阅读理解

　　I read a letter of a mother of a gifted child to an expert with gifted children stating that her son was always complaining that he doesn't like his teacher for she talks in baby language and she lets them sing baby songs．Having an insufficient(不足够的)understanding of being different from their normally developing classmates, gifted children may find themselves wanting to learn more than being boxed with other kids of their age．They want to quench(解渴)their thirst for knowledge．However, in the process, they tend to develop negative(负面的)thoughts about school and teachers．Thus, they tend to exhibit behavioral problems．

　　Behavioral problems of gifted children could be mainly correlated(相关的)to their asynchronous(不同步的)development．This development means that the child has uneven(不均衡的)development in their mind, body and emotions．To explain further, a gifted child may live in different ages at once．He may show high intellectual(智力的)capabilities at some point but the time his emotions rule, he would go back to his true age going through tantrums(脾气发作)and endless sobbing(哭泣)．He maybe find it happy playing with kids his age but the next day, he would be bored with that and he would find conversing with older kids to be more challenging．

　　Because of high intellectual level, a gifted child often acts differently in his own classroom．He has the thinking of being above from the rest of his classmates when it comes to grades, academic awards and school recognitions．In classroom discussions, the child may be very cooperative(合作的)having advanced knowledge in the lessons but it is mostly that he will suffer from boredom as he is not challenged by the lessons and he would feel no improvement with them．

阅读理解

　　After Mom died, I began visiting Dad every morning before I went to work．He was frail(衰弱)and moved slowly, but he always had a glass of freshly squeezed(挤榨的)orange juice on the kitchen table for me, along with an unsigned note reading, “Drink your juice．” Such a gesture(表示), I knew, was as far as Dad had ever been able to go in expressing his love．In fact, I remember, as a kid I had questioned Mom “Why doesn't Dad love me?” Mom frowned(皱眉), “Who said he doesn't love you?”“Well, he never tells me,” I complained．He never tells me either,” she said, smiling． “But look how hard he works to take care of us, to buy us food and clothes, and to pay for this house．That's how your father tells us he loves us．”

　　I nodded slowly．I understood in my head, but not in my heart．I still wanted my father to put his arms around me and tell me he loved me．Dad owned and operated a small scrap(小片)metal business, and after school I often hung around while he worked．Dad handfed scrap steel into a device(装置)that chopped(切)it as cleanly as a butcher(屠夫)chops a rack of ribs(肋骨)．The machine looked like a giant pair of scissors(剪刀), with blades(刃)thicker than my father's body．If he didn't feed those terrifying blades just right, he risked serious injury．“Why don't you hire someone to do that for you?” Mom asked Dad one night as she bent over him and rubbed(搓)his aching shoulders with a strong smelling liniment(涂剂)．“Why don't you hire a cook?” Dad asked, giving her one of his rare smiles．

　　Many years later, during my first daily visit, after drinking the juice my father had squeezed for me, I walked over, hugged him and said,“I love you, Dad．” From then on I did this every morning．My father never told me how he felt about my hugs, and there was never any expression on his face when I gave them．

阅读理解

　　Acting is such an overcrowded profession that the only advice that should be given to a young person thinking of going on the stage is“Don't!”．But it is useless to try to discourage someone who feels that he must act, although the chances of his becoming famous are small．The normal way to begin is to go to a drama school．Usually only students who show promise and talent are accepted, and the course lasts two years．Then the young actor or actress takes up work with a play company, usually as an assistant stage manager．This means doing everything that there is to do in the theatre：painting scenery, publicity, looking after the furniture, taking care of the clothes, and even acting in very small parts．It is very hard work indeed; the hours are long and the salary is tiny．But young actors with the stage in their blood are happy, waiting for the chance of working with a better company, or perhaps in films or television．

　　Of course, some people have unusual chances which lead to fame and success without this long and hard training．Connie Pratt, for example, was just an ordinary girl working in a bicycle factory．A film producer happened to catch sight of her one morning waiting at a bus stop, as he drove past in his car．He stopped and got out to speak to the girl．He asked if she would like to go to the film studio to do a test, and she thought he was joking．Then she got angry and said she would call the police．It took the producer twenty minutes to convince Connie that he was serious．Then an appointment was made for her to go to the company the next day．The test was successful．And within a few weeks she was playing the leading part in a film．But chances like this happen once in a blue moon!

阅读理解

　　A new book claims to have definitive evidence of a long-suspected technological crime－that Alexander Graham Bell stole ideas for the telephone from a competitor, Elisha Gray．

　　In The Telephone Gambit：Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret, journalist Seth Shulman argues that Bell－aided by aggressive lawyers and a corrupt patent examiner－got an improper glance at patent documents Gray had filed, and that Bell was incorrectly credited with filing first．

　　Shulman believes the smoking gun is Bell's lab notebook, which was limited by Bell's family until 1976, then digitized and made widely available in 1999．

　　The notebook details the false starts Bell met as he and assistant Thomas Watson tried transmitting sound electromagnetically over a wire．Then, after a 12-day gap in 1876－when Bell went to Washington to sort out patent questions about his work－he suddenly began trying another kind of voice transmitter．That method was the one that proved successful．

　　As Bell described that new approach, he drew a diagram of a person speaking into a device．Gray's patent documents, which described a similar technique, also featured a very similar diagram．

　　Shulman's book describes other elements that have angered researchers' suspicions．For instance, Bell's transmitter design appears hastily(草率地)written in the margin of his patent; Bell was nervous about demonstrating his device with Gray present; Bell resisted testifying(作证)in an 1878 lawsuit solving this question; and Bell, as if ashamed, quickly distanced himself from the telephone patent right bearing his name．

　　Perhaps the most instructive lesson comes when Shulman explores why historical memory has favoured Bell but not Gray－nor German inventor Philipp Reis．who beat them both with 1860s telephones that employed a different principle．

　　One reason is simply that Bell, not Gray．actually demonstrated a phone that transmitted speech．Gray was focused instead on his era's pressing communications challenge：how to send multiple messages simultaneously(同时地)over the same telegraph wire．As Gray shouted to his lawyers,“I should like to see Bell do that with his instruments．”

阅读理解

　　Many times when children make a mistake, starting with breaking a window while playing football or skipping classes and ending with stealing something of fighting with another child, parents are always blamed by the society for not having known how to educate their offspring(后代)．The situation is not that easy to explain．

　　Parents always look for the best interest of their children and many times they are ready to take measures only for their sake．They know their children are suffering when they are obliged to stay indoors or when they have no money, but they have to teach them a lesson so that they won't repeat the same mistakes over and over again．When a child realizes that his father is talking seriously about him not being allowed to do something, he understands the gravity(严重性)of his deeds and he knows he will think twice before making the same mistake again．

　　These are the cases of the responsible parents, who suffer when they see that their children are not happy but who resist the temptation of forgiving them so easily so that they realize the gravity of their actions not only at present but also for the future．

　　On the other hand there are parents who always find excuses for their children's behavior, who never consider they make mistakes or if they just do what they call“childish”things lacking importance．

　　When you buy your children everything he won't take into consideration anything of what you are telling him later on．He will get to the point when he steals from the house or from a shop so that he can afford to buy cigarettes or drugs．

阅读理解

　　Instead of just spending time on entertainment, why not sign up for a life-changing gap?

　　Football Coaching, Ghana

　　Gap Sports has a wide programme of coaching place-ments, but one of its best is in Accra, where volunteers work in schools and youth clubs coaching under 12s, with the choice of also helping out in hospitals, orphanages, schools and care homes．No coaching experience required－enthusiasm is everything．

　　Details：￡995 for four weeks(minimum), ￡1,895 for three months, ￡100 per week thereafter, departing on July 14, September 1 or October 13．Flights not included．

　　Teaching, Tanzania

　　Primary-school teaching is a tiring, testing, absolutely redeeming(补偿的)crash course(速成班)in local culture, and this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity．Based in the village of Mshiri in northern Tanzania, you will be staying in a house with two other volunteers but teaching alone in village schools．This eight-month placement was set up by Katy Allen, who taught here in the early 1990s．School outings to the coast and to national parks are part of the placement．

　　Details：￡2,750 for eight months, excluding food, departing in January 2008, including 12-month, flexible scheduled air tickets and two weeks' language/teacher training in Kent in November．

　　Marine Conservation, Thailand

　　Here's a bite-size adventure to fit between Thai temples and Brazilian beaches：a 10-day project in southern Thailand, surveying fish numbers and coral cover on reefs in the Gulf of Thailand of the Andaman Sea, bumping into whale sharks and turtles on your daily dives．

　　Details：￡1,495 for 10 days, excluding flights, from November to June; some departures require an open-water diving certificate．

　　Journalism, Honduras

　　Based with a local family in the capital, Tegucigalpa, you'll be working on an English-language newspaper, reporting on politics, sport and current affairs．Basic Spanish is a must, while school-newspaper experience, though not essential, will help your application．

　　Details：￡1,195 for six weeks(minimum),￡130 per week thereafter, excluding flights．

阅读理解

　　Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new baby．Day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his mommy's tummy(肚子)．

　　Finally, Michael's little sister was born．But she was in serious condition．With sirens(警报)howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the baby to St．Mary's Hospital．The days inched by．The little girl became worse．The pediatric(儿科的)specialist told the parents to prepare for the worst．

　　Michael kept begging about singing to his sister, but kids are not allowed in pediatric department at St．Mary's Hospital．Karen made up her mind to take Michael to see his sister．She dressed him in an oversized suit and marched him into the hospital．He looked like a walking laundry basket, but the head nurse recognized him as a child and shouted,“Get that kid out of here now!”Karen rose up strong, and the usually mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed into the head nurse's face．“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister!”

　　Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside．He gazed at the tiny baby losing the battle to live．And he began to sing．In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang,“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine．You make me happy when skies are grey．”Instantly the baby girl responded．Her pulse rate became calm and steady．Her strained breathing became smoother．

　　“Keep on singing, Michael．”“The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I help you in my arms…”Michael's little sister relaxed as healing rest seemed to sweep over her．“Keep on singin, Michael．”Tears conquered the face of the nurse．“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine．Please don't take my sunshine away．”

　　The next day－the very next day－the little girl was well enough to go home!

阅读短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Five years ago, Wang Baoqiang was a nobody to most Chinese people．However, he is now a household film star in China．

　　Wang is the youngest child of a poor family in Hebei province．Dreaming of becoming an actor, he left home at the age of 8 to study kung fu at Shaolin Temple, since kung－fu actors seemed to appear most often on the big screen．

　　At 14, he moved to Beijing for his acting career for the first time, with little money in his pocket．He worked at a construction site(建筑工地)for 20 to 25 yuan per day, and spent his free time standing in front of the Beijing Film Studio, eager to be chosen as temporary(临时的)actors．

　　This was the most difficult time for the boy．His opportunity finally came one day after he went for a role in the movie “Blind Shaft”．He was chosen to play a young coal miner．The movie won him three prizes in Thailand, France and Taiwan．But his success didn't make any difference to his life．

　　That year, he went home for the Spring Festival．He gave his family his earnings from the movie, around US＄250 and then returned to Beijing with 500 yuan, the same amount he had when he first set foot in the city．His life was as simple as before．

　　Thanks to his natural performance in “Blind Shaft,” he was invited by the famous director Feng Xiaogang to act in the film “A World Without Thieves” in 2004, which made him famous

　　immediately．People called him “Shagen,” the name of his character in the movie．

　　Wang's latest work, “Soldiers’ Sortie” has made him the most popular actor on the Chinese mainland．For the actor, it's a dream coming true．

　　“Dreams come true．I think my life is exactly a course of pursuing(追求)dreams．No matter how tough one thing is, I can make it as long as I put great effort into it,” he said．

阅读短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Goals can help you do，be and experience everything you want in life．Instead of just letting life happen to you，goals allow you to make your life happen．

　　Successful and happy people have an idea of how their life should be and they set lots of goals to help them succeed．By setting goals you are taking control of your life．It’ s like having a map to show you where you want to go．Think of it this way．There are two drivers．One has a destination in mind which is laid out for her on a map．She can drive straight there without any wasted time or wrong turns．The other driver has no goal or destination or map．She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver，but she drives without an aim around，never getting anywhere，just using up gas and oil．Which driver do you want to be?

　　Winners in life set goals and follow through on them．Winners decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals．Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident．Goals aren't difficult to set－and they aren't difficult to reach．It's up to you to find out what your goals and ideals(理想)really are．

　　Research tells us that when we write a goal down，we are more likely to achieve．Written goals can be reviewed regularly，and have more power．Like a contract with yourself，they are harder to neglect(忽视)or forget．Also when you write your goals in a particular way，you are able to make yourself continuously alert(警觉)to situations that will further your goals．

阅读短文，从每篇短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　When the six very best students from different cities in Guangdong Province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best students of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Peking or Tsinghua University; when the highest enrollment(录取)rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48∶1, it's the high time to ask where the real education heaven for students in China is．

　　Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Peking or Tsinghua University”．But now no one could give the exact answer without hesitation．The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students．

　　There's no doubt to call this HK craze(狂热), which is even out of the expectation of those HK universities themselves．

　　How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Peking and Tsinghua University and attract so many mainland students?

　　First, Hong Kong universities offer large－amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the scholarship as much as 400, 000 HK dollars．Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden of many families, it's easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great．

　　Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual(双语)education．This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students．

　　Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students．

　　Can mainland top universities like Peking or Tsinghua University be calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation? Time will explain it．

　　The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China．After the awakening and action－taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities．

　　At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees(学费)are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities．It's time to move．