1 . Paul Durietz is a 76-year-old social studies teacher from Illinois. On September 1, he set a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest teaching career. Mr. Durietz has been teaching for 53 years—since he was 23 years old.
Mr. Durietz has known since he was young that he wanted to be a social studies teacher. Social studies is the study of history, and how people, countries, and cultures are connected. He became interested in history after hearing stories from his father, who fought in World War II. On his mother’s side of the family, he had connections to a famous person from English history.
Mr. Durietz got his first teaching job at Woodland-Middle School in Gurnee, Illinois in 1970. Ever since then, he’s been teaching social studies at the same school. He says he loves sharing his knowledge of history with students. “Teaching is never boring,” he says. “Every day is different.”
Things have changed a lot since he began all those years ago. When he started, the only way to make copies was with a “ditto machine”, which used a stinky, purple ink. Mr. Durietz wrote on a blackboard with chalk, and the students used paper textbooks. These days, he and the students use computers and digital whiteboards.
Though technology has changed a lot since he began teaching, Mr. Durietz says the students are still pretty much the same— except that now they have cell phones.
With or without technology, Mr. Durietz has used creative activities to help his students learn. For example, he has organized virtual field trips, geography contests, and special days about the US Civil War. He has even organized fake(假的)elections at school to help his students learn about politics. He says these activities are some of the ones that he and his students enjoyed most.
Mr. Durietz says people who want to be teachers should make sure they are patient with their students. He also encourages them to choose subjects that they care deeply about.
1. What stimulated Paul Durietz’s interest in history?| A．The cruelty of wars. | B．Stories told by his father. |
| C．His mother’s encouragement. | D．The influence of his teacher. |
| A．By showing his sense of humour. |
| B．By lecturing about historical events. |
| C．By taking advantage of creative activities. |
| D．By using technology extensively in the classroom. |
| A．Strong organizational abilities. |
| B．Excellent technological skills. |
| C．Patience and a passion for their subject. |
| D．The ability to multitask and communicate. |
| A．A Teacher Sets a Record by Teaching for 53 Years |
| B．Paul Durietz: a Devoted and Responsible Teacher |
| C．Mr. Durietz Uses Technology to Attract Students |
| D．Creative Activities: New Ways to Help Students Learn |
2 . Marie Lantelme! The name struck me from somewhere in the back of my mind. Miss Lantelme, as I called her in my youth, worked as a librarian at the East Meadow Public Library when I was a pre-teen girl.
On one occasion, in search of a book to read, I walked slowly over to the desk taken up by a librarian—Miss Lantelme. Serious, polite, and speaking with the voice of a professional(专业的) librarian, she asked what kind of book I liked to read. I thought about it for a few seconds and replied, “Mysteries(悬疑小说).” When I first learned to read, my grandfather gave me a book called The Smugglers of Sandy Bay. It was written by Ruth Holberg and still takes a place in my book collection. I sometimes hold it in my hand to reconnect with its mystical power.
Miss Lantelme told me to follow her, and she led me into the mystery part and pointed me in the direction of books written by Agatha Christie. Miss Lantelme handed me a book called The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I will not tell the ending to anyone who has never read that book, but I loved the surprise that I never saw coming. Every week I dug deep into the works of that uncommon writer whose stories still attract me now.
On one occasion, Miss Lantelme handed me a book written by John le Carré. The title of the book is The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. For years, I waited for each new book by the recognized master of spy thrillers. Of course, I wished Miss Lantelme to hand the new mystery of John le Carré to me.
All these memories flashed through my mind while I sweated my way through my work-out out of breath, giving thanks to the librarians of the world, like Miss Lantelme, who gave me a lifetime of joy, not only the stories.
1. What made the author interested in mysteries?| A．The book her grandfather gave her. |
| B．The unknown feeling of a pre-teen girl. |
| C．The professional service of Lantelme. |
| D．The opinion her grandfather gave to her. |
| A．She was interested in Agatha’s works. |
| B．She took exercise around the library. |
| C．She bought a book from Lantelme. |
| D．She went to Lantelme’s home. |
| A．Marie Lantelme. | B．Ruth Holberg. |
| C．Agatha Christie. | D．John le Carré. |
| A．An Impressive Book |
| B．Lifelong Joy from My Grandfather |
| C．A Happy Memory for the Books |
| D．Three Books the Author Wanted to Read |
3 . When I was in fourth grade, I worked part-time as a paperboy. Mrs. Stanley was one of my customers. She’d watch me coming down her street, and by the time I’d biked up to her doorstep, there’d be a cold drink waiting. I’d sit and drink while she talked.
Mrs. Stanley talked mostly about her dead husband, “Mr. Stanley and I went shopping this morning.” she’d say. The first time she said that, soda(汽水) went up my nose.
I told my father how Mrs. Stanley talked as if Mr. Stanley were still alive. Dad said she was probably lonely, and that I ought to sit and listen and nod my head and smile, and maybe she’d work it out of her system. So that’s what I did, and it turned out Dad was right. After a while she seemed content to leave her husband over at the cemetery(墓地).
I finally quit delivering newspapers and didn’t see Mrs. Stanley for several years. Then we crossed paths at a church fund-raiser(募捐活动). She was spooning mashed potatoes and looking happy. Four years before, she’d had to offer her paperboy a drink to have someone to talk with. Now she had friends. Her husband was gone, but life went on.
I live in the city now, and my paperboy is a lady named Edna with three kids. She asks me how I’m doing. When I don’t say “fine”, she sticks around to hear my problems. She’s lived in the city most of her life, but she knows about community. Community isn’t so much a place as it is a state of mind. You find it whenever people ask how you’re doing because they care, and not because they’re getting paid to do so. Sometimes it’s good to just smile, nod your head and listen.
1. Why did soda go up the author’s nose one time?| A．He was talking fast. | B．He was shocked. |
| C．He was in a hurry. | D．He was absent-minded. |
| A．He enjoyed the drink. | B．He wanted to be helpful. |
| C．He took the chance to rest. | D．He tried to please his dad. |
| A．recover from her sadness | B．move out of the neighborhood |
| C．turn to her old friends | D．speak out about her past |
| A．Open up to others. | B．Depend on each other. |
| C．Pay for other’s help | D．Care about one another. |
4 . Several days of unusual warm weather in northern Greenland have caused rapid melting(融化). “Temperatures have been running around -12.2 ℃-15.5 ℃. It is warmer than normal for this time of year,” scientists said. The amount of ice that melted in Greenland between July 15 and July 17 alone—6 billion tons of water per day—would be enough to fill 7.2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the report from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Put another way, it was enough to cover the whole state of West Virginia with a foot of water.
For the scientists out on the ice sheet(冰盖), the warmth has been alarming. “It really makes me anxious,” said Kutalmis Saylam, a scientist who is now working in Greenland. “Yesterday, we could hang about in our T-shirts, which was not really expected. Since Greenland holds enough ice, sea level would rise by 7.5 meters around the world if ice all melted.”
In 2020, scientists found that Greenland’s ice sheet had melted beyond the point of no return. “No efforts to prevent global warming can stop it from finally breaking into small parts,” said researchers.
Aslak Grinsted, a climate scientist, said that they were trying to get flights into the camp so they can ship out the ice cores(冰芯) they had recently collected. But the warmth is destabilizing the landing site. “The weather we are seeing right now is too hot for the ski-equipped planes to land,” Grinsted said. “So we store the ice cores in large caves we have made into the snow to protect it from the heat of the summer.” Scientists made use of the abnormal warmth while they were waiting, playing volleyball in their shorts on an ice sheet at the top of the world.
Grinsted referred to the temperatures as a heat wave, and noted that the possibility of temperatures getting this hot was clearly connected to global warming.
1. How does the author support the topic of paragraph 1?| A．By exploring reasons. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By designing the numbers. | D．By doing some experiments. |
| A．He disliked wearing a T-shirt. |
| B．He worried about the warmth. |
| C．He was deeply impressed by the ice. |
| D．He was thirsty for enjoying the sea view. |
| A．Quitting. | B．Improving. | C．Sheltering. | D．Destroying. |
| A．Recommend visiting Greenland. |
| B．Describe how to ship out the ice core. |
| C．Call on people to protect the environment. |
| D．Plan to organize a sports meeting on ice. |
5 . Gong Linna, a famous Chinese musician and founder of Chinese New Art Music, put her music teaching methods into practice for the first time at the Tracing Roots(寻根)practice concert of the Affiliated High School of Peking University on May 23.
The first song of the concert, Search High and Low, refers to the classical poem Li Sao, “The road ahead will be long. I shall search high and low.” “It’s arranged to be sung in the beginning by all performers, showing that we should all search high and low for our roots,” Gong Linna says.
To explore the education and popularization of Chinese music, in 2017, Gong Linna established a research and development team, which includes musicologist(音乐学家), Du Yaxiong, and music historian, Zhao Zhongming, to discuss her music teaching methods and summarize the vocal skills of Chinese music.
Gong Linna believed that popularization of Chinese music should depend on primary and secondary schools rather than music schools. The children’s strong love for music and their outstanding performance amazed Gong Linna, “When singing, they are completely concentrated on the music. Music brings light and richness to one’s spiritual world. So, learning to sing is never about passing examinations, but about enjoying the music.”
Lu Yueming, a teacher of the school’s art center, said, “The children worked really hard and kept in mind Gong Linna’s instructions(讲授).Seeing their performance, I know that they truly fell in love with traditional Chinese music. I hope more Chinese students can benefit from the teaching practice in the near future.”
“Seeing the children perform my pieces, I realized I should write more songs for them,” Lao Luo, Gong Linna’s husband said proudly. “It’s a great encouragement for me to see how much they like the songs,and they really need content related to Chinese culture.” Speaking about her future plans, Gong Linna told the reporter she would like to further popularize her teaching methods and Chinese music.
“Children should learn about the beauty of Chinese music. Only when you know about your own sounds, can you have cultural confidence,” she said at the end of the interview.
1. Why is the song Search High and Low arranged first at the concert?| A．To stress the subject of the concert. |
| B．To recommend the song to the public. |
| C．To show Gong Linna’s teaching method is practical. |
| D．To prove Gong Linna is the best performer of the song. |
| A．Students of music schools. |
| B．Officials of the government. |
| C．Primary and secondary schools. |
| D．Famous musicians across the country. |
| A．It is refused by her husband. |
| B．It is well received at college. |
| C．It helps students love Chinese music. |
| D．It gets support from local government. |
| A．To write more songs for children. |
| B．To perform concerts around the world. |
| C．To establish more music training centers. |
| D．To promote her teaching methods among children. |
6 . Four Best Books of 2023
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
After their youngest daughter, Ruthie, disappears during a summer of berry-picking in Maine, a Micmac family from Nova Scotia struggles to move forward. Indigenous Voices Award winner Amanda Peters delivers an un-put-down-able novel of identity, forgiveness, and insistent hope.
The House of Doors
by Tan Twan Eng
This atmospheric novel, set in 1920s Malaysia, tells of a famous author bent on uncovering secrets for storytelling materials. Tan Twan Eng weaves love, duty, betrayal and colonialism into the narrative.
The Revolutionary Temper: Paris, 1748-1789
by Robert Darnton
This interesting history of the decades leading up to the French Revolution offers a populist account of a crazy political moment. Darnton goes beyond what everyday people thought and said to attract readers to what anxious Parisians read, wore, ate and sang on the way to toppling (推翻) the rule of Louis XVI.
The Soul of Civility
by Alexandra Hudson
What can the world’s oldest book teach us about civility (礼貌) today? Alexandra Hudson’s thoughtful and fluent book on how to live well together draws on literature from The Teachings of Ptahhotep, written 4,500 years ago in Egypt, to Martin Luther King Jr’s Letter From Birmingham Jail.
1. What is the main theme of The Berry Pickers?| A．The life of a carefree girl. |
| B．The history of berry-picking in Maine. |
| C．The situation before the French Revolution. |
| D．The stories of identity, forgiveness and hope. |
| A．A family in Maine. | B．Malaysia in the 1920s. |
| C．The French Revolution. | D．Egypt 4,500 years ago. |
| A．Alexandra Hudson. | B．Robert Darnton. | C．Tan Twan Eng. | D．Amanda Peters. |
7 . Reading can make you feel less alone and more connected with the world at large. It can open your eyes to issues, successes and challenges that you never dreamed of, and take you to faraway places. Here are the top books all teens should read before they turn 18.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Though this book recently became popular again due to the release of the movie version, the movie is not a substitute for this beautiful story about family and the process of becoming who you truly are through the angle of space and time exploration.
Wonder by R. J. Palacio
Auggie was born with a facial difference that kept him out of school for years. In fifth grade, he discovers what it’s like to long for normalcy and also that difference can be the most meaningful teacher.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
The author shares beautiful poetry that will speak to teenagers about her experience of growing up in the South as an African-American in the 1960s and 1970s. The poems are charged with the themes of self-awareness and identity.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
The attractive advice given in this book is perfect for teens going off to college or beginning a new stage of independence. It is a book that can be reread all throughout life without losing its power.
1. What is special about A Wrinkle in Time?| A．It shows a teen’s difference. | B．It’s about space exploration. |
| C．It has been adapted for film. | D．It has opened teenagers’ eyes. |
| A．Jacqueline Woodson’s. | B．R. J. Palacio’s. |
| C．Madeleine L’ Engle’s. | D．Don Miguel Ruiz’s. |
| A．A Wrinkle in Time. | B．Wonder. |
| C．Brown Girl Dreaming. | D．The Four Agreements. |
8 . Tonight, our family was going out to play under the full moon.
My husband Todd and I first started going on full moon walks for ourselves, as we needed these little doses of moonlight to stay happy, though sometimes we had to hike through the forest to find a perfect spot. But after we became parents, we did this for our children. We wanted to show Sierra and Bryce that it was not necessary to travel far from home to have an adventure and learn something new, and that there was much magic in the natural world, available to all.
Once we arrived at our location, Sierra and I stood holding hands, waiting to cheer the full moon in its rising—a thin sliver of the appealing moon emerged above the ridge of the mountain afar. Soon, more of the moon came out until it turned into a brilliant orange sphere. Todd explained to Sierra and Bryce that the moon generates no light, but simply acts like a mirror, reflecting the sunlight back to us. “Does the moon’s face change?” Bryce asked. I told him that the moon rotates (旋转) around the earth, but does not spin by itself, so the same side of the moon is always facing the earth. Sierra remarked that the moon looked larger and closer when it was rising. I explained that it is a visual illusion (错觉) because it is so close to the horizon that the moon magically tricks our eyes into comparing it with nearby objects, thus creating the impression of the increased size.
Much of the knowledge that I shared with the kids was learned from my parents. During my childhood, they would take me on educational adventures out in the woods, and as I later found, so did their parents. So every time I go for a full moon walk with my beloved family, I thank those wise educators who came before me.
To educate, sometimes all it takes is going outdoors and gazing up at the heavens.
1. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Going on a hike through the forest. |
| B．Taking a walk under the full moon. |
| C．Watching magic shows every month. |
| D．Traveling far from home for adventure. |
| A．The kids were reluctant to participate. |
| B．Todd mentioned the mirror to explain sunlight. |
| C．The kids exhibited a spirit of exploration about the moon. |
| D．The author used a magic trick to explain the larger moon. |
| A．Creative and faithful. | B．Selfless and brave. |
| C．Inspiring and generous. | D．Insightful and patient. |
| A．Life is what you make it. |
| B．Every cloud has a silver lining. |
| C．Nature is the best teacher. |
| D．God helps those who help themselves. |
9 . My wife and I moved into our home two years ago. We had a yard with a lot of
Last summer, I found a tiny little plant in the yard that I could not immediately identify. I knew I didn’t plant it and Denise said she didn’t either.
We decided to let it
Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the
That’s when I
We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the
| A．flower | B．insects | C．vegetables | D．rocks |
| A．water | B．fertilizer | C．color | D．shape |
| A．stop | B．continue | C．improve | D．escape |
| A．weak | B．strange | C．lonely | D．pretty |
| A．collect | B．tend | C．remove | D．watch |
| A．unusual | B．wonderful | C．terrible | D．valuable |
| A．passed | B．started | C．left | D．died |
| A．air | B．top | C．sun | D．house |
| A．hoped | B．realized | C．doubted | D．regretted |
| A．fill in | B．put in | C．worry about | D．believe in |
| A．forget | B．hate | C．aim | D．wait |
| A．wish | B．plan | C．ability | D．idea |
| A．faith | B．energy | C．virtue | D．courage |
| A．aware | B．afraid | C．proud | D．tired |
| A．forgive | B．support | C．upset | D．affect |
10 . During the early morning journey from the suburbs(郊区), we sat sleepily, with collars standing firm below our ears. Although the group of people are in the same bus every day, we never
One July morning, a small grey man, one of the
The next day, another old man
One morning, Charlie was
The summer went by, and the
| A．argue | B．like | C．tend | D．greet |
| A．passengers | B．drivers | C．colleagues | D．neighbors |
| A．annoyed | B．surprised | C．mad | D．impatient |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Unhappily | C．Unexpectedly | D．Unfairly |
| A．left | B．boarded | C．hit | D．stopped |
| A．reply | B．advance | C．danger | D．need |
| A．man | B．driver | C．girl | D．boy |
| A．destroy | B．track | C．increase | D．affect |
| A．helping | B．comparing | C．talking | D．adapting |
| A．tying | B．lifting | C．biting | D．holding |
| A．anyway | B．anymore | C．anytime | D．anywhere |
| A．terrible | B．heavy | C．unforgettable | D．unhappy |
| A．giving out | B．giving in | C．giving up | D．giving off |
| A．spring | B．month | C．year | D．autumn |
| A．disappeared | B．happened | C．began | D．continued |
