When I met him, I had a lot of anger inside of me.I've lived my whole life in Spanish Harlem, but in my neighborhood, there are shoot-ups all the time.I know kids who have been shot or beaten up.I have friends who ended up in prison.I could have ended up that way, too, but Mr.Clark wouldn't let that happen.
Mr.Clark worked long hours, making sure I did my work.My grades rose.In fact, the scores of our whole class rose.One day, he took our class to see The Phantom of the Opera, and it was the first time some kids had ever been out of Harlem.Before the show, he treated us to dinner at a restaurant and taught us not to talk with our mouths full.We did not want to let him down.
Mr.Clark was selected as Disney's 2000 Teacher of the Year.He said he would draw three names out of a hat; those students would go with him to Los Angles to get the award.But when the time came to draw names, Mr.Clark said,“You're all going.”
On graduation day, there were a lot of tears.We didn't want his class to end.In 2001, he moved to Atlanta, but he always kept in touch.He started giving lectures about education, and wrote a bestselling book based on his classroom rules, The Essential 55.In 2003, Mr.Clark took some of us on a trip to South Africa to deliver school supplies and visit orphanages(孤儿院).It was the most amazing experience of my life.It's now my dream to one day start a group of women's clubs, helping people from all backgrounds.
(1)
Without Mr.Clark, the writer ________.
[ ]
A.
might have put into prison
B.
might not have won the prize
C.
might have joined a women's club
D.
might not have moved to Atlanta
(2)
The Essential 55 is ________.
[ ]
A.
a show
B.
a speech
C.
a classroom rule
D.
a book
(3)
How many students' names were finally drawn out of a hat by Mr.Clark?
[ ]
A.
None
B.
Three
C.
Fifty-fiv
D.
All
(4)
In the passage, the writer intends to tell us that ________.
[ ]
A.
Mr.Clark went to South Africa because he liked traveling
B.
Mr.Clark helped to set up a group of women's clubs
C.
a good teacher can raise his or her students' score
D.
a good teacher has a good influence on his or her students
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
Whe n it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder.She lived to the ripe old age of 122.So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span(寿命)?If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150-or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers.“Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees.“People can live much longer than we think,”he says.“Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110.When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120.So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing.“Anyone can make up a number,”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan.“Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine.”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries?Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120.Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most.So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller,“adding another 50 percent would get you to 120.”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers?That life span is flexible(有弹性的),but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington.“We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,”he says.“But a fly’s never going to live 150 years.”
“Of course, if you became a new species(物种),one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story,”he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve(进化)their way to longer life?“It’s pretty cool to think about it,”he says with a smile.
(1)
What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
[ ]
A.
People can live to 122.
B.
Old people are creative.
C.
Women are sporty at 85.
D.
Women live longer than men.
(2)
According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ________.
[ ]
A.
the average human life span could be 110
B.
scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C.
few people can expect to live to over 150
D.
researchers are not sure how long people can live
(3)
Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
[ ]
A.
Jerry Shay.
B.
Steve Austad
C.
Rich Miller
D.
George Martin
(4)
What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
[ ]
A.
Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.
B.
The average human life span cannot be doubled.
C.
Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D.
New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species.