When scientists set out to explore the roots of human laughter, some apes(类人猿) were just tickled(胳肢)to help. That’s how researchers made a variety of apes and some human babies laugh. After analyzing the sounds, they concluded that people and great apes inherited laughter from a shared ancestor that lived more than 10 million years ago. Experts praised the work, it gives strong evidence that ape laughter and human laughter are related through evolution(进化).
Scientists have noted that apes make characteristic sounds during play or while being tickled, especially to signal that they’re interested in playing. It’s been suggested before that human laughter grew out of primate(灵长类动物) roots. But ape laughter doesn’t sound like human laughter. It may be slower noisy breathing. So what does that have to do with the human ha-ha? To investigate that, Marina Davila Ross and her colleagues carried out a detailed analysis of the sounds made by tickling three human babies and 21 other primates, apes included.
After measuring 11 features in the sound from each species, they tried to find out how these sounds appeared to be related to each other. The result looked like a family tree. Significantly, that tree matched the way the species themselves are related, the scientists reported online in the journal Current Biology. They also concluded that while human laughter sounds much different from ape laughter, their typical features could have come from the same ancestor.
Panksepp, who studies laughter-like responses in animals but didn’t participate in the new work, called the paper exciting. Panksepp’s own work concludes that even rats produce laughter in response to playing and tickling, with sounds that can hardly be heard by people. Robert Provine, a scientist, who wrote the book, Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, said the new paper showed some important clues, like ape sounds that hadn’t been realized before.
69. Why did the scientists analyze the laughter made by tickling human babies and apes?
A. To try to discover if they can make characteristic sounds.
B. To see if they interested in playing.
C. To find out if the laughter of apes and humans is related.
D. To find out the differences between humans and apes.
70. Based on Paragraph 3 we can know that researchers measured the features in the sound to ________.
A. find out ape sounds that hadn’t been realized before
B. find out relations among primates’ laughter
C. see what a family tree from each species looks like
D. make a report online in the journal Current Biology
71. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Panksepp spoke highly of the new research.
B. Rat laughter is likely to be related to ape laughter.
C. Robert Provine provided some new clues for the researchers.
D. Humans don’t enjoy listening to ape laughter.
72. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Ape study explores evolution of laughter.
B. Apes like to laugh when being tickled.
C. Human laughter and ape laughter are different.
D. Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.
Sometimes life makes more sense when you look at it in reverse (相反). That's certainly been true for me.
Last Christmas, at 39, I caught a disease which attacked my knees and eyes. At its worst I could hardly walk or see. For months I' d have to crawl (爬) across the floor to use the bathroom or get a drink of water when my husband wasn't home. For a while I could only see shapes and colors so I couldn't drive.
My parents kept begging me to let them come out to stay with me in Los Angeles, but our apartment is small and I knew there was nothing they could really do to help me. For the excellent health insurance my husband had through his job, I was receiving the best medical care possible.
My only problem was that I couldn't drive to my doctors' appointments and I didn't want my husband to keep missing work to drive me. Three days after I explained this to my parents, a check came from them with a note saying this was "taxi money". Several months later another check showed up from my brother to help make up our income since I wasn't able to work. It probably goes without saying that I was extremely grateful to have family members who could and would support me during the hard time.
In terms of my day-to-day existence, I live in a village within Los Angeles called Brentwood so I was able to walk to the local post office, market, bank, and library. But once there, I had to depend on the kindness of strangers to help me. Los Angeles is a big city, but I lived in a village with a wonderful community (社区) of people who were kind and patient.
Slowly I became well. Life was good again and I thought I had a clear understanding of the blessings (恩惠) this illness has provided.
When the author's husband was at home, he __________.
A.was still busy working |
B.often had a good rest |
C.often helped her a lot |
D.taught her to drive a car |
Why did the author not want her husband to drive her to her doctors' appointments?
A.Her husband didn't drive well. |
B.Her husband was too busy. |
C.She didn't want to affect his work. |
D.Her doctor was far away from her. |
What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A.The help that the author received from her family members. |
B.The influence of the author's disease on her family. |
C.The author's thanks to her family members. |
D.The way the author saw her doctors. |
What did the author feel about Brentwood?
A.She thought it was small but convenient. |
B.She felt it was hard to live there. |
C.She thought it was small and strange. |
D.She felt warm and comfortable there. |
Leave a camera on a mountaintop, and chances are, you'll never see it again. But 24-year-old Paul Bellis, a university student from Wales, believed that most people were better than that, and set up a creative experiment to test out his theory.
"I was speaking to a friend who said you can't trust anyone, anywhere these days," Bellis told the Daily Mail. "I didn't want to believe that so I set up this experiment to find out what might happen and prove you can trust people."
Billis decided to do an experiment by hiking up a mountain called Snowdonia, taking a photo, and leaving his camera behind. He also attached a note to the camera, asking other hikers to take photos of themselves and then leave the camera there until the roll of film (胶卷) was empty. He also included his address, in case someone would be nice enough to return the camera to his home after the roll of film was finished.
Four days later, Bellis got a visit from a Snowdonia park manager, who came to return his camera. After Bellis got the film developed, he saw that his fellow hikers and followed his instructions. Thirty people had each taken photos of themselves at the mountain. From viewing the collection, it was clear that all the hikers had enjoyed the experiment.
As for the park manager, Brian, "I found the camera and thought it had been lost until I saw the note," he said. "I was passing his home and just dropped it off. I' m glad that the photos came out very well."
The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 2 refers to __________.
A.the Daily Mail |
B.Bellis' theory |
C.the idea that Bellis would do the experiment |
D.the opinion that we shouldn't trust people |
What can we know from the note Bellis attached to his camera?
A.The camera wasn't a missing one. |
B.The roll of film had been used up. |
C.Bellis was very kind to other hikers. |
D.Bellis asked others to take pictures of him. |
Brian returned the camera directly because __________.
A.he wanted to be trusted by others |
B.Bellis' home was on his way |
C.Bellis asked him to do so |
D.he wanted to have a look at the photos |
The experiment Bellis turned out to be __________.
A.unsuccessful | B.disappointing | C.encouraging | D.surprising |
A mother had two daughters. She loved them very much, but two girls would fight with each other from their earliest years. As they grew older, they became total strangers. They had no contact with each other when they were adults.
This caused the mother great pain. Then, later, she had an idea. She decided to write a letter to them. In this letter, she told them how much she loved them, and how she wanted them to love each other in this way. She also gave them news of herself and some guidance on how to live happier lives.
When the letter was ready, she wrote out one copy for each daughter, but these copies were special. Each copy contained only every second sentence of the original letter: the copy for one daughter had only the even (双数的) sentences, and the other daughter’s copy contained only the odd sentences. Neither contained the fullness of the mother’s message.
When the two daughters received their letters, they were puzzled. To understand the half-letter, they would have to put the two letters together and read them as one, which meant they must approach one another again in love and respect. But they each blamed the other for not helping them when trying to read the half-letter.
For a long time, the mother waited in vain. Then one day, when the mother had almost given up hope, there was a knock at the door. There they stood, together. “We’ve come home,” they said at the same time. “We’ve finally put our letters together, and we’ve come to say how much we love you, Mum.” Then she hugged them both, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks, and welcomed them back home.
The mother gave her daughters incomplete letters mainly to ______.
A.mend their relations |
B.offer them advice |
C.tell them her news |
D.win their hearts |
Upon receiving their letters, the two daughters ______.
A.put the letters together and read them |
B.blamed her mother for the half-letter |
C.complained about each other as usual |
D.understood the mother’s purpose at once |
Why did the two daughters visit their mother at last?
A.They wanted to apologize. |
B.They felt grateful for the mother. |
C.They had put the letters together. |
D.They missed home very much. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.A Sincere Apology to Mother |
B.A Mother’s Endless Love |
C.Two Special Daughters |
D.An Unusual Letter |
A recent report on online education, made by SRI International for the Department of Education, has a serious academic (学术的) title, but a most interesting conclusion: “ Students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”
The report examined the research on online and traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008. Some of it was in K-12 settings, but most of the studies were in colleges and adult continuing education programs.
Over the 12 years, the report found 99 studies in which there were comparisons of online and classroom performance for the same courses. The result of the Department of Education’ s research showed that usually, students doing some or all of the course online would rank a little higher than the classroom students with little but meaningful difference.
“The importance of the study lies in showing that online learning today is not just better than nothing — it actually tends to be better than traditional instruction.” said Barbara Means, the study’ s lead author and an educational psychologist at SRI International.
This hardly means that we’ll be saying goodbye to classrooms. But the report does suggest that online education could be set to develop sharply over the next few years.
Until fairly recently, online education totaled to little. That has really changed with the arrival of webbased video, instant (即时的) messaging and teamwork tools.
The real promise of online education, experts say, is providing learning experiences that are more suitable for individual (个体的) students than is possible in classrooms. That allows more “learning by doing,” which many students find more attractive and useful.
“We are at a turning point in online education,” said Philip R. Regier, the leader of Arizona State University’ s Online and Extended Campus program.
The biggest near-term growth, Mr. Regier predicts, will be in continuing education programs.
What do we know from the passage?
Most of the studies were done in high schools.
The report was based on more than 100 studies.
The studies were carried out for more than 20 years.
The difference between online and traditional teaching is not big.
We can learn from the passage that __________.
traditional education will come to an end
traditional education is not popular any longer
online education didn’ t develop rapidly until recently
middle schools are facing the choice between online and traditional teaching
Which is NOT the reason why many students prefer online learning?
Online teaching is more suitable for individuals.
Classroom teaching is not practical and useful.
Students can learn by doing in online courses.
Online teaching is more interesting.
Which do you think is the best title for the passage?
Study finds that online education beats the classroom
Why is online education on the rise?
A report on online education
Classroom teaching is out
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people’s memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war.
They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people’s memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
The passage is mainly about .
A.a new medical invention |
B.a new research on the pill |
C.a way of wiping out painful memories |
D.an argument about the research on the pill |
The drug tested on people can .
A.cause the brain to fix memories |
B.stop people remembering bad experiences |
C.prevent body producing certain chemicals |
D.wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
We can infer from the passage that .
A.people doubt the effects of the pills |
B.the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories |
C.taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health |
D.the pill has already been produced and used by the public in America |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph ?
A.some memories can ruin people's lives. |
B.people want to get rid of bad memories. |
C.experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
D.the pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
You may probably read the passage in __________
A.a guidebook | B.a textbook |
C.a medical magazine | D.a science fiction |
There are several ways to break the technology code that teenagers have written among themselves. The following are ideas to help parents understand the sometimes confusing world of the teens.
Social Networking (人际关系网) Sites: Sites like MySpace and Facebook appeal to all generations and are a good way for a parent to understand what social standards your teen is living with. There are many ways to help you take part in your child's online activities. You also can be from an onlooker (旁观者) who keeps a bird' s-eye view of his cyber world to an active member of his social group.
MMORPG: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game comes in the form of games. A child can easily become addicted to (沉溺于) them if no limits are set. To fully understand the attraction behind MMORPG, you can make your own account and character to explore the digital (数码的) world. Playing the online games may seem strange at first to your teen, but experience has led me to only positive feedback (反应) from young people who can communicate with adults about their gaming experiences.
Text and Instant Messenger: The ways of teenage communication have produced a whole new language, such as "LOLZ" (laughing out loud) and "PSOS" (parent standing over shoulder). Learning the basic shorthand (速记法) of teens can open up a whole new world of communication, not only talking to your teens, but being able to listen on their terms as well. You may just find yourself texting faster and ending your correspondence (联系) with TTYL (talk to you later). To teens, texting anyone looks cool, even Mom and Dad.
Email: Emailing your child is easy. This, of course, cannot take the place of face-to-face communication, but it provides another way for your child to reach you. Another benefit is that your child cannot act like he didn't hear you.
What does the underlined part "appeal to" in the second paragraph mean?
A.harm | B.attract | C.upset | D.attack |
According to this passage we can infer that the author's child __________.
A.works hard at school |
B.is active on Facebook |
C.enjoys playing online games |
D.likes talking with adults |
If you are standing beside your child, he is most likely to text his friend __________.
A.PSOS | B.MMORPG | C.TTYL | D.LOLZ |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.Parents can use technology to stay in touch with their children. |
B.Many children are very crazy about the online games. |
C.Science and technology make life easy and convenient. |
D.Parents can do something interesting like their children do. |
President Barack Obama set out his plans for the nation on January 27. At the top of his to-do list: his jobs for Americans, health care and education.
“Although we have our difficulties, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not stop,” President Barack Obama told American in his State of the Union speech on January 27. Guests and government officials filled the hall of the House of Representatives (众议院).
Obama looked back on his first year in office and explained his plan for the future. He dealt with important matters, including health care, the nation’ s high unemployment, national security (安全) and education. Many times during the 70-minute speech, people in the hall clapped (拍手) their hands happily.
The U.S. law system requires the President to report regularly to government officials. Presidents see the speech as an opportunity to set their goals and encourage the nation.
The President devoted much of his speech to the plight of unemployed (失业的) Americans. “Jobs must be our Number 1 focus (焦点) in 2010,” he said. “People are out of work. They are hurting.” Obama also stressed the value of education. “The best way for people to lead a better life is a first-class education.” he told the nation.
Following the President’s speech, the other party always gets the chance to speak. Bob McDonnell, the new governor of Virginia, spoke for Republicans (共和党人). He agreed with many of Obama’s goals, but pointed out policy difference. He tried to persuade both parties to work together. The President had made the same point earlier in the evening. He promised to hold monthly meetings with members of both parties. “Let’s show the American people,” he said, “that we can do it together.”
It can be inferred (推断) from the passage that Obama’s speech on January 27 __________.
was made to explain his plan for the future
was welcomed by the government officials present
was given to ask for foreign help
was actually boring
The underlined word “plight” in para. 5 probably means __________.
A.education | B.safety |
C.goal | D.sadness |
Which of the following things does Obama consider the most important in 2010?
A.Health care. | B.Jobs. |
C.Education. | D.National security. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that __________.
Republicans don’ t agree with Obama’ s goals
Obama will try to cooperate with the other party
Bob McDonnell was not clear about the two parties’ policy differences
Republicans thought it difficult for the two parties to work together
I was sleeping in my room when my bed started shaking and a loud noise was heard. I woke up and my mom was screaming my name. Next moment I was running along with my younger sister, mom and dad. Before I ran out of the door, I realized my elder sister hadn’t come out yet. So I screamed her name at the top of my voice. My mom said she had gone to her class. Then the four of us, along with many others, were running on the staircase. We lived on the seventh floor, so I thought we would not be able to make it and the building would fall before we managed to reach even the fourth floor. My dad’s head was injured by something falling down. I did try to put my hand over his head. When we reached the sixth floor, the building split into two. We had no way to get down.
The next thing I remember is silence. There were around 30 people on the staircase and none could react. Five minutes later, someone opened the door of the sixth-floor flat. We all went in. We were wondering how would get down. From the balcony of the sixth-floor flat, I saw people standing on the ground floor. All eyes were stuck on us. I could see my elder sister crying.
Our first hope of surviving came when a worker climbed a rope to where we were. That was the first time we thought maybe we could get down. Half an hour passed and we were still trapped. Finally RSS people arrived with ropes. They got people down one by one. My biggest worry was how my dad would get down. Finally after two and a half hours, we all got down.
That day we saw the power of nature. It has taken more than two years to build the flats and it took just one and a half minutes to destroy the structure.
What is this passage mainly about?
A.Ways to survive an earthquake. |
B.Reasons why earthquakes happen. |
C.The love of parents in an earthquake. |
D.The writer’s experience in an earthquake. |
When the building split into two, the writer and his family ____________.
A.were still sleeping |
B.were trapped on the sixth floor |
C.were looking for a family member |
D.were running on the staircase of the seventh floor |
The first time the writer thought they would probably survive was when .
A.he was encouraged by people on the ground floor |
B.someone opened the door of the sixth-floor flat |
C.a worker climbed up on a rope |
D.RSS people arrived with ropes |
The earthquake made the writer realize that .
A.there is always hope for people |
B.the power of nature is really great |
C.natural disasters can happen any time |
D.human beings are strong in natural disasters |
Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine’s Day(情人节), I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine’s Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism(资本主义) was ruining your culture.
The next Valentine’s Day, I still didn’t have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can’t remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I’m not the only one who’s had the blues because of being single on Valentine’s Day.
It’s not just on Valentine’s Day that I’m reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playing She’s Only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and lost in their own world. On the train, I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员).
My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won’t focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I’ll spend Valentine’s Day with friends in New York City. But I won’t try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I’ll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome.
The underlined word “Hallmark” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to a .
A.city | B.street | C.store | D.man |
We can infer that in the opinion of the writer’s father .
A.his daughter should have received a gift |
B.people in India shouldn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day |
C.people in India should welcome Western culture |
D.his daughter should know more about capitalism |
According to Paragraph 2, if someone has the blues, he or she is probably .
A.lucky | B.angry | C.excited | D.sad |
What is implied in the passage?
A.The writer now has a boyfriend. |
B.The writer now is afraid of Valentine’s Day. |
C.The writer will go to Rome with her coupled-up friends. |
D.The writer’s attitude towards Valentine’s Day has changed. |
Forget famous goal celebration such as “The Robot” by Peter Crouch and “The Dive” by Juergen Klinsmann, here comes the South African “Diski dance”. The Diski dance, which is performed through heading and kicking an imaginary ball, may be a goal celebration to watch in the following matches.
South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala and his teammates performed this different dance when they celebrated his goal against Mexico in the opening World Cup game on Friday. The dance is already popular on YouTube and many soccer fans may want to learn the moves.
Even South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has learnt the Diski dance which could be better than Cameroon Roger Milla’s corner flag dance celebration in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. US actor John Travolta performed the dance shortly after landing his Boeing 707 at Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
Goal celebrations are now part of the biggest sporting event and players plan them in advance just in case they find the back of the net. In football, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration may be performed by the goal-scorer, his or her teammates, the manager or coaches and the supporters of the team.
The Robot goal celebration was so popular that England fans were surprised when Crouch, an English international footballer, said that he wouldn’t be doing it any more unless England won the World Cup.
The word Diski is the word used by the local people for soccer and may also describe the local style of football which focuses on dribbling(带球) and other tricks.
Besides “Diski dance”, how many types of goal celebrations are mentioned in the passage?
A.2. | B.3. | C.4. | D.5. |
The underlined part “find the back of the net” in Paragraph 4 means .
A.score a goal | B.win the match | C.take a rest | D.take part in a match |
What do we learn about the word “Diski”?
A.It has become the most popular sports word in the world now. |
B.It was used to show how people were good at dribbling. |
C.It was used to describe a football which was imagined by footballers. |
D.It was probably mainly used in South Africa before the South Africa World Cup. |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.All the footballers should have their own goal celebrations. |
B.Goal celebrations play an important role in football games. |
C.Famous goal celebrations all appeared in the World Cup games. |
D.Footballers often don’t plan their goal celebrations ahead of time. |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项的标号涂黑。
One of the speaking rules you need to know might sound strange to most ESL(English as a second language) students, but it is one of the most important rules. If you want to pass examinations, then study grammar. However, if you want to become fluent in English, then you should try to learn English without studying the grammar.
Studying grammar will only slow you down and confuse you. You will think about the rules when creating sentences instead of naturally saying a sentence like a native. Remember that only a small fraction(部分) of English speakers know more than 20% of all the grammar rules. Many ESL students know more grammar than native speakers. I can confidently say this with experience. I am a native English speaker, majored in English Literature, and have been teaching English for more than 10 years. However, many of my students know more details about English grammar than I do. When they sometimes ask me about grammar, I can easily look up the definition(定义) and apply it, but I can’t tell them the answer off the top of my head.
I often ask my native English friends some grammar questions, and only a few of them know the correct answer. However, they are fluent in English and can read, speak, listen, and communicate effectively.
Do you want to be able to recite the definition of a causative verb(使役动词), or do you want to be able to speak English fluently?
According to the author, what opinion do most ESL students hold?
A.Grammar matters a lot only in speaking. |
B.Grammar doesn’t matter much in speaking. |
C.Grammar is not important in English learning. |
D.Grammar is very important in English learning. |
What is the author?
A.An ESL student. |
B.A native English teacher. |
C.A native English student. |
D.A teacher teaching English natives. |
The underlined part “off the top of my head” means ________.
A.without consideration |
B.on purpose |
C.after thinking |
D.with difficulty |
Which of the following titles best suits the text?
A.Grammar Counts! |
B.Fluency or Grammar? |
C.Exams or No Exams? |
D.No More Grammar! |
As a music teacher for twenty-seven years, I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.
A few years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking, and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase, “Oh, yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class, Vanessa and I clapping together. She never said or sang a word.
One day late in the school year, when the song was finished, Vanessa turned around, looked me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh, yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music, we had made a connection.
Several years later, I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times, mimicking(模仿) the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl, through her connection with music, left an impression on me that will last forever.
Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.
The author thinks music ________.
A.can make children calm down | B.can connect heart to heart |
C.is difficult for pre-school students | D.is a good means to find a job |
According to the second paragraph, Vanessa ________.
A.got used to singing songs | B.was too shy to speak |
C.was the youngest in the class | D.enjoyed the author’s classes |
When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh, yes!”, the author felt ________.
A.surprised | B.happy | C.frightened | D.satisfied |
What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A.The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years. |
B.Vanessa became as healthy as other children. |
C.The song made a deep impression on Vanessa. |
D.Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream.[ |
The national assistance system for poor college students is getting more effective as proved by fewer phone calls to the hotline of the National Center for Student Assistance Administration.
"Poor college students and their parents are getting more satisfied with the national assistance system," said Ma Wenhua, deputy director of the administration, on Saturday. Over the past three years, the hotline received 8,488 calls. Statistics show 62 percent of the calls were made to ask about the funding policy, while 38 percent (3,200 calls) complained local colleges had failed to abide by the rules to support the students.
Complaints were seen a year-on-year decrease from 2006 to 2008. Ma said some poor families might still overlook what they should do to get support for their child. To ensure education equality, the government has introduced a set of favorable policies to help poor students, such as scholarships, grants(助学金), student loans, tuition waivers(学费全免) and the work-study programs under which poor students are helped out in libraries, teachers' offices or service departments to earn money.
Statistics show the government spent 29.3 billion yuan last year to aid college students, up 7.6 percent from the previous year. Around 40 million persons of college students received the national aid.
The Ministry of Education of the government would ensure that no students drop out of colleges or universities because of poverty.
Among the 20 million students in the country's public and private universities and colleges last year, about 20 percent came from poor backgrounds, official figures show.
The national assistance system is set up ___.
A.for parents and students to complain |
B.to help poor college students |
C.for poor students to get free education |
D.to help students find jobs |
The underlined phrase "abide by" in the second paragraph probably means ____.
A.follow | B.break | C.bear | D.agree to |
From the passage, we know that ____.
A.students will drop out of university because of poverty |
B.Chinese poor college students are more satisfied with national assistance system |
C.more and more parents are complaining about their local colleges |
D.college students are suffering from great economic pressure |
One cold January evening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America, I went with my father on an oil burner service call. My father was in his forties at that time and I was about twelve years old. He was always working hard trying to support us seven kids. I enjoyed hanging out with him whenever I could — he taught me so much.
We arrived at the call and after walking over snow and ice, we knocked on the customer’s door. A senior citizen opened the door and let us into her very cold home. She was wearing an old, worn-out brown coat that went down to her knees. On her head, covering her gray hair, was an old and worn hat. The home wasn’t furnished very well and was quite dark, except for a single light bulb over the dining room table. Below the light was an older man counting change from several old coffee cans. He looked up at us as we passed by to get to the kitchen where my dad would fix the oil burner. He didn’t say anything. He just looked up at us. He couldn’t speak English, nor could his wife. She only pointed to the kitchen and smiled at us.
After a short while, my father had the heater up and running, and it began to heat their cold home. The lady asked my dad in poor English how much she owed him for fixing the heater. My dad looked around the house and said that he had to go out to the truck and write the bill.
Once in the truck he marked the bill “no answer at home, no charge”, so they wouldn’t be charged for his work. He looked over at me and said, “He was counting his change to pay me. They need their money more than I do.”
As usual, my father taught me something important that time, which was to be kind to the poor.
According to Paragraph 1, we know that the writer’s father .
A.often taught the writer how to work |
B.worked several jobs at the same time |
C.had a very big family to support |
D.brought up his children alone |
The description in Paragraph 2 shows that the old couple .
A.had no job |
B.led a very poor life |
C.didn’t know how to save money |
D.were not very friendly to strangers |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.The old couple had no children in America. |
B.The old man didn’t plan to pay money. |
C.The old woman felt very embarrassed all the time. |
D.The old couple were not native Americans. |
The writer’s father didn’t charge for his work because .
A.he didn’t need that money |
B.he felt pity for the old couple |
C.he was not satisfied with his work |
D.he wanted to set a good example to others |