After a while, Tommy’s parents, who had recently separated, would arrive for a meeting on his failing schoolwork and bad behavior. Neither parent knew that I had called the other.
Tommy, an only child, had always been a happy, cooperative and top student. How could I make his father and mother believe that his recent failing grades meant a broken-hearted child’s reaction to his parents’ separation and divorce (离婚)?
Tommy’s mother entered and took one of the chairs. Soon the father arrived. Good! At least they were enough to be here in time. They ignored each other.
As I gave a detailed introduction of Tommy’s behavior and schoolwork, I waited for the right words to bring these two together to help them see what they were doing to their son. But somehow the words wouldn’t come. Perhaps if they saw one of his dirty, carelessly done papers?
I found a sheet in the back of his desk. Writing covered both sides: not the exercises, but a single sentence scribbled (胡写乱画) over and over.
Silently I gave it to Tommy’s mother. She read it and then handed it to her husband. Then his face softened.
At last he folded (折叠) the paper carefully, placed it in his pocket, and reached for his wife’s hand. She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. He helped with her coat and they left together.
In his own way God had given me the words to reunite that family. He had guided me to the sheet of yellow copy paper covered with the pain outpouring of a small boy’s troubled heart.
The words are “Dear Mom… Dear Daddy… I love…”How did Tommy’s parents feel after seeing the words?
| A．Glad. | B．Worried. |
| C．Moved. | D．Happy. |
The author called Tommy’s parents in order to _______.
| A．blame Tommy for his failing grades |
| B．ask them the reason for their divorce |
| C．help them realize their influence on Tommy |
| D．solve the couple’s problem of separation |
Why did Tommy fail his recent grades?
| A．Because he was greatly influenced by his parents. |
| B．Because he was punished by his teacher. |
| C．Because he wrote to his parents very often. |
| D．Because he did one of his dirty, careless papers. |
This passage is most probably written by _______.
| A．a reporter | B．a teacher |
| C．a lawyer | D．a doctor |
I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.
I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I’d be busy 24 hours a day.
The forged excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: “Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off.”
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant.
So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, “They’re supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?” The students looked at me nervously.
“Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note --- the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You’re so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worthy of study. ”
Everyone smiled as I went on, “You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I’d like you to write ‘An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ‘An Excuse Note from Eve to God’.” Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.
The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, “I’d like you to see me in my office.”
When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, “I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you. ”What did the author do with the students found dishonest?
| A．He reported them to the headmaster. | B．He lectured them hard on honesty. |
| C．He had them take notes before lunch. | D．He helped improve their writing skills. |
The author found that compared with the true excuse notes, the produced ones by the students were usually__________.
| A．less impressive | B．more imaginative | C．worse written | D．less convincing |
The author had the students practice writing excuse notes so that the students could learn_________.
| A．the importance of being honest | B．how to write excuse notes skillfully |
| C．the pleasure of creative writing | D．how to be creative in writing |
The underlined word “forged” in the second paragraph means “______”.
| A．former | B．copied | C．false | D．honest |
What did the headmaster think of the author’s way of teaching?
| A．Effective. | B．Difficult | C．Misleading. | D．Reasonable |
The casual Friday concept (星期五便装日的概念) was one of the first signs that strict dress rules for offices were starting to relax. The principle of casual Fridays seems to have appeared around the 1950s. It was probably in response (回应) to the changing attitudes towards workplaces. Over time, some offices have relaxed their dress rules even more by using a "business casual" dress rule.
On casual Fridays, employees (员工) may wear clothes which are considered to be "business casual", meaning they still obey certain standards (标准). Clothes must be clean and in good condition, with no spots. Men are generally allowed to wear casual trousers and bright-colored clothes, and in some offices they may be allowed to wear button-down shirts or polo shirts, with or without a tie. Women often wear neat skirts or dresses; casual trousers are common and generally allowed to wear, except in very formal workplaces.
As a general rule, extremely casual clothes, like jeans, shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, and so on, are not encouraged on casual Fridays. Employees are still expected to make an effort to look professional, out of respect for their offices and their customers.
Many people feel that casual Fridays are good for employees’mood because they encourage employees to express their individuality (个性) and feel more comfortable in the offices. Others feel that business casual clothing and the concept of casual Fridays don’t show respect for the workplaces. Casual Fridays are dealt with differently, depending on the industry and the nation. The technology industry, for example, is well known for casual clothes in general, while major financial companies still dislike casual clothes.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．the casual Friday concept has been out of fashion |
| B．people were required to wear formal clothes in offices before casual Fridays concept appeared |
| C．the casual Friday concept had appeared before the 1950s |
| D．employees who wear formal clothes lack individuality |
In general, on casual Fridays, as an employee in a company you can wear ________.
| A．jeans | B．tank tops | C．shorts | D．polo shirts |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The casual Friday concept changes people’s responsibility at work. |
| B．Button-down shirts are allowed to wear in any formal workplace. |
| C．In general, leading financial companies don’t prefer casual clothing. |
| D．The technology industry requires employees to wear formal clothing. |
What does the last paragraph tell us?
| A．Different kinds of casual clothes. |
| B．The development of the casual Friday concept. |
| C．People’s different opinions on casual Fridays. |
| D．The rules that employees must obey in companies. |
You may know your mother, but how well do you really know Mother’s Day? Cards, flowers, sales, TV specials, and a day off for someone who really deserves it —those are what probably come to mind for many people when they think of Mother’s Day. But there’s more about the story.
The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations were held during spring in Ancient Greece. The celebrations honored Rhea, the Mother of the gods. During the 1600s, England celebrated a day called Mothering Sunday. On this day even servants (仆人) were given the day off to spend with their families. A mothering cake was even served with the family meal.
In the U.S., Mother’s Day began in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the words of the famous song The Battle Hymn of the Republic, suggested it as a day devoted to peace. But it didn’t really become popular until 1907 when Anna Jarvis started a campaign (运动) to honor her own mother. She believed that mothers could help people get over the pain they experienced during the Civil War. The U.S. isn’t alone in devoting a day to its mothers. Many other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Japan, and Belgium also celebrate their Mother’s Day in May. Other countries honor their mothers at different times of the year.
Learning more about Mother’s Day and celebrating Mother’s Day is important, but probably not as important as understanding what your own mother, or grandmother, or aunt has really done for you. And that should certainly be appreciated more than one day in a year.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The reason why people celebrate Mother’s Day. |
| B．How people honor mothers. |
| C．The history of Mother’s Day. |
| D．Mother’s Day in different countries. |
Where was the earliest Mother’s Day celebrated?
| A．In Ancient Greece. | B．In the U.S. |
| C．In England. | D．In Italy. |
According to the third paragraph, we know that _____.
| A．Julia Ward Howe composed a song about Mother’s Day |
| B．American people started to celebrate Mother’s Day in 1907 |
| C．Anna Jarvis attached great importance to mothers |
| D．Mother’s Day celebrations are held in different times in the U.S. every year |
The last paragraph tells us that ______.
| A．all the people should celebrate Mother’s Day |
| B．only mothers are honored on Mother’s Day |
| C．understanding mothers’work is more important than just celebrating Mother’s Day |
| D．people should make every day a Mother’s Day |
When Cathleen Gardiner’s twins were born 17 years ago, doctors told her that they were a pair in a million. One had Down syndrome(低能综合症), while the other did not. Here, Cathleen tells their touching story.
Since Sean was born 17 years ago, I have always thought that he is just as wonderful as his brother and sister. Though he had a disability(残疾), we have never viewed him as a burden. He has always been a blessing. The doctors explained that though they were twins, they came from two different eggs. Lisa could walk at 11 months old, while Sean didn’t take his first steps till he was three. By two, Lisa was talking a lot, but Sean wasn’t able to speak until he was nearly four.
For the first five years of his life, Sean needed a great deal of care. Looking after him was my full-time job, though I also worked as a technical adviser in a computing company. We never treated them differently. We gave them the same toys and spoke to them in the same way. We encouraged Sean to keep up with Lisa, even though he never could, and we would help him develop his abilities. We sent them to the same primary school even after doctors advised us that Sean should go to a school for the disabled.
We had to explain to Lisa that he wouldn’t learn as quickly as she would. She told us that she’d help him with his school work. Having a non-disabled twin has really helped Sean develop. The love they share has given him a great deal of support. Now Sean and Lisa are both about to finish high school. I don’t think he would have done nearly as well today without Lisa’s help.At least how many children does Mrs. Gardiner have?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．One. |
Mrs. Gardiner and her husband regarded Sean as _______.
| A．a boy making others touched | B．a normal child without disabilities |
| C．a special gift | D．a burden of their family |
The third paragraph mainly tells us that _______.
| A．the couple treated the twins equally |
| B．Cathleen did all she could to look after Sean |
| C．the couple didn’t follow the doctor’s advice |
| D．the couple encouraged Sean to grow up |
This passage tells us that _________.
| A．love can do wonders | B．nobody is foolish or clever |
| C．being stupid doesn’t matter | D．all men are born equal |
Carrot juice, because of its many healthy benefits, is commonly called the "magic juice". It has been found that adding carrot juice to people’s diets greatly improves their health. And its delicious taste makes it popular with all members of the family as a beverage.
Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. Lack (缺乏) of vitamin A can cause dryness and damage to the skin, nails and hair. Drinking carrot juice to increase the vitamin A in the diet is said to be good for many parts of the body, including the bones and teeth.
Drinking carrot juice is thought to be extremely helpful to the liver (肝脏), because vitamin A helps to clean the liver and reduce fat in it. And it is suggested that drinking carrot juice should be done regularly, rather than just from time to time.
Drinking carrot juice is also thought to improve the eyesight because of the vitamin A in the juice. Lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, which can be very dangerous, especially when the person is driving a car. An easy way to find out if you are lacking in vitamin A is to walk from a bright room into a dark room. Your eyes may have some trouble in getting used to the change of light if you are lacking in vitamin A.
How can you make carrot juice? Wash some carrots well in cold water. Scrape (刮) them lightly, but do not peel them, as this will take away valuable vitamins and minerals that lie close to the skin. Lack of vitamin A can lead to _____.
| A．skin dryness | B．broken bones |
| C．complete blindness | D．liver cancer |
According to the passage, carrot juice ______.
| A．is popular because it is a magic cure for many diseases |
| B．does a lot of good to the teeth and other parts of the body |
| C．can wash away the waste from the body |
| D．may be harmful to the body if it’s drunk too much |
We can learn from the fourth paragraph that _____.
| A．drinking carrot juice helps to protect your eyesight |
| B．driving cars at night may lead to night blindness |
| C．walking from a bright room into a dark room may lead to night blindness |
| D．you will find it easy to get used to the change of light if you lack vitamin A |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Tips on How to Make Carrot Juice |
| B．The Way to Keep Good Health |
| C．The Great Benefits of Carrot Juice |
| D．A Healthy Diet for Patients |
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