In 1995,I return to Miami Beach High School to speak to the drama(戏剧) class.Afterward I ask the drama teacher if any of my English teachers is still there.“Irene Roberts,”he tells me,“is in class just down the hall.”

　　 I was no one special in Miss Roberts' class.I don't remember any one special bit of wisdom she passed on.Yet I cannot forget her respect for language,for ideas and for her students.I realize now,many years later,that she is a selfless teacher.I'd like to say something to her,but I don't want to pull her from a class.

　　The drama teacher brings Miss Roberts into the hallway where stands this 32-year-old man she last saw at 18.“I'm Mark Medoff,”I tell her.“You were my 12th grade English teacher in 1981.”She raises her head,as if this angle(角度) might bring back her memory.And then,though armed with a message I want to deliver in some perfect words,I can't think up anything more memorable than this,“I want you to know,”I say,“you were important to me.”

　　And there in the hallway,this slight and lovely woman,now nearing a retirement age, this teacher who doesn't remember me,begins to weep;she holds me in her arms.

Remembering this moment,I began to sense that everything I will ever know,everything I will ever pass on to my students,to my children,is an inseparable part of a treasure of our shared wonder and hope that we can,must,make ourselves better.

　　 Irene Roberts holds me in her arms and through her tears whispers against my cheek,“Thank you.”And then,with a quick look into my forgotten face,she disappears back into her classroom,returns to what she has done thousands of days through all the years of my absence.

　　 On reflection,maybe those were,after all,just the right words to say to Irene Roberts. Maybe they are the very words I would like to speak to all those teachers I carry through my life as part of me,the very words I would like spoken to me one day by some returning student:“I want you to know you were important to me.”

1.The writer of this passage is most probably ________.

A.a college student of drama

B.a 32-year-old actor

C.a high school student

D.a drama teacher

2.What the writer remembers most about his teacher is________.

A.her wisdom

B.her devotion to teaching

C.her way of teaching drama

D.her encouraging words

3.When the writer saw Miss Roberts,he ________.

A.held her in his arms

B.could hardly recognize her

C.talked a lot with her

D.successfully expressed his true feelings

4.According to the writer,the most important thing is ________.

A.self-improvement

B.a good memory

C.good health

D.good school grades

The computer keyboard helped kill shorthand---a system of rapid handwriting, and now it's threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2011, just 15% of the most 1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive (草写字母）.The rest? Block letters.

And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.

At Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, all their poems and stories are typed. Children in Fairfax County schools are taught keyboarding beginning in kindergarten. Older students who never mastered handwriting say it doesn't affect their grades.

There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting becomes a lost form of communication, does it matter?

It was at University of Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers, historians say, because their authenticity (真实性）can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.

The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive (认知的）opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better-a lifelong benefit.

It doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George's County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.

There are always going to be some kids who struggle with handwriting because of their particular neurological (神经系统的)wiring, learning issues or poor motor skills. Educators often point to this factor in support of keyboarding.

1.What is the author concerned about after 2011 SAT exams?

A. Keyboarding.      B. Shorthand

C. Handwriting.    D. Block letters.

2.A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to _________.

A. prove how valuable handwriting is

B. explain what a famous poet he is

C. show how unique his poem is

D. stress how fascinating the documents are

3.The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that_________.

A. the schools are responsible for the loss of handwriting

B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed xKb 1.Com 

C. it doesn't take much to teach better handwriting skills

D. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one

4. According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A. Kindergarten.           B. Primary school.           C. High school.            D. College.

5.What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?

   A. Devotion.        B. Encouragement.         C. critical.          D. Objective.

 

E

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world. In rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with case into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

1. What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A．The exercise of rights is a luxury.

B．The practice of choice is difficult.

C．The right of choice is given but at a price.

D．Choice and right exist at the same time.

2. Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A．Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

B．People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

C．Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D．Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

3.By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that    .

A．advanced products meet the needs of people

B．products of the latest design fold the market

C．competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D．everyday goods need to be replaced often

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The variety of choices in modern society.

B．The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C．The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D．The helplessness in purchasing decisions

 

阅读理解

　　Most people think of a camel as an obedient(驯服的)beast of burden, because it is best known for its ability to carry heavy loads across vast stretches of desert without requiring water. In reality, the camel is considerably more than just the Arabian equivalent(等同物)of the mule. It also possesses a great amount of intelligence and sensitivity(敏感).

　　The Arabs say that camels are so acutely aware of injustice (不公平)and ill-treatment that a camel owner who punishes one of the beasts too hard finds it difficult to escape the camel's revenge(报仇). Apparently, the animal will remember an injury and wait for an opportunity to get revenge.

　　In order to protect themselves from the vengeful(报仇的) beasts, Arabian camel drivers have learned to trick their camels into believing they have achieved revenge. When an Arab realizes that he has excited a camel's rage(愤怒), he places his own garments(外衣)on the ground in the animal's path. He arranges the clothing so that it appears to cover a man's body. When the camel recognizes its master's clothing on the ground, it seizes the pile with its teeth, shakes the garments angrily and steps on them in a rage again and again. In the end, after its anger has died away, the camel leaves, believing its revenge is completed. Only then does the owner of the garments come out of hiding, safe for the time being, thanks to this clever trick.

(1)Which of the following is mentioned in this passage?

[　　]

A．The camel never drinks water.

B．The camel is always violent.

C．The camel is very sensitive.

D．The camel is not used any more.

(2)From this passage we can conclude that ________.

[　　]

A．camels are generally kind towards their owners

B．camels are as stupid and sensitive as mules

C．camels don't see very well

D．camels try to punish people who ill-treat them

(3)The writer makes the camel's vengeful behavior clear to the readers by presenting

[　　]

A．a well-planned argument

B．a large variety of examples

C．some eyewitness accounts

D．a typical incident

(4)which of the following is TRUE?

[　　]

A．A man who punishes a camel too harshly has to play a clever trick on it.

B．a camel is very clever.

C．A camel is dangerous for its owner.

D．The camel tramples the garments violently in the face of the owner of the garments.

Nowadays, there’s a lot of debate about single sex education since it has begun to regain its popularity recently. According to long term studies of children from around the world, students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools.

An Australian study of 270,000 students found that both boys and girls performed much higher on standardized(标准化) tests when they attended separate schools. During an experiment in Virginia in 1995, 100 eighth graders were separated just for math and science courses. Almost immediately, the girls began to achieve more, become more confident and take part more often in class activities.

In 2001, a British study concluded that nearly every girl regardless of (不论) her ability or socio-economic status performed better in single sex classrooms than co-ed ones. The study of 2,954 high schools and 979 primary schools showed that while boys at the lowest levels in study improved the most in single sex schools, single sex education was particularly beneficial (有益的) to girls. Every one of the top 50 private elementary schools and top 20 private high schools in Britain are single sex schools.

Girls became more confident in themselves as students and earned higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement examinations. A quarter of the female members of the US Congress and one-third of all female members of Fortune 100 boards graduated from all-women’s colleges.

While the statistics are not as dramatic for boys, however, boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more cooperative in a single sex setting. They can just be boys and not worry about what the girls might think.

Single sex education has a pleasant way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic --- in short, to just be themselves. Children are subjected (屈从于) to pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Why not let them be children for a few more years? Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social atmosphere is just the right answer for many children.

1.With the experiment in Virginia in 1995, the writer wants to show that       .

A．single sex education has become popular in recent years

B．the effect of single sex education on girls is immediate

C．students at separate schools are better prepared for standardized tests

D．both boy and girl students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools

2.According to the article, which of the following statements about single sex education is TRUE?

A．Girls’ performances in single sex classrooms are determined by their ability and socioeconomic status.

B．In all-boys schools boys with the worst academic performances improved the most.

C．Single sex education was particularly helpful for boys.

D．There are more single sex schools than co-ed schools in Britain.

3. In the article, the underlined phrase “soften their competitive edge” probably means        .

A．act in a kindly manner                    B．become less competitive

C．lose interest in something                 D．take advantage of something

4. What is the main point of the article?

A．Ways to reduce pressure and help children grow.

B．The reason why girls perform better than boys at school.

C．The advantage of single sex education.

D．The development of single sex education in different countries.