In 1974, after filling out fifty applications, going through four interviews, and winning one offer, I took what I could get ----- a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area: western New Jersey. My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen ------- teaching English.
School started, but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country. Was this rural area really New Jersey? My students took a week off when hunting season began. I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms. I was a young woman from New York City, who thought that “Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.
But, still, I was teaching English. I worked hard, taking time off only to eat and sleep. And then there was my sixth-grade class ---- seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me. I had a problem long before I knew it. I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher. I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word. The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior. So I did, confident that, as the textbook had said, the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention. It sounds reasonable, but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans, particularly teenagers, rarely seems reasonable. By the time my boss, who was also my taskmaster, known to be the strictest, most demanding, most quick to fire inexperienced teachers, came into the classroom to observe me, the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room. The boys in the class were making animal noises, hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines. I just pretended it all wasn’t happening, and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions. My boss, sitting in the back of the classroom, seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. After twenty minutes he left, silently. Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying, but at my next free period I had to face him. I wondered if he would let me finish out the day. I walked to his office, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair, and he looked at me long and hard. I said nothing. All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher; I had been lying to myself, pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke, he said simply, without accusation, “You had nothing to say to them.”
“You had nothing to say to them”. he repeated.” No wonder they are bored. Why not get to the meat of literature and stop talking about symbolism. Talk with them, not at them. And more important, why do you ignore their bad behavior”? We talked. He named my problems and offered solutions. We role-played. He was the bad student, and I was the forceful, yet, warm, teacher
As the year progressed, we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations. He helped me identify my weaknesses and strengths. In short, he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words: “The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school. Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year, the school is my home now.
【小题1】 It can be inferred from the story that in 1974 ________________.

In 1974, after filling out fifty applications, going through four interviews, and winning one offer, I took what I could get ----- a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area: western New Jersey. My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen ------- teaching English.

School started, but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country. Was this rural area really New Jersey? My students took a week off when hunting season began. I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms. I was a young woman from New York City, who thought that “Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.

But, still, I was teaching English. I worked hard, taking time off only to eat and sleep. And then there was my sixth-grade class ---- seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me. I had a problem long before I knew it. I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher. I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word. The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.

In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior. So I did, confident that, as the textbook had said, the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention. It sounds reasonable, but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans, particularly teenagers, rarely seems reasonable. By the time my boss, who was also my taskmaster, known to be the strictest, most demanding, most quick to fire inexperienced teachers, came into the classroom to observe me, the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.

My boss sat in the back of the room. The boys in the class were making animal noises, hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines. I just pretended it all wasn’t happening, and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions. My boss, sitting in the back of the classroom, seemed to be growing bigger and bigger. After twenty minutes he left, silently. Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.

I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying, but at my next free period I had to face him. I wondered if he would let me finish out the day. I walked to his office, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

He was sitting in his chair, and he looked at me long and hard. I said nothing. All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher; I had been lying to myself, pretending that everything was fine.

When he spoke, he said simply, without accusation, “You had nothing to say to them.”

“You had nothing to say to them”. he repeated.” No wonder they are bored. Why not get to the meat of literature and stop talking about symbolism. Talk with them, not at them. And more important, why do you ignore their bad behavior”? We talked. He named my problems and offered solutions. We role-played. He was the bad student, and I was the forceful, yet, warm, teacher

As the year progressed, we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations. He helped me identify my weaknesses and strengths. In short, he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words: “The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”

Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school. Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year, the school is my home now.

1. It can be inferred from the story that in 1974 ________________.

A．the writer became an optimistic person

B．the writer was very happy about her new job

C．it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA

D．it was easy to get a teaching job in New Jersey

2.According to the passage, which of the following is most probably the writer’s problem as a new teacher?

A．She had blind trust in what she learnt at college.

B．She didn’t ask experienced teachers for advice.

C．She took too much time off to eat and sleep.

D．She didn’t like teaching English literature.

3.What is the writer’s biggest worry after her taskmaster’s observation of her class?

A．She might lose her teaching job.

B．She might lose her students’ respect.

C．She couldn’t teach the same class any more.

D．She couldn’t ignore her students’ bad behavior any more.

4.Which of the following gives the writer a sense of mild victory?

A．Her talk about symbolism sounded convincing.

B．Her students behaved a little better than usual.

C．She managed to finish the class without crying.

D．She was invited for a talk by her boss after class.

5.The students behaved badly in the writer’s classes because

A．They were eager to embarrass her.

B．She didn’t really understand them.

C．They didn’t regard her as a good teacher.

D．She didn’t have a good command of English.

6.The taskmaster’s attitude towards the writer after his observation of her class can be described as________________.

A．cruel but encouraging                    B．fierce but forgiving

C．sincere and supportive                   D．angry and aggressive

We are going on a long train journey. Out of the windows, we can see cars running on nearby highways, children waving at a crossing, cattle grazing（吃草） on a distant hillside, smoke pouring from factories, village houses and city skylines.
But   36  in our minds is the final destination（目的地）. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will  37  into the station. Bands will be playing and flags   38  . Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will   39  and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a(n)   40   jigsaw（拼图） puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles（过道）, damning（诅咒） the minutes for waiting, waiting for the station.
“When we reach the  41  , that will be it!” We cry “When I am 18.” “When I  42  a new 450SL Mercedes Benz!” “When I put the   43  kid through college.” “When I have   44  off the debts!” “When I get a promotion（提升）.” “When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live   45  ever after!”
  46  , we come to realize that there is no such station as we arrive at once and for all. The  47  joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It   48  leaves us behind.
“Cherish（珍视） the moment” is a good   49  . It is the burdens（负担） of today that drive us to keep on   50  . And it is the regrets over yesterday that motivate（激发） us to overcome the   51  and look forward to the future.
So   52  pacing the aisles and counting the miles.   53  , climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot（赤脚） more   54  , swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived   55  we go along. The station will come soon enough.
【小题1】A hidden      B faint      C deep      D buried
【小题2】A pull      B get      C approach      D arrive
【小题3】 A floating      B waving      C raising      D shaking
【小题4】A come up      B come around      C come out      D come true
【小题5】A divided      B separated      C completed      D united
【小题6】A station     B age      C target      D point
【小题7】A borrow      B buy      C order      D rent
【小题8】A first      B best      C last      D eldest
【小题9】A cut      B left      C taken      D paid
【小题10】A happily      B fully      C anxiously      D freely
【小题11】A Believe it or not      B Sooner or later      C Once again      D All at once
【小题12】A simple      B basic      C true      D final
【小题13】A eventually（最后）      B accidentally      C instantly      D constantly
【小题14】A motto（箴言）      B sentence      C concept     D slogan（标语）
【小题15】A pushing      B trying      C working      D sticking
【小题16】A effort      B mistake      C challenge      D fault
【小题17】A consider      B stop      C go on      D plan on
【小题18】A Besides      B Thus      C However      D Instead
【小题19】A often      B gently      C quickly      D slowly
【小题20】A if      B unless      C as      D once

Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer day than watching someone else work.

Right now, I’m sitting on my porch and watching young Beth baling（打捆）the big field on top of the hill. She’s been haying that field for over ten years. I know: I put her on the tractor when she was just twelve years old.

She picked a great day for baling. It’s not too hot, and there’s a nice breeze. On Monday, when she cut the field, it was so hot I thought the corn would start popping in the field. Didn’t stop her, though. She just stuck that big hat on her head, wrapped a wet handkerchief around her neck, and set to work. I remember when I would have done the same thing.

While I’m here sucking a lemonade, Beth is driving the “hay(干草) train,” a tractor pulling a baler and an old wagon. You’d think someone her size would never be able to see over the tractor. But somehow she manages. When she’s finished, her tracks are very straight.

The whole time she’s haying, that dog of hers is working just as hard, running along beside her like he’s afraid she’ll drive away without him. Beth sure knew what she was doing when she trained him.

The way the machine works is pure poetry. Each row is pushed into shape. When just enough hay is in a bale, it is wrapped up and fastened together. A second or so later, the bale comes flying out and into the old wagon. The person who invented that machine sure was some kind of genius.

That’s not to say it works perfectly. Every once in a while a bale misses the mark, especially when you are turning the machine at the end of a row. That means, of course, that you have to go back and pick up those bales and throw them into the wagon.

I can remember when Beth’s mother was her age. She looked an awful lot like Beth does now. Makes a man proud to see his daughter and granddaughter taking such good care of themselves.

Well, I suppose I should get up and fill this glass again. Not much fun sitting here with an empty glass.

63. We can learn from the passage that at some time in the past the author ______.

　 A. bought the tractor for Beth　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. forced Beth to work at an early age

　 C. worked in the field like Beth　　　　　　 D. trained the dog to help Beth work

64. In the eyes of the author, the sight of Beth baling hay is _______.

　 A. uncommon　　　 B. beautiful　　　　 C. unforgettable　　　 D. changeable　　　

65 Before thrown into the wagon, the hay must be _______.

A. tied up　　　　　 B. dried up　　　　　 C. cut up　　　　　　 D. lined up　

66. Who do you think is telling this story?

A. Beth’s mother. B. Beth’s father.　　　

C. Beth’s grandmother.　 D.Beth’s grandfather.

How do you feel about watching other people work?

Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer day than watching someone else work.

Right now, I’m sitting on my porch and watching young Beth baling（打捆）the big field on top of the hill. She’s been haying that field for over ten years. I know: I put her on the tractor when she was just twelve years old.

She picked a great day for baling. It’s not too hot, and there’s a nice breeze. On Monday, when she cut the field, it was so hot I thought the corn would start popping in the field. Didn’t stop her, though. She just stuck that big hat on her head, wrapped a wet handkerchief around her neck, and set to work. I remember when I would have done the same thing.

While I’m here sucking a lemonade, Beth is driving the “hay(干草) train,” a tractor pulling a baler and an old wagon. You’d think someone her size would never be able to see over the tractor. But somehow she manages. When she’s finished, her tracks are very straight.

The whole time she’s haying, that dog of hers is working just as hard, running along beside her like he’s afraid she’ll drive away without him. Beth sure knew what she was doing when she trained him.

The way the machine works is pure poetry. Each row is pushed into shape. When just enough hay is in a bale, it is wrapped up and fastened together. A second or so later, the bale comes flying out and into the old wagon. The person who invented that machine sure was some kind of genius.

That’s not to say it works perfectly. Every once in a while a bale misses the mark, especially when you are turning the machine at the end of a row. That means, of course, that you have to go back and pick up those bales and throw them into the wagon.

I can remember when Beth’s mother was her age. She looked an awful lot like Beth does now. Makes a man proud to see his daughter and granddaughter taking such good care of themselves.

Well, I suppose I should get up and fill this glass again. Not much fun sitting here with an empty glass.

56. We can learn from the passage that at some time in the past the author ______.

　 A. bought the tractor for Beth　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. forced Beth to work at an early age

　 C. worked in the field like Beth　　　　　　 D. trained the dog to help Beth work

57. In the eyes of the author, the sight of Beth baling hay is _______.

　 A. uncommon　　　 B. beautiful　　　　 C. unforgettable　　　 D. changeable　　　

58. Before thrown into the wagon, the hay must be _______.

A. tied up　　　　　 B. dried up　　　　　 C. cut up　　　　　　 D. lined up　

59. Who do you think is telling this story?

A. Beth’s mother.　　 B. Beth’s father. 　　 C. Beth’s grandmother. 　 D. Beth’s grandfather.