Last week, 84-year-old Janet Fein received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Fein has had a full life. She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest. She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was very important.
Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. She just wanted to get a job in high school. After graduating at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary. After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life,including 20 years as a secretary at a hospital. She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree. But Fein also wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree “with all of my heart”. Even with all of her life experiences, she still enjoyed reading,writing papers and learning new things.
Health experts say continuing with education later in life is one way to keep fit. Carmel Dyer, director of the UTHealth Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston,says keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to “is just a really positive move”.
Fein kept going to class even as her health conditions worsened. During her studies,it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen. She also developed knee problems. Therefore, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements. Her college advisor Sheila Rollerson said Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties. “She just kept plugging along,“ Rollerson said.
1. What was Janet Fein’s last work before she retired?| A．A teacher. |
| B．A secretary. |
| C．A nurse. |
| D．A doctor |
| A．Get a bachelor’s degree. |
| B．Keep fit by exercises. |
| C．Read all kinds of books. |
| D．Find a job at the hospital. |
| A．Life should be full of adventures. |
| B．People should have their own views. |
| C．Further study benefits the old’s health. |
| D．Healthy lifestyle is just to keep active. |
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【推荐1】I had worried myself sick over Simon’s mother coming to see me. I was a new teacher, and I gave an honest account of the students’ work. In Simon’s case, the grades were awfully low. He couldn’t read his own handwriting. But he was a bright student. He discussed adult subjects with nearly adult comprehension. His work in no way reflected his abilities.
So when Simon’s mother entered the room, my palms (手掌心) were sweating. I was completely unprepared for her kisses on both my cheeks. “I came to thank you,” she said, surprising me beyond speech. Because of me, Simon had become a different person. He talked of how he loved me, he had begun to make friends, and for the first time in his twelve years, he had recently spent an afternoon at a friend’s house. She wanted to tell me how grateful she was for the self-respect I had developed in her son. She kissed me again and left.
I sat, stunned, for about half an hour, wondering what had just happened. How did I make such a life-changing difference to that boy without even knowing it? What I finally came to remember was one day, several months before, when some students were giving reports in the front of the class, Jeanne spoke quietly, and to encourage her to raise her voice, I had said, “Speak up. Simon is the expert on this. He is the only one you have to convince, and he can’t hear you in the back of the room.” That was it. From that day on, Simon had sat up straighter, paid more attention, smiled more, and became happy. And it was all because he happened to be the last kid in the last row. The boy who most needed praise was the one who took the last seat that day.
It taught me the most valuable lesson over the years of my teaching career, and I’m thankful that it came early and positively. A small kindness can indeed make a difference.
1. We can infer that when Simon’s mother entered the room, the writer felt .| A．satisfied | B．nervous |
| C．happy | D．surprised |
| A．Because she worried about her son’s poor work. |
| B．Because she wanted to show her gratitude to the teacher. |
| C．Because Simon asked her to do so. |
| D．Because she wanted to know her son’s performance in the school. |
| A．encourage Jeanne to speak louder |
| B．encourage Simon to work hard |
| C．ask Jeanne to convince Simon |
| D．tell the students that Simon was expert on that |
| A．tell the story of Simon |
| B．tell teacher show to be kind to students |
| C．advise the readers to be kind to others |
| D．share a valuable lesson with readers |
【推荐2】I hear some actors keep a sad thought or memory tucked away to help them with scenes where they might need to cry. I think we should each try to find the opposite; a happy memory, something to lift us up on those inevitable down days. I’m saying this because I think I just found mine!
I had some work in Glasgow today. I was on a really tight schedule, which meant I would have no time for myself (or my own work) all day. I was having one of those days, the train was completely packed out and the conversation going on around me seemed to be particularly inane. On top of all that, I had a bit of a headache.
Walking briskly across the concourse, I fished some change from my pocket. There was usually someone at the exit selling The Big Issue (a magazine that helps homeless folk earn a living).
As the crowd parted ways at the bottom of the concourse, I saw someone selling the Big Issue. You had to be homeless to sell the Big Issue. She really looked like she’d been sleeping rough. Her clothes were ragged and she obviously hadn’t had a scrub up for quite a while.
As I approached the exit, I saw that she was also rocking from side to side. At first I thought maybe she was trying to keep warm against the biting wind. But she wasn’t, she was moving in time to a tune. I couldn’t hear her, but I could see her lips moving.
As I got closer, I saw a white cane hanging from her elbow and noticed that she had sunken eyes. She was blind, dirty and living on the streets. I came closer and through the noise of the traffic and the commuters I heard her sing the immortal line, “… and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”
I bought her last magazine for twice what I’d originally intended. She thanked me, then she picked up her stuff and went tapping off along the pavement - still singing!
So, I have my happy memory for the day. And I think it will stay with me a long, long time. Feel free to borrow it if you like.
1. Why do some actors keep a sad thought or memory according to the passage?| A．Because some of them always feel unhappy | B．because they are scolded by the director |
| C．Because it helps meet the needs of their roles | D．Because they can’t find a happy memory |
| A．Made | B．exchanged | C．pull into | D．took out |
| A．Only those homeless people can sell the magazine |
| B．The author heard her singing as he came close to the exit |
| C．The girl selling the magazines was blind, dirty and homeless |
| D．The author never heard what the girl was singing |
| A．the author had a headache because of his busy work |
| B．the author bought more magazines than planned to |
| C．the girl went away as soon as she sold out magazines |
| D．the author felt unhappy because he missed his train |
| A．A happy Memory to Lift You Up |
| B．An Unforgettable Day I Experienced |
| C．The Roses in Her Hand: the Flavor in Mine |
| D．A Bird in the Hand is Worth than Two in the Bush. |
【推荐3】After their 15-year-old dog Bailey died in 2007, Ron and his wife, Ann, looked for months to find the right new pet. “I love dogs,” says Ron, a worker at a health club in Waukesha, Wisconsin. “I can’t imagine not having one.”
Finally, the couple spotted a young dog at the Humane Society in Milwaukee. His name was Oscar. “He was very attractive,” says Ron, 65. Oscar quickly made himself at home, sleeping on his new owners’ bed at night.
A diabetic(糖尿病人) for 25 years, Ron faithfully took his medicine four times a day and generally had no problems. But on March 17, at about 3 a.m., he got out of bed to use the bathroom. Suddenly, he fell down to the floor. “I must have taken the wrong amount of medicine before I went to sleep, because my blood sugar was dangerously low,” he says.
“Normally, Oscar is very quiet and well-behaved,” says Ron. “But when I hit the floor, he let out sounds like a wild animal.”
“Honestly, it sounded like the dog from hell,” says Ann, who was awakened by the sound.“I didn’t know what the sound was. Then I saw my husband lying on the bathroom floor. He was cold.” She ran for the phone and called an ambulance.
Ron spent several hours in the hospital. By 6:30a.m., he was well enough to go home. “You would never suspect Oscar of any heroism.” says his grateful owner. “He’s a wonderful little guy. We are lucky enough to own him.”
Even before Oscar’s heroic action, the couple had given their pet a new nickname(昵称). “We felt the name Oscar wasn’t good enough,” says Ron, “so sometimes we call him Eduardo”—more suitable, they think, for their dog.
1. What was Ann doing when Ron went to the bathroom?| A．She was sleeping. |
| B．She was watching TV. |
| C．She was taking care of Oscar. |
| D．She was talking with someone on the phone. |
2. Why did Ron fell onto the floor in the bathroom?
| A．He forgot to take his medicine. |
| B．The floor in the bathroom was too wet. |
| C．He took the wrong amount of medicine. |
| D．He is a diabetic and accidentally ate some sugar. |
| A．Oscar was 15 years old when he was found. |
| B．The sound of Oscar was usually like a wild animal. |
| C．Ron got diabetes when he was 40 years old. |
| D．Ron had to take his medicine three times a day. |
| A．is a little noisy at home |
| B．sleeps with his owners at night |
| C．got his new nickname after the story |
| D．was found at a health club in Waukesha |
【推荐1】At just 19 years of age, the young Belgium-British pilot, Zara Rutherford, aims to be the youngest woman to fly around the world solo in a single-engine aircraft. If she succeeds, she will overtake Shaesta Waiz’s world record to become the youngest woman to fly around the globe solo.
Zara has been on the plane her whole life. Her mother is an amateur pilot, and her father is a professional one. Over 80 hours of flight recorded and countless more in the future, she received her pilot's license in 2020.
To pay for her two-month journey, Zara has sold her car and sought out different sponsors (赞助商). Also concerned about the environmental effects of her trip, she plans to spend $710 on tree projects to make up for her carbon footprint (碳排放量). Her small, single-engine plane is customized for her needs and includes radio and satellite communications.
Zara has faced challenges such as bad weather, being forced to fly low over the ocean, and failing radio contact. “I’m really happy to be on the ground, to be honest,” she says in a video posted after her arrival in Kulusuk, Greenland. “The first little bit was fine, but then suddenly the clouds were getting lower and lower. At one point I was 600 feet above the ocean, which was pretty scary.” She lost radio contact 30 minutes into that trip and had two hours without communications.
While setting a world record is Zara’s aim, her main purpose is to inspire others. She said, “Growing up, I was really into aviation (航空), science, tech, engineering, and mathematics. But I didn’t see many other girls in those fields.” So, with this flight, she hopes to encourage and motivate other girls and young women to pursue their dreams and reduce the gender (性别) gap in STEM.
1. What did Zara Rutherford do before for her flight?| A．She reduced her carbon footprint. |
| B．She asked her parents to support her. |
| C．She took long hours of flight training. |
| D．She personalized her plane for her special needs. |
| A．Being a pilot is a dangerous job. |
| B．Zara was scared of flying over the ocean. |
| C．Zara successfully overcame some difficulties. |
| D．The weather is very changeable in Greenland. |
| A．Prove her outstanding ability in flying. | B．Win fame as the world record breaker. |
| C．Encourage people to go into aviation. | D．Increase girls’ confidence in STEM. |
| A．A girl’s road to becoming a pilot | B．A big step in reducing gender gap |
| C．A girl’s solo flight around the world | D．A girl’s dream of travelling the world |
【推荐2】In 1999, 36-year-old Tori Murden McClure became the first woman to row solo (单独地) across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Canary Islands to the Caribbean. The journey of just over 5,300 kilometers took the American 81 days. Her boat, The American Pearl, was only 7 meters long.
McClure is a real adventurer. She has been on many mountaineering expeditions, including climbs in Alaska, Kenya and Antarctica. She was also the youngest person in a team that skied 1, 200 kilometers across Antarctica to the South Pole in 1989, and became one of only two women ever to travel to the Pole by land.
The journey across the Atlantic was her third attempt. The first time she failed because of illness, and during her second attempt, in 1998, she nearly died. She had rowed nearly 5,000 kilometers when her boat was hit by Hurricane Danielle. McClure was suddenly in the middle of 80 kph wind, and surrounded by waves that were 20 meters high. Her little boat turned over five times. McClure was sure that she was going to die—she took the video recorder that she had brought with her and recorded a farewell message to her family and friends. The hurricane continued into night, and The American Pearl turned over five more times. McClure was determined not to send a signal asking to be rescued—she didn’t want other people to risk their lives, too. But after the eleventh turning over of her boat, she finally sent it and a large ship came and found her. However, they couldn’t get her boat out of the rough sea-it was found months later near the coast of Portugal.
Tori McClure had concussion (脑震荡) and a dislocated shoulder when she got home. Many people might have given up after an experience such as this, but one year later, McClure was back in her repaired boat and trying again. This time she was successful-and although she again met a hurricane on the journey, which stopped her from breaking the record for the fastest transatlantic (横渡大西洋的) rowing crossing, she only overturned once!
1. What can we learn about Tori McClure’s 1998 journey?| A．It was her third attempt. |
| B．She finished it successfully. |
| C．It was a near-death experience. |
| D．She got seriously ill during the journey. |
| A．She stopped to repair her boat. |
| B．There was a problem with her shoulder. |
| C．Her boat turned over many times. |
| D．She ran into a hurricane during the journey. |
| A．Friendly and brave. |
| B．Adventurous and strong-willed. |
| C．Humorous and tough. |
| D．Honest and ambitious. |
【推荐3】When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, “Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn’t work out, you’ll have something to rely on.” Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, “the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course,” she recalls.
The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom, “I don’t know how to use a computer,” she admits.
Unlike her 1995 autobiography, after all, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes (糖尿病). All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. “I felt there was a need for a book like this,” she says. “I didn’t want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we’re self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease.”
But she hasn’t always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts (甜甜圈). Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up-again-and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet.
Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. “Everybody on earth can ask, ‘why me?’ about something or other,” she insists. “It doesn’t do any good. No one is immune (免疫的) to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I’ve come to realize the importance of that as I’ve grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be. ”
1. Why did Mary feel regretful?| A．She didn’t complete her high school. | B．She didn’t follow her mother’s advice. |
| C．She didn’t take care of her mother. | D．She didn’t achieve her ambition. |
| A．She had two books published. | B．She knew how to use a computer. |
| C．She supported the JDRF by writing. | D．She received many career awards. |
| A．Her remembrance of her mother. | B．Her successful show business. |
| C．Her living with diabetes. | D．Her service for an organization. |
| A．She began a balanced diet. | B．She behaved in an adult way. |
| C．She med to get a treatment. | D．She lost control of herself. |
| A．Mary wants to help others as much as possible. |
| B．Mary determines to go back to the dance floor. |
| C．Mary has recovered from her disease. |
| D．Mary feels pity for herself. |
