In this age of Internet chat, video games and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests – and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What do we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Now many amusements compete for children’s time. |
| B．Children have lots of fun doing mindless activities. |
| C．Rebecca is much too busy to enjoy her leisure time. |
| D．Rebecca often go online for her writing materials. |
What did the author say about her own writing experience?
| A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| C．She didn’t quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
| D．Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations. |
The underlined word “resurface” in Paragraph 2 probably means “______”.
| A．recycle | B．reappear | C．reconsider | D．reunite |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
| A．She was confident about her talent in writing. |
| B．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
| C．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| D．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
The author took great pains to improve her daughter’s stories because _______.
| A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dreams of becoming a writer |
| B．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing |
| C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much |
| D．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance |
What’s the author’s advice for parents?
| A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. |
| B．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. |
| C．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. |
| D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. |
Remembering names is an important social skill．Here are some ways to master it．
Recite and repeat in conversation．
When you hear a person’s name，repeat it．Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips．You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial．
Ask the other person to recite and repeat．
You can let other people help you remember their names．After you’ve been introduced to someone，ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you．Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names．
Admit you don’t know．
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed．Most of them will feel sympathy if you say．“I’m working to remember names better．Yours is right on the tip of my tongue．What is it again?”
Use associations．
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual．For example，you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair. " To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?
| A．They will be moved. | B．They will be annoyed. |
| C．They will be delighted. | D．They will be discouraged. |
If you can’t remember someone’s name, you may _____
| A．tell him the truth | B．tell him a white lie |
| C．ask him for pity | D．ask others to help you |
When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember _____
| A．all their names | B．a couple of names first |
| C．just their last names | D．as many names as possible |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Tips on an important social skill. | B．Importance of attending parties. |
| C．How to make use of associations. | D．How to recite and repeat names. |
Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters, screaming but enjoying themselves. Other people like to read “goose bumps (鸡皮疙瘩)” books or watch horror movies at night, scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared?
Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals, including humans escape from danger and save themselves. It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed, leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.
How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun? “Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it, others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won’t even set foot in the cinema,” said Ned Kalin, a US scientist. “Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you’ve had and partly on your genes.”
What happens in the brain when something frightens you? Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdale. When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdale makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. It analyzes the situation, and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdale as the engine and the cortex as the brake.
Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? “One reason is that we can play games with fear, find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else,” Kalin said. “To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power.” “Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing. Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain’s pleasure centre.”
And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.
72. How many questions are answered in the passage?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
73. Some people like to be scared because______.
A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children
B. it’s a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation
C. it can help them show their own personalities
D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear
74. Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?
A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.
B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.
C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.
D. They lack a strong response towards threat.
75. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Ready to scream? B. How to be scared?
C. Willing to shake? D. Why to be scared?
Like most people, I’ve long understood that I’ll be judged by my occupation, that my profession is used by people to see how talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.
Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suppose they’d never say or do to the people they know. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then called me back with his finger a minute later, saying angrily that he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.
I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon（勤杂工） by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior（低等的）treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.
Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked--- politely and formally.
I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from a person in advertising department with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately clear. Perhaps it was because of money, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry exists to meet others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.
I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose job is to serve them.
68. What makes the author disappointed?
A. Professionals tend to look down upon workers.
B. Talented people have to do the job waiting tables.
C. One’s position is used to measure one’s intelligence.
D. Occupation affects the way one is treated as a person.
69. What does the author intend to say by the example in Paragraph 2?
A. Waiting tables is a hard job.
B. Some customers are difficult to deal with.
C. The man making a phone call is absent-minded.
D. Some customers show no respect to those who serve them.
70. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?
A. She felt it unfair to be treated as a servant.
B. She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.
C. She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.
D. She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.
71. The author says one day she’ll take her customers to dinner in order to _______.
A. see what kind of person they are
B. experience the feeling of being served
C. share her working experience with her customers
D. help them realize the difference between server and servant
Like most people, I’ve long understood that I’ll be judged by my occupation, that my profession is used by people to see how talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I’m treated as a person.
Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suppose they’d never say or do to the people they know. One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then called me back with his finger a minute later, saying angrily that he was ready to order and asking where I’d been.
I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon（勤杂工） by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior（低等的）treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I’d be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.
Once I graduated I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked--- politely and formally.
I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from a person in advertising department with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately clear. Perhaps it was because of money, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me.
It’s no secret that there’s a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry exists to meet others’ needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn’t get the difference between server and servant.
I’m now applying to graduate school, which means someday I’ll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I’ll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose job is to serve them.
68. What makes the author disappointed?
A. Professionals tend to look down upon workers.
B. Talented people have to do the job waiting tables.
C. One’s position is used to measure one’s intelligence.
D. Occupation affects the way one is treated as a person.
69. What does the author intend to say by the example in Paragraph 2?
A. Waiting tables is a hard job.
B. Some customers are difficult to deal with.
C. The man making a phone call is absent-minded.
D. Some customers show no respect to those who serve them.
70. How did the author feel when waiting tables at the age of 19?
A. She felt it unfair to be treated as a servant.
B. She found it natural for professionals to treat her as inferior.
C. She was embarrassed each time her customers joked with her.
D. She felt badly hurt when her customers regarded her as a peon.
71. The author says one day she’ll take her customers to dinner in order to _______.
A. see what kind of person they are
B. experience the feeling of being served
C. share her working experience with her customers
D. help them realize the difference between server and servant
The Festival of Cultures
August 11-14
City Park
The Festival of Cultures is an annual event to celebrate the wide range of cultures found in our great state. People representing 40 cultural groups will share their traditions and customs. Here are just a few of the festival’s many activities.
Crafts: See the fine art of basket weaving from Vietnam and Zimbabwe. Watch the delicate art of making paper umbrellas from Thailand and the decorative craft of paperl picado, or paper cutting, from Mexico. All craft demonstrations provide a firsthand view of how things are made. You will appreciate the process involved in making these products.
Music and Dance: Experience musical instruments that you have never heard before. Listening to the music of a sho from Japan, a bull-roarer from Australia, a sitar from India, and a chakay from Thailand. You will also be entertained by folk dances from around the world, such as the troika from Russia and the mayim mayim from Israel. From 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. on August 14, special folk-dancing classes for children will be offered. Children ranging in age from 6-8 can learn the kinderpolka from Germany. Children ranging in age from 9-12 can learn the raspa from Mexico.
Storytelling: Listen for hours as professional storytellers charm you with captivating tales. Fables, folktales, and ballads from various countries will be told. By popular demand, Gwendolyn Washington, a famous African American storyteller, is back.
Food: Enjoy irresistible foods from other countries, such as gyros from Greece, seafood paella from Spain, crepes from France, and tandoori chicken from India. These tasty dishes will be difficult to pass up.
| Tickets August 11-13 |
|
Tickets August 14 |
| Adults $3 Ages 13-18 $2 Ages 6-12 $1 Ages 6 and under Free |
|
Adults $3 Ages 13-18 $2 Ages 12 and under Free |
The Festival of Cultures is sponsored by the World Marketplace. For more information about the festival, call (800) 555-0199.
64. Which of the following are from Mexico?
A. The paper cuttingand troika. B. The kinderpolka and sitar.
C. The paperl picado and the raspa. D. The mayim mayim andthe gyros.
65. A family with two children at the age of 8 and 16 are going to the festival on August
12. How much money will they pay for the festival?
A. $5. B. $6. C. $8. D. $9.
66. What do we know about the festival?
A. Children will have a chance to learn different folk-dancing.
B. Storyteller Gwendolyn is invited to the festival for the first time.
C. People will be offered opportunities to play musical instruments.
D. Visitors can make paper umbrellas from their first-hand experience.
67. What’s the purpose of writing this passage?
A. To advertise for the World Marketplace.
B. To introduce a wide range of cultural traditions.
C. To explain the great significance of popularizing the festival.
D. To persuade readers to attend the festival held in the City Park.
粤公网安备 44130202000953号