"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
-Albert Einstein
If you have a kid with special needs in the school system, chances are you’ve come across that saying hanging on a classroom wall. My five-year-old daughter Syona has cerebral palsy (a medical condition affecting someone’s control over their movement ) and it means ,combined with her communication challenges and sight problems , that standard assessments (and by “standard”, I mean the ones used to assess kids with special needs ) aren’t always an accurate measure of her abilities.
By now you have probably heard about Chris Ulmer, the 26-year-old teacher in Jacksonville, Florida ,who starts his special education class by calling up each student individually to give them much admiration and a high-five (a gesture of greeting or congratulation ). I couldn’t help but be reminded of Syona’s teacher and how she supports each kid in a very similar way. Ulmer recently shared a video of his teaching experience. “I have seen their confidence and self-worth increase rapidly,” he said . All I could think was: How lucky these students are to have such inspirational teachers.
Syona’s teacher has an attitude that can best be summarized in one word: awesome. Her teacher doesn’t focus on what can’t be done—she focuses on what can be done. Over the past several months, my husband Dilip and I have seen Syona’s confidence increase tenfold. She uses words she wouldn’t have thought of using before. She recently told me about her classmate’s trip to Ecuador and was very proud when I understood her on the first try.
I actually wonder what the influence would be if we did something similar to what Ulmer does with his students in our home .We’ve recently started our day by reminding each other of the good qualities we all possess. If we are reminded of our strengths on a regular basis, we will become increasingly confident about progress and success.
Ulmer’s reach as a teacher goes far beyond the walls of his classroom. In fact, he teaches all of us to take a moment and truly appreciate the strengths of an important person in our lives.
1.What does the author think of Einstein’s quote?
A. Funny
B. Strange
C. True
D. Confusing
2.What can we learn about Chris Ulmer?
A. He is Syona’s favorite teacher.
B. He praises his students one by one
C. He use videos to teach his students
D. He asks his students to help each other
3.Syona felt very pleased because_____.
A. she has developed a cool attitude
B. her mother knew what she expressed
C. her progress was appreciated by her parents
D. she had been to Ecuador with her classmate
4.What change has taken place in the author’s family?
A. They give each other praise every day
B. They visit Ulmer’s classroom regularly
C. They feel grateful to people in their lives
D. They invite Ulmer’s students to their home
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
"Barefoot Mike" gets a lot of attention when he shows up at the beginning of a race. He loves to run and has been running since he was a kid. He loves to race, and often competes in 10K races. But that’s not the reason he gets so much attention. People notice him because when he runs, “Barefoot Mike” runs barefoot.
Running barefoot has become a huge trend in the world of running. “I didn't set out to be a trend setter,” laughed
“Barefoot Mike”, otherwise known as Mike Whitaker. “I've always been a runner, but until a few years ago, I always wore shoes. Then one day I was running after a rainstorm. I stepped off into the grass to avoid a puddle(水坑) on the sidewalk, and accidentally stepped into a huge muddy puddle that had been hidden in the grass. I tried to keep running, but the wet and dirty shoe made it really hard. I figured the best solution was to just get rid of the shoes.”
Mike took off his shoes and dropped them into the nearest trash can. “Then I started running. At first I went really slowly because I was watching out for rocks or other things that could hurt my feet, but there really weren't any problems.” He started going faster. “It felt so good!” Mike said. “My knee, which always ached, didn't ache. My foot was able to spread out so I had better balance. And my feet didn't feel all hot and sweaty. It was awesome!”
“There are actually potential health benefits to running barefoot,” said Dr. Nancy Bower, a podiatrist(足科医师)．
A recent study agrees. A team of researchers recently videotaped several people running —first wearing shoes and then barefoot. In almost every case, when wearing shoes, the runners tended to land on the heel of their foot, which they call “heelstriking.” Many runners have impact injuries such as knee pain. Heelstriking may be the cause of these injuries or may make an existing injury worse.
When running barefoot, the runners tended to land on the middle part of the foot. The force is spread out throughout the foot. The ankle, shin(胫部), knee and hip don't get the shock of a hard landing with every step.
1.Why does Mike receive a lot of attention while running?
A. Because he runs very fast.
B. Because he loses his shoes.
C. Because he wears no shoes.
D. Because he wears strange clothes.
2.According to Paragraph 2, why did Mike run barefoot years ago?
A. He liked running barefoot.
B. He was advised to run barefoot.
C. His shoe became very uncomfortable.
D. His dream of becoming famous motivated him.
3.After running barefoot for a while a few years ago, Mike ________.
A. was very tired
B. was badly hurt
C. gave up running
D. felt unexpectedly great
4.According to the recent study, heelstriking ________.
A. is bad for one's health
B. is caused by existing injuries
C. happens when one runs barefoot
D. can be avoided by wearing sports shoes.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It’s always been a rule in my family, spoken or unspoken, that you don’t waste food. With six children herself and having grown up in an even larger family through the Great Depression, my mother would never tolerate throwing out the amounts of food we see routinely these days in the dumpster. We were told simply to clean our plates, no matter whether we liked the taste or if we were not hungry or not. So this subject is deep in my genes and upbringing.
Estimates are that nearly one third of all food produced is wasted. USDA estimates 31% of food available at retail (零售)level is wasted. 12% of landfill material is food. 28% of agricultural land produces food which is wasted, says the FAO. 18% of vegetables, and 12% of the apple crop are lost at the farm level in the United States., say experts.
Luckily, there’s an “ugly food” movement picking up steam. “Ugly” foods are those that sellers and buyers often reject because of their appearance, like misshapen vegetables and bruised（擦伤的） fruits. Farmers dump them. Supermarkets and restaurants reject them. Now supermarkets and restaurants reject them. Consumers historically have avoided them. Now supermarkets feature the ugly. It’s fashionable. More artful terms are favored. A French supermarket chain is selling “inglorious” foods. The British chain ASDA uses “wonky（歪斜的）” (which to American ears might sound as bad as “ugly.”) Canada’s Loblaws uses “naturally imperfect.” Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who has cast himself as a promoter of the “good food movement,” has signed on with some British chains to support their efforts.
With the effort of Kretschmann Farm CSA’s we’ve taken the line that rather than throw away things which would be classified by others as ugly, inglorious, or imperfect, we would just give them to you and you could decide. Either we throw them away, or you can. Oftentimes this adds to the volume of the box, or makes it a little more urgent to consume (because sometimes those rejected foods are just very ripe!).
1.When the author was a kid, he .
A. often suffered from hunger
B. was not allowed to waste food
C. had to wash plates after a meal
D. didn’t like the taste of his food
2.What does the underlined part “picking up steam” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Coming to an end.
B. Facing a challenge.
C. Making a selection.
D. Becoming more popular.
3.The Kretschmann Farm CSA .
A. provides perfect food for customers
B. sells food mot of which is very ripe
C. tries to bring ugly food to customers
D. encourage the consumption of food
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Most times, what people accept as hope is a feeling or thought that something desired may happen. The word hope is a guarantee（保证）of happiness without a doubt. Hope in ancient Greek is “elpis” meaning “to expect or look forward with pleasure”. Orison Swett Marden says “there is no medicine as great and powerful expectation of something better tomorrow.”
Samuel Esson Jonah is one of the world’s most influential personalities of this century. When he was young, mining for Africans was hell on earth, because they were treated very badly and there were no key positions in the industry for them because it was believed that the black could not manage their affairs successfully. Even in the face of all these challenges and discriminations, Jonah hoped to head the industry someday. When he told his workmates and parents about his hope, he became a laughing stock. Not giving up on his hope, he worked hard toward it and at last he became president of Anglo Gold Ashanti.
Hope without doubt helps you to work hard until you finally achieve your aims or goals. Hope keeps one alive and also helps us persevere (坚持) to succeed. Someone may say “I’ve tried and failed several times”. As a matter of fact, failure is inevitable(无法避免的) sometimes but that doesn’t overrule your ability to succeed. The key is that you can’t give up your hope. Our history has seen many great achievers. Though they hoped they could make it, they also failed; however, they didn’t give up on their hope. They worked even harder and eventually succeeded.
Today when we can celebrate so many of them for their courage, remember “faith without work is dead”, so is your dream or hope. Samuel Similes says “Hope is the companion（伙伴） of power, the mother of success, for who so hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles (奇迹).” So don’t let your hope down.
1.What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?
A. How to remain hopeful.
B. What hope really means.
C. The importance of having hope.
D. The relationship between hope and pleasure.
2.The author uses the example of Samuel Esson Jonah mainly to _________.
A. prove that hope can lead to success
B. prove a lowly man can also succeed
C. show the times produce their heroes
D. show it’s hard for a black to succeed
3.According to Paragraph 3, to succeed one should _________.
A. acquire great ability
B. avoid quitting easily
C. try to understand history
D. stop being overconfident
4.Which would be the best title for the text?
A. Hope is just a choice
B. Keep your hope alive
C. Failure breeds success
D. How to achieve success
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
How to love your Mondays
I used to spend the second half of Sunday dreading Monday morning.1.But now I am definitely in the “I Love Mondays” camp. Here’s what I’ve found that works:
Start Monday morning with your Sunday night routine. When you get ready to exercise, you warm up first.2. Get everything you need for the morning ready to go. Then consider a special “Sunday Night Only” winding down ritual (固定方式).It might be tea and a favorite TV show, or a long hot bath. Whatever it is, enjoy this Monday morning warm-up, and consider turning in a little earlier than you’re used to.
3.Turning in a little early Sunday night can help with getting up a little early Monday morning. When you have a little extra time in the morning, you can gently settle into the day and keep that weekend feeling of ease as you start your new week.
Find a theme for the week. Every Monday, I post an inspiring quote or saying on the wall. These are intentional! Each week, as part of my Sunday night winding down time, I consider what I’d like to focus on in the coming week, and look for a quote that’s a good fit to reinforce (加强) it.4.
Look at the week’s tasks as opportunities instead of problems. What are you excited about for the new week?5.What’s been hanging over your head undone from last week? Take a look at the week ahead and highlight a few things that you can reasonably accomplish.
When you are intentionally creating a life you love, Mondays begin to feel like a beautiful new start!
A.Get up early enough to start slowly.
B.What a waste of a perfectly good evening!
C.What problem-solving opportunities do you have?
D.Consider Sunday nights your warm-up for Monday.
E.Have them in clean, working order and a convenient location.
F.It can be a word or whatever inspires you for the week ahead.
G.The work is the same either way, but our attitudes are within our control.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
After an overnight trip to Sydney, I was heading home tired but happy. Stopping at a fruit market, I________ a parking space and reversed (倒车)in. But then I was being_______by one of these pedestrians (行人) for almost running her________ over. The girl was actually a teenager, who was________ enough to possess her own common sense. It is not the same as seeing a little kid running wild in a car park, where you would stop.
After I_________,I walked up to the lady and asked her what else I could have done.________ she pointed out that I was heading into one car space but changed my_____,I told her honestly that I had never______the park in front and mentioned I had my reverse lights on.
“So let’s just put it down to a misunderstanding, shall we?” I_____,rather than fight her anger with________or more anger. She said “Yes, let’s” ,but showed me her angry face.
An elderly couple nearby had seen it all and told me I had handled it________and that the angry woman was in the wrong. This offered some_____.While in the market, I thought about the_____.Had I responded to the lady in anger, then I would have ended up taking her poison on too. But by managing to stay_____,there was a totally different outcome.
Car parks in summer are never the most_____ places to be anyway. Fuses (导火线) run short due to the_____ and busyness. People lose______in crowds. But if we are able to consider other people______only thinking of ourselves, it saves adding any more fuel to the fire.
The car park incident left me with______and self-love. It left the other people with anger.
I know which I would___________
1.A. made B. chose C. entered D. ordered
2.A. abused B. punished C. interrupted D. forced
3.A. son B. husband C. mother D. daughter
4.A. strong B. smart C. pretty D. old
5.A. rested B. noticed C. parked D. decided
6.A. When B. Before C. Unless D. Though
7.A. speed B. mind C. opinion D. position
8.A. cared about B. given up C. intended for D. heard of
9.A. begged B. commented C. suggested D. explained
10.A. sadness B. unkindness C. politeness D. friendliness
11.A. well B. quickly C. wrong D. easily
12.A. satisfaction B. comfort C. protection D. advice
13.A. journey B. car C. incident D. makert
14.A. excited B. awake C. curious D. calm
15.A. joyous B. clean C. safe D. beautiful
16.A. pressure B. noise C. pain D. heat
17.A. weight B. balance C. patience D. face
18.A. because of B. instead of C. in spite of D. in case of
19.A. peace B. confidence C. fortune D. success
20.A. allow B. offer C. demand D. prefer
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Scotland is a country in Great Britain, to the north of England. Edinburgh is the capital and Glasgow is 1.Largest city. Scotland has 2.(rough) 800 islands, but people only live on some of them.
In the north of Scotland it is light until 11:30 p.m. in summer and in winter you can sometimes see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, 3.Are spectacular lights in the sky. Energy from the sun 4.(turn) the Earth’s sky green, red and other colors.
At public and 5.(culture)events you can often hear traditional Scottish music and see traditional Scottish dancing. Pipers play music on bagpipes, a Celtic wind instrument with pipes and a bag. Pipers and dancers usually wear kilts, a traditional skirt 6.(wear) by men and women. Scots enjoy all types of music from folk 7.Rock and pop, and festivals like ‘The Edinburgh Festival’ or concerts like T in the Park 8.(be) very popular.
The most popular sport in Scotland is football. Another popular game, golf 9.(invent) in Scotland in the Middle Ages. The famous Scottish Highland Games are a(n) 10.(combine) of culture and sport and Highland Games are celebrated all Over the World.
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。
Today was Sunday, and I was so pleasing because our family had a bigger gathering. We went to the park to having a barbecue. Since the family members hadn’t got together with a long time, so my father decided to organize a family gathering. In the park, I played with cousins. We were visiting the park while our parents were doing a barbecue. When my cousins and I was tired, we went to join the grown-ups’ activities. We share our lives while eating. I like this activity so much that I hope my family can have more times together.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华。某教育集团正在你市组织中学生开展赴美冬令营活动，现招募一名学生领队，你有意应聘。请根据以下要点，给该项目的负责人安娜写一封英文自荐信。要点如下：
1.表示感兴趣；
2.个人优势（语言、文化、体质及性格等方面）；
3.希望得到回复。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Anna,
I’m glad to learn that you are looking for a student to be captain of the winter camp.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________
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____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析