Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything -- tutors, cards, special learning centers -- in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic(天主教的) school.

    After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and paper were spread(铺开)out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.

    Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mother looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity(好奇心). She went to his room and asked, "son, what was it? Was it the nuns(修女)?"

    Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head(摇动), "No."

    "Well then," she asked again. "What was it?"

    Little Tommy looked at her and said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed(钉) to the plus sign(加号), I knew they weren't joking."

Why did Tommy's parents send him to a catholic school?

    A. Because he could eat well there.

    B. Because he could learn more about nuns.

    C. Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math.

    D. Because his parents didn't want him to learn math any more.

Tommy's mother felt surprised that his son _____.

    A. was still the same

    B. ate so much at dinner

    C. kissed her hello after school

    D. worked so hard but said too little

The phrase "hit the books" means “_____” in Chinese.

A. 用功                B. 捶书                C. 发泄                D. 振作

The last sentence in the passage shows that ______.

    A. Tommy felt sorry for the man

    B. Tommy didn't like the plus sign

    C. Tommy was afraid of being nailed

D. Tommy liked playing jokes on others

    Of all the men who ever liked fresh air, no one liked it more than James Wilson did. He _1__ slept with his window open even when snow was falling outside.

    One winter, he went to Finland on business. When he _2__ his room in the hotel, he found that the windows were closed to __3__ the icy air out. He did his best to open one but failed. The bed was really __4___, but Wilson couldn’t sleep. He __5__ forget the closed windows. No fresh air! It was __6___ to think of.

    At about one o’clock in the morning, he was __7__ awake. Worrying about the air in the room. He became very angry. Where was the __8__ ? He could see something that looked like __9___ over there. He threw a shoe at it through the darkness with all the force of his strong right arm. A terrible sound of breaking glass _10__ the room, but to Wilson’s sad heart, it seemed like the sound of __11___ music.

    When daylight came through the window, he __12___ and lay with his eyes close. There was __13__ to worry about. __14___ was it ? Oh, the broken window! Yes, indeed. He would have to pay __15__ that. He opened his eyes to look.

    Suddenly he sat up in __16__. The window was not broken at all. The __17__ was all in one piece, just as good as it had been the night before. __18__ fresh air was entering the room through the window!

    He then turned his eyes to the __19__ and saw a broken picture __20__ on the wall. There was a shoe on the floor below it, and a lot of broken glasses around the shoe.

1. A. seldom           B. often                 C. sometimes          D. always

    2. A. left             B. cleaned               C. entered            D. examined

    3. A. prevent          B. keep                  C. stop               D. send

    4. A. cold             B. comfortable           C. bad                D. terrible

    5. A. shouldn’t       B. wasn’t able to       C. couldn’t          D. wouldn’t

    6. A. unlucky          B. anxious               C. difficult          D. terrible

    7. A. already          B. nearly                C. hardly             D. still

    8. A. waiter           B. manager               C. window             D. light

    9. A. paper            B. glass                 C. a picture          D. a man

    10. A. destroyed       B. covered               C. filled             D. entered

    11. A. funny           B. strange               C. beautiful          D. famous

    12. A. got up          B. woke up               C. went in            D. came down

    13. A. a lot           B. little                C. something          D. someone

    14. A. What            B. How                   C. Where              D. Who

    15. A. to              B. with                  C. from               D. for

    16. A. silence         B. surprise              C. trouble            D. pain

    17. A. window          B. picture               C. glass              D. shoe

    18. A. Much            B. No                    C. Still              D. Yet

    19. A. outside         B. top                   C. side               D. bottom

    20. A. lying           B. hanging               C. falling            D. put    

Think for a moment about the teachers you have had at school or at university.  Which one did you like best?  And Why?  Were the teachers you liked best also the ones who were the best teachers, in you opinion?  Before you read any further, consider for a minute the qualities that make a teacher outstanding(出色).
Some very common answers to this question are that teachers need to love their students, that they need to have an expert knowledge of their subjects, and that they should devote themselves completely to their jobs.  All of these ideas are, of course, true to a certain extent(程度)but they are perhaps a little too simple.
It is impossible for anyone to love everyone they know, and teachers deal with a very large number of students over the years.  On the other hand, teachers should certainly be able to make their students feel that they are interested in them as people and in the development of both their characters.  A deep knowledge on to the students effectively-a teacher needs to be trained in the skills of teaching.  These skills include how to control a class, and so on.  Finally, teachers have to devote a lot of time and energy to their work, of course.  However, they are also models that their students must follow;  so it is important that they should be well-balanced people with interests outside their school work-family, friends, hobbies, etc.  A teacher who only lives for work is likely to become too narrow-minded.
1. The author suggests that you think about the teachers you have had at school or at university so that_______
A. you might praise outstanding teachers
B. you might know the qualities of outstanding teachers
C. you might select outstanding teachers
D. you might learn from outstanding teachers
2. The author does not consider it possible for a teacher_______
A. to love all the students he has taught or is teaching
B. to have a good knowledge of the subject he teaches
C. to pass the knowledge of his subjects on to his students effectively
D. to be an example for his students to follow
3. A well - balanced person is one_______.
A. who devotes all his time and energy to his work
B. who devotes most of his time and energy to his family, friend, hobbies, etc
C. who has interests both in and outside his work
D. who has interests neither in nor outside his work
4. From the passage, we can conclude that_______.
A. most teachers are born with such skills as how to explain a lesson clearly
B. it is not necessary of teachers to spend much time and energy on their work if they do have an expert knowledge of their subjects
C. teachers should be trained to love all the students they are teaching or have taught
D. even if a teacher has a good knowledge of his subjects, he can not be a good teacher if he doesn’t have the ability to pass that knowledge on to his students.

Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion—like stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with (充斥) different kinds of thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think?
The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion.
Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute—but only one minute—to do nothing else but feel that emotion.
When the minute is over, ask yourself, “Am I willing to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day?”
Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really feel it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly.
If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion.
When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath.
This exercise seems simple—almost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task.
【小题1】What should you do when you are into negativity according to the article?

    Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything -- tutors, cards, special learning centers -- in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic(天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and paper were spread(铺开)out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mother looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity(好奇心). She went to his room and asked, "son, what was it? Was it the nuns(修女)?"
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head(摇动), "No."
"Well then," she asked again. "What was it?"
Little Tommy looked at her and said, "Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed(钉) to the plus sign(加号), I knew they weren't joking."
【小题1】 Why did Tommy's parents send him to a catholic school?