I try not to be biased(偏见)but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee. He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-togued speech of Down’s Syndrome(唐氏综合症). I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.
I shouldn’t have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my regular trucker customers had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often had heart problems at an early age and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, did a little dance when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at her and asked, “Okay, Frannie, what was that all about?”
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is."
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand.
"What's up?" I asked.
“I cleared off that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting after they left, and I found this. This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".
That was three months ago. Today is New Year’s day , the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he had been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. I took him and his mother by their arms. “To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me.”
I led them toward a large corner booth. I could feel and hear truck customers and the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups and dinner plates, all sitting slightly on dozens of folded paper napkins.
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said.
Stevie looked at me, and then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed on it.
I turned to his mother. “There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving!”
While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.
1.Why did the author have doubts about hiring Stevie?
A.Stevie was not that reliable. B.Stevie was mentally disabled
C.Stevie was too short and fat. D.Stevie was bad-tempered
2.What made the author not fully satisfied with Stevie’s work?
A.That he made customers uncomfortable. B.That he couldn’t pay attention to his duties.
C.That he often spilled cups of coffee. D.That he usually cleaned the table too early.
3.By saying the underlined words in Paragaraph3, the author meant that the money she paid Stevie________.
A.could help Stevie out of the trouble B.could send Stevie to a group home
C.couldn’t thoroughly solve Stevie’s problem D.could make a great difference to Stevie’s life
4.Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table?
A.Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him.
B.The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning.
C.It was Stevie’s duty to clean the table.
D.She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.
5.What made Stevie popular among the staff and customers in the restaurant?
A.His special appearance. B.His hard work and optimism.
C.His funny speeches and actions. D.His kind-hearted behaviour.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
I try not to be biased(偏见)but I had my doubts about hiring Stevie. His social worker assured me that he would be a good, reliable busboy. But I had never had a mentally handicapped employee. He was short, a little fat, with the smooth facial features and thick-togued speech of Down’s Syndrome(唐氏综合症). I thought most of my customers would be uncomfortable around Stevie, so I closely watched him for the first few weeks.
I shouldn’t have worried. After the first week, Stevie had my staff wrapped around his stubby little finger, and within a month my regular trucker customers had adopted him as their official truck stop mascot. After that, I really didn't care what the rest of the customers thought of him. He was like a 21-year-old in blue jeans and Nikes, eager to laugh and eager to please, but fierce in his attention to his duties. Every salt and pepper shaker was exactly in its place, not a bread crumb or coffee spill was visible when Stevie got done with the table. Our only problem was persuading him to wait to clean a table until after the customers were finished.
Over time, we learned that he lived with his mother, a widow who was disabled. Money was tight, and what I paid him was probably the difference between them being able to live together and Stevie being sent to a group home.
That's why the restaurant was a gloomy place that morning last August, the first morning in three years that Stevie missed work. He was at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester getting a heart surgery. His social worker said that people with Downs Syndrome often had heart problems at an early age and there was a good chance he would come through the surgery in good shape and be back at work in a few months.
A ripple of excitement ran through the staff later that morning when word came that he was out of surgery, in recovery, and doing fine. Frannie, my head waitress, did a little dance when she heard the good news. Belle Ringer, one of our regular trucker customers, stared at her and asked, “Okay, Frannie, what was that all about?”
"We just got word that Stevie is out of surgery and going to be okay."
"I was wondering where he was. I had a new joke to tell him. What was the surgery about?"
Frannie quickly told Belle Ringer and the other two drivers sitting at his booth about Stevie's surgery, then sighed: "Yeah, I'm glad he is going to be OK," she said. "But I don't know how he and his Mom are going to handle all the bills. From what I hear, they're barely getting by as it is."
Belle Ringer nodded thoughtfully, and Frannie hurried off to wait on the rest of her tables.
After the morning rush, Frannie walked into my office. She had a couple of paper napkins in her hand.
"What's up?" I asked.
“I cleared off that table where Belle Ringer and his friends were sitting after they left, and I found this. This was folded and tucked under a coffee cup."
She handed the napkin to me, and three $20 bills fell onto my desk when I opened it. On the outside, in big, bold letters, was printed "Something For Stevie".
That was three months ago. Today is New Year’s day , the first day Stevie is supposed to be back to work. His placement worker said he had been counting the days until the doctor said he could work, I arranged to have his mother bring him to work, met them in the parking lot and invited them both to celebrate his day back. I took him and his mother by their arms. “To celebrate you coming back, breakfast for you and your mother is on me.”
I led them toward a large corner booth. I could feel and hear truck customers and the rest of the staff following behind as we marched through the dining room. We stopped in front of the big table. Its surface was covered with coffee cups and dinner plates, all sitting slightly on dozens of folded paper napkins.
"First thing you have to do, Stevie, is clean up this mess," I said.
Stevie looked at me, and then pulled out one of the napkins. It had "Something for Stevie" printed on the outside. As he picked it up, two $10 bills fell onto the table. Stevie stared at the money, then at all the napkins peeking from beneath the tableware, each with his name printed on it.
I turned to his mother. “There's more than $10,000 in cash and checks on that table, all from truckers and trucking companies that heard about your problems. Happy Thanksgiving!”
While everybody else was busy shaking hands and hugging each other, Stevie, with a big, big smile on his face, was busy clearing all the cups and dishes from the table.
1.Why did the author have doubts about hiring Stevie?
A.Stevie was not that reliable. B.Stevie was mentally disabled
C.Stevie was too short and fat. D.Stevie was bad-tempered
2.What made the author not fully satisfied with Stevie’s work?
A.That he made customers uncomfortable. B.That he couldn’t pay attention to his duties.
C.That he often spilled cups of coffee. D.That he usually cleaned the table too early.
3.By saying the underlined words in Paragaraph3, the author meant that the money she paid Stevie________.
A.could help Stevie out of the trouble B.could send Stevie to a group home
C.couldn’t thoroughly solve Stevie’s problem D.could make a great difference to Stevie’s life
4.Why did the author ask Stevie to clean up the mess on the table?
A.Stevie could pick up the money that was given to him.
B.The table was so dirty that it needed cleaning.
C.It was Stevie’s duty to clean the table.
D.She wanted to congratulate Stevie on his coming back.
5.What made Stevie popular among the staff and customers in the restaurant?
A.His special appearance. B.His hard work and optimism.
C.His funny speeches and actions. D.His kind-hearted behaviour.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I have been trying to advise them not to act that way, but my advice had no _________on them.
A. impression B. advantage C. influence D. affect
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
The manager seemed to be doubtful about my ability, _______ I could see from the expression on his face.
A.this B. where C. that D. which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The manager seemed to be doubtful about my ability, _______ I could see from the expression on his face.
A.this B. where C. that D. which
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some cities and lawmakers are resisting crime-fighting tech owing to bias (偏见) and accuracy concerns. Police departments around the U.S. are asking citizens to trust them to use facial recognition software as a handy tool in their crime-fighting toolbox. But some lawmakers — and even some technology giants — are against it.
Take the western Massachusetts city of Springfield, where many residents are Latino or black. Springfield police say they have no plans to use facial recognition systems, but some City Council members are moving to block any future government use of the technology anyway.
At an October hearing on the subject, Springfield City Councilman, Orlando Ramos, defended the technology. “The facial recognition technology does not drop a net from the sky and put you to prison,” he said, noting that it could serve as a useful investigative tool. However, he doesn’t want to take any risks. “It would only lead to more racial discrimination.” he said, citing studies that found higher error rates for facial recognition software used to identify women and people with darker skins.
Similar debates across the country are highlighting racial issues and concerns about the technology’s accuracy. Axon, which supplies body-worn cameras nationwide, had already formed an artificial intelligence ethics board (伦理委员会)that concluded facial recognition technology isn’t yet dependable enough to justify its use on police cameras. Axon Chief Executive Rick Smith said, “Even if facial recognition software was perfectly accurate, the ability to track people raises privacy concerns. “Do we want everybody who walks near a police officer to get their face identified and logged in a database?” he said.
Nevertheless, Todd Pastorini, general manager at biometric forensics (生物取证) company DataWorks Plus, said it’s the “extremely effective” method of running images through photos to help identify a suspect. “Society and the public are going to get frustrated, if governments refuse to adopt a technology that keeps improving”, he said. In his eyes, facial recognition hits are just one part of an investigation.
1.What is Orlando Ramos’ attitude towards facial recognition?
A.Hopeful. B.Cautious. C.Ambiguous. D.Tolerant.
2.What is one focus of the debates about facial recognition?
A.Gender discrimination. B.Speed limit.
C.Accuracy rate. D.Steadiness control.
3.What does Rick Smith think of facial recognition?
A.It appears to cause prejudice. B.It brings about privacy concerns.
C.Its technology is reliable. D.Its accuracy needs improving.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Facial recognition tool meets with resistance.
B.All the people disapprove of facial recognition.
C.Facial recognition is the only tool of investigation.
D.Governments should ban facial recognition.
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
Optimism Bias (偏见)
While we often like to think of ourselves as highly rational and logical, researchers have found that the human brain is sometimes too optimistic for its own good. If you were asked to estimate how likely you are to experience illness, job loss, or an accident, you are likely to underestimate the probability that such events will ever impact your life. 1.
This bias leads us to believe that we are less likely to suffer from misfortune and more likely to attain success than reality would suggest. We believe that we will live longer, and that we will be more successful in life than the average. 2.
The optimism bias is essentially a mistaken belief that our chances of experiencing negative events are lower and our chances of experiencing positive events are higher than those of our peers. And this overly positive assumption doesn’t mean that we have an overly sunny outlook on our own lives. 3. People might skip their yearly physical, not wear their seatbelt, or fail to put on sunscreen because they mistakenly believe that they are less likely to get sick, get in an accident, or get skin cancer.
Cognitive neuroscientist Tali Sharot, author of The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain, notes that this bias is widespread and can be seen in cultures all over the world. Sharot also suggests that while this optimism bias can at times lead to negative outcomes like foolishly engaging in risky behaviors or making poor choices about your health, it can also have its benefits. 4. If we expect good things to happen, we are more likely to be happy. This optimism can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy. By believing that we will be successful, people are in fact more likely to be successful.
5. After all, if we didn’t believe that we could achieve success, why would we even bother trying? Optimists are also more likely to take measures to protect their health such as exercising, taking vitamins, and following a nutritious diet.
A.Optimism also motivates us to pursue our goals.
B.But we are also highly motivated to be so optimistic.
C.But definitely not everyone is blessed with such luck.
D.This is because your brain has a built-in optimism bias.
E.It can also lead to poor decision-making, which can sometimes have disastrous results.
F.This optimism enhances well-being by creating a sense of anticipation about the future.
G.Various causes may lead to the optimistic bias, including cognitive and motivational factors.
高三英语七选五中等难度题查看答案及解析
On the whole, it’s not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it. Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.
“It’s expensive, but worth it,” says Ashan Sabri, whose daughter Zarreen, is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. “My husband and I tried to tutor her at home, but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen. We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting in a room for different kinds of exams. On the whole, we think one-to-one tuition works best.”
The real reason is: does tutoring do any good?
“It’s not the magic bullet,” says Professor Judith Ireson, author of a 2005 Institute of Education report on the subject. “It’s still up to the child to do the learning. If he or she isn’t interested, sending them to a private tutor won’t do any good. However, we did find that students who had private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSE achieved on average just under half a grade higher than students who did not have a tutor.”
In which case, surely it’s time to break open the champagne? Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell, head of The Rowans School, Wimbledon, a preparation school which regularly gets children into the best private schools.
“While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn’t English, we don’t encourage it for the others. With the level of education they get here, children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. And our worry is that they might just get used to getting help from last-minute tutoring, but, once they actually get to that school, they won’t be able to cope.”
But Mylene Curtis, owner of Fleet Tutors, one of the biggest tutoring agencies in the country, holds a different view.
“In some respects, the hurdles children have to leap in order to get into these schools are set at a higher level than the reality,” says Curtis. “We often find that, once a child has got into a school, the standard of work isn’t as high as was feared. The trick is to do well enough in the exam to win a place.”
1.What does Ashan Sabri think of the group revision course?
A. It’s expensive but worthwhile because it works the best.
B. It confuses students because the knowledge taught in it is out of date.
C. It isn’t effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.
D. It is effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams.
2.What do the underlined words “magic bullet” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Something that cannot help to solve problems at all.
B. Something that solves a difficult problem in an easy way.
C. Something that seems useful but has no use at all.
D. Something that encourages interest in study.
3.According to Elaine Tyrrell, private tutoring is _______.
A. effective in language learning but not for exams
B. effective for foreign students but not for local students
C. unnecessary in most cases and may harm the further study of students
D. unnecessary in secondary school but helpful to further study
4.What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A. Fleet Tutors and the Rowans School are competitors.
B. Entrance exams to schools are too difficult for most students.
C. Further study isn’t as difficult as was first thought.
D. Private tuition is worth the financial investment.
5.What attitude does the author hold towards home tutoring?
A. Critical B. Objective C. Supportive D. Uninterested
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
On the whole, it’s not something we parents shout about, but one in four of us does it. Hiring private tutors for our children is now widespread.
“It’s expensive, but worth it,” says Ashan Sabri, whose daughter Zarreen, is having tuition in biology and chemistry in preparation for A-levels this summer. “My husband and I tried to tutor her at home, but we found all our knowledge was out of date and we were only confusing Zarreen. We also tried a group revision course but all the children were sitting in a room for different kinds of exams. On the whole, we think one-to-one tuition works best.”
The real reason is: does tutoring do any good?
“It’s not the magic bullet,” says Professor Judith Ireson, author of a 2005 Institute of Education report on the subject. “It’s still up to the child to do the learning. If he or she isn’t interested, sending them to a private tutor won’t do any good. However, we did find that students who had private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSE achieved on average just under half a grade higher than students who did not have a tutor.”
In which case, surely it’s time to break open the champagne? Not necessarily, says Elaine Tyrrell, head of The Rowans School, Wimbledon, a preparation school which regularly gets children into the best private schools.
“While we recommend private tutoring for a few children whose first language isn’t English, we don’t encourage it for the others. With the level of education they get here, children really ought to be able to pass the entrance exams without any extra teaching. And our worry is that they might just get used to getting help from last-minute tutoring, but, once they actually get to that school, they won’t be able to cope.”
But Mylene Curtis, owner of Fleet Tutors, one of the biggest tutoring agencies in the country, holds a different view.
“In some respects, the hurdles children have to leap in order to get into these schools are set at a higher level than the reality,” says Curtis. “We often find that, once a child has got into a school, the standard of work isn’t as high as was feared. The trick is to do well enough in the exam to win a place.”
1.What does Ashan Sabri think of the group revision course?
A.It’s expensive but worthwhile because it works the best. |
B.It confuses students because the knowledge taught in it is out of date. |
C.It isn’t effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams. |
D.It is effective because it doesn’t focus on specific exams. |
2. What do the underlined words “magic bullet” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.Something that cannot help to solve problems at all. |
B.Something that solves a difficult problem in an easy way. |
C.Something that seems useful but has no use at all. |
D.Something that encourages interest in study. |
3.According to Elaine Tyrrell, private tutoring is _______.
A.effective in language learning but not for exams |
B.effective for foreign students but not for local students |
C.unnecessary in most cases and may harm the further study of students |
D.unnecessary in secondary school but helpful to further study |
4. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
A.Fleet Tutors and the Rowans School are competitors. |
B.Entrance exams to schools are too difficult for most students. |
C.Further study isn’t as difficult as was first thought. |
D.Private tuition is worth the financial investment. |
5.What attitude does the author hold towards home tutoring?
A.Critical | B.Objective | C.Supportive | D.Uninterested |
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
I was at a loss for how to handle the fights among my kick- Many activities had been tried, but they didn’t work. After reading What I Know for Sure written by Oprah Winfrey, a thought occurred to me one day.
“Starting with Dora, I want everyone to find the chance to say ‘thank you’.” I declared.
“What?” Ashley asked. “What’s going on?’’
“Just do it.”
Naturally, the kid^ all thought I had lost my mind. I wasn’t sure if they were wrong, but I pressed on.
“Now, we’re going to keep going around and everyone tells what they’re thankful for.”
Clearly doubtful and frustrated, the kids launched in, and I kept them going.
“I’m thankful for our house.”
“I’m thankful for my clothes.”
“I’m thankful for my whole life and everyone in the world.”
“What? What am I supposed to say?”
‘‘Keep going.”
“I’m grateful for my underwear!” Instant laughter erupted, music to my ears!
“Great, lei it out!” I encouraged. “What else?”
And that was all we needed. The gratitude--great and small, serious and funny---came rolling out.
“My backpack.”
“My teachers.”
On and on it went until every face was lit with a new kind of joy and laughter. I could sense a new feeling of peace and comfort in the air a reminder of not only our blessings, but the love we really did have for each other.
“I’m grateful for being grateful!” Dora declared.
“Me, too!” was the unanimous response.
I don’t remember the activities that took place the rest of the day. But it was a day when our family was transformed by two simple words: thank you. Since then, it’s become a family motto.
1.Why did the author ask her kids to find the chance to say “thank you”?
A. To play games among them. B. To kill their free lime.
C. To solve their fights. D. To make them be polite.
2.How did Ashley react when hearing his mother’s suggestion at first?
A. He was puzzled. B. He felt very glad.
C. He supported it. D. He responded actively.
3.What does the underlined word “unanimous” probably mean?
A. Funny. B. Unimportant.
C. Unexpected. D. Agreed.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. Mom’s Big Heart B. A Sweet Home
C. Magic of a Family Motto D. A Meaningful Family Meeting
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Try to be a responsible school by not allowing anyone to attend class, ________ has had a fever.
A.who B.which C.as D.that
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析