Matt Haimovitz is 42 and a renowned cellist (大提琴手) in the world. He rushed into the classical music scene at the age of 12 after Itzhak Perlman, the famed violinist, heard him play.
But nothing in his family history explains where Haimovitz got his extraordinary talent. And that’s typical, Ellen Winner, a professor says.
“People are fascinated by these children because they don’t understand where their talent came from. You will see parents who say, ‘I wasn’t like this, and my husband wasn’t like this.’ It seems to sometimes just come out of the blue,” Winner says.
It’s not clear whether a prodigy’s （天才）brain is any different from the brains of other children, in part because there have been no study comparing the brains of prodigies to those of average people.
“But I believe that anything that shows up so early, without training, has got to be either a genetic or some other biological basis,” Winner says. “If a child suddenly at the age of 3 goes to the piano and picks out a tune and does it beautifully, that has to be because that child has a different brain.”
Children who are extremely gifted tend to be socially different, too, Winner says. “They feel like they can’t find other kids like themselves, so they feel strange, maybe even like a freak, and feel like they don’t have anybody to connect with. On the other hand, they also long to connect with other kids, and they can’t find other kids like themselves.”
As Haimovitz got older, he became frustrated. He wanted to play other kinds of music but felt constricted by the image and the expectations of the boy prodigy who played classical music and filled concert halls.
“When you start that early, you suddenly start to grow up in public, and I wanted to experiment,” Haimovitz says.
So he took his cello into punk rock clubs and coffee houses. He played Bach, Haydn and Hendrix. “My teacher was Leonard Rose, and we never played any 20th-century music. He didn’t like it. But once I was exposed to James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix, Miles Dewey Davis El and others, I couldn’t really turn back. I wanted to know more,” he says.According to some parents, prodigies’ extraordinary talent .
| A．comes unexpectedly | B．is inherited from parents |
| C．results from hard work | D．is trained in early times |
Winner seems to agree to the fact that ____.
| A．average people have their particular brains |
| B．biology is the base of a different brain |
| C．a prodigy’s brain is superior to those of others |
| D．genes play an important role in a prodigy |
According to the text, gifted children are .
| A．lonely | B．easy-going | C．innocent | D．social |
The last paragraph is mainly about how Haimovitz was trying to .
| A．build up his friendship | B．play different kinds of music |
| C．set up the image of a prodigy | D．perform classical music creatively |
Residence Inn Milford
Within 15 minutes from historic Yale University and New Haven, the Residence Inn Milford offers great facilities and first-class service for business or leisure travel. Our all-suites hotel near New Haven is 1 hour from Bradley International Airport and 10 minutes from a Metro North train station that can get you to NYC in under an hour and a half. At our Milford, CT hotel, enjoy spacious studio, suites that are 50 percent larger than traditional hotel rooms.
Our suites offer hot breakfast buffet and a nightly social hour (Monday – Wednesday), on-site exercise room and outdoor swimming pool.
Price: $ 119 per night Pet Policy: Pets allowed Check in time: 3 pm
Marriott Detroit Southfield
Newly renovated (翻新), the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel is one of Detroit’s most desirable hotel destinations. With excellent public areas, enhanced meeting spaces and carefully redesigned guest rooms, the Marriott Detroit Southfield Hotel meets the needs of business, leisure and group guests travelling to the Detroit area. This suburban Detroit hotel has a prime location that allows for easy access to the Detroit Zoo, Henry Ford Museum, Comerica Park, Ford Field and many of the other local activities in the area. It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Price :$ 75 per nightCheck in time : 4 pm
Comfort Suites Kodak
100 percent smoke free and pet free hotel conveniently located at the main gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains off Interstate 40 at exit 407, close to all the fun and excitement in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Knoxville, including Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, Smokies Park, Sevierville Events Center, Tanger Outlet Mall, University of Tennessee and more. Guests enjoy waking up in our well-appointed guest suites featuring contemporary furnishings and LCD flat screen televisions, starting their day with our free breakfast, and relaxing in our indoor pool and exercise room.
Price: $55 per night Check in time: 3 pm
The Swinton Hotel
Located in the very heart of the centre of London, the Swinton Hotel is one of the leading Kings Cross hotels offering free breakfast. It allows easy access to all tourist attractions, shopping areas and transport connections; you have come to the right place if you are looking for brilliant Kings Cross Hotels. Whatever reason you are looking for cheap hotels in London and whether you are visiting on business, as a tourist or to enjoy the vast varieties of entertainment and nightlife, we will be more than happy to provide you with a safe and comfortable environment. The Swinton Hotel is situated in an ideal location for those travelling to or from London by rail.
Price :$45 per night Check in time: 3 pm
What do we know about Marriott Detroit Southfield?
| A．It’s designed specially for businessmen. |
| B．It has well-developed traffic to other cities. |
| C．It is quite easy to get to local attractions. |
| D．It is the cheapest of the four hotels. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the four advertisements?
| A．Smoking is allowed in Comfort Suites Kodak. |
| B．The Swinton Hotel is located in south of London. |
| C．Marriott Detroit Southfield is built inside a park. |
| D．You may bring pets into Residence Inn Milford. |
What do the four hotels have in common?
| A．They are all near the airports. |
| B．They all offer guests breakfast. |
| C．People can enjoy free outdoor pools. |
| D．People should check in before 3 pm. |
If you want to go climbing, you may choose ____.
| A．Comfort Suites Kodak |
| B．Marriott Detroit Southfield |
| C．Residence Inn Milford |
| D．The Swinton Hotel |
You get anxious if there’s no wi-fi in the hotel or mobile phone signal up the mountain. You feel upset if your phone is getting low on power and you secretly worry things will go wrong at work if you’re not there. All these can be called “always on” stress caused by smart phone addiction.
For some people, smart phones have liberated them from the nine-to-five work. Flexible working has given them more autonomy in their working lives and enabled them to spend more time with their friends and families. For many others though, smart phones have become cruel mastersin their pockets, never allowing them to turn them off and relax.
Pittsburgh-based developer Kevin Holesh was worried about how much he was ignoring his family and friends in favor of his iPhone. So he developed an app — Moment — to monitor his usage. The app enables users to see how much time they’re spending on the device and set up warnings if the usage limits are broken. “Moment’s goal is to promote balance in your life,” his website explains. “Some time on your phone, some time off it enjoying your loving family and friends around you.”
Dr. Christine Grant, an occupational psychologist at Coventry University, said, “The effects of this ‘always on’ culture are that your mind is never resting, and you’re not giving your body time to recover, so you’re always stressed. And the more tired and stressed we get, the more mistakes we make. Physical and mental health can suffer.”
And as the number of connected smart phones is increasing, so is the amount of data. This is leading to a sort of decisionparalysis (瘫痪) and is creating more stress in the workplace because people have to receive a broader range of data and communications which are often difficult to manage. “It actually makes it more difficult to make decisions and many do less because they’re controlled by it all and feel they can never escape the office,” said Dr. Christine Grant.What’s the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．The popularity of smart phones. |
| B．The progress of modern technology. |
| C．The signs of “always on” stress. |
| D．The cause of smart phone addiction. |
Kevin Holesh developed Moment to __________.
| A．research how people use their mobile phones |
| B．help people control their use of mobile phones |
| C．make people better use mobile phones |
| D．increase the fun of using mobile phones |
What’s Dr. Christine Grant’s attitude towards “always on” culture?
| A．Confused. | B．Positive. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Critical. |
According to the last paragraph, a greater amount of data means __________.
| A．we will become less productive |
| B．we can make a decision more quickly |
| C．we will be equipped with more knowledge |
| D．we can work more effectively |
阅读理解
When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he’d beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall, big and robust since they have deep roots now.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity(逆境) seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb’s trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be torn apart.With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs __________
| A．kept watering them every morning |
| B．paid little attention to them |
| C．talked to them to get their attention |
| D．beat them to make them grow deep roots |
The underlined word “robust” in para.3 probably means _________?
| A．strange | B．deep | C．strong | D．old |
Which of the following will be the author’s prayer on the days ahead?
| A．Have an easy life, without too much to worry about. |
| B．Meet people like Dr. Gibbs in the future. |
| C．Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life. |
| D．Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Growing roots |
| B．Doctor Gibbs and his trees |
| C．Prayers for my sons |
| D．Watering trees |
Reading is a great way to improve your English. By reading, you are receiving valuable language input. As you’re reading, you’re taking in language naturally, and you’re seeing how it all fits together. This is crucial to your learning.
The key to effective reading is to read things that you want to read. There are millions of books, magazines and websites out there. You couldn’t possibly read them at all. So the important thing is to find things that you like reading. Then, you’ll be motivated to read. And then the reading won’t be difficult. It’ll be easy! And then you’ll learn. It’s simple.
Remember: read what you want to read—what you like reading and what motivates and inspires you. But where can you start? Well, you could read a book that you’ve already read in your own language first, then in English. Magazines are also great. Find one that covers a topic you’re interested in: business, clothing, cooking…you name it, they’ll have it. Why not join a forum(论坛)？Go to google Groups，which has discussion groups based on common interests. Just type in the topic that interests you and join the chat.
Finally, how you read is also important. The best thing is to read without using a dictionary. Let the words flow over you. Just skip the parts you don’t understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, it’ll stop being fun. Of course, you could make a note of any new words and phrases that you like or see repeated frequently, but try not to break your concentration too much. Also, set yourself mini-objectives. For example, if you’re reading a novel, read 20 pages a day. Very soon, you have been exposed to thousands of useful phrases and words. Have fun reading! You’ll learn so much!The underlined word “crucial” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
| A．easy | B．important | C．difficult | D．suitable |
The key to effective reading is________.
| A．to read millions of books |
| B．not to learn grammar rules |
| C．to be motivated to read |
| D．to read easy things |
You can start to read by________.
| A．reading the news in English first |
| B．reading a book that you’ve already read in English |
| C．going to Google Groups to practice spoken English |
| D．reading magazines containing topics you are interested in |
From the passage we can learn that________.
| A．when reading you needn’t look up every new word in the dictionary |
| B．the great thing about reading is that you can read without any effort |
| C．you should make notes of every new word and phrase while reading |
| D．to read is as much fun as to work |
The best title of the passage is “________”.
| A．How To Read English Novels |
| B．How To Learn English By Reading |
| C．How To Absorb Expressions And Phrases |
| D．How To Learn English Without Any Effort |
Time: July 16-20, 2016
Location: Norman Park Conference Center
Price: 500
Students who have completed the 5th, 6th or 7th grade and meet the specified requirements can take part in this exciting mission opportunity. Children will spend 5 days in the Center joining in various activities.
Our theme for this camp is “Teamwork”. The title speaks to our goal: We want this trip to help our students improve their cooperation awareness.
WHAT TO DO:
STEP ONE: FORM WORK
*Click on the link to print out the necessary forms: Propel Missions Camp Forms
*Complete the forms, printing neatly and clearly.
*Turn in your forms along with a copy of your insurance card to the office during business hours.
PARTICIPANT FORM
* This form must be signed and notarized(公证).
* Your form may be notarized at the office during normal office hours, at the Children’s reception desk before and after service times, or by a Notary Public of your choosing.
SPECIAL NEEDS FORM(If needed)
Special Needs form should be filled out only if there is a particular need (as described in the form) of which we and the camp should know.
ROOMMATE FORM
This form will help us place your child in a room with the peers(同伴) of his or her preference. We will provide a list of students attending at your request to help your child make his or her choices.
STEP TWO: READ
Click on the link and read carefully the Parent Information Packet provided by the camp: Propel Missions Camp Forms 2016
Contact Information
If interested, contact Pastor Scott at scott. Morrison@fbcvidalia.org or call the office at (912)537-4169.What does the underlined word “Cooperation” mean?
| A．Environment. | B．Teamwork. |
| C．Communication. | D．Safety. |
What do you know about the camp?
| A．It will begin on July16 and last for five days. |
| B．Students in any grade can take part in the camp. |
| C．Parents are allowed to accompany their children. |
| D．Students can join in the camp for free. |
If you want to join in the camp, you must________.
| A．be over six years old |
| B．have some experiences of camp |
| C．fill out some forms first |
| D．hand in a brief introduction of yourself |
It can be known from the passage that________.
| A．the camp will give an insurance card to every child. |
| B．there are only indoor activities for all campers |
| C．the aim of the camp is to improve the kids’ independence |
| D．there are two ways for you to contact the camp |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The form you fill out should be signed and notarized. |
| B．Children can choose a roommate according to their preference. |
| C．If you have special needs, you can fill out a Special Needs form. |
| D．You should go to Norman Park Conference Center to fetch a form. |
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