This Mother’s Day will be the 8th year I have spent without my own mother. She passed away less than a month before Mother’s Day in the year 2000. She had been ill for almost two years, and I didn’t cry when she died, or at her funeral, but on that first Mother’s Day without her. On that day, I realized that this person I loved and depended on was gone forever.
She still lives in family memories, in the thoughts of her friends and co-workers, in the values she had instilled(灌输) in her children, and in the lovely flower gardens that she had so carefully tended.
She loved her gladioli and irises. Each fall she would dig the bulbs out of the soil and carefully wrap them in paper. The bulbs would be stored until the following spring when they would be replanted. It seemed like a lot of effort to me, but each year her flower garden was more glorious than the year before. She put the same hard work into caring for her family, instilling in her children a sense of justice and fair play, compassion, and strong moral values so that we blossomed.
Share anecdotes about your mother’s life at your Mother’s Day party. Too often, we avoid speaking of those loved ones who have passed away, fearful that we will unearth sad feelings. It doesn’t have to be that way. Sharing fond memories and stories of the life we shared with her can be a healing process that binds（捆绑）the family together.
My mother passed away when her oldest grandchild was only eight years old. Children will enjoy sharing pictures and stories of the grandmother they may have never known or have little memory of. Sharing anecdotes to pass on to the next generation will give children a feeling of family history and continuity, and may be one of the best ways to honor our mothers and grandmothers who have gone before us.What does the underlined words “passed away” ( in Paragraph 1)mean?
| A．died | B．continued | C．started | D．lasted |
On the first Mother’s Day after mum died the author realized_______ .
| A．mum had been dead for a long time | B．mum had suffered a lot from the illness |
| C．it was true that mum had been dead | D．it was impossible to depend on mum |
From the third paragraph we can infer that mum_______ .
| A．loved her gladioli and irises | B．showed kindness to all her children |
| C．taught the children to plant patiently | D．had a good influence on the author |
At the Mother’s Day party people don’t mention their lost mums only because_______ .
| A．they are simply afraid of causing sad feelings |
| B．they have forgotten their mums completely |
| C．they don’t love their mums any longer |
| D．they think their mums have passed away |
In order to show honor to our mothers and grandmothers we can _____ .
| A．spend the Mother’s Day with our children |
| B．share the stories of them with the children |
| C．hold the Mother’s Day party every year |
| D．plant beautiful flowers in the family garden |
Where have all the boys gone？You may be able to find them in the gym, at work or hanging out, but there’s one important place where boys are underrepresented, and the problem seems to be getting worse. These days, at high school graduation ceremonies, there are a lot more girls than boys.
In fact, every year, 10 percent more girls graduate from high school than boys. “I think that there’s a tendency to focus on boys as problems at this point, rather than recognize that boys have problems,” says Joanne Max, PhD. Experts say the problems start in grade school, where there’s often an emphasis on sports instead of reading, for example. “I think that with boys there’s some idea that it’s not masculine(男子汉的)to read,” says Rob Jenkins, an English professor.
There’s also a shortage of male teachers as role models. “I think boys need role models, so if you’re a boy and you don’t have a dad in your home and then you have one male teacher and it’s your athletic coach then I don’t think you have a message that education is very important,” says Carol Carter, another expert. In addition, classrooms often have too little activity and too much passive listening, which is not conducive(有益的)to boys’ learning.
Experts say parents can fight back in many ways. Read to your sons early and often; show by your actions that you value their education. Ask them about their schoolwork, offer help, drop by their classroom and finally, appeal to their competitive spirit: challenge them to do better and help them understand that their future depends on it.The underlined part “one important place” in Paragraph 1 refers to “______”.
| A．classrooms | B．factories |
| C．high school graduation ceremonies | D．gyms |
According to the passage，boys have the problem that they think ______.
| A．reading is more important than sports |
| B．it is shameful for boys to read |
| C．boys should not work as a teacher |
| D．boys lack the gift for reading |
Carol Carter’s words implied that ______.
| A．parents play an important role in education |
| B．athletic coaches contribute a lot to education |
| C．lack of male teachers affects boys’ attitudes to school work |
| D．classrooms lack enough activities that are suitable for boys |
According to experts，parents should do the following except ______.
| A．often read to their sons when they are young |
| B．keep an eye on their sons’ studies at school |
| C．encourage their sons to compete with others |
| D．prevent their sons from taking part in sports |
So long as teachers fail to distinguish（区别, 辨认） between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading．Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public observation.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them properly, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated(除去, 剔除). Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| B．students spend endless hours in reading |
| C．reading tasks are assigned with little guidance |
| D．too much time is spent in teaching about reading |
The teaching of reading will be successful if ______.
| A．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students |
| B．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading |
| C．teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading |
| D．teachers can make their teaching activities observable |
According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when ______.
| A．children become highly motivated |
| B．teacher and learner roles are interchangeable |
| C．teaching helps children in the search for knowledge |
| D．reading enriches children’s experience |
The main idea of the passage is that ______.
| A．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read |
| B．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible |
| C．reading ability is something acquired rather than taught |
| D．reading is more complicated than generally believed |
Prison Break is a huge hit thanks to its handsome star, Wentworth Miller. His character, Michael Scofield, is the engine that drives the show.
Having committed a crime to get into prison and break out with his innocent brother, Michael Scofield is one of the most interesting personalities on TV today. But what about the man behind the character?
Miller, 35, is a hard guy to figure out. He does not come from a normal background and has never lived his life in a typical way.
Miller didn’t take direct path to fame and fortune. He graduated from Princeton University in 1995, not with a degree in theatre of film, but in English. He didn’t even act when he was in college. His only performance experience was in his university’s singing group. Yet, at graduation Miller still decided to make the move to Hollywood.
Miller has always been different. Although he is American, he was in Britain when his father was studying there. His family background is also a special mix of cultures. “My father is black and my mother is white. That means I have always been caught in the middle. I could be either one, which can make you feel out of place,” Miller says.
Following his unusual path, Miller did not start trying out for films and TV shows when he first went to Hollywood. Instead, he worked as a lowly production assistant. Not what you would expect from a Princeton graduate. However, it all paid off for Miller in the end.
In 2002, Miller played a role in the drama Dinotopia（《恐龙帝国》）. He started as a thoughtful and shy man. Producers remembered his performance when they were casting Prison Break two years later. With a golden globe nomination（提名）and another season of Prison Break on his resume, Miller seems ready to take over all of Hollywood. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Michael Scofield in Prison Break. |
| B．Hollywood’s recent big hit—Prison Break. |
| C．Miller’s unusual path to fame and fortune. |
| D．The man who will take over all of the world. |
The writer thinks “Miller is a hard guy to figure out” because ______ .
| A．it’s difficult to tell him from others |
| B．he is a shy man and hard to cooperate with |
| C．he always has ideas hard for people to understand |
| D．his family background and life experience are very special |
Which is the closest in meaning to the underlined sentence “it all paid off for Miller in the end”?
| A．Miller put a lot of extra work for his final success. |
| B．Miller gained fame and fortune at last with his first film. |
| C．Miller finally succeeded even if he has been in low position. |
| D．Miller managed to pay off his debts with his small income in the end. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE about Miller?
| A．He is chosen to play the Michael Scofield due to his interesting personality. |
| B．His performance in Dinotopia makes some contributions to his success. |
| C．He has the same experience with the character Michael Scofield. |
| D．He is angry about his being born into a mixed-cultural family. |
I live in Hollywood. You may think people in such an attractive, fun-filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is a deeper, more abiding emotion.
Going to an amusement park or ball game, watching a movie or television, are fun activities that help us relax, temporarily forget our problems and maybe even laugh. But they do not bring happiness, because their positive effects end when the fun ends.
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play, it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun. These rich, beautiful individuals have constant access to glamorous parties, fancy cars, expensive homes, everything that spells “happiness”.
But in memoir（回忆录） after memoir, celebrities reveal the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun: depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, broken marriages, troubled children and profound loneliness.
The way people stick to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equates happiness actually reduces their chances of ever obtaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitable work, and self-improvement.What does the author want to tell us? He wants to tell us .
| A．he lives in Hollywood, so he feels not happy |
| B．the true meaning of happiness |
| C．in fact, famous people are not very happy |
| D．happiness is not equal to fun |
What is many intelligent people’s viewpoint about happiness?
| A．Happiness just means having fun. | B．Happiness is not equal to fun. |
| C．Happiness means doing what you like. | D．Happiness means being rich. |
What does the underlined word “equate” in the second paragraph mean? It means .
| A．compare | B．think |
| C．similar or connected | D．match |
According to the passage, the author may agree .
| A．amusement park can bring us happiness |
| B．fun will bring some happiness to us |
| C．pain will bring us happiness |
| D．efforts can bring us happiness |
One day, a young man was cleaning out his late grandfather’s belongings when he came across a bright red envelope. Written on the front were the words, "To my grandson." Recognizing his grandfather’s handwriting ,the young man opened the envelope. A letter inside read:
Dear Ronny,
Years ago you came to me for help .You said, "Grandpa, how is it that you’ve accomplished so much in your life? You’re still full of energy, and I’m already tired of struggling. How can I get that same enthusiasm that you’ve got?"
I didn’t know what to say to you then. But knowing my days are numbered, I figure that I owe you an answer. So here is what I believe.
I think a lot of it has to do with how a person looks at things. I call it "keeping your eyes wide open."
First ,realize that life is filled with surprises, but many are good ones .If you don’t keep watching for them, you’ll miss half the excitement. Expect to be thrilled once in a while ,and you will be.
When you meet up with challenges, welcome them. They’ll leave you wiser ,stronger, and more capable than you were the day before .when you make a mistake ,be grateful for the things it taught you .Resolve to use that lesson to help you reach your goals.
And always follow the rules. Even the little ones. When you follow the rules, life works. If you think you ever really get by with breaking the rules, you’re only fooling yourself.
It’s also important to decide exactly what you want. Then keep your ming focused on it, and be prepared to receive it.
But be ready to end up in some new places too ,As you grow with the years, you’ll be given bigger shoes to fill. So be ready for endings as well as challenging beginnings.
Sometimes we have to be brave enough to move from the familiar to the unfamiliar .Life isn’t just reaching peaks, Part of it is moving from one peak to the next .If you rest too long in between, you might be tempted to quit .Leave the past in the past .Climb the next mountain and enjoy the view.
Dump things that weigh you down emotionally and spiritually. When an old resentment, belief, or attitude becomes heavy ,lighten your load. Shed those hurtful attitudes that slow you down and drain your energy.
Remember that your choices will create your successes and your failures. So consider all the pathways ahead, and decide which ones to follow. Then believe in yourself, get up, and get going.
And be sure to take breaks once in a while .They’ll give you a renewed commitment to your dreams and a cheerful, healthy perception of the things that matter the most to you .
Most important of all. never give up on yourself. The person that ends up a winner is the once who resolves to win. Give life everything you’ve got, and life will give its best back to you.
Love always,
GrandpaThe underlined part “But knowing my days are numbered” implies that .
| A．his grandpa could count days | B．his grandpa’s cach day was important |
| C．his grandpa knew he was dying | D．his grandpa was eager to tell the young man |
Why did the young man’s grandpa write this letter? Because .
| A．he wanted to recall his whole life |
| B．he wanted to tell his grandson how great he was |
| C．he wanted to explain how to keep energy |
| D．he wanted to show how to succeed |
The young man’s grandpa may agree .
| A．how a person looks at things has nothing to do with one’s future |
| B．we should be thankful for what mistakes teach us |
| C．successful life is just reaching peaks |
| D．It’s not so important to decide exactly what you want |
According to the passage, .
| A．learning to give up is very important | B．we’d better stay in the familiar |
| C．obeying little rules doesn’t matter | D．taking breaks once in a while is good to us |
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