My grandmother Adele loved culture and was generous with its gifts. When I was a child, she took me to museums, restaurants, dances. She showered me with gifts from her travels around the world. But I can only remember her giving me one book—a book that, to this day, I have not read. She presented me with her own favorite childhood book: Hans Brinker. My grandmother was happy to share this book with me. She even decorated the title page with her proud writing.
I tried to read it. I adored reading, and would dive into a new pile of books from the library all at once. But something about Hans Brinker just wouldn’t let me in. The story was set in Holland, a long time ago. It felt dull and unfamiliar—even though I was a fan of classics of other times and places. I simply read the first pages over and over. I could not progress.
Standing on a bookshelf in our living room, the book was like something I avoided. It scolded me for not being interested, for not trying hard enough, for disappointing my grandmother.
The book started to fit in, almost forgotten, until Adele asked. Had I read it? Did I like it? Always determined, she wanted to know the answer. I would make some kind of excuse, feel bad, and open it again, hoping for a new reaction. The book weighed on me.
Years passed and finally Adele and I both accepted that I would never read Hans Brinker. Eventually I cleared the book from the shelf. The Hans Brinker experience led me to set a rule that I’ve lived by ever since: Do not ask about a book given as a gift. Don’t ask, despite your desire to discuss it to grow closer. The desire for such connection is what gives book-giving with special meaning—and increases the owner’s possibility to be a letdown.
Guilt is basically the same as for all gifts, though. If the giver doesn’t have the pleasure of seeing or hearing about the gift being enjoyed, and asks whether it is, then the owner—unless she can truthfully say “yes”—either has to admit to not liking the present, or else lie on the spot. Neither is pleasant. So, don’t ask.When the author was a kid, his grandmother ________.
| A．took him to travel around the world a lot |
| B．loved to take him to museums and stores |
| C．shared her childhood stories with him |
| D．gave him many gifts |
What does the author think about the book his grandmother gave him?
| A．Boring. | B．Interesting. |
| C．Puzzling. | D．Disappointing. |
The underlined sentence “The book weighed on me” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______.
| A．the book is too heavy for the author to carry |
| B．the author feels stressful facing the book |
| C．the book is full of powerful viewpoints |
| D．the author keeps reading the book |
The author learns from the Hans Brinker’s experience that never________.
| A．give others books as gifts |
| B．lie to people who give you gifts |
| C．get close to others through gifts |
| D．talk about the books given as gifts |
The Museum of Childhood is Australia’s most comprehensive collection of childhood items including toys, dolls, infant and school material.
Housed in a modern facility（设施）, the displays reflect Australian childhood experience over time including play, child rearing(=raising),orphanage(孤儿院)childhood and home, school and war time experience.
There are many hands-on exhibits and education sessions including the famous” lesson” in the 1920s One Teacher Bush Classroom.
The Museum also hosts national touring exhibitions and conducts special activities on Sundays and school holidays(ring for details).
Open: Tuesday—Friday 10am—4pm,Sunday 10am—4:30pm,or by arrangement.
Special activities on Sundays as advertise.
Closed: Public holidays,16 December—18 January.
Location: Edith Cowan University campus, Bay Road, Claremont(take bus 208 and alight at the Bay Road and Princessinter section. The Museum is 15 minutes’ walk from Claremont.On_______ you can stay at Museum until half past four.
| A．Wednesday | B．Friday | C．Sunday | D．Monday |
If you want to attend a special activity, you’d better come on________.
| A．Monday | B．Tuesday | C．Saturday | D．Sunday |
The underlined word” alight “most probably means________.
| A．get off | B．light | C．cross | D．go long |
The main purpose of the Museum of Childhood is to__________.
| A．display toys, dolls, infant and school material. | B．reflect Australian childhood experience over time. |
| C．host national touring exhibition. | D．tell you the famous“ lesson” in the 1920s. |
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 provide 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 807 American Plaza Tianhexi Rd, 510150 Guangzhou
Tel: 86668888-8807
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 son
gs 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 Off
ice 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 City, your smart choice! | B．If you want to learn English, we can teach you! |
| C．Top English City, 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 that generally believed |
A caring mother is the single most important factor in preventing teenagers from abusing(滥用)drugs and alcohol，researchers said on Friday. An international study showed that teenagers living with both parents are less likely to suffer from alcohol and drug problems，and a strong maternal bond is the most effective way to fight against them.
“These findings suggest that living with both parents may prevent drug use．”said Dr.McArdle，of Newcastle University in northern England, who led the study. “They also suggest that attachment(感情眷念)，particularly to mothers，is a more effective factor and that this is truly across cultures and substances.” The report, which is published in the journal Addiction, involved nearly 4,000 teenagers in England，Ireland，Italy，Germany and the Netherlands. They were questioned about their use of several kinds of drugs and alcohol. The teenagers also filled in questionnaires about their relationship with their parents and grandparents, how well they were supervised(监护)after school and whether they were allowed to meet friends at home.
“Both the quality of family relationships and the structure of families have significant influences on youth drug use,” McArdle said in a statement. But he added that a strong maternal bond offered the greatest protection against developing drug habits. The rate of drug abuse among teenagers living with both parents and who had a good relationship with their mother was 16.6 percent. If either fact
or was missing, the drug abuse rate rose to 32 percent．More than 42 percent of teenagers living in one parent families who did not have a strong bond with their mother used drugs．
Drug prevention campaigns in British schools and on television warn teenagers about the danger of drugs and alcohol but McArdle said no one is dealing with the problem of their parents’ responsibility The phrase“maternal bond” appears twice in this passage. Guess its meaning__________．
| A．物质的奖励 | B．母亲的约束 | C．法律的制裁 | D．学校的指导 |
According to McArdle,which is most likely to have the drug abuse problem_________?
| A．16-year-old Tom from a happy big family |
| B．17-year-old Kate supervised by her single mother． |
| C．18-year-old Juliet living with her single father． |
| D．19-year-old Mark cared by his parents. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage__________?
| A．Teenagers with both parents won’t have the drug use problem. |
| B．Teenagers from several countries filled in the questionnaire. |
| C．Teenagers were asked about their relationship with parents． |
D．Teenagers in British schools are warned against drug s abuse. |
The last paragraph suggests that________.
| A．schools should answer for the drug problem |
| B．television and media are to blame |
| C．parents and the society are responsible for the drug problem |
| D．mothers are the cause of youth drug use． |
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