Dana Cummings was in his thirties before he first went surfing. But, even more interesting is that Dana Cummings chose to learn the sport after losing a leg in a car accident. Now, nine years later, he helps other disabled (伤残的) people learn how to ride the waves in AmpSurf.
On the coast of Maine, he is working with 27-year-old Matthew Fish, who is partly blind. Cummings takes hold of Fish and leads him into the ocean. The surfboard floats next to them. Fish lies on the surfboard. He tries to stand up on it. After a few attempts (尝试) he is up and riding all the way back to land. “That was exciting,” Fish says.
A car accident in 2002 took Dana Cummings’ leg. He says the crash changed him more than just physically. “Losing my leg made me realize how precious (珍贵的) life is and get off the couch and start living. I do more things now than I ever did before. Next week I am going to compete in a contest in Hawaii,” Dana says.
One year later Dana Cummings formed AmpSurf. AmpSurf is a group that volunteers to hold surfing classes and events for people with all kinds of disabilities.
Recently, AmpSurf took its training programs to the East Coast. Eleven students attended the class in Maine. They came from all over the northeastern United States.
Dana Cummings thinks AmpSurf can change the way a disabled person thinks. “Most people with disabilities consider himself or herself unlucky and useless, but we want them to see what they can do. Who cares you lose your leg or you are blind, whatever? Have fun. Just enjoy life. Take the most advantage of it you can,” Dana says.
【小题1】Matthew Fish thinks learning to ride the waves is _____.

A.boring B.easyC.interestingD.difficult
【小题2】When did Dana Cummings set up AmpSurf according to the text?
A.In 2002.B.In 2003.C.In 2008.D.In 2011.
【小题3】According to Dana Cummings, AmpSurf can _____.
A.ease the physical pain of the disabled
B.help the disabled learn to get used to their life
C.change the attitude of the disabled towards life
D.make the disabled pay more attention to their disabilities
【小题4】What is the best title for the text?
A.Dana Cummings — a great surfer
B.AmpSurf — a training group
C.How to learn to live with disabilities
D.Disabled surfers ride the waves

Sports Tickets

Mon., Nov. 1st, 2011 1:00 P.M.
New York Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles
$20~$850
Mon., Nov. 1st, 2011 1:00 P.M.
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets
$35~$1000
Mon., Nov. 8th, 2011 4:15 P.M.
Sam Diego Chargers vs. New York Giants
$40~$1500
Mon., Nov. 15th, 2011 1:00 P.M.
Jacksonville Kaguars vs. New York Jets
$21~$6100
Mon., Nov. 22nd, 2011 1:00 P.M.
Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants
$40~$19500
Mon., Nov. 29th, 2011 1:00 P.M.
Carolina Panthers vs. New York Jets
$10~$12000
Mon., Dec. 3rd, 2011 8:20 P.M.
New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
$97~$800
Volunteers Wanted!
We conduct studies to evaluate new medications for sleep disorder.Both healthy adults and patients suffering from insomnia are sought to participate in these studies.
You may be qualified to take part as a healthy adult volunteer if you are aged 18 or over and are willing to have your sleep patterns recorded.Further, if you meet these standards and also suffer from a little sleep disorder you may be able to sign our register of patients.
Warnings:
☆ Always control your child when he is first learning to skateboard.To best assist a beginner, hold one of the child’s hands and guide him along a smooth and level surface.
☆ A safety helmet and elbow, wrist and knee pads must always be worn while your child is skateboarding.
☆ Sneakers must always be worn while your child is skateboarding.Don’t let your child skate in bare feet, sandals or any other open-toed shoes.
☆ Never let your child skateboard in the street.
☆ Never tow skateboarders with a bicycle or a car.
☆ Skateboard only in daylight.
Parents, there is a Tropical Paradise for kids too!
The Pacific Islands Club knows something others don’t.Kids are on holiday and they want to be pampered (纵容), too.Our kids’ Club of PIC Guam is free of charge and has both indoor and outdoor activities ensuring a really great time to children aged 4 to 12.Open daily from 09: 00 a.m..Clubmates will accompany children to all of the exciting play areas.They will also love to join the other children for the special meals we have prepared just for them.
【小题1】If you want to watch a play by New York Jets but pay the least money, you should go _____.
A.Mon., Nov.15th, 2011 1:00 P.M.
B.Mon., Nov.1st, 2011 1:00 P.M.
C.Mon., Nov.29th, 2011 1:00 P.M.
D.Fri., Dec.3rd, 2011 8:20 P.M.
【小题2】While your child is skateboarding, you should_____.
A.lead him by the hand all the time.
B.let him put on open-toed shoes
C.require him to skateboard at night
D.forbid him to skateboard at night.
【小题3】We know from the text that PIC Guam______.
A.charges children the least money.
B.offers meals especially to children.
C.only has indoor activities.
D.gets children alone to go to all the play areas.
【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.New York Giants participates in four matches in November, 2011.
B.You can be a volunteer if you suffer diet disorder.
C.Skateboarding without helmet and knee pads is unwise.
D.There are no meals provided in Pacific Islands Club.

Millions of British people have ditched the traditional ‘thank you’ and replaced it with the less formal ‘cheers’, according to a survey.
Although the average person will say ‘thank you’ nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to throw in a ‘cheers’ or ‘ta’ where it’s needed, rather than risk sounding old fashioned.
One in 20 now say ‘nice one’ instead, while younger generations are more likely to offer a ‘cool’ than a ‘thank you’.‘Merci’, ‘fab’ and even ‘gracias’ were also listed as common phrases to use, as was ‘much appreciated’.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal ‘thank you’ was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people declared that saying thank you was something drilled into them by their parents. A huge 70 percent of those questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while a fifth avoid saying it when they know they should — on at least two occasions every day.
It seems our friends and family get the brunt (压力) of our bad manners with half admitting they’re not good at thanking those closest to them — many justifying (为…辩解) the lack of thanks because their family ‘already know I’m grateful’.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people. A third will still send a handwritten thank-you note — but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they bothered to send one.
A quarter of British people say thank you with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent bake a cake.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be annoyed at not getting the gratitude (感激) they feel they should receive.
【小题1】Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _____.

A.when they are in good mood
B.completely out of habit
C.when they feel truly grateful
D.purely out of politeness
【小题2】The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.
A.given upB.usedC.sharedD.grasped
【小题3】It can be learned from the passage that _______.
A.different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable
B.people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays
C.a thank-you note is still appreciated by most people
D.people in a bad mood never say “thank you”
【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them.
B.About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should.
C.Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude.
D.Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members.

The number of accidents involving pedestrians (行人) wearing headphones is on the rise , a report suggests, causing fresh warning from road safety groups in Britain .

A US-based study found a total of 116 reports of death or injury to pedestrians wearing headphones between 2004 and 2011 , jumping from 16 in 2005 to 47 in 2011 .

Most victims were men (68%) and under the age of 30 (67%) , with around one in ten of all cases (9%) under the age of 18 .Some 89% of the cases occurred in urban areas and more than half (55%) of the victims were struck by trains .

Eighty-one of the 116 accidents (70%) resulted in the person’s death--- even though a warning was sounded in around a third of the cases .

The study concluded , “ The use of headphone may be a safety risk to pedestrians , especially in environments with moving vehicles(cars) . Further research is needed to determine if and how headphone use threatens pedestrian safety .” British road safety groups warned pedestrians to be careful.

Floor Lieshout , director of Youth For Road Safety , said, “ This study shows once more the importance of using all of our senses while we are near traffic . It is important that we find an attractive way to make youth learn about the risks of wearing headphones in traffic .”

Andrew Howard , who is the head of road safety at the Automobile Association , added that some pedestrians can be “so focused in their own little world they forget the world going on around them”.That can include headphone wearers , Howard said, but also people talking on phones.

However , Howard said that more researches needed to be done.

Earlier studies have shown that people wearing headphones or talking on phones can suffer “inattentional blindness” which makes them isolated (孤立) from the world around them .

Ian Harvey , at the charity Civic Voice , said that “ to defeat isolation and to help build a civic(文明的) society , people need to interact(交往) with each other .

He said , “ A basis for any civilized society is communication--- Surfing the web , listening to MP3s , reading blogs or sending e-mail is not interacting with a person; it’s interacting with a machine.

“If people feel socially isolated , they need to have more face-to-face interactions with other human beings and in time , will begin to feel happier and more connected to the world and place they live in .”

1.What does the text mainly discuss ?

A. Recent research on the risks to pedestrians

B. Safety problems caused by wearing headphones.

C. The advantages and disadvantages of headphones

D. Traffic accidents in the United States

2.We can learn from the Us-bases study that _________ .

A. most victims died in the accidents

B. most accidents were caused by cars

C. most accidents happened in the countryside

D. most victims are under eighteen

3.Howard will probably agree that ____________ .

A. it is safe if you wear headphones in a proper way

B. people wearing headphones are more likely to go blind

C. most people wear headphones because of loneliness

D. it is dangerous to talk on phones while walking

4.What Lan Harvey said shows the importance of ___________ .

A. beating isolation                 B. communication between people

C. building a civilized society         D. new technologies

 

First Lady Michelle Obama urged students to visit China at the "100,000 Strong" China Study Abroad forum at Howard University in 2011.

President Barack Obama announced the "100,000 Strong" Initiative (倡议) during his 2009 visit to China. The program aims to increase and diversify the number of American students studying in China by making studying abroad more affordable.

During the event at Howard, Mrs. Obama spoke about the importance of studying abroad, something she never did while in college. "Studying in countries like China is about so much more than just improving your own prospects(前景) in the global market. The fact is that with every friendship you make and every bond of trust you establish you are shaping an image of America projected to the rest of the world," she said.

David Marzban from Pepperdine University recalled a time when he formed a cross-cultural bond with a complete stranger at a restaurant near Fudan University in Shanghai. He noticed a young chef signaling him to come over. "He presses the play button on his media player and starts singing 'California Dreaming' and wants me to sing along with him," Marzban said. "At this time I knew a great friendship had started during my first two weeks in China."

Nicole Baden, a senior communications major at Howard University, recalled how her time in China really helped her master the language. "You have to experience the culture while learning the language to really master it and to understand why things are how they are compared to your own culture," Baden said.

Mrs. Obama encouraged students to set aside concept that studying abroad is for rich kids only or for those attending certain schools. In addition, the first lady announced that the Chinese government is giving 10,000 "Bridge Scholarships" to cover costs for American students and teachers studying in China.

Students from several schools attended the forum. 12-year-old Sarah Davis, who studied in China last summer, said she was very excited to hear Michelle Obama talk about the country. “I love Chinese. Out of all the languages I’ve learned, Chinese is the most difficult and interesting,” she said.

1.The examples mentioned in the passage mainly indicate that _____.

A.the US students’ life in China is helpful and worthwhile

B.all students of the US are living a comfortable life in China

C.Chinese young people are friendly to foreigners

D.it isn’t realistic for some US young people to study in China

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A.Baden came to China to study the differences between English and Chinese.

B.Poor children from America have no opportunity to study in China.

C.David Marzban made a Chinese friend in an unexpected way in China.

D.Michelle Obama called on US students to study in China at a government meeting.

3.What is the best title for the passage?

A.The US has an ambitious program for Americans studying in China.

B.Michelle Obama encourages American students to study in China.

C.More American students plan to study in China.

D.China is attracting more and more international students.

 

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