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A primary school teacher who left a class of 25 pupils in tears after she told them Santa Claus did not exist has been fired. When excited youngsters became rowdy as they talked about Santa, the supply teacher said out suddenly, "It's your parents who leave out presents on Christmas Day."
The class of seven-year-olds at Blackshaw Lane Primary School, Royton, Greater Manchester burst into tears and told their parents when they arrived home. Mothers and fathers then complained about the incident and were sent a letter by the school saying the teacher, who only worked at the school for one day last week, has been punished.
The school has now said it will not hire her again.
One father said, "My son came home and said that his teacher had told the class that Santa doesn't exist and it’s their mum and dad that put out presents for them. Obviously, they were all talking about Christmas and being a bit rowdy. She just came straight out with it. "
"My son was in tears and so was everyone else in the class — especially as it was so close to Christmas. I thought it was wrong. He was crazy about it. He’s only seven-year-old and it's part of the magic of Christmas to him. "
"We told him that she did not believe in Father Christmas because of her religion and he's fine now."
"The father described the incident as ' shocking' and believed it was done with malicious intent (恶意地). A lot of parents were angry and complained to the school. The teacher, who was supplied by Rochdale and Oldham Supply Agency, is still listed and will work with other schools," the agency said.
However, the head teacher in Angela McCormick refused to comment on the incident.
1. Who felt the angriest about the incident?
A. The teacher who was fired. B. The parents whose children cried.
C. The pupils who were in tears. D. Santa Claus the teacher talked about.
2. We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. the teacher was fired and couldn't continue her career in teaching
B. the parents complained about the discipline of the school
C. the little pupils felt disappointed after hearing the words said by the teacher
D. in reality, Santa Claus exists and gives out presents once a year
3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word "rowdy"?
A. surprised. B. noisy. C. discouraged. D. annoyed.
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Remember how great exercise was when you were a little kid? Back then, racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours, you weren’t thinking fitness, you were thinking entertainment. But in this age of high-tech home equipment and underused gym memberships, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten. Rediscovering it will give you a total-body exercise you can find.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never gained widespread acceptance because of two fundamental reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical outcome. Second, many view it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun if you find a proper way to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again, people good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double–bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Now researchers are learning that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres to perform in parallel to each other. In short , jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.
1. From the first paragraph we learn that ________.
A．jumping rope has faded from people’s memories
B．people now have more advanced equipment
C．racing around the playground was preferred
D．people now like to have exercise in a gym
2. Rope jumping has not spread widely because________.
A．it benefits the cardiovascular system B．it is neither easy nor enjoyable
C．it is considered boring and repetitive D．it requires little equipment, time and space
3. The first sentence in the 3rd paragraph implies ________.
A．there is only one proper way to follow B．the usual way should not be used
C．the easiest way is always the best D．there are many ways to follow
4.What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
A．He is arguing against it. B．He is in favor of it.
C．He is sitting on the fence of it. D．He is not clear about it.
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"What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet，there is not too much.“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. "But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures，names matter a great deal.
Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives，not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a“Bertha"，for example. The last name，or，surname，must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic，but odd. Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand，people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common，like Fanny or Elmer，sound old-fashioned today. But other names—like John and David，Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.
People in Ameica don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead，they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance，a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa，Beth or Betsy. As children grow up，they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called.
Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names，like B. J, or R. C. And of course，people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor，like Honey or Sugar. What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself，take care to choose a good one. A made—up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name，either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once said，“In real life，unlike in Shakespeare，the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.”
1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. People change names in order to be popular with the new generanon.
B. Names will change by themselves in order to be popular.
C. Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation.
D. No names can stand the test of time.
2.When choosing names，you should stick to the following principles EXCEPT that
A. the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning
B. you can name after a well-known person
C.surname should be paid attention to
D.you can create a name that is special
3.The author will name a newly born baby girl________.
A． Bertha B. Fanny C. Yunyun D.Elizabeth
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Names have great significance to Americans.
B.Names change when time goes by.
C. Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names.
D.Roses smell sweet by any other name.
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It is a common fear among users of Facebook and other social media around the world—how to deal with a friend request from your boss or employee.
A survey released on Thursday found that 56 percent of Americans say it is irresponsible to be friends with a boss and 62 percent say it is wrong to be friends with an employee. But 76 percent believe it is acceptable to be friends with a workplace peer，according to the survey of 1，000 people by Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project.
"When the roles change what do you do then? Do you unfriend someone if they have now been promoted to be your boss or if you’re now their boss，”said researcher Kelly Holland. "We get into some really sticky situations there in terms of what people will think is responsible，”she said.
When using social media at work，73 percent say it is not appropriate to update your Facebook status，82 percent say you should not upload photos，72 percent believe tweeting is wrong and 79 percent say it is not acceptable to watch online videos. Yet 66 percent say it is fine to check your personal email while at work.
“When people focus on responsibility，they know what the responsible thing is to do but whether they are doing that in practice or not is a different story,”said Holland.
Americans are split on whether companies should review the social media profiles of job candidates with 52 percent saying it is appropriate and 48 percent saying it is unacceptable. Social media can also lead to some difficult decisions when it comes to family and relationships. Sixty percent of those polled say that it is“completely acceptable" to unfriend an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend. More than 40 percent of parents believe it is irresponsible to post photos of children online. Thirty one percent monitor their children's Facebook accounts and almost 70 percent are friends with their children on Facebook or MySpace. But 72 percent limit the time their children spend on social media networks.
The poll was taken between January 12一15．
1.The text is mainly about________
A. social，family and relationships. B. ways of making friends
C. not using social media at work D. action of responsibility
2. The underlined word "Facebook" in the first paragraph refers to________
A. a book about face B. an Internet site of making friends
C. a broadcasting media D. a newspaper or magazine
3.Which the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.thirty one percent of the parents keep watching on their children’s Fecebook accounts.
B. Forty eight percent agree to review the social media profiles of job candidates.
C. Eighty two percent say it isn’t appropriate to upload photos at work.
D. Seventy six percent believe it is acceptable to be friends with employee,
4. What was the writer’s attitude towards the result of survey?
A. Defensive. B. Critical. C.Objective. D. Doubtful
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Malaria, the world's most widespread parasitic (寄生虫引起的)disease, kills as many as three million people every year ---- almost all of whom are under five, very poor, and African. In most years, more than five hundred million cases of illness result from the disease, although exact numbers are difficult to assess because many people don't (or can't) seek care. It is not unusual for a family earning less than two hundred dollars a year to spend a quarter of its income on malaria treatment, and what they often get no longer works. In countries like Tanzania, Mozambique, and the Gambia, no family, village, hospital, or workplace can remain unaffected for long.
Malaria starts suddenly, with violent chills, which are soon followed by an intense fever and, often, headaches. As the parasites multiply, they take over the entire body. Malaria parasites live by eating the red blood cells they infect (感染) .They can also attach themselves to blood vessels in the brain. If it doesn't kill you, malaria can happen again and again for years. The disease is passed on to humans by female mosquitoes infected with one of four species of a parasite. Together, the mosquito and the parasite are the most deadly couple in the history of the earth and one of the most successful. Malaria has five thousand genes, and its ability to change rapidly to defend itself and resist new drugs has made it nearly impossible to control. Studies show that mosquitoes are passing on the virus more frequently, and there are more outbreaks in cities with large populations. Some of the disease's spread is due to global warming.
For decades, the first-choice treatment for malaria parasites in Africa has been chloroquine, a chemical which is very cheap and easy to make. Unfortunately, in most parts of the world, malaria parasites have become resistant to it. Successful alternatives that help prevent resistance are already available, but they have been in short supply and are very expensive. If these drugs should fail, nobody knows what would come next.
1. According to paragraph 1, many people don't seek care because ___________.
A. they are too poor
B. it is unusual to seek care
C. they can remain unaffected for long
D. there are too many people suffering from the disease
2. People suffering from malaria _____________.
A. have to kill female mosquitoes B. have ability to defend parasites
C. have their red blood cells infected D. have sudden fever, followed by chills
3. Which of the following may be the reason for the wide spread of the disease?
A. Its resistance to global warming.
B. Its ability to pass on the virus frequently.
C. Its outbreaks in cities with large populations.
D. Its ability to defend itself and resist new drugs.
4. It can be inferred from the passage that _____________.
A. no drugs have been found to treat the disease
B. the alternative treatment is not easily available to most people
C. malaria has developed its ability to resist parasites
D. nobody knows what will be the drug to treat the disease
5. Which of the following questions has NOT been discussed in the passage?
A. How can we know one is suffering from malaria?
B. How many people are killed by malaria each year?
C. Why are there so many people suffering from malaria?
D. What has been done to keep people unaffected for long?
