1 . When you’re sitting in class or behind your desk waiting for the clock to strike a time when you can go home, it is natural that your mind should wander (走神) a bit. It is common for your mind to wander to a vacation and even travel around the world. What if there is a way that you can travel around the world without having to pay any money?

A person that managed to make it around the world without spending much was Shantanu Starick. How did he trade off his service? Starick realized that as a photographer he had a service that people would usually be willing to pay money for, but he would instead offer his photography service to anyone who could provide him with food, shelter (住处) and transportation. Starick has been traveling for a surprising 30 months and has visited countries ranging from the United States to Ecuador.

In English-speaking countries, trading off services and communicating aren’t difficult for Starick. However, in farther areas where there isn’t an English- speaking person in sight it can be quite difficult. More than anything, the locals appreciate (欣赏) the effort behind trying to speak their language, even if you don’t exactly sound like a native speaker.

You can do it too!

Honestly, with a bit of confidence, drive and a skill you can trade, you’ll be able to do exactly the same as Starick.

Start thinking about what you can do to get around the world without paying money. With our social networks and the connectivity our world has, you can easily connect with and market yourself to people across the world without any effort.

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?

A．To introduce the topic.

B．To describe students in class.

C．To give an example for the text.

D．To show people’s state of mind.

2. What does the underlined phrase “trade off” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Join.	B．Exchange.
C．Stop.	D．Improve.

3. In the locals’ opinion, what is the key to travelers in non-English-speaking countries?

A．The skills.

B．The confidence to succeed.

C．The bravery to travel.

D．The effort to speak the local language.

4. What do we know about Shantanu Starick?

A．His job is only traveling around the world.

B．He is too poor to afford the travels.

C．He has a skill to travel without paying much money.

D．He doesn’t hear of other languages except English.

2 . Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy at home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed. He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles(障碍) and going for my dreams.

I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain(抱怨). He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams.  He knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.

When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion(冠军). You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”

Last summer I got the news that Matthew had died and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:

Dear Rick,

My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.

I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I’ll never make it. But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.

Thank you for loving me.

Your friend,

Matthew

1. The boy wished to meet the writer because        .

A．he wished to take part in the Olympics

B．he admired the author very much

C．he hoped to make friends with the author

D．he enjoyed weightlifting

2. Which of the statements is TRUE?

A．Matthew was good at weight lifting.

B．Rick had the similar disease as a child.

C．Matthew never gave up in face of disease.

D．Rick encouraged the boy to become a champion.

3. Why did the boy refuse the writer’s medal?

A．He didn’t need Rick’s pity.

B．Rick looked on the medal as the most important thing.

C．The gold medal was very dear to Rick.

D．He thought he was not worthy of it.

4. What can be inferred from Matthew’s letter?

A．Rick was unhappy before death．

B．Rick kept in touch with Matthew．

C．Matthew sent some pictures to Rick．

D．Matthew got an Olympic gold medal．

3 . I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with praise, he will learn to love himself and will be successful in his own way.

Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated, but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate (准确的) when he stood up. Could he be more intent (专心的) while standing up?

This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success. This child would have the discipline (纪律) to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.

Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality traits (特点) and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids’ best cheerleaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.

I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids’ ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn’t mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being individual (个人的) and unique (独一无二的). It makes us free and happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live their own life.

1. At the beginning, the author tried to keep his son seated in order to make him _____.

A．pay more attention to his study	B．keep silent in the room
C．finish his homework on time	D．get right answers

2. Inspired by the case of his son, the author began to doubt ________.

A．the importance of parents	B．the old form of education
C．the relationship between kids and their parents	D．the good grades of some kids

3. According to the passage, which of the following statements is right?

A．We should help kids correct their wrong ways.

B．Parents should study their kids’ DNA.

C．Kids should be taught to behave themselves.

D．Parents should love and accept their kids.

4. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Study hard and you’ll be successful

B．Be friendly to your children

C．Children’s success in their own style

D．Parents’ help with their children’s study