1 . Jessica Westervelt,a Spanish teacher at Bethlehem High School in New York,created an activity called “House Hunters”,which was inspired by the popular television show “House Hunters International”,for her Spanish class about four years ago.
Similar to the show,students work in groups,pretending to be real house agents,and look for three houses in Spanish-speaking countries.She uses the activity to teach vocabulary related to the home,chores,travel and vacation.She created the exercise because she wanted to incorporate her students’ interests into the curriculum.At the time,a group of her students were big fans of the show.
The students look for a house for Westervelt to buy to live in,or rent for vacation.She tells them what she is looking for in a home and gives them a budget.Students work in groups of three,and each student is responsible for finding one house in a Spanish-speaking country that fits the requirements.
The groups usually make a brochure describing the houses they find.Each group presents their findings to the class,while the other students take notes.The entire activity is done in Spanish,so students get to practice their writing,listening and conversation skills.They also get some cultural education when researching homes in Spanish-speaking countries.Westervelt says that students planning to take the class look forward to her project.
Westervelt says,“I think any time that you can find a way to link into something that they are interested in outside of school,it makes it more realistic for them and it makes that activity much more enjoyable for them.”
1. How did Westervelt come up with the idea of the activity?| A．She got it from a TV program. | B．She was inspired by her students. |
| C．She learned it from a house agent. | D．She was taught that in high school. |
| A．change | B．absorb |
| C．force | D．persuade |
| A．Rent the houses for their vacation. | B．Live in the houses for a while. |
| C．Write an introduction to the houses. | D．Choose and buy one for their teacher. |
| A．Most school activities are not enjoyable. |
| B．Students should be realistic about study. |
| C．Out-of-school activities are very important. |
| D．Learning should be combined with interest. |
2 . An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the pay check, but he needed to retire.
The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He used shoddy materials to build the house. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the employer came to inspect the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in a home he hadn’t built very well.
It is the same with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less than the best. At important points, we don’t give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that, we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, build wisely. It is the only life you ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plague (牌匾) on the wall says, “Life is a do-it-yourself project.”
Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
1. Why was the carpenter ready to retire?| A．He wanted to have a relaxed life. |
| B．He found a better-paid job. |
| C．He could still survive without working. |
| D．He was tired of his job. |
| A．Beautiful. | B．Best. | C．Bad. | D．General. |
| A．We should build a good house to live in. |
| B．We always regret what we have done. |
| C．We should try our best to do things well. |
| D．We prefer to react, rather than act. |
| A．We should build a house wisely. |
| B．Life is a do-it-yourself project. |
| C．Building a house is like building a life. |
| D．We should have the right attitude towards life. |
3 . Both of my parents worked full-time when I was a little girl, so my grandmother would stay at our house during the day. We would watch game shows in the living room. Our favorite was The Price is Right. We would call out our answers along with the contestants.
When I got older and started going to school, we couldn’t watch our game shows regularly. That was okay with me, though, because the one thing I liked better than watching game shows with my grandmother was helping her bake. Watching her in the kitchen was amazing: she never seemed to need the recipes but everything she made tasted delicious.
At first I would just sit in the kitchen and watch, even though I didn’t understand what she was doing. As I got older, she let me help with the easy parts, such as measuring the sugar. The day she let me separate the eggs, I felt like I had found complete pleasure.
At last, my parents decided that I could take care of myself, and my grandmother stopped coming over every day. The love of baking, however, stayed with me. I started baking by myself, and even if the cookies ended up burnt sometimes, more often they turned out pretty well. I tried out new recipes, and whenever I got to a thorny part, I would call my grandmother for advice. Sometimes I would call her just to talk, too. I felt like I could talk to her about anything.
My grandmother passed away ten years ago, but I still think of her every day. Last week, I found a recipe book she made for me. It included her recipes for brownies, cookies, and my favorite, lemon pie. As I looked through the pages, I thought I could hear her voice. She was the one who taught me not just about baking, but about life.
1. The passage is developed in order of .| A．time | B．place |
| C．logic | D．events |
| A．missed the game shows |
| B．refused to go to school |
| C．showed great interest |
| D．could take care of herself |
| A．Basic. | B．Common. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Special. |
| A．lived with her family |
| B．was very skilled at baking |
| C．published a recipe book |
| D．had been on a game show |
Like many other teenage boys, Jones loves sports. But at 5 feet, 175 pounds, he found his weight in trouble. His doctor wanted him to lose 50 pounds so that he may be a good football game player by the end of the summer.
Jones chose the popular Dance Revolution video game at home to increase his activity. He had lost about 10 pounds by changing his diet. Now, after two weeks’ playing the game, he has lost another 10!
A health study is being done by an insurance company. The company hopes that the game will lead to better health and lower costs. “Obesity claims last year cost us $ 77 million. We have to cut those costs,” said a member of the insurance group. The company provides a game console (游戏主机), a dance mat and software for the six-month, $ 60,000 study.
The study is more than a commercial thing of an insurance company. It is widely supported by physical education and health professionals.
In West Virginia, 43% of the nearly 6,000 children examined for heart disease risk were considered over-weighted; more than 25% were too fat. “We are in a crisis of childhood obesity not only in West Virginia but in America,” said a researcher.
Researchers are now looking at the potential for improving effects by using the game. A teacher in West Virginia has been using the video games in her classes since last fall. She reported that the game does improve heart health as well as eye-hand coordination (协调能力), and her students take the video game as a great alternative to jumping rope or ball games.
The US Education Department is putting the game in 20 schools to control childhood obesity. Well, are you going to try such to dance away your extra weight?
1. The underlined part is trying to tell us _____.
| A．the study involves many insurance companies |
| B．the study is only an insurance company’s business |
| C．the study is less important than the insurance company’s money |
| D．it’s not only the insurance company that is concerned about the study |
| A．the government thinks highly of the dance game |
| B．in West Virginia, more than 25 % of the adults were too fat |
| C．a teacher is a failure in using the video game in her classes |
| D．the US Education Department isn’t interested in the game |
| A．Dance Away Your Weight |
| B．Play the Video Dance Game |
| C．Solve the Problem of Obesity |
| D．Cut the Cost of Obesity Claims |
Mr. Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch (沟渠) at Romney Marsin，Kent，after skidding on ice and hitting a bank. “Fortunately，the water began to come in only slowly，” Mr. Johnson said. “I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in.”
Mr. Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn (喇叭) and hammering（捶打） on the roof and boot. Then he began his struggle to escape.
Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life. It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew（松开螺丝） the back seat to get into the boot. I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came.”
It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the things from the boot. Then Mr. Johnson found a wrench（扳手） and began to work on the boot lock. Fifteen minutes passed by. “It was the only chance I had. Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in. I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled (攀爬) clear as the car filled up.”
His hands and arms cut and bruised (擦伤), Mr. Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby，where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife，Mrs. Lucy Bates. Huddled in a blanket，he said，“That thirty minutes seemed like hours.” “Only the tips （尖部）of the car wheels were visible，”police said last night. “The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch.”
1. What is the best title for this newspaper article?
| A．The Story of Mr. Johnson，a Sweet Salesman |
| B．Car Boot Can Serve As the Best Escape Route |
| C．Driver Escaped Through Car Boot |
| D．The Driver Survived a Terrible Car Accident |
| A．Mr. Johnson’s car stood on its boot as it fell down. |
| B．Mr. Johnson could not escape from the door because it was full of sweet jam. |
| C．Mr. Johnson’s car accident was partly due to the slippery road. |
| D．Mr. Johnson struggled in the pouring mud as he unscrewed the back seat. |
| A．Luckily the door was torn away in the end |
| B．At last the wrench went broken |
| C．The chance was lost at the last minute |
| D．The lock came open after all his efforts |
| A．the ditch was along a quiet country road |
| B．the accident happened on a clear warm day |
| C．the police helped Mr. Johnson get out of the ditch |
| D．Mr. Johnson had a tender wife and was well attended |
6 . Many schools across the US hold graduation ceremonies this time of year. In some schools, even 5 and 6-year-olds observe their graduation from kindergarten. And so can older people, much older. Meet 70-year-old Jerry Reid, who just graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He earned a bachelor’s degree.
Mr. Reid might not look like the average college student; his hair is definitely grayer. But still Jerry Reid’s age is easy to forget, other UVA students know him as one of their own.
Mr. Reid sat into the “Hoo Crew,” a group that cheers loudly for the school at sports events. He also joined a men's group on campus. He sang drinking songs along with many other students. Mr. Reid’s school friends say they can talk to him just about anything.
About a half century ago, in his 20s, Mr. Reid was not in school. Instead, he was racing cars and chasing girls. But he says his friend Bill invited him to UVA parties.
“Bill told me what a terrible life I had unless I came up here and went to school with him,” said Reid.
That was in 1963. Jerry Reid says it took him 48 years to take that advice. In 2011, he entered college. UVA Professor Luke Wright says Mr. Reid influences students. He opened the minds of the young adults. The teacher says Mr. Reid showed them that life does not end at 40. Instead, the 70-year-old college graduate believes that getting older can be the beginning of a dream.
“Remember that path that you left waits for you. It’s there. It’s yours. All you must do is to get out of your own way and get back to it. And, that's exactly what I did,” said Reid.
Mr. Reid says that he and his wife Susan now would take some time off to enjoy his college degree. Then, he’ll return to UVA to begin studying for his graduate degree.
1. Which of the following is true of Mr. Reid?| A．He was laughed at by other students. |
| B．He was interested in study in his youth. |
| C．He enlarged the views of young people. |
| D．He got his graduate degree at the age of 70. |
| A．considerate | B．independent |
| C．intelligent | D．energetic |
| A．How Mr. Reid realizes his dream. |
| B．What teachers think of Mr. Reid. |
| C．When Mr. Reid entered college. |
| D．Why the students likes Mr. Reid. |
| A．It is never too late to learn. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
My story begins when I was in New York City for a speech, and my wife took a picture of me holding my daughter on her first birthday. We're on the corner of 57th and 5th. We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later, so we decided to take the same picture.
Well you can see where this is going. Approaching（临近） my daughter's third birthday, my wife said, "Hey, why don't you take Sabina back to New York and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ceremony?" This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.
So these photos are far more than representatives（代表） for a single moment, or even a specific（具体的） trip. They're also ways for us to freeze time for one week in October and reflect on（反思） our times and how we change from year to year, and not just physically, but in every way. Because while we take the same photo, our viewpoints（观点） change, and she reaches new milestones (里程碑) and I get to see life through her eyes, and how she communicates with and sees everything. This very focused time we get to spend together is something we value（重视，珍惜） and expect the entire（全部的） year.
1. What can we know about the author from the first paragraph?
| A．He is fond of being photographed alone. |
| B．He hardly ever asks strangers to take pictures of him. |
| C．He has been interested in photography since childhood. |
| D．He's proud of the 15 most treasured photos taken by himself. |
| A．Her mother. | B．Her father. |
| C．Sabina herself. | D．An unknown tourist. |
| A．children usually get to see life through adults' eyes |
| B．the 15 photos are meaningful to the author's family |
| C．it takes the author a whole week to have a family photo taken |
| D．the viewpoints of the author's family never change with the time |
| A．Believe it or not: photos do change |
| B．Photos help a family become rich |
| C．Even strangers can help take photographs |
| D．A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time |
8 . Hey, mom,
I want you to stop dropping me off at the airport for some trip that I am about to take and start becoming my seatmate. I want to travel with you — just you.
I want to explore a new place with a woman who raised me, who put up with my teenager anxiety and my rebellious (叛逆的) college years. I want to see my favorite cities with the lady who taught me basic life lessons, such as looking both ways before crossing the street, how to use a glue gun, and that the most important thing in the world is to help others.
I always appreciated the vacations you planned for our family. I also remember how you watched me as I read The Great Gatsby on the balcony at midday. I wonder if you felt proud of me. These days, I am sick of traveling to places with wishy-washy (无主见的) friends. I want to travel with a strong woman who can see how capable I am of learning to speak French or hiking on a glacier or eating something as unpleasant-smelling fruit.
Now I want you to see how much I grow up while abroad — I’m a different person, Mom. And I know you’d be different too. I know that someone has shared a similar burst of emotion while diving into Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for the first time.
So what do you say, Mom? Will you throw responsibility to the wind? I want to travel with you. Let’s just go — we can go anywhere in the world, just you and I. You can pick the place, and I will do the rest.
Love,
Katka
1. Which of the following is not the life lesson Katka’s mother taught her?| A．Looking both ways when crossing the street. |
| B．How to use a glue gun. |
| C．Exploring a new place alongside her mother. |
| D．Offering help to others when it’s possible. |
| A．Keep you promise. |
| B．Take care of me. |
| C．Change your daily routine. |
| D．Have a break from work. |
| A．Eager. | B．Content. | C．Doubtful. | D．Upset. |
| A．To thank her mother for all she has sacrificed for her. |
| B．To invite her mother to see the world together. |
| C．To recall her childhood with her mother. |
| D．To show her mother how talented she is. |
“I hope he doesn’t ask me for any money,” I thought. He didn’t. He came and sat on the seat by the bus stop but he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke, “That’s a very pretty car”. He was ragged (衣着破旧的) but he had an air of dignity (尊严) around him. I said, “thanks,” without taking a look at him.
He sat there quietly for a moment. The expected begging for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, “Ask him if he needs any help.” I was sure that he would say “yes”. So I asked, “Do you need any help?” He answered in three simple words that I shall never forget. The three words shook me. “Don’t we all?” he said.
I was feeling successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me. Don’t we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, you need help too. However, no matter how little you have, you can give help too.
1. The author walked away from the car wash to _____.
| A．go to work |
| B．wash his car |
| C．go shopping |
| D．meet his wife |
| A．ignore his difficulty |
| B．give him a lesson |
| C．offer him some help |
| D．make friends with him |
| A．satisfied | B．shy | C．sad | D．shocked |
| A．The clever bum |
| B．Never lose your dignity |
| C．Don’t we all need help? |
| D．To give or not? |
10 . We’re raising children!
A famous research scientist was being interviewed why he was so much more creative.
When his mother came into the kitchen, instead of yelling at him, she said , “Robert, what a great and wonderful mess you have made! I have rarely seen such a huge puddle of milk.
Indeed, he did. After several minutes, his mother said,“You know, Robert, whenever you make a mess, eventually you have to clean it up and restore everything to its proper order.
His mother then said, “You know, what we have here is a failed experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle. Let’s fill the bottle with water and see if you can discover a way to carry it without dropping it.” The boy learned that if he grasped the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it.
This scientist remarked that it was at that moment that he knew he didn’t need to be afraid to make mistakes.
Wouldn’t it be great if all parents would respond the way Robert’s mother responded to him?
| A．Instead, he learned that mistakes were just opportunities for learning something new. |
| B．Well, the damage has already been done. |
| C．What set him so far apart from others? |
| D．What a wonderful lesson! |
| E．So, how would you like to do that? |
| F．Such an opportunity of experiencing was delightful to him. |
| G．He responded that it all came from an experience when he was about two years old. |
