1 . Good afternoon. I am Sullivan. Now think about a question: What determines the way we are when we grow up? Let's start with the TV program Seven Up. Do you still remember it? It started following the lives of a group of children in 1973. We first meet them as wide-eyed seven-year-olds and catch up with them at seven-year intervals: nervous 14-year-olds, serious 21-year-olds and then grown-ups.
There are ups and downs in their lives, but interestingly, in almost all the cases the children's early hopes and dreams are shown in their future lives. For example, at seven, Tony is a lively child who says he wants to become a sportsman or taxi driver. When he grows up, he goes on to do both. How about Nicki? She says, "I would like to find out about the moon." And she goes on to become a space scientist. As a child, soft-spoken Bruce says he wants to help "poor children" and ends up teaching in India.
But the program would have been far less interesting if the lives of all the children had followed this pattern. It was the children whose childhood did not prepare them for what was to come that made the program so fascinating. Where did their ideas come from about what they wanted to do when they grew up? Are children influenced by what their parents do, by what they see on television or by what their teachers say? Many film directors, including Steven Spielberg, say that an early visit to the cinema was the turning point in their lives. One of my colleagues, Dr. Margaret, who has devoted herself to researches in this area and published her findings in Science, thinks that the major factors are parents, friends and the wider society.
1. From paragraph 2, we know that ________.| A．people will make great achievements if they have dreams in their childhood |
| B．the children's childhood dreams are more or less the same |
| C．the lives of the children in the TV program are not smooth |
| D．a large number of poor people in India are in need of help |
| A．going to a movie at an early age helps a child learn about society |
| B．a single childhood event may decide what one does as a grown-up |
| C．parents and friends can help a child grow up properly |
| D．films have more influence on a child than teachers do |
| A．The TV program is not so appealing. |
| B．One of the children, Bruce, ended up teaching in India because he is not strong. |
| C．The children in the TV program made good preparations for their future in their childhood. |
| D．In the TV program, the research on the children is done every seventh year. |
| A．a professor | B．a radio announcer |
| C．a librarian | D．a geologist |
2 . Children grow quickly, especially their feet. But many families cannot afford new shoes each time a child needs them. As a result, about 300 million children around the world go barefoot（赤脚的）. Those children risk picking up diseases from the soil. An American man may have a solution for those barefoot kids—a shoe that grows with the child.
Kenton Lee is the creator of The Shoe That Grows. He explains how the shoe works and how it’s able to last so long. “It grows in three places; the front, on the side, and on the back. It can last up to five years. The bottom is like tire rubber. The top is just high-quality leather.”
The shoe comes in two sizes: small that fits children aged 4 to 9 and large for children aged 9 to 14.
Lee got the idea for the shoe while working as a volunteer in Kenya. However, it was not easy to turn his idea into a reality. Finally, in 2009 Lee founded a non-profit organization called Because International. In the office, he kept a pair of his own shoes to help him remember his promise.
Because International works with several partner organizations. Together, they’re sent more than 50,000 pairs of shoes to 70 countries. Most are going to East Africa. And then also a lot of shoes go to Haiti, some of the Central American countries as well. Many of these areas do not have good sanitation（卫生设备）, and illness spreads easily.
A pair of shoes, he says, gives more than protection. It gives a child self-worth and more chances to succeed. Because it’s a small thing that really makes a big difference to keen them healthy and happy and having more chances to succeed. Kenton Lee adds that his goal is to help get The Shoe That Grows to as many children as he can around the world.
1. Why are so many children around the world barefoot?| A．They grow so quickly that their families can’t buy proper shoes. |
| B．Their families are too poor to buy them enough new shoes. |
| C．They don’t like wearing new shoes. |
| D．There are no shoes at all now. |
| A．the shoes are designed for adults. |
| B．the shoes just grow in two places |
| C．Kenton Lee made great efforts to invent the shoes |
| D．Because International was founded to make much money |
| A．get himself to stick to his promise |
| B．let others know how hard he worked |
| C．encourage others to invent the shoes |
| D．make himself change shoes easily |
| A．it’s not necessary to improve sanitation in East Africa |
| B．Central America is the poorest place in the world |
| C．a small thing can really make a big difference |
| D．the shoes can make children succeed easily |
3 . Dream is strength. The strength can bring us wherever we want to get to and it can bring us a lot of wonders on our way to the place in our dreams.
Dream is beauty. Maybe you can see the things full of magic and maybe you will be moved by your own dream.
Everyone has his dreams and dreams are especially important to teenagers. As teenagers, you have many dreams. These dreams can be very big, such as winning the Nobel Prize. Or they can be small,for example, you may just want to become one of the ten best students in your class.
Andrew Matthews, an Australian writer, tells us that making our dreams come true is the biggest challenge in our life.
You must never give up your dreams.
| A．These kinds of thoughts stop you realizing your dream |
| B．There will be many difficulties on the road to your dreams |
| C．Once you find a dream |
| D．You may think you’re not very good at some school subjects |
| E．Both big dreams and small ones are very important to our lives |
| F．The world is so real that the dreams seem weak |
| G．Your talent is one of the most important factors in living your dreams |
4 . Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper （蚱蜢）eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical, complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass（放大镜）, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates（蒸发）, set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
1. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.| A．ask them to answer quickly |
| B．wait for one or two seconds after a question |
| C．tell them to answer the next day |
| D．wait at least for three seconds after a question |
| A．any questions | B．any problems |
| C．questions from textbooks | D．any number of questions |
| A．tell their children stories instead of reciting facts |
| B．offer their children chances to see things for themselves |
| C．be patient enough when their children answer questions |
| D．encourage their children to ask questions of their own |
| A．to take them to travel around the world |
| B．to share the children’s curiosity |
| C．to explain difficult phrases about science |
| D．to supply the children with lab equipment |
I needed to run away and the Bloomsburg Fair was the best place to go.
I don’t know if you can call it running away wince it was only and hour away from my home. But once I entered the fair grounds, I crossed over into another world. The loudspeaker offered background music over the sounds of people of people talking, bargaining and food sellers yelling for your attention.
I belonged here. I didn’t know if I had it in my blood or not, but I always wanted to have a small food stand and travel in my off season from fair to fair selling goodies. Perhaps one day. It certainly wasn’t a priority(优先考虑的事)in my life , Perhaps it should be.
After I was there a while, I needed to get away to a quiet spot. Most of the time, I could find that anywhere the farm animals were kept. They needed the quiet. So I went there to find peace with the cows, goats, horses, pigs and yes, the turkeys. You'd think being this close to "Thanksgiving", they'd be a little scared, but they were not.
It was in the dairy barn（仓库）where I found peace this time. I so admired the young folks who tended to farm animals. I thought they had a greater appreciation for life. They participated in it firsthand. I once watched a young fanner help bring a baby cow into the world.
My favorite scene was to come across a young cowboy lying in the hay asleep among the cows that had settled down for a rest. There, with his heads in a small soft spot alongside his favorite cow, I had seen him in a much deserved sleep. Perhaps better at rest there than in his own bed.
I had the pleasure of speaking with a young teenage farm girl that day.
"You look so comfortable," I said to her.
"Oh I am," she said. "Life makes it comfortable for me."
"You mean being a farm girl?"
"No, Life! That's the name of my cow," she said, smiling as she gently patted the cow's side.
"I thought they called cows Betsy and Elsie. Why did you call her Life?"
“I discovered life again here. It was the only meaningful name that came to mind. I had been raised in the big city and really hated it. Then we moved to the country, running away from Lt all. I think my parents called it a mid-life crisis," she said, laughing.
"Oh, I can understand that. I've been in one since birth," I said.
"It was on the farm that I learned to love life again. I was there when Life was born. It was so exciting. My whole outlook on the world changed. So I named her Life. Now, I can say I really love 'Life'," she said.
"How amazing! I write stories and I am always trying to get people to enjoy life, to wake up each day expecting the best from it. But they all too often go to bed with so much bad stuff in their soul, and on their mind, that they wake up feeling bad and expect it to only get worse from there. All too often it does, just because that's all they choose to see in that otherwise perfectly beautiful day," I told her.
"That's too bad. They need to see a cow born, a chicken hatch. I guess they need to wake up early and hug Life!" she said, laughing.
"When was the last time you hugged Life?" she asked me.
"I am sorry to say even I have had trouble doing that lately," I said.
"Come here!" she said.
Then standing up and stepping aside, she said, "Go ahead…hug Life!"
I paused for a moment and dropping all thoughts of looking silly, I did. I hugged a cow.
1. The writer went to the Bloomsburg Fair probably in order to .
| A．have fun | B．get ideas for writing |
| C．do shopping | D．escape something he disliked |
| A．food sellers' shouting |
| B．the writer's selling goodies |
| C．people's bargaining and talking |
| D．the loudspeaker's broadcasting music |
| A．The writer tended to farm animals firsthand. |
| B．The cowboy was lazy and fell asleep among the cows. |
| C．The writer found peace where farm animals were kept. |
| D．The turkeys got into panic with "Thanksgiving" approaching |
| A．the city | B．the country | C．the barn | D．the fair |
| A．expected to get the best things |
| B．enjoyed perfectly beautiful days |
| C．ignored the bright side of each day |
| D．felt really bad due to poor sleep at night |
| A．Farm Life and Happiness | B．Hugging Life |
| C．A Farm Girl and Her Cow | D．Enjoying Freedom |
“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.
1. The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.
| A．give people a good laugh | B．cover some facts |
| C．promote the business of Waldorf—Astoria Hotel | D．deliver a lesson |
| A．The story took place at about one a.m.. |
| B．The old couple was too poor to afford a luxurious room. |
| C．The clerk was willing to help those in need. |
| D．The clerk received an unexpected invitation from the old man. |
| A．rooms | B．suites | C．meetings | D．hotels |
| A．Every little thing helps. |
| B．Make hay while the sun shines. |
| C．Man proposes； God disposes(处理,决定). |
| D．One good turn deserves another. |
7 . It’s not easy being a teenager– nor is it easy being the parent of a teenager. You can make your child feel angry, hurt, or misunderstood by what you say without realizing it yourself. It is important to give your child the space he needs to grow while gently letting him know that you’ll still be there for him when he needs you.
Expect a lot from your child, just not everything. Except for health and safety problems, such as drug use or careless driving, consider everything else open to discussion to help them grow up more independently. If your child is unwilling to discuss something, don’t insist he tell you what’s on his mind. The more you insist, the more likely that he’ll clam up. Instead, let him attempt to solve things by himself. At the same time, remind him that you’re always there for him should he seek advice or help. Show respect for your teenager’s privacy (隐私). Never read his mail or listen in on personal conversations.
Teach your teenager that the family phone is for the whole family, which can make them more mature. If your child talks on the family’s telephone for too long, tell him he can talk for 15 minutes, but then he must stay off the phone for at least an equal period of time. This not only frees up the line so that other family members can make and receive calls, but teaches your teenager moderation (节制). Or if you are open to the idea, allow your teenager his own phone that he pays for with his own pocket money or a part-time job.
1. The main purpose of the text is to tell parents ______.| A．how to get along with a teenager | B．how to respect a teenager |
| C．how to understand a teenager | D．how to help a teenager grow up |
| A．become excited | B．show respect |
| C．refuse to talk | D．seek help |
| A．to use the phone in a proper way | B．to pay for his own telephone |
| C．to share the phone with friends | D．to answer the phone quickly |
| A．Not allow him to learn driving or take drugs. |
| B．Give him advice only when necessary. |
| C．Let him have his own telephone. |
| D．Not talk about personal things with him. |
That brings about Theodore Zeldin’s “feast of conversation”－events where individuals pair with persons they don’t know for three hours of guided talk designed to forget the past “Where are you from?”
Mr. Zeldin, an Oxford University professor, heads Oxford Muse, a 10-year-old foundation based on the idea that what people need is not more information, but more inspiration and encouragement.
The “feast” in London looks not at politics or events, but at how people have felt about work, relations among the sexes, hopes and fears, enemies and authority, the shape of their lives. The “menu of conversation” includes topics like “How have your priorities changed over the years?” Or, “What have you rebelled against the past?”
As participants gathered, Zeldin opened with a speech: that despite instant communications in a globalized age, issues of human heart remain. Many people are lonely, or in routines that discourage knowing the depth of one another. “We are trapped in shallow conversations and the whole point now is to think, which is sometimes painful,” he says. “But thinking interaction is what separates us from other species, except maybe dogs…who do have generations of human interactions.”
The main rules of the “feast”: Don’t pair with someone you know or ask questions you would not answer. The only awkward moment came when the multi-racial crowd of young adults to seniors, in sun hats, ties and dresses, looked to see whom with for hours. But 15 minutes later, everyone was seated and talking, continuing full force until organizers interrupted them 180 minutes later.
“It’s encouraging to see the world is not just a place of oppression and distance from each other,” Zeldin summed up. “What we did is not ordinary, but it can’t be madder than the world already is.”
Some said they felt “liberated” to talk on sensitive topics. Thirty-something Peter, from East London, said that “it might take weeks or months to get to the level of interaction we suddenly opened up.”
1. What can the “conversations” be best described as?
| A．Deep and one-on-one. | B．Sensitive and mad. |
| C．Instant and inspiring. | D．Ordinary and encouraging. |
| A．pair freely with anyone they like |
| B．have a guided talk for a set of period of time |
| C．ask questions they themselves would not answer |
| D．wear clothes reflecting multi-racial features. |
| A．an attempt to promote thinking interaction |
| B．one of the maddest activities ever conducted |
| C．a try to liberate people from old-fashioned ideas |
| D．an effort to give people a chance of talking freely |
Use your head. Think of special moments when you were a child, times you’ve shared with your mom, things she did for you, and why you love her. Write down how those moments influenced you. Write down everything you can think of. This is your inspiration for the poem.
Look at what you wrote and pick out those things that are connected(有联系的). See if any words rhyme(押韵). It’s fine to write a free poem(one without rhymes), but many people find poems with rhymes are easier to work with, easier to read and quite catchy(容易记住的). If no words rhyme but you want your poem to, try to find connecting words that can help connect memories.
Once you have a few sentences, put them in a good order. For example, you could start with a childhood memory and end with something you remember from last month.
Add a title that shows the feeling of the poem. Even something as simple as “For Mom” can work, although something more personal might be better.
Write it in pen if you have beautiful handwriting. Read the poem over breakfast on Mother’s Day, and then hand it to your mom. Let’s wait and see the smile and tears of happiness on her face.
1. Why does the author suggest writing down everything you think of?
| A．Because it will show your mother’s love. |
| B．Because it will bring you inspiration. |
| C．Because it can be shared with others. |
| D．Because it can help answer questions. |
| A．it is easier to read and remember |
| B．it makes the poem more interesting |
| C．it shows the unforgettable moments |
| D．it shows how things are connected |
| A．can be read easily and quickly |
| B．includes a few sentences |
| C．has some special words. |
| D．shows the feeling of words. |
| A．what to do on Mother’s Day. |
| B．what to buy for Mother’s Day. |
| C．how to write a Mother’s Day poem. |
| D．how to write good poems for Christmas. |
Facing 200 people, he asked, “Who wants this 20-dollar bill?” A great many hands were put up. Then he continued to say, “I intended to give it to any one of you, but allow me to do a thing before giving it to you.” Suddenly he crumpled （揉）it into a round mass. Then he asked, “Who wants it? ” Still some hands were lifted up.
He asked again, “Well, how could it be if I do it like this?” he threw the bill onto the ground, stepped on it and twisted it. As he picked it up, the bill had become not only dirty but
“Who still wants it?” Still a few people put up their hands.
“My dear friends, you have had a meaningful class. No matter how I treated this bill, you still want it, because it is worth 20 dollars. On your life road, you may be knocked down（击垮） or even broken into pieces by your determination or unfavorable situations. We may feel ourselves worth nothing, but, my darling, remember that whatever happens in the future, you should never lose your value（价值） in the God’s heart. You’re particular ---- never forget it.”
1. How many times did the speaker ask the people whether they wanted the bill?
| A．Once | B．Twice | C．Three times | D．Four times |
| A．broken | B．having small lines or folds in it | C．flat | D．having holes on it |
| A．tell the audience that one should never lose one’s own value |
| B．tell the audience that God values money most |
| C．test if some of the audience were extremely interested in money |
| D．play a trick on the audience |
| A．How money can make people crazy. | B．How to avoid being knocked down in one’s life. |
| C．How to keep one’s value of life. | D．How to give a meaningful class |
