At thirteen,I was diagnosed with kind of attention disorder.It made school difficult for me.When people else in the class was focusing on tasks,I could not.

In my first literature class,Mrs.Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it,all within 45 minutes.I raised my hard right away and said,“Mrs.Smith,you see,the doctor said I have attention problems.I might not be able to do it.”

She glanced down at me through her glasses,“you are no different from your classmates,young man.”

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?My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance.I completed the task within 40 minutes.Indeed,I was no different from others;I just needed a quieter place.If Louis could find his way out of his problems,why should I ever give up?

I didn’t expect anything when I handled 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.The author didn’t finish the reading in class because_______.

A. He was new to the class B. He was tried of literature

C. He had an attention disorder D. He wanted to take the task home

2.What do we know about Louis Braille from the passage?

A. He had good sight. B. He made a great invention.

C. He gave up reading. D. He learned a lot from school.

3.What was Mrs.Smith’s attitude to the author at the end of the story?

A. Angry. B. Impatient.

C. Sympathetic. D. Encouraging.

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. The disabled should be treated with respect.

B. A teacher can open up a new world to students.

C. One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts.

D. Everyone needs a hand when faced with challenges.

Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors, But now scientists are giving this feelings an empirical(经验的,实证的) basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused, and lead to relaxation.

Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people to think. Her research indicates that the higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.

In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.

Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design &Planning Laboratory at University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.

Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim(暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.

So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we’re almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管), ” architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That’s what we’re all struggling with.”

1.What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?

A. Light. B. Ceilings. C. Windows. D. Furniture.

2.From the passage we know that ________.

A. the shape of furniture may affect people’s feelings

B. lower ceilings may help improve students’ creativity

C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades

D. Students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed

3.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that ________.

A. the problem is not approached step by step

B. the researches so far have faults in themselves

C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect

D. research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns

4.What does this passage mainly talks about?

A. The shape of public building affects our thoughts.

B. How room design affects our work and feeling.

C. Physical environment can influence our creativity.

D. Physical environment is of great importance to our focus of attention.

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman doctor in the United States. Her success opened the way for other women who wanted to do more than nursing. She was born in England in 1821 and her family moved to America when she was eleven years old.

The Blackwell girls received the same education as their brothers. This was most unusual in those days. Their father died young and they had very little money to live on. Elizabeth and her sisters taught at school. Then a woman dying of cancer urged Elizabeth to study medicine, saying that a woman doctor would have saved her from her worst sufferings. Nearly everyone said a girl should not go to medical school, but she managed to enter Geneva College in New York State. She graduated in 1849 at the head of her class and received the first medical degree ever given to a woman.

Next, Dr. Blackwell went to Paris. Her only chance of training was in a hospital where women came to have their babies. Four months later, while she was working in the French hospital, her left eye became dangerously infected (感染). She lost the eye. She was very disappointed. But she was soon back at work again, this time in London, England. There she met many famous scientists.

In 1859, Elizabeth Blackwell was officially recognized as a doctor in Great Britain — the first woman to be honored. She was the inspiration of Elizabeth Garrett, who began the women’s medical movement in England. Florence Nightingale, founder of the practice of nursing by women, was another of her friends.

Dr. Blackwell died in 1910 at the age of 89.

1.Elizabeth and her sisters taught at school probably to .

A. help support the family B. become women doctors

C. get practical experience D. earn money for their education

2.What made Elizabeth decide to study medicine?

A. The education she received. B. The death of her father.

C. The sufferings of a cancer patient. D. The encouragement from a patient.

3.Which of the following is the correct order of events according to the passage?

a. Elizabeth Blackwell lost one eye.

b. Elizabeth Blackwell received a doctor’s degree.

c. Elizabeth Blackwell entered Geneva College.

d. Elizabeth Blackwell was recognized as a doctor.

e. Elizabeth Blackwell went to work in London.

A. cabed B. cbaed

C. acbed D. bcade

4.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A. Elizabeth Blackwell was more famous in Britain.

B. Elizabeth Blackwell learned from other women.

C. Elizabeth Garrett gave Elizabeth Blackwell much help.

D. Florence Nightingale was encouraged by Elizabeth Blackwell.

I worked in a restaurant. One night a woman came in with three small children. As a ______, I could usually tell who is going to tip well and who isn’t going to tip at all I ______ got the latter vibe (气息) from her. She asked about the ______ of everything on the menu, but she ordered ______ water to drink. She wasn’t ______ appetizers (开胃饮料). At one point her daughter asked her very politely: “Mom, can I have ______?” The woman pulled out her coin purse and ______ her change before saying yes. Then I was ______ that I wouldn’t get a tip, but they were very nice and pleasant to ______ so I didn’t even think twice about it.

At the end of the meal, she paid ______ in coins.

When I went back to clear the table, to my ______, there were a lot of quarters left for me. They amounted to $ 8, or about 25% of the ______. Here was a woman who had to count her money before ______ her daughter a milk because she wanted to ______ she still had enough to tip me.

Was it the largest tip I ever got? No, but it’s the only one I ______ after all these years.

This story is a ______ that the very best aspects of human nature can shine through in even the most ______ of everyday situations. The first ______ may be powerful, but it’s important to let others show their true nature rather than making a snap (仓促的) ______ about them. As a matter of fact, generosity is a valuable virtue, whether you ______ to be rich, poor, or somewhere in between.

1.A. manager B. director C. waiter D. cashier

2.A. certainly B. positively C. suddenly D. regularly

3.A. material B. price C. taste D. colour

4.A. even B. much C. also D. only

5.A. content with B. aware of C. interested in D. ready for

6.A. juice B. soda C. milk D. cocoa

7.A. counted up B. used up C. stared at D. played with

8.A. worried B. convinced C. disappointed D. annoyed

9.A. please B. approach C. serve D. attend

10.A. largely B. partly C. rarely D. entirely

11.A. surprise B. satisfaction C. amusement D. regret

12.A. dish B. meal C. amount D. menu

13.A. ordering B. fetching C. passing D. preparing

14.A. believe B. insist C. ensure D. admit

15.A. understand B. remember C. require D. save

16.A. container B. judge C. performer D. reminder

17.A. normal B. ordinary C. important D. unusual

18.A. impression B. thought C. prediction D. expression

19.A. choice B. comparison C. analysis D. decision

20.A. attempt B. happen C. fail D. desire

The Great War Exhibition

When: Sun 10 Jan, 9:00 am- 6:00 pm

Mon 11 Jan, 9:00 am- 6:00 pm

Where: Dominion Museum Building, 15 Buckle Street, Wellington

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information: Admission Free

The journey is rich in personal stories which tell of the great experience of the battlefields and the hardships at home during war-time New Zealand. The visitors will experience the desperate horrors and the victories of the human spirit that were part of the Great War.

Kaipara Coast Plants & Sculpture Gardens

When: Sun 10 Jan, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm

Mon 11 Jan, 9:00 am- 5:00 pm

Where: 1481 Kaipara Coast Highway (SH16), Auckland

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information:

● Adults: $10.00

● Children 5-13 (under 5, free):$ 5.00

● Groups 10: $ 8.00

● Over 60 & Students (with ID): $ 9.00

Come and enjoy a relaxing art and garden experience. Sculptures are for sale and the display changes completely ever 12 months with the new exhibition opening in December each year to give you a fresh experience each time you come.

Dream Works Animation

When: Sun 10 Jan, 10:00 am- 6:00 pm

Mon 11 Jan, 10:00 am- 6:00 pm

Where: Te Papa, 55 Cable St, Wellington

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information:

● Adults: $ 15.00

● Children & Students 3-15 (with Student ID): $ 6.00

● Children under 3: $0.00

The exhibition features over 400 items, including rare concept drawing, models, interviews, and original artworks. Adults and kids can get creative with real animation tools, and soar above the clouds in the Dragon Flight experience from How to Train Your Dragon.

Balls, Bullets and Boots

When: Sun 10 Jan, 9:00 am- 4:30 pm

Mon 11Jan, 9:00 am- 4:30 pm

Where: National Army Museum, 1 Hassett Dr, SH1, Waiouru

Restrictions: All Ages

Ticket Information: Door Sales Only

The exhibition explores the impact the cruel reality of war had on colonial sportsmen and their loved ones as they were transplanted from the rugby fields of home to fight.

1.If a couple with their son aged 5 attend the second and the third exhibitions, how much should they pay?

A. $ 53. B. $61.

C. $75. D. $82.

2.Which of the following may attract a sport-lover most?

A. Balls, Bullets and Boots. B. The Great War Exhibition.

C. Dream Works Animation. D. Kaipara Coast Plants & Sculpture Gardens.

3.What is the writer’s purpose of writing the text?

A. Persuade people to study history seriously

B. Attract more visitors to join in the exhibitions

C. Advise people to spend more time with families

D. Compare the differences of four different exhibitions

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