The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.

My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.

　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.

Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s         young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.

1. The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

A．the language of the younger generation is usually inferior(差的) to that of the older generation

B．the students had a poor command of English because they didn’t work hard enough

C．he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen years

D．English teachers should be held responsible for the students’ poor command of English

2. In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.

A．gave a correct judgment of the English level of the students

B．had exaggerated(夸大) the language problems of the students

C．was right in saying that English teachers were not doing their jobs

D．could think and speak intelligently

3.The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.

A．neutral

B．positive

C．critical

D．compromising

4.It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

A．it is justifiable(有理由的) to include English as a school subject

B．the author disagrees with the speaker over the standard of English at Grade 9 level

C．English language teaching is by no means an easy job

D．language improvement needs time and effort

5.In the passage the author argues that ______.

A．it is unfair to blame the English teachers for the language deficiencies of the students

B．young people would not commit offences against the language if the teachers did their jobs properly

C．to eliminate(消除) language deficiencies one must have sensitive eyes and ears

D．to improve the standard of English requires the effort of several generations

 

 

Students from Florida International University in. Miami walked on water Thursday for a class assignment. To do it, they wore aquatic (水上的)shoes they designed and created.

Alex Quinones was the first to make it to the other side of a 175-foot lake on campus in record time - just over a minute. Quinones, who wore oversized boat-like shoes, also won last year and will receive $ 500. Students had to wear the aquatic shoes and make it across the lake in order to earn an '6A" on the assignment for Architecture Professor Jaime Canaves, Materials and Methods Construction Class. "It's traditional in a school of architecture to do boats out of cardboard for a boat race. I thought our students were a little bit more special than that, " Canaves said. "We decided to do the walk on water event to take it to the next level. "

A total of 79 students competed in the race this year in 41 teams. Only 10 teams failed to cross the lake. Others who fell got back up and made it to the end. The race is open to all students and anyone in the community. The youngest person to ever participate was a 9-year-old girl who competed in place of her mother, while the oldest was a 67-year-old female.

A large crowd on campus joined Canaves as he cheered on the racers. He shouted encouraging words, but also laughed as some unsteadily made their way to the end.

"A part of this is for them to have more understanding of designing and make it work better, " he said. It is also a lesson in life for the students.

"Anything, including walking on water, is possible, if you do the research,test it and go through the design process seriously.

1.Which statement about Alex 'Quinones is ture ?

A. He finished the race in less than a minute.

B. He won the race with the help of 2 boats.

C. He failed the race last year.

D. He set a new record this year.

2. For what purpose did the students take part in the race?

A. To go across the lake to school.

B. To test their balance on the water.

C. To pass Professor Canaves’ class.

D. To win the prize money of $ 500.

3.Which of the following is true about the race?

A. The students who fell into the water had to quit.

B. More than 20 teams failed to cross the lake.

C. The students kept silent when the other racers competed.

D. The youngest competitor competed instead of her mother.

4.According to Canaves, this race can help the students

A. understand designing better        B. achieve almost everything

C. work together and unite as one      D. walk on the surface of water

5.What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To advertise a student' s program.

B. To report an interesting assignment.

C. To introduce a creative professor.

D. To encourage special events on campus.

 

Most people buy a lot of gifts just before Christmas. But some people think we buy too much. They have started a special day called Buy Nothing Day. They don’t want anyone to go shopping on that day.
Buy Nothing Day is November 29. It’s 25 days before Christmas. It’s after Thanksgiving Day and often the first day of Christmas shopping. At this time, we see ads in Newspapers and on TV telling us to “buy, buy, buy!”
The idea for Buy Nothing Day started in Vancouver, British Columbia. Now people all over the world celebrate Buy Nothing Day. In California, parents and children get together to read stories, sing songs, and paint pictures. The children talk about why they don’t need a lot of toys. This year, in Manchester, England, people dressed up in costumes(统一服装) to tell people that we buy too much.
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, high school students wanted to tell other students about Buy Nothing Day. They organized a spaghetti dinner to give people information about Buy Nothing Day. They asked restaurants in the neighborhood to donate（捐赠） the food. They made posters and talked to other students about it. The dinner was a big success, and many students agreed not to buy anything on November 29. The students at high schools liked the idea of this new tradition. Next year, they want to have another dinner to tell more people about Buy Nothing Day!
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT the day for people to celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．November 29.	B．25 days before Christmas.
C．After Thanksgiving.	D．The first day after Christmas.

【小题2】People usually buy many gifts_______.

A．before Thanksgiving	B．on Christmas
C．before Christmas	D．anytime

【小题3】How do people celebrate Buy Nothing Day?

A．In California, parents and children get together to play games.

B．In England, people celebrate by performing plays.

C．In Mexico, high school students dress up.

D．They buy nothing and persuade others not to buy things.

【小题4】What did the students do in New Mexico for the day?

A．They donated the food of their own.

B．They talked to others about it.

C．They made some slogans（标语口号） for it.

D．They organized a luxurious（奢华的） dinner.

The speaker, a teacher from a community college, addressed a sympathetic(赞同的) audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described the inadequacies of his students, all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level. I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been established.

My topic is not standards nor its decline(降低). What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.

　　My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies (缺陷). But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults the language of the young always seems inadequate.

Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not perceived(察觉) as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s          young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. Otherwise, young people would not commit offenses against the language.

The speaker the author mentioned in the passage believed that _____.

A. the language of the younger generation is usually inferior(差的) to that of the older     

generation

B. the students had a poor command of English because they didn’t work hard enough

C. he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen  

years

D. English teachers should be held responsible for the students’ poor command of English

In the author’s opinion, the speaker ______.

A. gave a correct judgment of the English level of the students

B. had exaggerated(夸大) the language problems of the students

C. was right in saying that English teachers were not doing their jobs

D. could think and speak intelligently

The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ______.

A. neutral                    B. positive                   C. critical             D. compromising

It can be concluded from the passage that ______.

A. it is justifiable(有理由的) to include English as a school subject

B. the author disagrees with the speaker over the standard of English at Grade 9 level

C. English language teaching is by no means an easy job

D. language improvement needs time and effort

In the passage the author argues that ______.

A. it is unfair to blame the English teachers for the language deficiencies of the students

B. young people would not commit offences against the language if the teachers did their 

jobs properly

C. to eliminate(消除) language deficiencies one must have sensitive eyes and ears

D. to improve the standard of English requires the effort of several generations

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she cannot forgive（宽恕）.
So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3, while some had up to 5 potatoes.
The teacher then told the children to carry the potatoes with them wherever they go (even to the toilet) for one week. With days passing by, the children started to complain because of the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten (腐烂) potatoes they were carrying.
Those children who have 5 potatoes really began to feel the weight of the heavier bags. After one week, the children were happy to hear that the teacher had finally ended the game. The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for one week?" The children started complaining of the trouble that they had to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.
Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred（仇恨）for somebody inside your heart. The burden（负担）of hatred will pollute your heart and you will end up carrying an unnecessary burden with you wherever you go.
If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what a burden it would be to have the hatred in your heart for your lifetime?"
【小题1】According to the teacher, if a Child hates three persons, he or she needs to carry ________.

A．one potato

B．two potatoes

C．three potatoes

D．four potatoes

【小题2】The underlined word “tolerate ” in the last paragraph probably means _____________.

A．carry

B．hate

C．receive

D．stand

【小题3】In fact, the teacher wants to ______________.

A．play a game with the students	B．teach the students a lesson
C．make the students more tired	D．play jokes on the students

【小题4】What is the main idea of the story?

A．It’s best to learn to forgive and forget.

B．Students should love people around them.

C．Children should carry less rotten potatoes.

D．Rotten potatoes are really a heavy burden.