My family was gathered for a barbecue when the discussion arose about a celebrity who earned a large amount of money. The major criteria for receiving millions of dollars seem to be determined by how much the audience will pay to watch the performer achieve.
The discussion led to a sudden self-questioning. Why did I choose teaching for a career? I half-listened to their conversation as I pondered the answer.
I remembered my three children watching me spend nights planning for my class. I remembered how they intently listened to my frustrations concerning materials, procedures and the amount of responsibility that seemed to endlessly be thrust into the laps of classroom teachers. I remembered when it came time for each of my own children to choose a profession. How I waited to hear if any had plans to follow Mom into teaching. Long considerations held no mention of anyone becoming a teacher.
Dessert was being served, and everyone was still involved in the discussion of the enormous salary of one individual, when the phone rang. My husband handed the phone to me.
“Hello, this is Bonnie Block,” I said.
“Is this the Bonnie Block who used to teach kindergarten?”
A nervous sensation swelled in me, and my mind raced with memories of those days long ago.
“Yes!” I exclaimed with a lump in my throat. It seemed like forever as I waited anxiously to hear what the caller would say next.
“I am Danielle—Danielle Russ. I was in your kindergarten class.”
Tears of surprise and joy rolled down my flushed cheeks.
“Yes,” I uttered softly as I remembered that darling, wonderful child.
“Well, I am graduating from high school this year, and I have been trying to find you. I wanted you to know what a difference you made in my life.”
She proceeded to give details. My influence on her wasn’t limited to kindergarten but remained a strong motivating force when she needed a coach to help her meet a challenge. “I pictured you praising and encouraging me all the way.”
Why choose teaching?
The pay is great!
1.The author’s children were not willing to be a teacher as their profession because ________.
A. they didn’t like the profession
B. they would give a lot but gain a little
C. they wanted to try different careers
D. their mother rejected it
2.Danielle rang the author mainly to ________.
A. express gratitude
B. make complaints
C. keep in touch
D. show off her achievements
3.When the author received the call, she felt ________.
A. embarrassed but delighted
B. confused but pleasant
C. unexpected but moved
D. astonished but regretful
4.The last sentence “The pay is great!” implies that the author ________.
A. suffers a lot as a teacher
B. pays a lot for teaching
C. is well-paid as a teacher
D. has her work recognized
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Our brains work in complex and strange ways. There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two. Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write.
Dr. J. Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887. He called these people idiot savants. An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental injury, such as in autism (自闭症) or retardation. At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people. The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory. One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, an American doctor. His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724. It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds. Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write.
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s. Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5,000 musical pieces beautifully.
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly.
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment. Yet not all brain injury leads to savant skills. Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills. However few people wish to participate in such experiments. There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one’s brain. The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate. Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots.
1.The first paragraph is presented by ________.
A. stating the background of the text
B. making a definition of “idiot savant”
C. giving examples to lead in the topic
D. making comparison to show our brains work
2.According to the text, which of the following statements is true?
A. The concept “idiot savant” was first out forward by Dr. Rush.
B. Thomas Fuller who could calculate quickly is poor in art.
C. The idiot savant played by Dustin Hoffman is good at calculation.
D. Tom Cruise has the ability to perform rapid complex calculations.
3.From the last paragraph, we know that ________.
A. brain impairment is a kind of incurable disease
B. the idiot savant may result from the purposeful interruption of the brain
C. experiments on one’s brain are harmful
D. idiot savants are actually very clever in certain fields
4.The text mainly talks about ________.
A. the understanding of idiot savants
B. mental impairment in our work
C. the way that our brains work
D. how to be an idiot savant
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
So you want to be a citizen scientist? The National Science Foundation (NSF) has got you covered. NSF supports citizen science across all areas of science, whether your passion is to scan the night sky, or explore your own backyard.
Join a flock of birders
eBird is an online platform that allows bird-watchers to go online and record their sightings to a database. With more than 100,000 active users, eBird's system is a treasure of information on bird population, distribution and habitat, which users can explore in real time.
Count every drop
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) is the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the United States. Volunteers set up rain gauges and record data every time a rain, snow or hail storm passes over. Data is organized and shared on the CoCoRaHS website, and used by scientists, farmers and more.
Search for stars with your computer
Einstein@Home uses your computer's idle time to search for space signals. The project has already had major successes: Volunteers discovered about 50 stars, using data from Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory and Australia's Parkes Observatory. Einstein@Home also searches for gravitational-wave signals using data from NSF's Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory.
Be part of a supercomputer
To link all those home computers, Einstien@Home uses software called the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing, better known as BOINC. The software choreographs(安排，筹划) the technical aspect of volunteer computing and helps you use radio telescope signals to search for alien life.
Join the plankton party
Without plankton, life in the ocean would not exist. These tiny organisms form the base of the food chain, and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Plankton Portal enlists citizen scientists to identify images of plankton, snapped by the In Situ Icthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS), an underwater robot engineered at the University of Miami. ISIIS has taken millions of images in oceans around the world and upload them into a database; classifying the images helps researchers understand plankton diversity, habitat and behavior.
1.On the website of eBird, a bird-watcher can ________.
A. make contact with other active users
B. explore the world of birds in real time
C. observe all the existing bird species
D. provide and share birds’ information
2.The program “________” is not based on the Internet database.
A. Join the plankton party
B. Be part of a supercomputer
C. Count every drop
D. Search for stars with your computer
3.Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A. Become a Citizen Scientist
B. Make a Contribution to NSF
C. Be part of Space Exploration
D. Follow the Steps to be a Citizen Scientist
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use email and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don't concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world.
1.According to the author, Weboholism is ________.
A. a disease that appears among the youth
B. an obsessive behavior that focuses on the virtual world
C. a kind of compulsive habit that does good to people’s life
D. a compulsive habit which focuses on the real life
2.The underlined phrase in the third paragraph means “________”.
A. be addicted to B. be interested in
C. be curious about D. be eager for
3.From paragraph 3 to 5, students hooked on computers usually ________.
①have poor performance in class
②are willing to talk with their families
③are confident enough with their close friends
④prefer to spend long hours in the chat rooms with a new language
A. ①② B. ①③ C. ①④ D. ②④
4.The writer’s attitude towards phenomenon of Weboholism is ________.
A. supportive B. concerned
C. indifferent D. neutral
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
How to Cure a Stomach Ache
When your stomach is upset, it is difficult to concentrate or even get through your day. If you wish to cure a stomach ache and keep it from coming back, follow these steps.
1. 1.Don’t start treating until you know the source of your pain. Your stomach is a big area so start by pinpointing your pain. Is there tightness in your lower abdomen or intestines? Or is there a burning high in your stomach?
2.Stay hydrated. You need to drink water every day, no matter what. Dehydration can cause your stomach ache, tightness in your intestines and constipation. Drinking proper water each day helps your body function properly.2.
3.Eat some crackers. Often pain in your stomach is caused by hunger or something disagreeable you have eaten. Fill the hunger with a few crackers to take the edge off. The crackers will also provide something to mix with any bacteria or other disagreeable items you may have consumed.
4.Relax. 3.Stand up to stretch, and take a walk to relax. This will also help loosen any tension your stomach is holding due to the ache you feel.
5.Maintain a regular high-fiber diet. When your stomach aches often you need to take a look at your diet. 4.If your digestive system is not working with a steady flow you will back up and feel the pain. Consuming high fiber foods will help you regulate your digestive system.
6.Wait it out. Sometimes whatever is ailing you just needs to work its way out of your system. 5.
A. Without it your stomach is the first to feel pain and tightness.
B. Find out the source of your ache.
C. Put away the spicy dishes and any other foods that cause your stomach upset.
D. Stress is bad for your stomach.
E. Give your body the chance to work itself out by eating mild, healthy meals.
F. They check your fiber intake.
G. Then check your fiber intake.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Sleeping in Class
I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was a college freshman and had_________most of the night before laughing and talking with friends. Now just _______ my first class of the day my eyelids were feeling _______and my head was drifting down to my desk to make my textbook a _______. A few minutes’ nap time before class couldn’t_______, I thought.
Boom! I lifted my head immediately and my eyes opened wider than saucers. I looked around with my heart _________ quickly trying to find the cause of the _______. My young professor was looking back at me with a _______, boyish smile on his face. He had _________ dropped the pile of textbooks he was carrying onto Ms desk. “Good morning!” he said, still smiling. “I’m glad to see everyone is ________. Now let’s get started.”
For the next hour I wasn’t sleepy at all. It wasn’t from the shock of my professor’s textbook__________either. It was ________from the attractive discussion he led. With knowledge and good humor, he made the material come alive. His insights were full of both wisdom and loving kindness. I________the classroom not only wide awake, but a little ________and a little better as well.
I learned something far more important than ________ in class that day, too. I learned that if you are going to do something in this life, do it well, do it ________, and make it an ________ of your love. What a glorious place this world would be if all of us did our work joyously and well. What a beautiful world we could ________ if every doctor, teacher, musician, cook, waitress, poet, miner, farmer, and laborer made their work an expression of their love. Don’t sleepwalk your way through life then. ________! Let your love fill your work and your soul. Life is ________short not to live it well.
1.A. used up B. stayed up C. mixed up D. taken up
2.A. before B. during C. after D. over
3.
A. lighter and lighter B. wider and wider
C. smaller and smaller D. heavier and heavier
4.A. pillow B. bed C. tool D. waste
5.A. break B. shock C. hurt D. pass
6.A. jumping B. striking C. moving D. beating
7.A. accident B. lesson C. action D. noise
8.A. sad B. evil C. naughty D. silly
9.A. intentionally B. accidentally C. naturally D. obviously
10.A. present B. awake C. sleepy D. attentive
11.A. bomb B. instructions C. alarm o’clock D. hitter
12.A. even B. instead C. still D. therefore
13.A. left B. attended C. missed D. entered
14.A. smarter B. stranger C. braver D. prettier
15.A. not talking B. not learning C. not fighting D. not sleeping
16.A. with effort B. with pressure C. with desire D. with joy
17.A. aim B. expression C. acceptance D. offer
18.A. describe B. create C. change D. ruin
19.A. Cheer up B. Hurry up C. Wake up D. Look up
20.A. so B. as C. too D. such
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Today, enjoy the highlights of Shanghai, China's most 1.(energy) city consisting of people from different parts of the world. Your tour will begin with a tour of Old Shanghai, a 2.(mix) of pretty narrow streets, traditional Chinese stores, and restaurants selling delicious dumplings, 3.is the original pre-war Shanghai. Dating back to 1911 Shanghai, Old Town, was a walled city made up 4.(main)of fishermen, but the walls of the city 5.(tear) down to allow free movement and easier trade. Continue through the Old Town, 6.you’ll find the Yu Garden there, first 7.(establish) in the Ming Dynasty by a Mandarin named Pan Yunduan, who used to be the governor of Sichuan. The Yu Garden is considered 8.the best garden in Southeast China, and enjoys 9.history of over 400 years long. A large-scale restoration of the Yu Garden was conducted 10.it opened to the public formally in 1961.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
As a student, I can tell you that there is nothing better than praised by my teacher before my classmates. Never will I forget one experience in an English class last year.
I felt extreme nervous the instant the class began. Mr. Zhang might announce the exam result and I would probably get scolding as before. Surprisingly, when entering the classroom, he glanced at us, saying gently, “Today, I won’t talk about the exam, but I am excited to tell you what Li Jia wrote an excellent English article in the exam.” At hearing what he said, I was so excited that I couldn’t hold back my tear. It was the first time that I have got praised. From then on, I fell in love with the English. I’m grateful to Mr. Zhang. Without her praise, I couldn’t have gone such far in my English study.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
环保部目前发布《中国环境噪声污染防治报告（2016）》，披露了全国城市噪声环境现状以及噪音防治工作的总体状况，其中，全国最“吵”的地方，并非京沪等特大城市，而是贵阳。请写一封信到市长信箱，内容应包括：
1.表达对贵阳面临的噪音问题的担忧；
2.分析造成该问题的原因（如车辆增加、城市建设等）；
3.提出适当建议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Mayor,
Recently, the environmental protection department has issued a report
_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 困难查看答案及解析