When I learned that 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble —a word game, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggests we give her a computer to play against herself. I wasn’t sure whether my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of the computers.

It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything.

She has been the one teaching me all my life: to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.

   It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing. This proved to be a bigger challenge to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces. 

“Are you this demanding with your kindergarten pupils?” she asked.

“No, of course not,” I said.”They already know how to use a computer.”

 My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏). For as long as I can remember, any time I called, my mother would answer. Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.

1.What does the author do?

A．She is a cooker

B．She is a teacher

C．She is a housewife

D．She is a computer engineer

2.The author decided to give her mother a computer _____.

A．to let her have more chances to write letters

B．to support to her in doing her homework

C．to help her through the bad times

D．to make her life more enjoyable

3.The author asked her mother to write her a letter _____.

A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone

B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother

C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned

D．so that her mother could be free from the housework

 

Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay concerned with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.”
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.
【小题1】What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?

A．Teaching music.	B．Writing music.
C．Making musical instruments.	D．Repairing musical instruments.

【小题2】They love the job because they can     .

A．earn more money	B．learn repair skills
C．enjoy music	D．watch performances

【小题3】Which of the following is true of the two men?

A．They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.

B．They can play and repair musical instruments.

C．Jernigan used to play in an army band.

D．West was trained to play the piano.

【小题4】According to West, what can people learn from music?

A．Teamwork and patience.	B．The value of time.
C．The truth of society.	D．Diligence and confidence.

【小题5】What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．How to repair musical instruments.

B．Learning experiences of two repairmen.

C．How to prepare a musical performance.

D．The enjoyable job of two music lovers.

When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble—a word game—against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life; to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge(挑战) to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you demanding this with your kindergarten pupils?” she said.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I remember, and time I called, my mother would answer, Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years.
【小题1】What does the author do?

A．She is a cook.

B．She is a teacher.

C．She is a housewife

D．She is a computer engineer.

【小题2】The author decided to give her mother a computer__________.

A．to let her have more chances to write letters

B．to support her in doing her homework

C．to help her through the bad times

D．to make her life more enjoyable

【小题3】The author asked her mother to write her a letter__________.

A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone

B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother

C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned

D．so that her mother could be free from housework

【小题4】After the computer was brought home, the author’s father__________.

A．lost interest in cooking

B．took more phone calls

C．played more games

D．began to use it

Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.
The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.
“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”
Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”
In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.
West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.
But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.
“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”
Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.
【小题1】 What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?

A．Teaching music.

B．Writing music.

C．Making musical instruments.

D．Repairing musical instruments.

【小题2】They love the job because they can     .

A．earn more money	B．learn repair skills
C．enjoy music	D．watch performances

【小题3】 Which of the following is true of the two men?

A．They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.

B．They can play and repair musical instruments.

C．Jernigan used to play in an army band.

D．West was trained to play the piano.

【小题4】 According to West, what can people learn from music?

A．Teamwork and patience.	B．The value of time.
C．The truth of society.	D．Diligence and confidence.

【小题5】 What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．How to repair musical instruments.

B．Learning experiences of two repairmen.

C．How to prepare a musical performance.

D．The enjoyable job of two music lovers.

Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.

The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.

“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”

Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”

In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.

West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.

But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.

“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”

Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.

1. What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?

A. Teaching music.

B. Writing music.

C. Making musical instruments.

D. Repairing musical instruments.

2.They love the job because they can     .

A. earn more money                  B. learn repair skills 

C. enjoy music                      D. watch performances

3. Which of the following is true of the two men?

A. They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.

B. They can play and repair musical instruments.

C. Jernigan used to play in an army band.

D. West was trained to play the piano.

4. According to West, what can people learn from music?

A. Teamwork and patience.               B. The value of time.      

C. The truth of society.                    D. Diligence and confidence.

5. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A. How to repair musical instruments.

B. Learning experiences of two repairmen.

C. How to prepare a musical performance.

D. The enjoyable job of two music lovers.