As a teenager, school was difficult for me. I had a kind of attention disorder, which means I couldn’t direct my attention to what I was doing. So when everyone else in the class was centering their attention on tasks, I could not.

In my first reading class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all finished in 45 minutes. I immediately put up my hand and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to finish the task.”

She looked down at me through her glasses, saying, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.” With her encouragement, I tried. But I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.

In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots(点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.

Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? With thoughts running through my head, I found myself deeply attracted in reading and writing. I completed the task in less than 40 minutes. I realized that I was not different from others. I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problem, why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words, “See what you can do when you keep trying?”

1.School was difficult for the writer because ________.

A.he didn’t like the teacher B.the tasks were too boring to him

C.he got a kind of attention disorder D.his classmates talked with him in class

2.Mrs. Smith’s words in Paragraph 3 show that ________.

A.she encouraged him B.she laughed at him C.she felt sorry for him D.she was pleased with him

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Never stop reading. B.Never give up easily. C.How to be a great teacher. D.How to learn as a blind.

How much do you know about Earth—the planet that we live on? Our knowledge of Earth has been developing since ancient times. However, many puzzles (谜) about Earth remain unsolved. Live Science has published a list of the eight biggest mysteries about Earth. Let’s look at some of them.

Where did water come from?

When it first came into being 4.5 billion years ago, Earth was a dry rock. So where did all of our water come from? Scientists think that it might have arrived in the form of ice by an asteroid (小行星) from outer space that hit our planet. But this idea has not been confirmed (证明) because there is very little related evidence(相关证据) to be studied.

What’s in the core (地核)?

Scientists used to study meteorites (陨石) as small examples of Earth, believing that Earth’s core was made of iron and nickel (镍). However, a later study in the 1950s proved this way to be wrong because it found that Earth would be too light to provide gravity (引力) if its core contained only iron and nickel. Today, scientists continue to bring forward different ideas, but none have been confirmed.

How was the moon born?

Scientists have found that the chemical compositions (成分) of Earth and the Moon are very similar. That suggests that the Moon actually came from Earth. For example, it could be a piece of Earth that separated when Earth hit another planet. It is also possible that when Earth first came into being, it spun (旋转) very fast and threw off enough molten (熔化的) rock to later form the Moon.

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A.How Earth came into being.

B.Where Earth’s water came from?

C.How the moon was formed?

D.Unexplained mysteries about Earth.

2.What do we know about where water may come from?

A.Earth’s water may come from ice that melted 4.5 billion years ago.

B.Earth’s water may come from a small planet that hit Earth.

C.We don’t know where water came from.

D.There is lots of evidence that tells us where water came from.

3.What does the underlined phrase “bring forward” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.Check B.Raise

C.Improve D.Receive

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Scientists used to believe Earth’s core was made of meteorites.

B.A study in the 1950s proved that Earth’s core is made of iron and nickel.

C.The moon and Earth are made of similar materials.

D.Three possibilities of where the Moon came from are mentioned.

Two more American universities, Adelphi University in New York, and Louisiana State University, have begun accepting scores from China’s national college entrance exam, or gaokao, in order to attract more Chinese students.

This means Chinese students no longer need to take the SAT, ACT or TOEFL. However, Chinese students must find ways to show their English skills. If they want to take part in Adelphi's international program and Louisiana State University’s global program, they must first finish eight weeks of English-language lessons, starting in October. After passing the exam, they can start their first year at one of the universities.

Since 2015, US universities have more accepted gaokao scores as part of the application(申请) process for Chinese students, but they still need either a basic English test score or to pass an interview.

“Chinese students at the university have achieved better grades than their US classmates, and that’s why we prefer students from China,” Shawn O’Riley, leader of the College said. “We have around 300 Chinese students and plan to increase the number. We also offer scholarship, from $5,000 to $15,000 depending on their gaokao score.”

Todd Ellwein, the director of Louisiana State University’s global program, said students who get high scores in the gaokao are not only the best students in China but also the world. The gaokao is a good way of choosing good students, and a high score in the exam means good basic knowledge, patience and a strong ability to deal with high pressure and compete with others.

Shi Yan, from Chivast Education International, said many universities in Hong Kong, Europe, Australia and Canada, have already made the gaokao an admission criterion(录取标准), too.

1.When do the English-language lessons in these two universities begin?

A.In October. B.In November. C.In September.

2.Why do some US universities like Chinese students better?

A.Because they are usually smarter in the universities.

B.Because their grades are better than the US classmates’.

C.Because they find ways to show their English skills.

3.What does the underlined word “scholarship” mean in Chinese?

A.学者 B.学业 C.奖学金

4.According to the passage, a high score means a lot EXCEPT ________.

A.high pressure B.good basic knowledge C.much patience

5.The purpose of the passage is________.

A.to introduce China’s national college entrance exam, gaokao

B.to encourage more young people to enter American universities

C.to tell people the growing popularity of gaokao around the world

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