a high school science teacher and son of a potato farmer, he wanted to do something to draw attention to potatoes as a healthy food and a good choice as part of anyone’s regular meals.
“It’s been an interesting experience,” Greg said. “For a while, I wasn’t sure I would make it. I was pretty tired of eating potatoes after a few weeks.”
But for Greg there were some benefits that he hadn’t expected. He’s lost 15 pounds and he feels better than he has in years. “I have so much more energy,” he says. “I’ve been running and playing on a local basketball team, and I feel like I’m playing as well as I did when I was in high school.”
And Greg has gotten a lot of attention, much more than he expected. “It’s been fantastic. Thousands of people have read my blog. I’ve been sharing recipes and talking about the experience. Every day I get to tell people what a great idea it is to eat potatoes.”
Greg is glad to be back to a normal diet, but he still eats potatoes at least 5 or 6 times a week. “Everyone should!” he says with a smile. “Potatoes are healthy and taste great!”
1. What does the underlined part “getting a bad rap” in Paragraph 2 mean?| A．Receiving little attention. | B．Obtaining an unfair judgement. |
| C．Getting more and more popular. | D．Becoming good for people’s health. |
| A．Because potatoes are cheap. | B．To draw attention to himself. |
| C．To prove that potatoes are healthy. | D．Because he loves potatoes very much. |
| A．gave up his plan | B．put on some weigh |
| C．became less healthy | D．was sick of potatoes |
| A．Intelligent. | B．Humorous |
| C．Determined | D．Courageous |
【推荐2】In the 19th century, tuberculosis (肺结核) epidemics were spreading over Europe and the United States, killing an estimated one out of seven people. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates called it “the most considerable of the diseases.”
The fight against tuberculosis reached a turning point on March 24, 1882, in a small meeting room of the German Physiological Society at Berlin. A doctor named Robert Koch used more than 200 microscopic preparations to identify the bacterium that causes tuberculosis: tubercle bacillus.
In 1872, Koch took up the post of district physician in what is today Wolsztyn, Poland. His patients, many of them farmers, were dying from anthrax, an illness that destroyed their cows.
Koch set out to solve the anthrax riddle. First, Koch visited anthrax-stricken farms to observe the cows. He witnessed how a healthy animal would die in a matter of days as its blood turned black. People in close contact with sick cows and sheep also fell ill. Examining drops of black blood from dead cows under his microscope, Koch spotted structures shaped like thin grains of rice, which blood from healthy animals did not have. These germs were Bacillus anthracis.
To see if the bacteria were the cause of the illness, Koch designed his own testing methods. First, he soaked (浸泡) a wood splinter (碎片) with a sick animal’s blood; then he made a small cut at the base of each mouse’s tail and inserted (插入) the splinter into their bodies. The next morning, the mice were dead. When Koch checked their bodies, he found the same microscopic structures in their blood.
In 1880, Koch’s team perfected his plate technique (技术) for generating pure cultures of bacteria, which was crucial in identifying the cause of tuberculosis. In 1890, he announced he had found the cure for tuberculosis. He called the medicine tuberculin, a substance taken from tubercle bacilli. The news gave rise to enormous hope around the world, but tuberculin turned out to be a major disappointment. More than ineffective, it even contributed to the death of some patients. To this day, no completely effective vaccine for tuberculosis has been found, but tuberculin has become a crucial part of testing for the disease.
1. Why does the author mention Hippocrates in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the spread of tuberculosis. |
| B．To show the huge impact of tuberculosis. |
| C．To explain the concept of tuberculosis. |
| D．To describe the history of tuberculosis. |
| A．People found a cure for anthrax. |
| B．Fewer people died from tuberculosis. |
| C．Tuberculosis-causing bacteria were recognized. |
| D．Anthrax stopped spreading beyond animals. |
| A．He fed a mouse with a dead cow’s food. |
| B．He inserted a wood splinter into a cow’s tail. |
| C．He infected healthy mice with a sick animal’s blood. |
| D．He examined a dead person’s blood under his microscope. |
| A．It has cured many people. |
| B．It was taken from healthy people. |
| C．It was an effective tuberculosis vaccine. |
| D．It has been used in testing for tuberculosis. |
【推荐3】During my study in Czech, one of the things that I have learned is that Czech people are really good at celebrating and holding parties. Since I graduated this year, the greatest event for us was definitely the senior prom（毕业年级舞会）. Girls stared arranging their clothes a year beforehand. Graduating students also needed to give their “Midnight Surprise”（a group performance）. One interesting thing was that students from every class were holding a huge colorful bag and people had to throw money into it. I didn’t get any sleep that night because we all went to an after-party with our teachers and friends.
At the end of April. we held the traditional activity called “The Last Ringing”, which lasted for two days. Every class had a theme and seniors wore different costumes. We prepared tasty deserts to sell. We broke into one classroom after another asking students to give us money, which might seem insane but it is part of the tradition.
By the end of May, we had already finished all of the final exams and we started Preparing for the graduation ceremony. It was held in the conference hall in our school. We got our graduation certificate from our teacher, and shook hands with the headmaster. When I received my certificate, I was close to tears —I didn’t want to say goodbye to the people or to the school.
That wasn’t the last celebration though. After four days, our class invited all of our teachers to come to a farewell dinner at an Italian restaurant. We used all of the money we collected from the prom and “The Last Ringing” to order pizzas and champagne. We all talked and ate together.
A year ago, we were all complaining and hoping that high school would end. But I felt sad when the time finally came. We have officially left our school. I keep telling myself that everything has an ending. This journey was amazing. Although it has come to an end, I will always keep the memories.
1. Why did students hold a huge colorful bag on the prom?| A．To raise money for the last celebration. |
| B．To store money from tickets for the prom. |
| C．To collect money to cover after-party fees. |
| D．To get money to prepare “The Last Ringing”. |
| A．Violent | B．Crazy |
| C．Dangerous | D．Impossible |
| A．To show the precious friendship in high school. |
| B．To express the sadness of graduating from high school. |
| C．To introduce Czech high school graduation celebrations. |
| D．To share wonderful memories of the senior year in high school. |
【推荐1】Lucio Arreola is 50 years old, the father of three daughters and a bank manager in Puerto Rico. He is going to have a surprising Father’s Day this year. He finds just about every day surprising now. Arreola has a new heart, or at least, new to him. On April 20, doctors transplanted (移植) the heart of a dead 25-year-old man into him. Although he may never know the man’s identity, he and his family will always be grateful to him.
Arreola was told he had a heart muscle disease 15 years ago that weakened his breathing and circulation, so he went on a lot of medications. His wife and daughters worried about his health, while he worried about their happiness.
Lucio Arreola has been recovering from his heart transplant surgery at Houston Methodist over the past two months. “One day up, one day down,” he said. “Some days dark, some light. But what happens is that when the sun is out, you really feel it. Every breath is sweet. You see the trees and people. You hear your daughters laugh, and it’s like birds singing. You tell yourself, ‘There is no time in life for anything but love.’”
Liz Laguaite, a hospital music therapist, told Arreola and his family, “Why don’t you try to write a song together about what you’ve been through and what you’ve learned?” They decided to try. Lucio Arreola worried that illness might make his daughters see him as a delicate man. But instead of frailty, they mostly saw his courage to go on. And he said their love was like his own powerful heart muscle that gave him faith, hope and courage.
“My weak heart,” he said, “helped make them strong.”
Lucio Arreola said he had learned that human hearts were delicate. But a family’s love was enduring. The Arreolas recorded the song they created while Lucio recovered. The song begins with the strong beat of a father’s loving heart.
1. Why does Arreola find every day surprising?| A．He has a new heart now. | B．He gets promoted at work. |
| C．He loses his 25-year-old son. | D．He has a new and lovable family. |
| A．Life is full of ups and downs. | B．His daughters have a gift for music. |
| C．Love is the only thing for life. | D．Light can drive away darkness. |
| A．Failure. | B．Weakness. | C．Caution. | D．Hesitation. |
| A．The courage to live on. | B．The suffering of a patient. |
| C．The importance of exercise. | D．The concern of a kind heart. |
【推荐2】When my son was eleven years old, he came home from school in tears one day. A couple of the older kids bullied (欺负) him at the bus stop. Rob wanted to stay home from school, so he wouldn’t have to meet the boys.
We called the school. “We’ll be happy to call the boys’ parents,” We were told, “And you should call the police.” “We don’t know what we will do yet.” I said. I felt that calling the police was a choice to be used when everything else failed, and I wanted first to consider other ways of dealing with the situation, I asked him to hold off calling the boys’ parents.
The next day was Saturday. Rob happened to look our of the window and said in fer, “There are the boys who beat me up!” Two older boys were standing in front of our house, as if they were waiting for Rob to step outside.
My wife Bev opened the door and said with a smile, “Hi guys. Would you like some ice cream?” They looked at each other in puzzlement. But they were teenagers, after all, so one of them said, “Sure. Why not?”
Bev quickly introduced herself, Rob’s younger brothers and me. She even introduced Rusty, the dog. “And I think you already know Rob,” She said. Her idea was to help them to see that Rob was a person, not a target. He had a family and even owned a family pet.
Bev drew the boys into chat while we ate ice cream. After a few minutes, she said, “I know there’s been some trouble at the bus stop. I think there may be a misunderstanding.” They nodded that there had indeed been trouble at the bus stop. She continued, “Maybe we can talk about the misunderstanding, so you can be friends.” We talked until the ice cream was finished. Finally the boys apologized.
Understanding is a difficult task. It may be easier to control conflict by force than to find a way to cooperate. Force can calm a situation. But understanding leads to peace.
1. Why didn’t the writer call the police?| A．He feared his son would be bullied again. |
| B．He meant to try some other ways to solve it first. |
| C．The police wouldn’t take the bullying seriously. |
| D．The school promised to call the boys’ parents. |
| A．They couldn’t refuse the attraction of ice cream. |
| B．They could be cheated into telling the truth. |
| C．They dared to face any challenges bravely. |
| D．They were too young to understand the invitation. |
| A．To give the dog to the boys as a gift. |
| B．To advise the boys to have a family pet. |
| C．To expect the boys to treat Rob kindly. |
| D．To show off the wealth of the family. |
| A．fond of children |
| B．angry with the boys |
| C．skilled at making ice cream |
| D．good at making peace |
【推荐3】Last April, on a Sunday, we took one of our “nowhere” drives. My husband was quietly driving along a back road. I was occupied in the front passenger seat watching the scenery.
I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my husband was struggling to look out of my window. This frightened me, since his eyes should be on the road in front of him. I asked him what he was looking at out of the windows, and he quietly replied, “Nothing.”
After a few minutes, I looked over at my husband and noticed a tear running down his cheek. I asked him what was wrong. This time he told me, “I was just thinking about Pop and a story he had once told.” It had something to do with Pop, his friend from childhood, and I wanted to know the story, so I asked him to share it with me.
He said, “When I was about 8 years old, Pop and I were out fishing and he told me that the pine trees know when it is Easter.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, so I pressed him for more information.
He continued on... “The pine trees start their new growth in the weeks before Easter because spring is drawing near. If you look at the tops of the pine trees, you will see the yellow shoots(嫩芽). As the days get closer to Easter Sunday, the tallest shoot will branch off and form a cross. By the time Easter Sunday comes around, you will see that most of the pine trees will have small yellow crosses on all of the tallest shoots.”
I turned to look out of the window and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a week before Easter, and you could see all of the trees with the tall yellow shoots stretching to the sky.
The tallest ones shone in the sunlight like rows of tiny golden crosses. May you find your Easter season filled with beautiful golden crosses!
1. How did the author feel when she found her husband looking outward while driving?| A．Curious. | B．Calm. |
| C．Afraid. | D．Excited. |
| A．He saw something strange out of the window. |
| B．He was scolded by his wife for driving carelessly. |
| C．He was too frightened to drive the car on the road. |
| D．He thought of an old friend and was moved by his story. |
| A．The author knew Pop’s story very well. |
| B．Pop was traveling together with the couple. |
| C．The author was amazed at the appearance of pine trees. |
| D．Pine trees have something to do with the origin of Easter. |
| A．We should be careful while driving. |
| B．Pine trees are more beautiful before Easter. |
| C．Easter should be decorated with golden crosses. |
| D．Easter promises hope with the coming of spring. |
