That year , in the local school, there was a new math teacher, as well as some new pupils. One of the new kids was the stupidest child anyone had ever seen. It made no difference how quickly or how slowly they tried explaining numbers to him; he would always end up saying something enormously stupid. Like two plus two was five, seven times three was twenty-seven, or a triangle had thirty corners……
Before this boy arrived, math lessons had been the most boring of all. Now they were great fun. Encouraged by the new teacher, the children would listen to the pieces of nonsense spouted by the new kid, and they would have to correct his mistakes.
Whenever the new teacher asked questions, the stupid kid would stand up but made the wrong answers, the other students all wanted to be the first to find his mistakes, and then think up the most original ways to explain them. To do this they used all kinds of stuff : sweets, playing cards, oranges, paper planes, etc. It didn’t seem like any of this bothered the new kid.
However, Little Lewis was sure that it was bound to make him feel sad inside. Lewis was sure he would see him crying. So, one day, he decided to follow the new kid home after school. On leaving school, the new kid walked a few minutes to a local park, and there he waited for a while, until someone came along to meet him……
It was the new teacher!
The teacher gave the new kid a hug, and off they went, hand in hand. Following from a distance, Lewis could hear they were talking about math.
小題1:根據(jù)短文第二三段描述，可知這位新老師的工作很有創(chuàng)造性，故選A。
小題2:根據(jù)短文最后一段Following from a distance, Lewis could hear they were talking about math.描述，可知選B，這個所謂的最蠢的學(xué)生其實比其它學(xué)生知道的多。
小題3:根據(jù)Lewis was sure he would see him crying. So, one day, he decided to follow the new kid home after school.描述，可知選B。
小題4:聯(lián)系上文To do this they used all kinds of stuff :可知選C。
小題5:The math lessons became interesting again because of the new teacher’s ___________.

A．creativity

B．imagination

C．responsibility

D．curiosity

小題6:The passage implies that the stupidest child____________________________.

A．was in great need of math teacher’s help after class

B．knew much more about math than other classmates

C．had no much gift for math and was slow to learn it

D．disliked both the new math teacher and his lessons

小題7:According to the passage, Lewis followed the stupidest in order to ______________.

A．learn about where he lived	B．find out if he felt upset
C．say something to comfort him	D．make friends with him

小題8: What does the underlined word “this” in the third paragraph refer to ?

A．To find the stupidest kid’s mistakes.

B．To think up the most original ways to explain.

C．To use all kinds of stuff.

D．To follow him home after school.

Kids who receive special education are, without doubt, the hardest working children in any school. When they are having difficulty learning basic literacy and number concepts, when they break rules, when they need more services, support and adult attention than their peers, then they are struggling the hardest. In psychology, we are trained to think that if we are feeling angry or confused when sitting with a patient, then we are probably feeling just what our patient is feeling. The same is true for students with disabilities. Whatever we feel when we work with them, they are probably feeling as they work with us.
If you have a disability that affects your education, then you have a brain disorder. Because education, even in mathematics, is largely verbal（用言辭）, most brain disorders responsible for educational disabilities affect language, and how you process words and ideas in written and oral form. To imagine how much effort a child with a language disability spends each school day, imagine yourself attending a school today taught in a language you had a basic understanding of. Imagine though, that while you seem fluent to others, you have trouble when people talk too fast, use idioms or expressions.
When adults and classmates blame, or criticize kids who receive special education, they are struggling with their own confusion. It is difficult to imagine the world as it is lived by someone with an educational disability. It is difficult to understand how someone who can be so "normal" can have so many problems. It is so easy to imagine that if they just tried harder... without understanding that just to do the ordinary, kids with disabilities are making an extraordinary effort.
小題1:What is the purpose of the author by writing the passage?

A．to introduce how hard to be a special education teacher.

B．to think highly of the children with disabilities.

C．to show the disabled have much trouble in understanding.

D．to call on the society to care for the disabled.

小題2: If a disabled kid learns number concepts, he __________.

A．won’t work as hard as a normal.

B．will work double as hard as a normal.

C．will be as patient as the normal.

D．will think of his disability first.

小題3:If a kid has a disability affecting his education, he will ________.

A．have a hard time using the language.

B．be too foolish to learn maths .

C．not understand what others are saying.

D．have a lot of trouble in remembering words.

小題4:Before you intend to blame a kid receiving special education, __________.

A．you should try to understand what he is saying.

B．you should imagine the world he lives in.

C．you should imagine yourself in his shoes.

D．you should think of the education he has received.

We all know how important human life is—it’s priceless. It doesn’t matter where you are from or what the color of your skins is—all people are human beings. Firstly, we can tell you that the lives of your relatives could depend on your ability to give first aid. If you think highly of human’s life, this website is for you! Here you can find information about first aid.
The very first thing that you should do when you see an accident is to evaluate the situation and prevent further dangerous incidents. First of all, you have to recognize what has happened and what the dangers to rescuers and victims are. Think about how to take care of the victims.
Helping usually takes place in very difficult conditions and injuries can be very bad. Therefore, you cannot be too afraid of making mistakes to help. Sometimes you have to face the fact that regardless of your actions and your efforts the victim’s condition might not improve—he or she could even die. In some cases even professional medical aid may not succeed. If you have done everything you think you should do, you shouldn’t feel guilty.
Do not expose yourself to danger. Giving first aid can be dangerous. While trying to help a victim, do not forget about your own safety. If something happens to you, you won’t be able to help anyone.
Call for help after you find out the condition of a victim. But remember if a victim faints due to breathing failure caused by drowning, choking or poisoning, you should first take actions that help to bring back the heart beat and breathing. While calling, talk shortly but clearly. Always provide the following information: the location of the accident, the kind of accident, the number of the injured and your full name and phone number and so on.
小題1:The passage is probably taken from _________.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．the Internet

C．a(chǎn) textbook

D．a(chǎn) guide book

小題2:The underlined word “ evaluate” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______.

A．leave

B．protect

C．a(chǎn)void

D．judge

小題3: What’s the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．You should learn some professional knowledge about first aid.

B．You shouldn’t feel guilty if you don’t know about first aid.

C．Try your best to give first aid and don’t be afraid of making mistakes

D．Don’t make mistakes when you are giving first aid.

小題4:The author thinks that helping a victim can be ____________.

A．risky

B．shocking

C．exciting

D．boring

小題5:It can be inferred from the passage that __________.

A．young people must learn how to give first aid

B．you should forget about your own safety while giving first aid.

C．when you see an accident you should do nothing but call the police.

D．when calling for help you should give all relevant details.

Your children’s teacher will be providing extra time for test preparation. This school year’s test will be held on January 8 and 9. The test preparation time is open to all students, and we strongly encourage your children to attend.
This year we are changing the time for our test preparation: it will be on Thursday mornings from 8:10 to 8:50. This helps children who ride the bus and cannot stay for the after-school period. It also helps avoid conflicts with after-school activities.
Danielle and Marina will be working with the recent new test takers 6 days on the following Thursdays: 15^th, Nov; 29^th, Nov; 6^th, Dec; 13^th, Dec.; 20^th, Dec. and 3^rd, Jan.
Besides the test preparation lectures on these dates, teachers are already putting test preparation into their usual courses. We are finding that we can help our students to be both skillful and whole-hearted readers and test takers — after all, we all know that the best test preparation is good reading and writing training.
What can you do at home? Again, the best and most effective test preparation for the ELA test is reading and more reading. The research is quite clear — students who do well in the tests are those who are good readers. Reading not only builds reading ability, it also helps build confidence — important for successful test taking! But do discourage your children from spending too much time on books that are too hard or even a bit too hard. Children best develop comprehension skills when they are reading books just right for them (too easy doesn’t hurt here either).
Finally, on Friday, December 7, we will have a morning lecture on the ELA. Please pay attention!
小題1:The text is mainly about ________.

A．how teachers will provide more time for test preparation

B．the reason why time for test preparation will be changed

C．how teachers have put test preparation into their usual courses

D．test preparation information that parents should know about

小題2:The time for test preparation has been changed to _________.

A．make it more convenient for the students to attend

B．help the new test-takers have more time to read

C．a(chǎn)void disagreement in time between different years of students

D．a(chǎn)void conflicts between preparation time and the usual courses

小題3:From the passage, we know that ________.

A．Danielle will help students prepare for different tests

B．the school year test will be on a Tuesday

C．a(chǎn)ll the children must take part in the test preparation

D．the students can learn how to write well in the test preparation

小題4: Parents should _____ at home.

A．prepare good meals for their children

B．read more books with their children

C．a(chǎn)sk their children not to spend too much time on reading

D．encourage their children to read more books fit for them

小題5:Why did the school encourage all the students to take part in the test preparation?

A．Test preparation is what they always do.

B．The students will learn what will be included in the final exam.

C．Test preparation helps students to be more interested in reading and confident.

D．The test is a long way off and there are better things to do.

Today, in many high schools, teaching is now a technical miracle of computer labs, digital cameras, DVD players and laptops. Teachers can e-mail parents, post messages for students on online bulletin(公告，告示) boards, and take attendance with a quick movement of a mouse.
Even though we are now living in the digital age, the basic and most important element of education has not changed. Most students still need that one-on-one, teacher-student relationship to learn and to succeed. Teenagers need instruction in English, math or history, but they also want personal advice and encouragement. Kids talk with me about their families, their weekend plans, their favorite TV shows and their relationship problems. In my English and journalism classes, we talk about Shakespeare and persuasive(富有哲理的) essays, but we also discuss college basketball, the war in Iraq and career choices. Students show me pictures of their rebuilt cars, their family vacations, and their newborn baby brothers. This personal connection is the necessary link between teachers and students that no amount of technology can improve upon or replace.
A few years ago I had a student in sophomore English who was struggling with my class and with school in general. Although he was a humorous young man who liked to joke around, I knew his family life was far from ideal. Whenever I approached him about missing homework or low test grades, he always had the same reply, “It doesn’t matter because I’m quitting school anyway.” Even though he always said this in a half-teasing way, I knew he needed to hear my different opinion and my “value of a high school education” lecture. He needed to hear this speech from me. After he left my class, he struggled through the next two years of school. But, he did finally graduate because we kept telling him to hang in there. We’d cared about him finishing school.
Recently, I saw this former student working at a local Italian restaurant. I told him again how proud I was of him. He said that he was hoping to go back to school to become a certified electrician. I encouraged him to get that training.
Students rely on compassionate teachers to guide, to tutor, to listen, to laugh and to cry with them. Teachers provide the most important link in the educational process—the human one.
小題1:The first paragraph mainly talks about _____________.

A．the variety of modern teaching methods.

B．the wide use of modern technology in education

C．the importance of teacher-parent relationship.

D．the importance of using modern technology.

小題2:The underlined word “ compassionate” in Para 5 means ____________.

A．a(chǎn)mbitious

B．knowledgeable

C．sympathetic

D．generous

小題3: According to the text, the most important element in education is _________.

A．teachers’ good instruction	B．a(chǎn)dvanced technology
C．teachers’ encouragement	D．personal connection

小題4:The author states his view of education by __________.

A．example

B．description

C．figure

D．comparison

About 21,000 young people in 17 American States don’t attend classes in school buildings. Instead, they receive their elementary (初等) and high school education by working at home on computers . The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public “cyberschools,” and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools . They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools . They say learning at home by computers ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgment of cyberschools , they are getting more and more popular.
For example , a new cyberschool called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer, a printer, books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephones or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter school recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation.
小題1:What do we know from the text about students of a cyberschool?

A．They have to take long bus rides to school.

B．They study at home rather than in classrooms.

C．They receive money from traditional public schools.

D．They do well in traditional school programs.

小題2:What is a problem with cyberschools?

A．Their equipment costs a lot of money.

B．They get little support from the state government

C．It is hard to know students’ progress in learning.

D．The students find it hard to make friends.

小題3: Cyberschools are getting popular because    

A．they are less expensive for students

B．their students can work at their own speed

C．their graduates are more successful in society

D．they serve students in a wider age range

小題4:We can infer that the author of the text is _________.

A．unprejudiced(無偏見的) in his description of cryberschools .

B．excited about the future of cryberschools

C．doubtful about the quality of cryberschools

D．disappointed at the development of cryberschools.

Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers (慢跑者) jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived (喪失). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD (多動癥). Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies.
Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy (等級) based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity.
Most bullying (恃強(qiáng)凌弱) is found in schools where there is a tarmac (柏油碎石) playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife.
But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls.
One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.
In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, “A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later.” Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution.
We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favor when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging.
Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.
We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human.
小題1:What is the author’s firm belief?

A．People seek nature in different ways.

B．People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

C．People have quite different ideas of nature.

D．People must make more efforts to study nature.

小題2:What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

A．Personal freedom.	B．Things that are natural.
C．Urban surroundings.	D．Things that are purchased.

小題3:What does a study in Sweden show?
　　A. The natural environment can help children learn better.
　　B. More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.
　　C. A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.
　　D. Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.
小題4:Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

A．tend to develop a strong love for science

B．a(chǎn)re more likely to dream about wildlife

C．tend to be physically tougher in adulthood

D．a(chǎn)re less likely to be involved in bullying

小題5:What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

A．Find more effective drugs for them.

B．Provide more green spaces for them.

C．Place them under more personal care.

D．Engage them in more meaningful activities

小題6:In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

A．They look on life optimistically.	B．They enjoy a life of better quality.
C．They are able to live longer.	D．They become good-humored

Pets provide an unconditional love that requires very little on the part of the human.
Animals are so special to those of us who love them. We miss them when they are no longer with us. We grieve (哀悼) for them in ways which are just the same as grieving for a human loved one.
Whether the end comes through old age, illness, or sudden death, the death of a pet can cause enormous feelings of sorrow, guilt, and loneliness for children and adults alike, as the animal was considered a family member, a child’s favoured playmate, or an older person’s loyal and faithful companion.
Some people don’t want a pet because they do die! It’s understandable to be unwilling to expose yourself to death but, at the same time, we become immeasurably more human because our animals die. When we live with animals we’re more in step with the rhythms of the planet from day to night and from season to season because our companions make us more aware of the changes around us. Our companion animals teach us about the simple gifts of a beautiful day, a good meal and a gentle touch.
The death of a pet can make us struggle with our belief structure－a natural part of the grieving period. Whether grieving an animal or human, we question our beliefs and many people find their belief structure becomes stronger when they ask themselves hard questions. Others find a new way of acceptance.
And we learn from our animals. Animals aren’t afraid to die; they show us that the end of life can be faced without fear. They can teach us to accept death as an opening for love and wonder.
Allow yourself to grieve in whatever way is appropriate for you. The loss of a pet is real grief and causes us to travel through the stages of grief－denial, anger, depression, guilt, and acceptance. These stages must be lived through for the mourning to allow full healing.
小題1: According to the passage, the reason why some people don’t want a pet may be that       .

A．a(chǎn)nimals may change our belief structure

B．a(chǎn)nimals are so special for those who love them

C．pets can never escape from death which makes people sad

D．pets only provide people with love but never ask for return

小題2:The underlined sentence in paragraph 4 probably means                        .

A．the animals’ death is unacceptable for their owners

B．the animals’ death may arouse their true feelings inside

C．the animals’ death may expose people to the changes in life

D．the animals’ death is more understandable than human’s death

小題3:According to the passage, we can infer that                               .

A．pets can give us some gifts when they have a good meal

B．pets are so selfless and brave that all the people love them

C．people can never accept the death of pets or the one they love

D．people may go through several stages before they can accept the death of a pet

小題4:What’s the attitude of the author towards grieving a pet?

A．Neutral.

B．Negative.

C．Positive.

D．Critical.

Kids are far better than adults at learning how to speak multiple languages. Research now shows that very young infants might have some of the best language skills of all．

A new study suggests that babies between 4 and 6 months old can tell the difference between two languages just by looking at the speaker's face．They don't need to hear word．Sometimes between 6-8 months of age, babies raised in homes where just one language is spoken lose this ability．Babies from bilingual(雙語的) homes, on the other hand, keep the face-reading ability until they're at least 8 months old．
Researchers in Canada studied 36 babies from English-speaking families．Twelve of the babies were 4 months old,12 were 6 months old, and the rest were 8 months old．Each baby sat on his or her mother's lap and watched video clips(電影片斷) of a woman talking．The woman was fluent in both English and French．In some clips, she read from a storybook in English．In other clips, she read in French．In all of the videos there was no sound．
小題1:What is mainly discussed in the passage ?

A．Language teaching．

B．Language learning

C．Babies and language learning

D．Parents and language teaching

小題2:What do the underlined word in the second paragraph refer to ?

A．Two or more．

B．Foreign.

C．difficult.

D．At least one.

小題3:We can know from the passage that    .

A．a(chǎn)ll the babies in the study are of the same age．

B．the babies could hear the woman's voice while watching the videos．

C．the stories the woman read were written in either French or German．

D．it's still unknown how babies could tell the difference between languages．

小題4:Why did the 8-month-old pay no attention when the language was changed ?

A．They had lost the ability to distinguish different languages．

B．They were too tired to open their eyes and fell asleep．

C．They couldn't hear what the speaker was talking about．

D．They had lost the interest in bilingual speakers．

Ted Shreds doesn’t like cars. He wants people to stop driving because cars make the air dirty. Ted had an idea. He said,“I’m going to cycle around North America. I want to show everyone that cycling is a fun way to get around. If more people ride bikes, the air will be cleaner.”
He left his hometown with $160 in his pocket. When he got to San Diego, he met another cyclist. The cyclist invited Ted to speak at a big meeting about the environment. He said,“We’ll pay your airfare to Texas and we’ll pay you to talk about your cycling trip.”Two hours late, Ted was on a plane to the environmental conference and to a big surprise!
While he was at the conference, he met Deanna, it was love at first sight! They talked for six hours straight.
The next day, Ted called Deanna and asked her to finish the trip with him. Deanna said yes, sold everything in her apartment, gave her notice at work, and was on the road with Ted 20 days later!
“It was difficult at first,”said Deanna.“Ted got up every morning at 6:00 a.m., but I wanted to sleep until noon.”After a few days, they started having fun. As they cycled from Florida to Montreal and then back to Vancouver, every day was an adventure. People paid for their food in restaurants and gave them extra money. Some people gave them $50 or $100.They slept in people’s backyards and drank beer with motorcycle gangs.
On their way back to Vancouver, they stopped in Edmonton to visit Ted’s relatives. During the stopover, they got married. People tied a “Just Married” sign and tin cans to the backs of their bikes. They got married. They now want to write a book about their trip.“We want people to know that you can be an environmentalist and still have fun,”Shreds said.
小題1:Ted Shreds went cycling because_________.

A．he loves adventure

B．cycling is a lot of fun

C．he wanted to find himself a wife

D．he supports environmental protection

小題2:Ted got paid for_________.

A．giving a talk about his cycling trip

B．cycling throughout North America

C．traveling around North America by air

D．a(chǎn)ttending conferences on cycling

小題3:The “big surprise” he had at the conference was that _________.

A．he met another cyclist who wanted to join him

B．he fell in love with a girl there

C．he gave a long talk lasting 6 hours

D．he had a lot of fun talking about his cycling trip

小題4:During the trip, Ted and Deanna_________.

A．found it hard to get up early

B．were attacked by motorcycle gangs

C．did not have to pay for their meals in restaurants

D．decided to get married