I remembered Ricky came back to see me ten years after he was in my class. He told me how I had inadvertently(不经意地) changed his life.
Ricky often gazed out the window during one of my ninth-grade history classes early in my teaching career. He was quiet, and his good grades and mild manner were why I did not move him away from the seat by the window.
One day, I leaned over his shoulder and quietly asked, “What are you looking at? You gaze out of this window during every class.”
He said, “I am looking at the band.”
According to Ricky, I said, “If you like the band so much that you have to look at them during this class every day, I want you to go down to Mr. Overby (the band teacher) and tell him that I sent you. Tell him that you want to be in the band. Now turn around and finish working before the bell rings.”
The next day Ricky went to Mr. Overby and told him I had sent him and he wanted to be in the band. He added that he did not know how to play any instrument.
When Ricky visited me ten years later, he thanked me for telling him to go to Mr. Overby because he fell in love with music and discovered his musical talent that had not been tapped. His musical talent resulted in him getting a scholarship to college and earning a degree that now allowed him to provide for his family. Most of all, music had brought great pleasure and satisfaction to his life.
After Ricky thanked me, I pointed out that he did all of the hard work it took to become the wonderfully talented person that he was. I did not make him walk downstairs to join the band, practice his instrument, and get the good grades that led to his college scholarship.
Ricky responded that I could have yelled at him for looking out the window. Instead, I gave him an alternative that changed his whole life.
After he left, I thought about his words. I realized that I was teaching children with every word I said, every action I took, and with every decision I made. Ricky’s story raised my teaching bar. Most of all, I have never forgotten the lesson Ricky taught me, a blessed teacher.
1. Which of the following words can best describe the author?| A．Curious and helpful. | B．Independent and creative. |
| C．Tolerant and responsible. | D．Courageous and professional. |
| A．He yelled at Ricky. | B．He moved him away from the seat. |
| C．He took Ricky to Mr. Overby. | D．He asked Ricky to finish working first. |
| A．encouraged him a lot | B．taught him to practice the instrument |
| C．discovered his musical talent | D．made a difference in his life |
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【推荐1】Voluntary work in fact, brings many personal benefits. My personal experiences have affirmed my belief in this.
To begin, voluntary work has provided me with the opportunity to gain more insight into the lives of the less fortunate. I once volunteered to clean up one-room flats where the less fortunate lived in. When I first entered the flat, I was astonished at the state of the living conditions — it was overcrowded with people, messy household items, and newspapers. I was critical about the owners of the flat. However, as the cleaning proceeded, I learned more about their misfortunes and difficulties. I was regretful of my initial judgement of them. This incident has allowed me to learn more about people. Moreover, it has made me realise that many underprivileged communities are unjustifiably judged and discriminated against. I learnt that life is a lot more complex than I had imagined, and that I should always try to display empathy.
In addition, my experience with volunteer work has reminded me to be more thankful for the little things. When I volunteered at a school to teach basic life skills to students with cerebral palsy (脑瘫), I found that the students were very appreciative of the teachers, teacher assistants and even the school attendants. The students often said “thank you” and smiled politely. I felt that as much as I had taught them, the students too had taught me: they taught me a lesson on gratitude.
Finally, doing voluntary work has given my life more meaning. After doing voluntary work, I feel more connected to the rest of mankind, and now have a stronger sense of purpose in my life. Instead of just being absorbed in my own wants and needs, now make use of the abilities I have to extend a helping hand to those in need.
1. What can be inferred about the author’s first judgement on the people in the flat?| A．Inspiring. | B．Interesting. | C．Pitiful. | D．Rude. |
| A．The teachers. | B．The volunteers. |
| C．The teacher assistants. | D．The disabled students. |
| A．Do as you would be done by. |
| B．Kill two birds with one stone. |
| C．All things are difficult before they are easy. |
| D．A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. |
| A．By quoting others’ words. |
| B．By using parallel sentences. |
| C．By giving opinions and facts. |
| D．By listing examples and numbers. |
【推荐2】After eleven months of unemployment, Dad gathered our family in the living room one December night and said, “I accepted a new job in Austin, Texas.” I would start over in a new high school. My crying continued well into the night.
While my sister and I were allowed six months to finish the school year and to sabotage my relationships with people who cared about me, I withdrew into myself to make leaving seem painless. However, gradually I found myself counting down my days before the beginning.
Suddenly I decided to add some certainty to my unclear future. I diligently researched highschools and neighborhoods, and in turn my parents gave me a say in where we would begin the search for our new home in Austin. Once we purchased our new house, I could see my future unfold before me. With knowledge comes power, I’d use my circumstance as a chance for self-improvement.
I emailed the tennis coach at my new high school about trying out for the team, which turned into a conversation as he said that the team looked forward to having me. He went on to inform the team of my arrival. For the first time I felt like I could take the role of the confident girl I wanted to be.
I successfully threw myself into everything I could, enjoying the process of uncovering what I liked. At my old school I would never have given math club a second thought, though I was skilled at it. But in the new school, I decided to challenge myself and join Mu Alpha Theta, a mathematics honor society. Shocking as it may be, I actually enjoyed being a “mathlete”, but even more shocking was the fact that no one teased me for my decision.
It was then that I realized the courage and confidence I had sought had been waiting beneath my insecurities to finally surface when the time was right. While every new beginning contains an element of fear, it also contains an element of promise.
1. How did the author react to her father’s getting a new job?| A．She felt excited. | B．She remained unconcerned. |
| C．She was sorrowful. | D．She was confused. |
| A．Strengthen. | B．Establish. |
| C．Accompany. | D．End. |
| A．She wanted to challenge herself. |
| B．She could make friends in the club. |
| C．It was her dream to join a math club. |
| D．It was a chance to become an athlete. |
| A．Good endings promise good beginnings. |
| B．All new beginnings have promise in them. |
| C．Challenging oneself can boost confidence. |
| D．Moving to a new school has positive effects. |
【推荐3】Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. A three-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award, DiMaggio was selected to the Major League All-Star team in each of his thirteen seasons. He is best known for his remarkable performance during the 1941 season.
I recently heard a little-known story about how DiMaggio acquired his exceptional ability. As the story goes, a reporter was interviewing DiMaggio at his home and asked him what it felt like to be such a “natural hitter”. Without saying a word, he dragged the reporter downstairs. In the shadows of the basement, DiMaggio picked up a bat and began to repeat a series of practice swings. Before each swing, he would call out a particular pitch such as “fastball, low and away” or “slider, inside” and adjust his approach accordingly.
Once he finished the routine, DiMaggio set the bat down， picked up a piece of chalk, and scratched a tally mark on the wall. Then he flicked on the lights to reveal thousands of tally marks covering the basement walls. Supposedly, DiMaggio then looked at the reporter and said, “Don’t you ever tell me that I’m a natural hitter again.”
We love stories like this — stories that highlight how remarkable success is the product of effort and perseverance. In recent years, the study of hard work has developed into a scientific pursuit. Experts have begun to refer to focused and effortful training as “deliberate practice” and it is widely considered to be the recipe for success.
There is no doubt that deliberate practice can be the recipe for success, but only under certain conditions. If we are serious about maximizing our potential, then we need to know when deliberate practice makes the difference between success and failure and when it doesn’t. Before we can capture the power of deliberate practice, we need to understand its limitations. In highly competitive fields, deliberate practice is often necessary, but not sufficient for success.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．DiMaggio’s life experience. | B．DiMaggio’s personal struggle. |
| C．The great popularity of DiMaggio. | D．The great achievement of DiMaggio. |
| A．To demonstrate his brilliant skills. | B．To demonstrate his poor conditions. |
| C．To prove he wasn’t a genius indeed. | D．To prove he wasn’t excellent indeed. |
| A．Perseverance leads to success. | B．Genius comes from hard work. |
| C．Your hard work will pay off in the end. | D．Diligence makes up for a lack of talent. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Confused. |
| C．Objective. | D．Ambiguous. |
