— Look at the bird over there! It’s so beautiful!

— Wow! It’s a rare crane. It          appears in this area.

A．a(chǎn)lways            B．usually            C．seldom           D．often

 

 If you could see a movie of your life before you lived it, would you want to live it? Probably not. The excitement of living is that you don’t know what’s coming.

    Sure, it’s hard to see uncertainty in such positive（積極的）light when you’re out of work, or when you feel like you’re failing. But uncertainty is really another word for chance.

    When Allison graduated from Harvard, she had chances all over the place but had no idea what she wanted to do. She took a job in consulting（咨詢）, but she knew she wouldn’t stay there. She took the GRE and scored so high that she was able to increase her income（收入）by teaching students. Still, she didn’t think she wanted to go to graduate school. Allison knew she wasn’t doing what she wanted, but she didn’t know what she wanted.

    She worried. All her friends were going to graduate school or starting their own businesses. She was lost and felt that she would never find anything out. After six years, Allison, by having a general（全面的）plan in mind, got married, moved to the Midwest, and used her consulting experience to get a great job. Allison realized that she spent her years finding her way: time well spent, and time we must all take if we’re being honest with ourselves.

    The only way to lead an interesting life is to face uncertainty and make a choice. Otherwise your life is not your own—it is a path someone else has chosen. Moments of uncertainty are when you create your life, when you become who you are. Uncertainty usually begins with a job hunt, but it doesn’t end there. Every new role we take on means another round of uncertainty. Instead of fearing it, you should find some ways to deal with uncertainty.

1.From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that                     .

A. being out of work is a sad thing

B. uncertainty is what makes life interesting

C. life in a film is more exciting than real life

D. chance never appears when we need it

2.What troubles Allison after graduation?

A. She couldn’t find a well-paid job.

B. She had no money to start a business.

C. She was not sure what to do.

D. She didn’t score high enough for graduate school.

3.How did Allison feel about her six years’ working experience?

A. Uncertain.        B. Amazed.                      C. Sorry.                         D. Satisfied.

4.What may be discussed in the following paragraph?

A. How to deal with uncertainty.

B. What role uncertainty plays in life.

C. Why people fear uncertainty.

D. Whom to go to when facing uncertainty.

 

A famous study was done in a school by a professor （教授） from a university. At the start of the school year, the teachers were given the names of five children. They were told that these five were the most excellent students in the class. But the fact was that these students were only average(中等)，and they were not the best students at all. Well, guess what? At the end of the year, all the five average students scored among the highest in the class.

　　What made these average students change so much to become top students？The only difference was the change in their teachers’ attitude(態(tài)度). Because the teachers believed that these five kids were the top students，they expected(期望) more from them. And so these five average students began to believe and expect more from themselves. So they worked harder to do as well as they could.

　　Do you know why? If you expect the best from people, they’ll usually want to give you their best. A great leader said, “Treat(對待) a person just how he appears to be on the outside, and you’ll make him even worse. But treat a person like he’s already a success，and you’ll help make him the best he can be.”

　　Like the true story of 7-year-old Johnny, his teacher got so angry with him that one day she said，“Johnny，you’re the naughtiest(最頑皮的) boy in this class. I’m sure you’ll never change.” The next year Johnny had a new teacher. And on the first day of class，she met with Johnny after school and said，“Johnny, I’ve heard a lot about you! But do you know that I don’t believe a word of it.” And every day after that, this new teacher treated Johnny as if he was one of the smartest students even when Johnny did naughty things. Later on, Johnny became a school leader. Because that’s the power of our belief(信任) and attitude(態(tài)度) toward children.

1.The professor started his research(研究)by _______.

A. teaching the five children himself

B. asking the five children to find a new teacher

C. telling the five students to work harder than ever before

D. telling the teacher the five students were the best in the class

2.The five average students became top students mainly because of ________.

A. the professor’s study              

B. the teachers’ hard work

C. the change in the teachers’ attitude       

D. the change in the professor’s attitude

3.Why did the writer tell us the story of 7-year-old Johnny？

A. To let us know how good his new teacher was.

B. To show the importance of encouragement.

C. To show that the boy was clever enough.

D. To let us know the famous boy.

4.The writer writes the passage mainly by ______.

A. giving reasons and result               

B. giving result and examples

C. describing what he thinks               

D. asking and answering questions

5.What does the passage mainly tell us？

A. If you want to get more，you should have new teachers.

B. A professor’s study can help you score highest.

C. Only teachers can make you a top student.

D. Attitude and belief can change a person.

 

Do you know about Liu Xiang? He is one of the most popular   1  stars in China.

Liu Xiang was born on July 13, 1983 in Shanghai. Like many other Olympic sports stars, he started training when he was very   2 . In Grade Four, he went to the Junior Sports School of Putuo District of Shanghai.   3 , he was trained as a high jumper. Then, in 1998, his coach noticed his skill in hurdling(跨欄).

Liu Xiang put his whole heart into his training.   4  the age of 18, Liu Xiang set a record. In 2002 he won his first international   5  hurdles in Switzerland, and in the same year, he   6   a gold medal at the Asian Games in Korea. In 2004, Liu Xiang won the   7  Olympic gold medal in Athens, Greece. In 2006, he set a new world record with a time of 12.88 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles in Lausanne.

  8  a sporting hero, Liu Xiang is invited to competitions around the world. And he also appears(出現(xiàn)) in advertisements and films. So what’s next for Liu Xiang? Will he   9  more time away from sports? No, Liu Xiang will go for more medals for China   10   he’s a symbol of China’s international sporting success.

1.A. movie           B. sports         C. music

2.A. old             B. short           C. young

3.A. At first        B. At last          C. Next

4.A. On             B. In              C. At

5.A. 100m            B. 110m             C. 120m

6.A. won             B. made             C. kept

7.A. third           B. first            C. second

8.A. Like          B. For             C. As

9.A. pay             B. spend            C. need

10.A. because        B. but              C. although

 

Our "Timeline of Education" shows highlights of learning and education (especially related to Western education), going back to the very first education:

In the beginning: Adam got the very first lesson, from God: break the law and you pay the price.

3000 B.C. :Priests teach religion, writing, sciences.

0 B.C./A.D.: Jesus teaches in Jerusalem.         

105 A.D.: Paper is invented in China.

1150-1250 : "Modern" universities founded.

1620s: Slide rule is invented, math is made easier.

1918 : All U.S. states require free education

Early 1980s: Television in the classroom. The availability of cheap VCRs makes video learning common.

Late 1990s: The Internet changes everything. E-learning courses develop.

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-timeline/education-timeline.htm#3000BC

1.Adam got the very first lesson from __________.

A. his teacher       B. God          C. religion       D. himself

2.Jesus teaches in Jerusalem about_________.

A. 3000 B.C.       B. 1150-12500   C. 105 A.D.       D. B.C./A.D.

3.Television appears in the classroom and helps the teacher and students in_________.

A. late 1990s      B. early 1980s     C. 1918          D. 1620

4.It took about__________ years from the television to Internet.

A. 50            B. 40             C. 20            D. 10