1 . “A blue whale's heart is as big as a Volkswagen Beetle(大众甲壳虫),” I told a group of wide-eyed, open-mouthed second-graders. “It is so big that you could walk around inside of it.” Then I asked a big question-“Why does a blue whale have such a big heart?”—and let the adventure begin.
I was bringing SOLE to my classroom-the Self-Organized Learning Environment.
My students began their investigations and, after 40 minutes, they shared their discoveries.
“Blue whales can call to each other over almost a thousand miles.” said Heavenly. “They need a big heart to talk to each other.”
“They swim all over the world,” said Ki'ara. “So they need a big heart to be their motor.”
“They swim together in pairs.” said Amare. “So they need huge hearts to care for each other.”
“Yeah,” said Isaac. “That's true. It takes a huge heart to care for somebody.”
“Hmmm,” I said. “How can we have big hearts for each other instead of small hearts?”
Then the students made a list of it.
I was teaching compassion—to model ways we can care for each other and other living things. This SOLE lesson took a beautiful turn when Amaze connected the heart of the blue whale to community and to caring.
Perri Klass, in a brief essay for the New York Times titled “Understanding How Children Develop Compassion”, writes about the importance of modeling compassion to children so those things are part of their experience long before they know the word.
Around my school, however, nine out of 10 families live in a destructive poverty that makes it difficult to model compassion, to nurture community and caring. My students often come to school knowing more about the survival of the fittest than the survival of the kindest. Yet here were my 7 and 8-year-olds working together in a community, talking about caring for each other and exploring ways we can have big hearts instead of small hearts for each other.
On that day, the blue whale and the second-graders modeled compassion for all of us. This SOLE lesson brought heart to my classroom.
1. How did the students get the answer in the SOLE class?| A．By looking at a blue whale. | B．By finding the answer themselves. |
| C．By questioning each other. | D．By taking a dangerous a trip. |
| A．The ways to care for each other. | B．The ways to learn from each other. |
| C．The disadvantages of having small hearts. | D．The importance of having big hearts. |
| A．The students were used to SOLE lessons. | B．The students were mostly from poor families. |
| C．The students had too much to do at school. | D．The students were fond of working together. |
| A．SOLE Lessons-a Way to Care for Each Other |
| B．Discoveries about a Blue Whale's Heart |
| C．How Blue Whales Taught Children about Compassion |
| D．How Children Learned Science in SOLE Lessons |
2 . As a dropout myself, I often feel it is my duty to defend my fellow non-scholars. Common wisdom would have you believe we are the “bad kids", the future criminals, the worst sort of people. But not all dropouts are likely to deal drugs,steal goods from a shop, or shoot pool all day.
My own favorite place to go when skipping school was always the public library. My early retirement meant that at last I had the time to read everything I wanted to. I found reading Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow a lot more interesting than reading about Sir Isaac Newton and the falling apple.
Best of all was the time I finally had to myself. I felt liberated. I had been in school nearly my whole life. I wanted to find out for myself who I was,and until I did,everything else felt like a waste of time.
However, after nearly three years, a series of strange thoughts began to make me anxious and unsure. Images of myself at the age of 35 began to haunt(缠扰）me in my sleep. And a voice in my head began asking over and over,"Who is paying the hot water bills? Who buys the microwave pizza?"The answer, of course, was my poor old parents. Sure,I was having an enjoyable time doing plenty of nothing, discovering myself and all, but that's unfair to them. What parents long to see their child drop out of school,with no plans for the future? Could they be expected to support me forever? Certainly not. I immediately moved out of the house and out of town, in search of a future for myself.
And it is here, in my new home of San Francisco, that I have decided to do what was once unthinkable: go back to school. I plan to take adult education classes and then apply for City College. On the one hand, I can hardly believe I'm doing it: a return to desks, chalkboards, and clocks that tell you when to stop thinking about one thing and start thinking about another. But at City College, I'll be able to take film production, semiotics, and sociology—just because I want to know about them.
So next time you see a dropout, be sympathetic. And please don't push him to do something he doesn't want to do. It never works. He'll come around when he's ready.
1. It is commonly believed that dropouts are_____.| A．bad kids from birth |
| B．interested in studying drugs |
| C．very likely to commit crimes |
| D．responsible for defending non-scholars |
| A．Living in comfort with his parents. |
| B．Reading in the public library. |
| C．Escaping the pressure from school. |
| D．Having time for self-discovery. |
| A．To fight for his own future. |
| B．To apply for City College. |
| C．To break away from his parents. |
| D．To live up to his parents' expectations. |
| A．Push them to the limit. |
| B．Open their hearts to them. |
| C．Try to be understanding. |
| D．Encourage them to be friendly. |
3 . Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they convey regret, lost opportunities, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take the extra minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “extra minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something minor like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a counter, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone an opportunity to say “I love you” or “I forgive you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up an opportunity to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be occasions when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is definitely better because of my policy of doing everything possible to avoid that eventuality. And even though it takes an extra minute to do something right, or it occasionally takes an hour or two in my busy schedule to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for my emotional well-being.
1. Which of the following is an example of the “extra minute” rule?| A．Start the car the moment everyone is seated. |
| B．Leave the room for a minute with the iron working. |
| C．Wait for an extra minute so that the steak tastes better. |
| D．Move an object out of the way before it trips someone. |
| A．keep her appointment with the eye doctor |
| B．meet her father who was already an old man |
| C．join in the holiday celebration of the company |
| D．finish her work before the deadline approached |
| A．abandoned | B．lacked |
| C．avoided | D．taken |
| A．To Keep Emotional Well-being | B．To Prevent “If Only” Moments |
| C．To Follow the Most Useful Rule | D．To Achieve the Peace of Mind |
4 . Kyle Cassidy and three other members of the Annenberg Running Group were stretching on the grounds of the University of Pennsylvania, waiting for a few latecomers. The Penn colleagues and other community members meet three days a week for a roughly 30-minute jog and an occasional lecture. That's right― during some runs, one of them delivers a talk. Topics range from the brain to Bitcoin.
But on this day last January, it would not be their normal run. The first clue that something was off was the man who sprinted past them. "Running at an amazing pace," Cassidy told Runner's World admiringly. Cassidy discovered why the sprinter was so fleet of foot when another man ran by, yelling, “Help! He took my phone and laptop!"
At that, the group did what running clubs do: They ran, trailing the suspect down the streets of Philadelphia until he ducked into a construction site. The runners split up. Cassidy ran around to the far side of the site to cut the thief off while the others wandered the neighborhood hoping he had dumped the loot （赃物）in a backyard.
No luck. So they decided to ask residents whether they'd seen the guy. When they knocked on the door of one row house, they were in for a surprise. Unknown to them, he had already emerged from the construction site—and was hiding behind a bush by that very house. As the owner opened the door, the suspect darted out from behind the bush ... and right into the arms of campus police, who'd joined the chase shortly behind the runners.
The members of this running group are not hard-core athletes. But they do understand the benefit of a little exercise. ''Running is typically a useless sport where you turn fat cells into heat," Cassidy told The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But occasionally it can be useful, and here was one of those opportunities."
1. Why do the group members gather together?| A．To do some stretching. | B．To have a regular run. |
| C．To deliver a lecture. | D．To cover some topics. |
| A．Dashed. | B．Pushed. |
| C．Jumped. | D．Escaped. |
| A．the assistance of the runners | B．the owner of the row house |
| C．the campus police on patrol | D．the joint efforts of the people |
| A．Athletic and generous. | B．Courageous and ambitious. |
| C．Helpful and humorous. | D．Thoughtful and demanding. |
5 . I was given the book Running on Faith written by Jason Lester as a birthday gift last month. After I started reading, I really couldn't keep my eyes off it. It is always inspiring to read a story of someone who has gone through obstacles to reach his goals.
Jason Lester is a disabled (残疾的) extreme athlete. When he was twelve years old, a fast car ran a red light and hit him. Then he was sent into the hospital with twenty broken bones and . a famous baseball player, but at that a seriously injured arm. Jason had always wanted to become a time that dream was gone.
However, Jason loved sports and he still wanted to be a good athlete. He began running and taking part in duathlons( 铁人两项) in high school. Years later in 2004, he decided to start training for the Ironman, and has competed in many extreme races since then. In 2008, Jason became the first disabled athlete to complete the Ultraman (320 miles of biking, swimming and running) ,and it led him to an ESPY award ( 奖项) for Best Male Athlete with a Disability in 2009.
If you are in a bad situation and don't know what to do now, Running on Faith is a good book for you. If you love running and want to reach some race goals, this book is good for you, too. Anyway, this book is worth reading for everyone who loves reading and wants to turn dreams into reality.
1. What does the underlined word "obstacles" in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Arrangements. | B．Worries. |
| C．Difficulties. | D．Experiences. |
| A．He ran a red light and got injured. |
| B．He was seriously hurt in the accident. . |
| C．He lost the courage to be an extreme athlete. |
| D．He decided to play baseball after the accident. |
| A．Taking part in duathlons. |
| B．Training himself in running. |
| C．Competing in many extreme races. |
| D．Completing the Ultraman. |
| A．To show how dreams can come true. |
| B．To explain why Running on. Faith is popular. |
| C．To recommend reading Running on Faith. |
| D．To explore the way to be a good athlete. |
6 . In ancient Greece, Socrates was a widely-recognized wise man. One day one fellow met the great philosopher and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”
“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before telling me anything I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Triple Filter Test.”. “Triple filter?”. “That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say. That’s why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?” “No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and…”. “All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t know if it’s true or not.
Now let’s try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?” . “No, on the contrary…”. “So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true.
You may still pass the test though, because there’s one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?” “No, not really.”
“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”
Well we can always participate in loose talks to curb our boredom. But when it comes to your friends its not worth it. Always avoid talking behind the back about your near and dear friends.
1. Why did Socrates stop the fellow when he wanted to tell him about his friend?| A．Because he didn’t know the fellow. |
| B．Because he wanted to tell the fellow something first. |
| C．Because he knew the fellow wouldn’t tell him something useful. |
| D．Because he wanted the fellow to think twice before speaking. |
| A．Socrates was a great philosopher in Ancient Greece. |
| B．The fellow wanted to tell Socrates something bad about his friend. |
| C．Socrates was curious to hear what the fellow wanted to tell him. |
| D．It’s not a good idea to gossip about our friends behind the back. |
| A．increase | B．describe |
| C．reduce | D．hide |
7 . High school was a hard time for Me in the beginning because I had just moved to a small town and knew basically no one. I loved to play basketball but was afraid to go to tryout (选拔)for the school's team because I didn't know anyone. One day all that changed when I missed the bus home and decided to shoot baskets on the school playground to kill time. The coach Mr Colbath had been watching me make various baskets and was pretty impressed with my moves.
He came up to me and asked me who had taught me to play like that. I told him that my dad had taught me how to play basketball. He asked me if he would see me at the tryout on Friday. but I said no and told him why. He told me to have a try because I played very well and would maybe make some friends on the court. After thinking for a few minutes. I finally decided to have a try.
On the day of the tryout, the coach came, found me and helped me practice before the tryout. He helped me a lot and I did very well at the tryout and many members of the team were quite impressed. I did make the team and over the next few years the coach helped me both on and off the court. He helped me do my math which I had such a difficult time with and he even taught me how to live independently.
I will never forget Mr Colbath. He really inspired me and changed my life. I would not be the person that I am today if he had not taken such an interest in me when I was in high school.
1. Why did the writer shoot baskets on the school playground?| A．Because he was preparing for the tryout for the school's team. |
| B．Because he wanted to show off his moves to the coach. |
| C．Because he missed the bus and had nothing to do. |
| D．Because he wanted to make new friends while playing. |
| A．He should study very hard. | B．He didn’t think he played well. |
| C．He knew no one in the school. | D．His class teacher told him not to. |
| A．Join the team. | B．Leave the team. |
| C．Organize the team | D．Lead the team |
| A．His tryout at school. | B．His present life. |
| C．His basketball coach. | D．His high school life. |
8 . Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur(创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore visited a bank with her dad. On the outing, she was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He recommended that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s permission, she spent the next two years researching online and conducting trials to get a recipe that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also approached dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. Consequently, she succeeded in making a kind of candy only using natural sweeteners, which can reduce oral bacteria.
Moore then used her savings to get her business off the ground. Afterwards, she and her father secured their first business meeting with a supermarket owner, who finally agreed to sell Moore’s product—CanCandy.
As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s credibility as a young entrepreneur. Moore is enthusiastic about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile.
Meanwhile, with her parents’ help, Moore is generally able to live a normal teenage life. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven primarily by profit. Moore wants to use her unique talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1. How did Moore react to her dad’s warning?| A．She argued with him. | B．She tried to find a way out. |
| C．She paid no attention. | D．She chose to consult dentists. |
| A．It is beneficial to dental health. | B．It is free of sweeteners. |
| C．It is sweeter than other candies. | D．It is produced to a dentists’ recipe. |
| A．To earn more money. | B．To help others find smiles. |
| C．To make herself stand out. | D．To beat other candy companies. |
| A．Fame is a great thirst of the young. |
| B．A youth is to be regarded with respect. |
| C．Positive thinking and action result in success. |
| D．Success means getting personal desires satisfied |
9 . Having experienced a shocking electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, James Franco’s world became completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up 20 minutes later, lying face down in muddy water. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a tree and muddy road. When Mrs. Franco came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of James regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a compellent answer as to why this should happen. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since James lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was another sudden shock.
1. The reason why James attempted to kill himself was that ________.| A．a terrible electrical accident happened to him |
| B．nobody in the whole world cared about him |
| C．he was struck by the lightning once more |
| D．he had to live in a dark and silent world |
| A．Sheltering from the rain under a tree. | B．Putting an end to his life. |
| C．Taking a walk with a stick. | D．Lying on the ground. |
| A．Gradual. | B．Wrong. | C．Convincing. | D．True. |
| A．A Terrible Electrical Accident | B．What a Sudden Shock |
| C．An Unforgettable Adventure | D．James Franco and His wife |
10 . One evening I was going back from a supermarket. As I was approaching my car, I noticed that some person came and stood beside me. He was the one that could be considered as a bum. It seemed that he had no car, no home and no job. I thought that he would ask me for money, but he did not do that, he only said: “Your car is very nice”.
After several moments of silence, I replied: “Thanks”, and then the inner voice told me, “Ask him if he needs help”. After a short hesitation I asked him if he needed any help. His response was astonishing. I will never forget those simple three words that I heard from him: —“Don’t we all?”
It was a true discovery to me. I needed help. Although I had money and a place to sleep, I recognized that I needed help too. Then I opened my wallet and gave him enough money to get a meal and some shelter for a day.
Suddenly I understood that no matter how much money we have, we all need help. On the other hand, no matter how poor you are and how many material problems you have, you still might offer your help to others and you still might be giving. Even it’s just a nice word, you can give that and it can be priceless to other persons.
Maybe that man was just a homeless stranger, but to me he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by the Highest Loving Power personally to me to open my eyes and to show me that there is one thing, among all other values, which is very important and irreplaceable for each and every person. Actually, it is a true gift and it is called Giving.
1. The underlined word “bum” in Paragraph 1 can be a person _______.| A．who needs money | B．who is a homeless man |
| C．who is willing to help others | D．who is sent by the Highest Loving Power |
| A．The writer had enough money to help. |
| B．He needed money to eat and have a rest. |
| C．His words gave the writer deep thoughts. |
| D．The writer is kind and always helps others. |
| A．Not everyone needs help. | B．Giving is as important as receiving. |
| C．The rich should help the poor. | D．A helping and touching word can help others. |
| A．True meaning of giving. | B．True meaning of being rich. |
| C．True meaning of values. | D．True meaning of gifts. |
