TAMPA, Fla,—At USF, 21-year-old Alexander Mercier of Odessa, majored in mathematics and microbiology, which leads him to start important research that may make him the school’s first Rhodes Scholar.
“I would say I am stubborn,” explained Mercier, who could hear as early as Saturday if he gets the honor. He says the honor is due to more than just brains. Instead, it was determination that made him an accomplished pianist. He says his biggest natural talent was drawing and he also has a love of art. But it was math that attracted him and he wouldn’t let go. He was studying how math may help control the spread of diseases.
“I would sleep on the couch next to the computer,” he said. “I saw a gap in epidemiological (流行病学的) research in the study of how diseases spread. I didn’t know at the time that it would become one of the most important topics in the world.”
While his work is timely and important, there’s lots of competition. Eleven other finalists from this region of the country are also vying for the honor. They attend schools like MIT, Stanford and the University of Chicago.
Mercier owes it to his school that he can have as good a chance as any of the others and he feels that USF has prepared him well. If he doesn’t win the honor and get to study expense-free at Oxford, he says he’ll have many options. “I will continue to do the work that I enjoy and that I think will benefit people,” he said.
Some are surprised that USF hasn’t had a previous Rhodes Scholar. However, many schools haven’t had one. Only 32 are selected each year from across the nation. USF has only been in existence since 1956. By contrast, the first classes at Oxford were held in 1096.
1. Why did Mercier choose to major in mathematics and microbiology?| A．He saw its bright future. | B．He has a passion for math. |
| C．He wants to win the honor. | D．He is talented in this field. |
| A．Hunting for. | B．Applying for. |
| C．Allowing for. | D．Competing for. |
| A．He will study art at Oxford. | B．He tries to become a pianist. |
| C．He is grateful to his school. | D．He studies how diseases exist. |
| A．A senior could be USF’s first Rhodes Scholar. |
| B．32 students are selected for Rhodes Scholar. |
| C．Math may help control the spread of diseases. |
| D．A senior found the most vital topics in the world. |
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【推荐1】Su Mingjuan is not a household name but the girl’s large, longing eyes once looked out from newspapers and posters all over China.
Now 19-year-old Su Mingjuan, the former poster girl for the Project Hope education fund is to realise her dream of going to college — her good grades in this year’s national college entrance exam have gained her a place at a top university.
The daughter of a poor farming family in east China’s Anhui Province will start the new school year at Anhui University on September 16, 2002, said a local official in charge of Project Hope, the country’s most influential public benefit project.
In 1991, when Xie Hailong, a photographer with the Beijing-based China Youth Daily, went into the remote mountainous areas in Anhui Province to see how Project Hope had helped school drop-outs, Su Mingjuan stood out among her peers with a pair of large, bright and clear eyes that were crying for knowledge.
That pair of eyes in the picture Xie took, named “I want to go to school"”, has moved thousands of people across China, who have contributed large sums to help children continue their schooling.
The picture has been reprinted nationwide in newspapers, magazines, postcards and posters and has become a symbol of the country’s efforts to push the nine-year education demanded among all school-age children.
Su, who was born and brought up in a small village in Jinzhai County, has always been a hardworking student, her teachers say. In 1999, she was awarded the national “Star of Hope” by the China Youth Development Foundation, organizers of Project Hope.
By the end of 2004, Project Hope had received over 2. 73 billion yuan (US$330 million) contributed from home and abroad. The fund has been used to build over 11888 primary schools and to help 2. 75 million children in China’s rural areas stay at school.
1. Where was Su Mingjuan born?| A．In a remote mountainous village in Anhui Province. |
| B．In a small town in Jinzhai County. |
| C．In a city in east China’s Anhui Province. |
| D．In a small village near Anhui University. |
| A．19 | B．8 | C．9 | D．7 |
| A．It’s had a bad influence. | B．It’s of no use. |
| C．It’s had little effect. | D．It’s made a big difference. |
| A．Su Mingjuan is a household name all over China. |
| B．Project Hope has helped all the children stay at school. |
| C．Su Mingjuan is always a hardworking student. |
| D．The photo of Su once became a symbol of the country. |
【推荐2】Being cut from a school team can be a difficult experience for a kid. But when 13-year-old Emmie Tallent who has Down syndrome (唐氏综合征) didn’t make her school’s cheer squad (啦啦队), she responded in the most impressive way — she cheered anyway. Emmie Tallent, agirl with firm determination, took to the sidelines while her school’s cheer squad performed. She matched the entire routine, moving for moving, in a black dress and tie-dyed shoes.
Her sister, Sydnee, recorded this moment on video, and it’s now capturing hearts worldwide. The video, with over 3 million views and 87,000 likes, shows Emmie facing the official squad and performing the routine alongside them. Her performance is nothing short of inspiring. “Girl didn’t make the cheer team, but she didn’t care,” Sydnee wrote, admiring Emmie’s confidence.
“Emmie may not be on the cheer team this time, but I’m sure her talent and spirit will shine through somewhere in the future,” Sydnee said with a smile. “Right now, she’s satisfied and happy doing what she loves. Thank you all for supporting her. I want to show the world Emmie’s joy from pursuing what she likes and the beauty of diversity.”
The team did not have a lot of spots and even neurotypical (神经正常的) girls who were much better than Emmie didn’t make it to join it. Emmie’s school was giving Emmie help and kept encouraging her, but there are hard decisions that have to be made sometimes. Though Emmie didn’t make the squad, she wasn’t feeling upset at home, and continued to follow cheer squad’s routines and moves to please herself and spread joy to others, even if from the sidelines.
In the face of rejection, this tough 13-year-old chose to dance rather than sit by and let it define her, inspiring us all to embrace our uniqueness and find joy in every moment.
1. What do we know about Emmie from the first two paragraphs?| A．She refused to give up performing. | B．She used to be looked down upon. |
| C．She showed a special talent for cheerleading. | D．She felt down for not joining the cheer squad. |
| A．To show Emmie’s dancing skills. | B．To inspire others with Emmie’s spirit. |
| C．To help Emmie attract people’s attention. | D．To express her gratitude to the cheer squad. |
| A．They told her to quit. | B．They satisfied her need. |
| C．They made an excuse. | D．They offered her support. |
| A．Believe in ourselves. | B．Keep our dreams alive. |
| C．Prepare for the worst. | D．Youth gives us light. |
Once there was a baby eagle living in a nest (巢) on a cliff (山崖)．The baby eagle loved his nest．It was warm, soft and comfortable．And even better, he had all the food and love that his mother could give．Whenever the baby eagle was hungry, his mother would always come just in time with the delicious food he liked.
He was growing happily day after day．But suddenly his world eagle changed．His mother stopped coming to the nest, he was full of sadness and fear．He thought he would die soon．He cried, but nobody heard him.
Two days later mother appeared with some nice food．The baby eagle was wild with joy．But his mother put the food at the top of the mountain and then looked down at her baby．
The baby eagle cried out, “Mum, why did you do this to me? I’m hungry．Don’t you know I will die if I have nothing to eat?”
“Here is the Last meal I give you．Come and get it by yourself.” his mother said．Then she flew down and pushed the baby eagle out of the nest.
The baby eagle fell down, faster and faster．He looked up at his mum.“ Why do you abandon me?” He looked down at the earth．The ground was much closer．Then something strange happened．The air caught behind his arms and he began to fly! He wasn’t moving to the ground any more．Instead, his eyes were pointed up at the sun.
You are flying! You can make it!” His mother smiled.
1. Which of the following is TRIJE about the baby eagle’s life before his mother stopped coming to the nest?
| A．lie lived in a nest in the tree． |
| B．He was always cold and hungry． |
| C．He lived very happily with friends． |
| D．His mother offered him nice food. |
| A．Sad |
| B．Afraid |
| C．Happy |
| D．Angry |
| A．保护 |
| B．抛弃 |
| C．歧视 |
| D．拯救 |
| A．The baby eagle lost his mother |
| B．The baby eagle fell down and died |
| C．The baby eagle was still angry with his mother. |
| D．The baby eagle could get food himself. |
【推荐1】I was a young newspaper reporter, and I wanted to succeed. My first job was in Latin America. It was almost my last job.
I had not planned to stay in the village of Zacate, but it had been raining hard for a whole day. So I had to stay there.
I found people there full of fear. This village was at the foot of a volcano. It was becoming more active. Men, women and children came to the square. A few helped each other and went out of town to get as far away from the volcano as possible, with large and full packs in their hands. Suddenly, I felt a strong earthquake. The villagers in the square ran away as soon as they felt the earthquake.
Suddenly, I saw black smoke rolling down the side of the mountain towards the village. Trees and grass burned up in a second. The volcano eruption(喷发) was coming so fast that in less than a minute the roads to the village were cut off. All I could do was watch and wait. Suddenly, my landlord(房东) cried out, “Look!” He pointed to a small hill, which was near to us. The lava(岩浆) was not coming over it but flowing on each side of the village, leaving the village centre undamaged. For a time, at least, we were safe, unless the lava grew much bigger.
My landlord gave me a wet blanket to cover myself to avoid the heat and we poured water over our heads to cool ourselves. We could hardly breathe because of the heat and the smoke of the burning houses. Thanks to my landlord, I survived the volcano.
1. The reporter stayed in Zacate because of ______.| A．his busy job | B．bad weather | C．an accident | D．an adventure |
| A．The news report. | B．The journalist. |
| C．The active volcano. | D．Their strict landlord. |
| A．The lava. | B．The thick smoke. |
| C．The village. | D．The small hill. |
| A．The landlord is very experienced. | B．The small village was flooded. |
| C．The lava killed a lot of people. | D．The rescuers saved the reporter. |
【推荐2】Architecture is amazing. It has changed the way I look and interact with the world and my environment. It has trained me to be hyper-sensitive (过度敏感) to the built environment, to recognize problems and find solutions that an untrained eye would never notice.
As much as I love this profession, it is very easy to get lost in architecture. I get so focused that I have forgotten about everything else. Luckily my passion for cycling kept me sane (清醒的) while I was becoming an architect. I faced a lot of obstacles and challenges taking a bicycle ride across the United States. Looking back, cycling across the America was actually one of the smartest things I ever did.
I have actually bicycled across the continental USA twice; East to west. Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean, both times. Bicycling across America isn’t as hard as you think.
I rode alone on my first trip in 2005 from Virginia Beach to the coast of Florence, Oregon. In the end it was 4,547 miles over the course of 77 days.
I left for the second trip in 2007 with my two best friends from Bar Harbor, Maine to Portland, Oregon, which was a 4,886 mile ride over 90 days. At that time, I fell in love with the idea of leaving the east coast behind, starting a whole new life and career in a new city. I ended up in Portland. After arriving in town on a bike, I eventually found a job, a place to live and an amazing dog.
I share all this not to convince anyone to go biking across America, but only to share how doing this has changed my life. Architecture has given me a wonderful life and career but it isn’t everything. Thankfully I have also been very passionate about: my friends, traveling, bicycles, punk rock, technology, the internet, my dog, and even yoga. My architecture background has definitely sweetened my relationship with all those things.Becoming an architect is a noble pursuit (追求), but you should keep pursuing everything else that you are passionate about. It will enhance your architecture career and ultimately make you a more interesting person, which in my opinion is really more important than being another silly architect.
1. What’s the advantage of cycling according to the author?| A．Changing his negative attitude to architecture. |
| B．Keeping himself focused on his career all the time. |
| C．Enabling him to find solutions without training. |
| D．Making him a much better architect and person. |
| A．They are harder than what he expected before. |
| B．They show the benefits of riding with friends. |
| C．They give him some positive experiences. |
| D．They guarantee him a new life and career in Portland. |
| A．Don’t get completely lost in your hobbies. |
| B．Don’t abandon hobbies for your profession. |
| C．Don’t feel ashamed of stopping your hobbies. |
| D．Don’t weigh your family against your profession. |
| A．take up the pursuit of becoming an architect |
| B．find what we are really passionate about |
| C．appreciate other people’s good will |
| D．keep other pursuits besides your career |
【推荐3】When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr.Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note-“Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery”-and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically(魔术般)appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr.Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr.Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch(门廊)！Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Why did Mr. Basille give the boy a quarter?| A．To show his magic. | B．To meet his curiosity. |
| C．To pay for the service. | D．To give him the change. |
| A．She would write him an email. |
| B．She would pick a pen for him. |
| C．She would call him ahead of time. |
| D．She would leave a message for the milkman. |
| A．It offers poorer milk. |
| B．It is not allowed to send milk home. |
| C．Big companies get the big market share. |
| D．It is in no want of milkman in the big companies. |
| A．Disappointed. | B．Annoyed | C．Pleased. | D．Anxious. |
【推荐1】Harold Jones, a 100-year-old man, has been walking up to 40 circles every day in his garden since the beginning of 2020. At first, he just walked for exercise. Now, Jones, who uses a walker, is using his circles to help others.
With an early target of raising £1,000, which seemed a lot to Jones when he began, he soon collected more than that. He has raised over £43,000 for charity. The old man held on, and walked 41,550 circles around the back of his home.
Jones walks in all weather, but he does fewer circles in the rain. He does 20 circles after breakfast and then does 20 more circles after lunch.
He thanks his long years in the service for his fitness. “The training for the army set up the ability to suffer because we suffered a lot in the army. Determination and resilience (韧性)are something you’re taught in the army,” Jones said.
Jones was inspired by the efforts of Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised funds for the National Health Service during the pandemic. Moore, a 99-year-old, walked with the help of a walker in the garden, and raised an amazing £17 million.
Jones said that although he began walking just for exercise, he saw what Moore completed and that gave him the idea to raise funds for charity. Jones didn’t expect to walk a greater distance than the captain, but he did.
When Jones reached his early target, he just kept going. He had no idea how many people would respond to his efforts as when he reached £10,000, a friend doubled it.
Jones received a Points of Light award after the charity recommended him and Jones said that he was amazed by the recognition. But giving service to others plays the largest role in his faith and in his life. This was a well-deserved (值得的)honor for a remarkable man.
1. What does Jones think of his early army experience?| A．It has brought him great honor. | B．It has changed his life completely. |
| C．It has benefited his life in old age. | D．It has enabled him to make good friends. |
| A．His concern for the elderly. | B．Tom Moore’s suggestion. |
| C．His competitive character. | D．Another old soldier’s behavior. |
| A．Doing good for others. | B．Trying to get recognition. |
| C．Taking physical exercise. | D．Leading people to serve others. |
| A．Inspiring and brave. | B．Curious and honest. |
| C．Determined and caring. | D．Patient and proud. |
【推荐2】Years ago, I appeared on stage with the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Choir in the Town Hall. There I was, my feet in plain shoes, sweat dirtying my clean white shirt, singing my heart out in front of the big organ. I still have a tape recording of that performance somewhere, where I swear I can hear myself singing, high and thin and possibly off-key.
But life got in the way and I stopped singing. Then, in the summer of 2019, I found myself facing some shadows in my own life. It felt as if it had been a long time between songs, as if there was something unsung, some absent music in my ears. I began to fear I might be making myself ill and unable to breathe in a normal way.
Could singing help me reclaim my voice and calm my fast-beating heart? Research from the Royal Society noted that "group singing can improve physical and mental health, as well as promote social bonds”. So, rather than letting my unsung tunes strangle me, I decided to take on a new choral experience, one being in the Big Feminist Sing, a community choir.
“If you don’t know what to sing,” the choir director said, “find someone who looks confident, and go and stand next to them. Find a friend if you're in trouble; take a risk; use your voice; be part of something bigger than yourself.” I've been singing in the choir ever since, because group singing gives me a sense of security-and each rehearsal is a lifeline, a connected thread, an intake of air working toward a collective voice. It doesn't matter if I am a bit off-key to start with. Decades of unsung situations have changed, and I have flown.
1. How did the author feel during her performance in the Town Hall?| A．Thrilled. | B．Nervous. | C．Confident. | D．Curious. |
| A．Reach. | B．Blind | C．Cheat | D．Choke. |
| A．Finding a true friend is never easy. | B．Teamwork has benefited her a lot. |
| C．The choir director's position counts. | D．Singing alone improves her health. |
| A．The Amazing Power of Group Singing | B．Confidence Out of Lasting Singing |
| C．Changes from Stage Experiences | D．A Taste of Music in a Choir |
The child’s mother was very much obliged to the doctor, and she called on him to thank him for what he had done for her child. “Doctor,” she said, “you have saved my little son. I don’t know how to thank you enough. I feel that money alone cannot repay you, so I have made this little purse with my own hands, as a sign of my gratitude. I hope you will accept it.” The doctor stood up and said coldly, “Madam, a little present like that is very nice between friends, but a doctor needs to be paid properly for what he has done.” The lady was so surprised and hurt so much that she could not reply for a moment. Then she said quietly, “Perhaps you will tell me how much your fee is?”
“Fifty pounds”, he answered.
The lady opened the little purse and took out four fifty-pound bank notes. She handed one of them to the doctor, and put the other three back into the purse. She put the purse into her handbag and, saying good bye to the doctor, went out of the room.
1. The doctor refused the lady’s purse because he thought ______.
| A．the purse should be given between friends |
| B．the purse was too small |
| C．the lady was not kind to him |
| D．the lady just gave him that purse and wouldn’t give him the medical fee |
| A．worried | B．interested | C．hurt | D．frightened |
| A．was only 150 pounds |
| B．was less than 200 pounds |
| C．was much more than the medical fee |
| D．was not enough for the medical fee |
| A．Sorry and worried | B．Regret and proud |
| C．Excited and proud | D．Sorry and regret |
