Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk.
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.
| A．passed away four years ago |
| B．left the small farm with Lord |
| C．left for Lord to live her own way |
| D．preferred to be with Lord |
The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.
| A．recalled | B．comforted |
| C．shouted | D．sighed |
The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons except that ________.
| A．it was too cold and quiet |
| B．she could only sing one song in the small farm |
| C．there was nothing more that could make her excited |
| D．the place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______
| A．Cherish(珍惜) life | B．My happy childhood |
| C．Our small farmhouse | D．Mom’s music |
It has been found that less than one shopper in five makes a complete shopping list before going to the store. The reason for this is that seven out of ten of today’s purchases(购买) are decided in the store, where the shoppers tend toward impulse(冲动) buying. Buying groceries on impulse had risen for the past forty years, and this rise has coincided(巧合) with the growth of self-service shopping. However, in grocery stores where clerks wait on customers there is much less impulse buying. It is hard for people to buy on impulse if they have to address a clerk.
Psychologists have joined forces with merchandising(商品) experts. It is their job to persuade people to buy products which they may not need or even want until they see them attractively presented. It was discovered by the psychologists that shoppers want help in their purchases. Having so many choices confuses them, and they prefer the package that attracts them. Therefore, it is now more usual for food packers to pay attention to their package design. Attraction depends heavily on the position of the product on the shelf, however. Thus, persuading the shopper to buy is easier if the product is located at eye-level.According to the information in the first paragraph, ______ make a complete list.
| A．only five shoppers | B．less than twenty percent of the shoppers |
| C．only ten percent of the shoppers | D．not even five percent of the shoppers |
The reason for the above mentioned phenomenon is that _______.
| A．people have difficulty making up their mind before going shopping |
| B．people don’t know what is available in the store |
| C．people tend to decide on buying products when they see them |
| D．people are easily deceived(欺骗) by the attractive products |
In grocery stores where customers are served there is less impulse shopping. This may be because ________.
| A．the clerks ignore the customers |
| B．the clerks are too eager to serve the customers |
| C．the stores have to send the shopper’s purchases to his house |
| D．customers hesitate to ask for help if they haven’t decided what to buy |
Shoppers tend to buy the products put on _______.
| A．the top shelf | B．the bottom shelf |
| C．the shelf which people can see easily | D．the shelf where there is less confusion |
Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?
| A．Psychologists and Merchandising Experts. | B．Impulse Buying. |
| C．The more Products the More Confusion. | D．Self-service Shopping. |
Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people.
“The burnt child fears the fire” is one instance; another is the rise of figures like Hitler. Both these examples point up the fact that attitudes come from experience. In the one case the experience was direct and impressive; in the other it was indirect and gradual.
The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in strategic position to influence attitudes. This is true partly because children acquire attitudes from those adults whose word they respect.
Another reason it is true is that pupils often search somewhat deeply into a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who has previously acquire little knowledge of Mexico, his teacher’s method of handling such a unit would greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.
The teacher can develop proper attitudes through social studies, science matters, the very atmosphere of the classroom, etc. However, when children come to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise to attempt to change their feelings by criticizing them. The teacher can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain constructive experience.
To illustrate, first-grade pupils, afraid of policemen will probably change their attitudes after a classroom talk with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them. In the same way, a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussion, research, outside reading and all-day trips.
Finally, a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes, because her influence can be harmful she has personal prejudices. This is especially true in respect to controversial issues and questions of which children should be encouraged to reach their own decisions as result of objective analysis of all the facts.The author uses the phrase “the burnt child fears the fire” in order to __________.
| A．stress the importance of keeping child from the fire |
| B．exemplify（例证） the opinion that attitudes come from experience |
| C．illustrate the important role of attitudes towards study in the early childhood |
| D．none of the above |
According to the author, teachers may have great influence on children’s attitudes because___________.
| A．they can use marks to judge students |
| B．they can control students’ behavior |
| C．they may judge a student from their own likes and dislikes |
| D．their words are usually respected by the children |
Through which of the following factor a teacher CANNOT develop proper attitudes of students?
| A．Social studies | B．Science matters |
| C．The very atmosphere of the classroom | D．Criticism of children’s behavior |
In the author’s opinion, a teacher must constantly evaluate her own attitudes because_______.
| A．her personal attitudes may affect her students if she is prejudiced |
| B．she need to improve herself too |
| C．she is also often influenced by her students |
| D．she may not have a constant attitude towards some controversial sues（控诉） |
The main readers of this passage may be ___________.
| A．psychologists conducting complicated experiments |
| B．parents who have children in school |
| C．school teachers |
| D．students in primary school |
There is a popular belief among parents that schools are no longer interested in spelling. No school I have taught in has ever ignored spelling or considered it unimportant as a basic skill. There are, however, vastly different ideas about how to teach it, or how much priority（优先）it must be given over general language development and writing ability. The problem is, how to encourage a child to express himself freely and confidently in writing without holding him back with the complexities（复杂）of spelling.
If spelling becomes the only focal point of his teacher’s interest, clearly a bright child will be likely to “play safe”. He will tend to write only words within his spelling range, choosing to avoid adventurous language. That’s why teachers often encourage the early use of dictionaries and pay attention to content rather than technical ability.
I was once shocked to read on the bottom of a sensitive piece of writing about a personal experience: “ This work is terrible! There are far too many spelling errors and your writing is illegible（难以辨认的）.” It may have been a sharp criticism of the pupil’s technical abilities in writing, but it was also a sad reflection on the teacher who had omitted to read the essay, which contained some beautiful expressions of the child’s deep feelings. The teacher was not wrong to draw attention to the errors, but if his priorities had centered on the child’s ideas, an expression of his disappointment with the presentation would have given the pupil more motivation（动力）to seek improvement.Teachers are different in their opinions about ___________.
| A．the difficulties in teaching spelling |
| B．the role of spelling in general language development |
| C．the complexities of the basic writing skills |
| D．the necessity of teaching spelling |
The expression “play safe” probably means ____________.
| A．to write carefully | B．to do as the teachers say |
| C．to use dictionaries frequently | D．to avoid using words one is not sure of |
Teachers encourage the use of dictionaries so that___________.
| A．students will be able to express their ideas more freely |
| B．students will have more confidence in writing |
| C．teachers will have less trouble in correcting mistakes |
| D．students will learn to be independent of teachers |
The writer seems to think that the teacher’s judgment on that sensitive piece of writing is____________.
| A．unfair | B．reasonable | C．foolish | D．careless |
The major point discussed in the passage is_____________.
| A．the importance of developing writing skills |
| B．the complexities of spelling |
| C．the correct way of marking compositions |
| D．the relationship between spelling and the content of a composition |
“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
If Dick had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Dick worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Dick improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earlier age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.What did the company where Dick once worked learn from its mistake?
| A．They encouraged people to work a longer time. |
| B．They discouraged people to think freely. |
| C．They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas. |
| D．They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas. |
Creativity is something __
| A．that people are born with |
| B．that depends on intelligence |
| C．that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems |
| D．that is not important at all |
Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?
| A．They don’t understand the importance of education. |
| B．They don’t want their students to make mistakes. |
| C．They pay too much attention to exam marks, language and mathematical skills. |
| D．They think it more important to remember some information. |
What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?
| A．Try to help them as much as possible. |
| B．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| C．Leave them as they are. |
| D．Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much. |
New York State has passed the USA’s first state law banning motorists talking on hand-held cell phones. The ban will begin November 1st, although drivers caught using hand-held cell phones will be given only warnings during the first month.
First-time violators（违法者）will face a ＄100 fine. A second time call for a ＄200 fine and every violation after that will cost＄500.
At least a dozen localities（地方）have established bans, starting in 1999; and 40 states have had bans proposed but not passed. At least 23 countries, including the Great Britain, Italy, Israel and Japan, ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones.
There are about 115 million cell phones in use in the United States and more than 6 million in New York State.
“To think that I’m not going to use cell phone when at the same time I can still use my laptop(膝上电脑), I still can read a paper, I can still change my trousers while driving 65 mph. I think there’s just something wrong,” an official said.
Other critics noted that other things like eating, drinking coffee and applying make up while driving caused at least as much of a concern. They suggested that the ban include a broader range of things. How much fine will a hand-held cell phone user receive if he has been caught using it four times while driving after November？
| A．＄500. | B．＄1000. | C．＄1200. | D．＄1300. |
. We can see from this passage that ____.
| A．the ban has been put into effect in most states in the U. S. |
| B．many of the developed countries forbid drivers using hand-held cell phones |
| C．over fifty localities or states ban drivers from using hand-held cell phones |
| D．more people in the U. S. are against the ban than for it |
The official mentioned in this passage ____.
| A．does not agree with this ban |
| B．doesn’t believe using hand-held cell phones while driving will cause any danger |
| C．doesn’t understand why hand-held cell phones alone should be banned among many others |
| D．believes changing pants while driving will cause greater danger |
The writer intends to tell us in the last paragraph that ______.
| A．it is not fair to have this ban passed |
| B．the ban will never be passed in the whole country |
| C．more activities of the same kind should also be banned |
| D．the ban will meet with more criticism |
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