Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans (嘟囔声) when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination.”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path.”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar (呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
1. What activity was organized for the school reunion?| A．Sightseeing in the park. |
| B．A picnic on the school playground. |
| C．Telling stories about past events. |
| D．Graduates’ reports in the old building. |
| A．Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech. |
| B．Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching. |
| C．Some people got tired from the reunion activities. |
| D．Most people had little interest in the reunion. |
| A．kept track of her students’ progress |
| B．gave her students advice on their careers |
| C．attended her students’ college graduations |
| D．went to her students’ wedding ceremonies |
| A．Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’ achievements. |
| B．Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced. |
| C．Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed. |
| D．Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers. |
| A．Reliable and devoted. | B．Tough and generous. |
| C．Proud but patient. | D．Strict but caring. |
2 . I fell in love with Yosemite National Park the first time I saw it, when I was 13. My parents took us there for camping. On the way out, I asked them to wait while I ran up to E1 Capitan, a
About 15 years ago I started seeing a lot of
I tried
As a rock-climbing guide, I knew
Each year volunteers come for the cleanup from everywhere. In 2007 alone, 2,945 people picked up 42,330 pounds of trash and
I often hear people
| A．distant | B．huge | C．narrow | D．loose |
| A．immediately | B．finally | C．gradually | D．recently |
| A．imagining | B．painting | C．describing | D．climbing |
| A．garden | B．home | C．lab | D．palace |
| A．material | B．resources | C．waste | D．goods |
| A．beyond | B．against | C．over | D．within |
| A．more | B．most | C．less | D．least |
| A．throwing away | B．picking up | C．breaking down | D．digging out |
| A．kill | B．save | C．wait | D．spend |
| A．satisfied with | B．delighted in | C．tired of | D．used to |
| A．something | B．anything | C．everything | D．nothing |
| A．cleanup | B．party | C．picnic | D．concert |
| A．dropped out | B．showed up | C．looked around | D．called back |
| A．demand | B．receive | C．accomplish | D．overcome |
| A．plan | B．visit | C．contact | D．difference |
| A．crossed | B．measured | C．covered | D．designed |
| A．talk | B．complain | C．argue | D．quarrel |
| A．doing | B．thinking | C．questioning | D．watching |
| A．method | B．explanation | C．example | D．research |
| A．although | B．if | C．when | D．unless |
3 . An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same tome.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched (发起）the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长）appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity(一致）can be achieved .Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultinatel was Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
1. What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?| A．To invite authors to guide readers. |
| B．To encourage people to read and share. |
| C．To involve people in community service. |
| D．To promote the friendship between cities. |
| A．They had little interest in reading. |
| B．They were too busy to read a book. |
| C．They came from many different backgrounds |
| D．They lacked support from the local government |
| A．In large communities with little sense of unity |
| B．In large cities where libraries are far from home |
| C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population |
| D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached |
| A．exchanged ideas with each other |
| B．discussed the meaning of a word |
| C．gamed life experience |
| D．used the same language |
| A．the careful selection of a proper book |
| B．the growing popularity of the writers |
| C．the number of people who benefit from reading. |
| D．the number of books that each person reads. |
My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65. She was the first in our family to reach that goal. But one year after I started college, she developed cancer. I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her. It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait.
Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopt and biological children. In 1999, we adopted our first son. To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional. A year later came our second adopted boy. Then followed son No. 3. In 2003, I gave birth to another boy.
You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 81. Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo. Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time. But I never gave up on the dream either. I had only one choice: to find a way. That meant talking as few as one class each semester.
The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys. They often wanted me to stay home with them. There certainly were times I wanted to quit, But I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives.
In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina. It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！
I am not special, just single-minded. It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal. Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day. It’s a process. Remember；little steps add up to big dreams.
1. When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be____.
| A．a writer |
| B．a teacher |
| C．a judge |
| D．a doctor |
| A．She wanted to study by herself. |
| B．She fell in love and got married. |
| C．She suffered from a serious illness. |
| D．She decided to look after her grandma. |
| A．She was busy yet happy with her family life. |
| B．She ignored her guilty feeling for her sons. |
| C．She wanted to remain a full-time housewife. |
| D．She was too confused to make a correct choice. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．Little by little, one goes far. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. |
| D．Well begun, half done. |
| A．Caring and determined. |
| B．Honest and responsible. |
| C．Ambitious and sensitive. |
| D．Innocent and single-minded. |
5 . A Love Note to My Mom
When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role modeling
I cannot thank you enough for
As young as I was, that statement kept
Your words became my motto. I
Encouraged by your
| A．found | B．played | C．kept | D．provided |
| A．saving | B．making | C．donating | D．receiving |
| A．business | B．fashion | C．law | D．medical |
| A．what | B．that | C．which | D．where |
| A．at | B．to | C．upon | D．under |
| A．amused | B．worried | C．puzzled | D．disappointed |
| A．roles | B．tests | C．positions | D．shows |
| A．must | B．ought to | C．need | D．could |
| A．ringing | B．blowing | C．falling | D．beating |
| A．choices | B．chances | C．challenges | D．changes |
| A．professor | B．doctor | C．reporter | D．model |
| A．in danger | B．in action | C．in trouble | D．in charge |
| A．weak | B．powerful | C．youthful | D．empty |
| A．came back | B．closed down | C．went by | D．opened up |
| A．hope | B．hardship | C．harmony | D．sadness |
| A．constantly | B．shortly | C．hardly | D．nearly |
| A．and | B．but | C．or | D．for |
| A．description | B．statement | C．praise | D．introduction |
| A．secretly | B．curiously | C．carelessly | D．eagerly |
| A．doing | B．considering | C．correcting | D．reading |
Common sense is not all that common.
Why tell the truth when you can come up with a good excuse?
These three popular misquotes(戏谑的引语)are meant to be jokes, and yet they tell us a lot about human nature .To err, or to make mistakes, is indeed a part of being human, but it seems that most people don’t want to accept the responsibility for the problem. Perhaps it is the natural thing to do .The original quote about human nature went like this:” To err is human, to forgive, divine(神圣的).”This saying mirrors an deal people should be forgiving of others’ mistakes. Instead, we tend to do the opposite –find someone else to pass the blame on to. However, taking responsibility for something that went wrong is a making of great maturity.
Common sense is what we call clear thought. Having common sense means having a good general plan that will make things work well, and it also means staying with the plan. Commonsense tells you that you take an umbrella out into a rainstorm, but you leave the umbrella home when you hear a weather forecast for sunshine．Common sense does not seem to be common for large organizations, because there are so many things going on that one person cannot be in charge of everything. People say that in a large company,”the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing.”
And what is wrong with a society that thinks that making up a good excuse is like creating a work of art? One of the common problems with making excuses is that people, especially young people. get the idea that it’s okay not to be totally honest all the time. There is a corollary(直接推论)to that: if good excuse is “good”even if it isn’t honest, then where is the place of the truth?
1. According to title passage, which of following seems the most human?
| A．To search for truth． | B．To achieve one’s ideal |
| C．To make fun of others’mistakes． | D．To criticize others for one’s own error. |
| A．Doing things his own way. |
| B．Bearing responsibility for his mistakes. |
| C．Making as few mistakes as possible． |
| D．Thinking seriously about his wrongdoing. |
| A．A man tries to take charge of everything in a large company. |
| B．A student goes out with an umbrella in stormy weather. |
| C．A company’s next move follows a good plan． |
| D．A lawyer acts on fine judgments． |
| A．Making a good excuse is sometimes a better policy. |
| B．Inventing a good excuse needs creative ideas. |
| C．A good excuse is as rewarding as honesty. |
| D．Bitter truth is better than a good excuse. |
| A．A Mirror of Human Nature | B．To Blame or to Forgive |
| C．A Mark of Maturity | D．Truth or Excuse |
7 . In the kitchen of my mother’s houses there has always been a wooden stand（木架）with a small notepad（记事本）and a hole for a pencil.
I’m looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother. Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did. Surely it can’t be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one.
“I’m just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these year.” I say to her, walking bank into the living-room with a sheet of paper and the pencil. “You still use a pencil. Can’t you afford a pen?”
My mother replies a little sharply. “It works perfectly well. I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen. I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in these days.”
Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently. My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty. One of the children must have taken the paper. So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back. It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on.”
This story—which happened before I was born—reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician. I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child-free time to work. Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards. Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics. Those symbols have traveled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible（看不到的）exhibits at every meal.
1. Why has the author’s mother always kept the notepad and pencil in the kitchen?| A．To leave messages. | B．To list her everyday tasks. |
| C．To note down maths problems. | D．To write down a flash of inspiration. |
| A．It has great value for the family. |
| B．It needs to be replaced by a better one. |
| C．It brings her back to her lonely childhood. |
| D．It should be passed on to the next generation. |
| A．blaming her mother wrongly. |
| B．giving her mother a lot of trouble. |
| C．not making good use of time as her mother did. |
| D．not making any breakthrough in her field. |
| A．The mother is successful in her career. |
| B．The family members like traveling. |
| C．The author had little time to play when young. |
| D．The marks on the breadboard have disappeared. |
| A．strange in behavior. | B．keen on her research. |
| C．fond of collecting old things. | D．careless about her appearance. |
8 . Why play games?Because they are fun,and a lot more besides.Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child,such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek.Such games are entertaining and fun.But perhaps more importantly,they translate life into exciting dreams that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives,such as taking turns and cooperating(合作).
Many children’s games have a practical side.Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups.For instance,some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones,which sharpens the hand-eye coordination(协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride.The most famous games of all,the Olympic Games,bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition.People who watch the event wave flags,knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country,not just the athlete who earned it.For countries experiencing natural disasters or war,an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people.Soccer is the most popular sport in the world.People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living.Nicolette Iribarne,a Califomian soccer player,has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer.He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport,think about why you enjoy it,what skills are needed,and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1. Through playing hide-and-seek,children are expected to learn to .| A．be a team leader |
| B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up |
| D．predict possible danger |
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
| A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
| A．Games benefit people all their lives. |
| B．Sports can get all athletes together. |
| C．People are advised to play games for fun. |
| D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness. |
9 . The first time I remember noticing the crossing guard was when he waved to me as I drove my son to school. He
Then one day the
Every morning I continued to watch the man with
| A．hit | B．disappointed | C．presented | D．bored |
| A．on | B．from | C．during | D．about |
| A．false | B．shy | C．apologetic | D．bright |
| A．research | B．study | C．recognize | D．explore |
| A．praised | B．blamed | C．mistaken | D．respected |
| A．conclusion | B．description | C．evaluation | D．introduction |
| A．argument | B．disagreement | C．mystery | D．task |
| A．visited | B．approached | C．passed | D．left |
| A．drawing back | B．putting on | C．handing in | D．holding out |
| A．Once | B．Before | C．Unless | D．While |
| A．in | B．through | C．out | D．down |
| A．cried | B．cheered | C．smiled | D．gestured |
| A．idea | B．reply | C．notice | D．greeting |
| A．awkward | B．angry | C．elegant | D．patient |
| A．came | B．responded | C．hurried | D．appeared |
| A．surprise | B．frustration | C．interest | D．doubt |
| A．fail | B．try | C．wish | D．bother |
| A．offer | B．sacrifice | C．promise | D．difference |
| A．effectiveness | B．cheerfulness | C．carefulness | D．seriousness |
| A．trends | B．observations | C．regulations | D．feelings |
The plan to offer free seats to people aged between 18 to 26—funded with £2.5 million of taxpayers’ money—was announced yesterday by Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary. It received a cautious welcome from some in the arts world, who expressed concern that the tickets may not reach the most underprivileged.
The plan comes as West End theatres are enjoying record audiences, thanks largely to musicals teaming up with television talent shows. Attendances reached. 13.6 million in 2007, up 10 percent on 2006, itself a record year. Total sales were up 18 percent on 2006 to almost £470 million.
One theatre source criticised the Government’s priorities(优先考虑的事) in funding free tickets when pensioners were struggling to buy food and fuel, saying: “I don’t know why the Government’s wasting money on this. The Yong Vic, as The Times reported today, offers excellent performances at cheap prices.”
There was praise for the Government’s plan from Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court Theatre, who said: “I support any move to get young people into theatre, and especially one that aims to do it all over England, not just in London.”
Ninety-five publicly funded theatres could apply for funding under the two-year plan. In return, they will offer free tickets on at least one day each week to 18 to 26-year-olds, first-come, first-served. It is likely to be on Mondays, traditionally a quiet night for the theatre.
Mr. Burnham said: “A young person attending the theatre can find it an exciting experience, and be inspired to explore a new world. But sometimes people miss out on it because they fear it’s ‘not for them’. It’s time to change this perception.”
Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “The real issue is not getting enthusiastic children into the theatre, but improving arts education so that more young people want to go in the first place. For too many children theatres are a no-go area.”
1. Critics of the plan argued that ______.
| A．the theatres would be overcrowded |
| B．it would be a waste of money |
| C．pensioners wouldn’t get free tickets |
| D．the government wouldn’t be able to afford it |
| A．benefit the television industry |
| B．focus on producing better plays |
| C．help increase the sales of tickets |
| D．involve all the young people in England |
| A．Ninety-five theatres have received funding. |
| B．Everyone will get at least one free ticket. |
| C．It may not benefit all the young people. |
| D．Free tickets are offered once every day. |
| A．many plays are not for young people |
| B．many young people don’t like theatre |
| C．people know little about the plan |
| D．children used to receive good arts education |
| A．controversial | B．inspiring | C．exciting | D．unreasonable |
