One day, our teacher talked about the stereotypes (固定看法) of different people. I learned the stereotypes of Mexicans: they are poor and lazy. I was ashamed of who I was because I am a Mexican and thought that it would be hard for me to be successful.
One day in the eleventh grade, we had a discussion in history class. The kid next to me said, "You look like one of those Mexicans who sell food in the street." I told him that he was also a Mexican. He said, "I don't look as Mexican as you. I have light skin." That was the first time that I'd heard someone say, "I don't look as Mexican as you." Could it be that the people who succeed in this country are those who look like an American?
Towards the end of the eleventh grade, I was asked to write a restaurant review. When I went to a restaurant, I saw the waiter talking to the chefs (厨师) and thought they were judging me. I felt nervous but I couldn't leave because I had to write the review. Minutes later, the waiter stopped talking and took my order. He was happy to serve me. I started asking him questions about his restaurant and I guessed that he liked that because he gave me a free dish. After I left the restaurant, I thought, "That's wasn't bad at all." Not all people think of me as a failure.
Now, I am running for the school president in my senior year. I am not sure if I can win, but I tell myself that if I want to be successful, I have to stop despising (鄙视) myself. I want to prove that Latinos can be successful. I do belong to the United States. An American is a person who overcomes struggles to become successful and that is what I'm doing.In Paragraph 2, what the kid said to the author made him doubt whether ______.
| A．he should laugh at the kid |
| B．the kid was a real Mexican |
| C．he should sell food in the street |
| D．the color of one's skin really mattered |
The author's experience of finishing his restaurant review helped him realize that .
| A．he could succeed easily if he tried his best |
| B．the waiters in America were all very friendly |
| C．not everyone in American looked down on Mexicans |
| D．he was actually popular with people around him |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Where one was born matters a lot. |
| B．Being a Mexican is hard in America. |
| C．Other people's opinions are very important. |
| D．It is what he does that makes him an American. |
I received pictures of my daughter floating (漂浮) on a lake in California. Right there under the sun during the hottest time of the day, she has only her swimsuit to cover her.
When I showed it to my students, it was as if I had shown them scenes from a horror (恐怖) movie.
“But she will get dark,” they said.
“That’s what she wants,” I told them. “We think darker skin (肤色) is beautiful.”
They looked at me in disbelief. It was as if I came from the moon.
For years, American girls spend their summer trying to get as tanned (晒黑) as possible. In China, on the other hand, girls use umbrellas all year round.
What in the world is going on?
The pale skin we think looks unattractive (不漂亮) is what Asian women want. Both groups want to meet their culture’s standard (标准) of beauty.
In the US, if you can afford to go on vacation in the summer, you head for a river, a lake or a beach, where you try to get as much sun as possible. If you are rich you take a winter vacation in some sunny spot. Your winter tan shows your wealth.
In China, once upon a time, the few wealthy were the ones who didn’t have to work out in the hot sun. So the whiter the skin, the richer the woman. The folk opera performers who play these ladies wore lots of white makeup (妆容). The tradition survives to this day.
So it comes naturally that none of my students wishes to follow the Western ways in this regard.
But now I am noticing that a new business – the tanning booth (美黑店) – started up in China. I admire those brave enough to define（给…下定义）their own idea of beauty, but I do wonder what their grandmothers would have to say to them about it! The students were shocked at the picture the writer showed them because ______.
| A．they thought it shameful for a girl only to wear a swimsuit |
| B．the writer’s daughter was wearing very little while out in the sun |
| C．it is dangerous for a girl to be out on a lake alone |
| D．with the powerful sunlight the writer’s daughter would have got a suntan |
According to the article, which kind of woman meets the American standard of beauty?
| A．Women with blond hair. | B．Women w ith a slim figure. |
| C．Women with tanned skin. | D．Women with pale skin. |
In the US a winter tan usually means the person _____.
| A．is hard-working | B．doesn’t have to work |
C．has a  lot of money and spare time |
D．is from a very poor family |
The writer ______ the tanning booth started up in China.
| A．is not interested in | B．doesn’t understand |
| C．doesn’t like | D．has mixed feelings about |
My school makes students take one religion (宗教) class every year. But religion is really hard, especially with Mr Frank Smith for a teacher.
Mr Smith is 55 years old, with grey hair and a moustache (胡子). He always wears a blue school T-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes with long white socks. My friends say he looks like a cat.
In his class, we did yoga (瑜珈) and meditation (冥想) (actually most of the children in my class lay on the ground sleeping), tasted some strange tea, had classes outside in the garden, and watched videos and movies about Tibetan Buddhism (藏传佛教), God, and so on.
It was fun sometimes. However, the course (课程) was quite hard when it came to tests. The girls often worked until one or two o'clock in the morning on nights before the tests, but they still got bad scores.
When our test scores were bad, he would give us some makeup assignments (补考作业). Once I got a B, which I thought was bad, so I asked Mr Smith for an assignment to bring up my grades.
As a matter of fact, his assignments were often worse than the tests. The tests were just a lot of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, or short essays (文章). But his assignments usually included a speech in class.
I was not afraid of public speaking, yet it took me three days to collect the information, two days to write the speech, one day to make a PowerPoint and several hours to prepare. I knew my presentation (课堂展示) was good, because I saw Mr Smith's big smile when he listened to me. He gave me an A at last.
After finishing the course, I may not remember how hard it was or the meaning of som
e vocabulary. But through Mr Smith, I learned a lesson that will be with me my whole life. That is: no matter what we do, we need to put our hearts into it, and then our work will pay off.The religion class is hard because Mr Smith _______.
| A．uses strange ways to teach in his class. |
| B．never gives good scores, however hard you try. |
| C．gives difficult tests and make-up assignments. |
| D．likes students to make good presentations. |
How could students get good scores in Mr. Smith’s class?
| A．Work hard by studying late into the night. |
| B．Remember all of the vocabulary. |
| C．Pay attention and take notes in class. |
| D．Do well on the make-up assignment. |
From the course, the writer learned that ____.
| A．people should always be given a second chance |
| B．people should always put their hearts into their work |
| C．it is good to do yoga and meditation |
| D．it is good to choose strict teacher |
BUKHANNON, West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident．
Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates（最新报道）on the rescuers’ progress．
The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the accident until about 10 a．m-more than three hours after it happened．“It’s very upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine．
The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group．
At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4, 800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p．m．Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later．
He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for
30 to 35 years．The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each．The company has not released the names of the miners．
The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect （remove） the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that．“ We don’t want to be energizing anything if it’s in an atmosphere with burnable gases,” Kips said．
The cause of the explosion was not immediately known．High levels of carbon monoxide were discovered shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided（减退）, authorities said．According to the passage, we can infer that ________．
| A．all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive |
| B．communication with the trapped miners was cut off |
| C．the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time |
| D．the rescue started as soon as the accident happened |
If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about _______ per hour．
| A．1,000 feet | B．2,400 feet | C．1,200feet | D．4,800feet |
Where can the passage be seen?
| A．In a magazine． | B．In a newspaper． |
| C．In a science book．． | D．On an advertisement． |
Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped?
Part I
If you are hunting a chance to improve yourself in English, TOP ENGLISH CITY will be a smart choice. We are members of "the International Language Workshop" and enjoy both of the good honor in English teaching and high quality of our teaching team. We are devoted to providing affordable, excellent English training programs for those who want to improve both their English knowledge and their language skills.
In TOP ENGLISH CITY, you will be a top English-speaker among your competitors and enjoy the advantage that your competitors have not. You will be proud of being a member of TOP ENGLISH CITY.
Courses designed:
Basic Studies… Sat. 8:00-10:00 a. m.
Intermediate（中级）Spoken English… Sun. 8:00-10:00 a. m.
Standard Spoken English… Sat. 8:00-10:00 a.m.
Basic Business English… Sun.8:00-10:00 a.m.
Intermediate Business English… Sun. 7:00-9:00 p.m.
TOEFL Super Studies… Sun. 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Children’s Weekend… Sat. &. Sun. 8:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
For more information, please contact:
Room 806 American Plaza Tianhexi Rd, 510150 Guangzhou
Tel: 86668888-8806
Part II
ENGLISH SALON
A place for you to practise your English, to exchange your English learning experiences, to know more about the culture of English-speaking countries, to make more friends who can speak very good English.
You will have free talks, famous English films and songs appreciation, English lectures and games; all are for you to improve yourself in English in the special, full-of-fun Salon.
How to Join:
We are a group with membership system, so if you want to join our group, please make an application to the Tianhe Office of Top English City, filling in the applying forms. You will be given a salon ID card, and becomes our member.
The Qualifications（条件）:
You must be fluent in English-speaking or / and an English lover. Those who are now learning English in the Top English City will be advantageous.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Jiu Chan at: 47129198
English Salon, your best friend! Join Right Now!Which of the following can be the best title for Part I?
| A．Top English, your smart choice! | B．If you want to learn English, we can teach you! |
| C．Top English, the best English! | D．We have what you want! |
If you work in a joint Venture(合资) Company, you probably take the course.
| A．Standard Spoken English | B．Intermediate Business English |
| C．TOEFL Super Studies | D．Children’s Weekend |
Which of the following courses can be learned by the same person?
| A．Basic Studies and Standard Spoken English. |
| B．Intermediate Spoken English and Basic Business English. |
| C．Standard Spoken English and TOEFL Super Studies. |
| D．Intermediate Business English and TOEFL Super Studies. |
If you want to join the English Salon, you should at least .
| A．be a university graduate |
| B．be a student learning English in the Top English City |
| C．be an English lover or can speak English well |
| D．make more friends and know more about the culture of the English |
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 |
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